jcathers1

46 minutes ago, peachycruise said:

I called MSC specifically for this. This is the answer I got:

~Sofa Bed - fold down sofa sleeps 1, so the room would hold up to 3.

 

~Double Sofa Bed - pull out sofa sleeps 2, so the room would hold up to 4, with 2 people sharing the sofa bed.

 

~3rd Bed is a Bunk Bed - no idea on this one, but the agent's guess was that the couch does not convert and the bunk bed folds out of the wall. However, I have read that there are no ceiling/wall bunk beds with MSC as well, so no idea really. Room sleeps up to 3.

 

~3rd and 4th beds are bunks - the sofa converts into a bunk bed set up (both twin size), so the room sleeps 4. This is the ONLY configuration a party of 4 can book to have separate beds for the kids. Unless parents wanted to sleep on the sofa bed and then you could request the main beds to be separated for 2 twins for the kids. However, there are very few rooms with this configuration.

 

~The last configuration for YC is a double sofa bed, one bunk, and then the regular beds. You can only book this with a party of 5, even with a medical form. I have heard of some people booking a phantom infant and paying just the "infant's" taxes and fees to get a party of 5 in order to book this type of room.

 

Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

This was some awesome information. Thanks so much!

Can anyone else add some insight into what these other classifications are? Is it possible to have a room where the 3rd and 4th passengers do not share a pull-out sofa bed?

2 minutes ago, dexddd said:

 On Seaside there are indeed YC Deluxe cabins with the master bed (two beds together), the double pullout sofa, then a drop down from the ceiling near the balcony.  There are a limited number of them and I had read here that they won't let less than five book them and that is what our TA said as well.  We booked very early on so early many rooms left.  We have teen DS and 20 YO DD so them sleeping in the sofa bed (including seeing the size of it in person) wasn't going to work.

 

Interesting enough we booked a RS and Deluxe for our trip in June, also very early, and our party of 2 got a room for 5 so who knows.  I have read of one family of 4 recently like our scenario who got one for four.

 

The beds pushed together on Divinia had a ridge and not that comfy but on Seaside, at least for us, it was pretty comfy and really didn't notice it.

Yes, we had our daughters in the pull-out sofa, which wasn't terrible. I do think if we had the drop own bed, one of them would use it, though. We also found the main bed very comfortable.

I see the following terminology used for the bedding arrangements for rooms available in the YC: "sofa bed", "double sofa bed", "3rd bed is a bunk bed", "3rd and 4th beds are bunks", and "bunk beds".

Can someone please explain the distinctions between these room types? We have stayed in the style room with a sofa bed that pulled out into a double sleeper ("double sofa bed", I assume). But as our kids get older, I am wondering if that is the only/best arrangement. Is there a room type here that actually has separate beds for the 3rd and 4th people in the room? And can a party of 4 book the rooms with the double sofa and the drop-down/pullman bed? It doesn't appear so to me. Perhaps these are reserved for parties of 5?

TIA.

We will be traveling in the YC on the Seaside this summer, and I am curious as to the dress code for the YC restaurant. My wife and I actually took our daughters in the YC last year, but this summer, our whole extended family is coming as well. Having only girls, I didn't think much about it (since they were wearing dresses every night and my wife and I were dressed up), but I am wondering what the expectations are for my nephews and other family members. Long pants, no open toed shoes? No jeans and a collared shirt? I just want to be able to help them pack appropriately.

Thanks in advance.

Can anyone comment on open container laws? We have never been to OSJ before. Is it like most other Caribbean ports that allow open consumption of alcohol, or more like the US where it is prohibited?

Also, are the forts a quick walk from the pier (10-15 minutes)? Or do they require a taxi?

TIA.

4 hours ago, DMH15 said:

What do I need to know about FLL airport?  What makes it so awful?

We fly into either MIA or FLL (depending on price and flight times). We've never had a bad experience at either.

Can anyone tell me the specific ports for the eastern Caribbean itinerary (San Juan, St. Thomas, San Maarten, Nassau)?

I ask for specifics, because I understand some ports have multiple places the ship can dock (St. Thomas for one), and when planning excursions, I want to know where the ship will be docking.

Thanks!

I agree with virtually everything here. We have three Haven cruises (GA and Escape) and one in the YC (with two more coming this summer).

The room goes to NCL (we were in the two-bedroom suite), but the price was no comparison. We were perfectly happy with the YC deluxe last summer, and this includes two kids.

4 minutes ago, CruiseIreland said:

Hi. We also had to select 3 dates when we booked, a few months ago. When we got on the ship, we went to the Deck 16 area which all three restaurants share and arranged the exact times and nights. Apart from Feb 14th, Valentines night, we were able to change our times and dates to suit ourselves. FYI, Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay were excellent, Pan Asian not so much. You could try and have a second night in BC or OC, if they'll let you! Ken

This is great info. Thanks!

For the Pan Asian night, were you able to choose from either the sushi bar, teppanyaki-style side, or the actual sit-down Pan Asian place? I ask because on our last cruise, we tried "Roy's trio" where we ate at each of those places one time. Having our choice, we would only try the sushi side again. We thought it was very good.

Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks.

15 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Thanks very much! I'm glad you had a great experience.

I am considering getting the "Jean Louis David color, cut, and style" in the Seaside spa for my wife. She normally pays more than $100 for a color and cut (she has hair down to the middle of her back), so $55 seems like a good deal. She is a little hesitant going to a "new" person for her color/cut, so I told her I would see if anyone had any experience with this, positive or negative.

Is there any restriction on hair length? Is this available any day (or only sea days)? Do you just schedule your first day on the ship? Any comments would be helpful.

TIA.

I am planning on purchasing the "Trio" of specialty restaurant on the Seaside for our next cruise. When I tried to book today, it made me select a date and time for each restaurant (so I didn't complete the purchase, because I wasn't sure). Is this new? When we booked the other package (Roy's cuisine) last year, it did not make us do this.

Would we be able to change while on board if we wanted to? We are in the YC, if it matters.

TIA.

Any further news on where this can be viewed?

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 11:06 AM, leavesofapple said:

Vizcaya, wow!!!!

Yes, it was amazing.

We will be in South Beach for a few days before our cruise this summer. Can anyone recommend a boat tour? The kids enjoy boating, and we would be open to a tour of luxury homes, natural habitats, etc. 

Any help would be appreciated.

We rent a car (so the luggage stays with you).

Vizcaya is awesome: http://vizcaya.org/

We've also gone to have brunch in Little Havana at Versailles Bakery. Amazing food.

Not really on topic but try searching for Fajardo Bio Bay tours.

The topic was what to do with a few hours in San Juan, so yeah, it’s pretty on topic.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I believe I read somewhere about an excursion when you can kayak at night through a bay with bioluminescent creatures (but I can't seem to find it). Can anyone help me out?

Thanks!

jcathers1 - if you're on the Seaside you'll be right at Turtle Beach. (We just got back from our Seaside cruise :) ) Just walk straight off the ship towards the taxi's and out of the port security gate.(don't go all the way to main street).Take an immediate left at security gate and walk towards fishing boats and along the water to the right. There will be an entrance to the end of Turtle Beach there and a booth to pay the small admission fee. We did have a local that walked with us, which was fine (if you don't want anyone just tell them). He brought us drinks throughout the day and stopped by periodically to see if we needed anything. Gets you chairs if you want to rent them, etc. We just tipped him at the end of the day. Overall it was a nice day. The beach feels safe (I wouldn't venture outside the gates though).

Yep, we just got back as well (we must have been there with you!). Turtle Beach was great! Our kids snorkeled and kicked the soccer ball on the beach. With only our ship in port, it felt like a private beach!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Let me get this straight. The OP is going to spend thousands on a cruise, but wants to save $5 by sneaking warm booze off the ship? Is this post a joke or is someone actually that cheap?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Let me help you get it straight:

We bring a soft cooler and coozies with us, and have our butler deliver extra ice morning of. We take a six-pack of beer and water for the kids.

We just got back from our cruise, and to answer my own question, yes, it’s fine to take alcohol off in any of those ports. In fact, we received countless “I wish we would have thought of that” comments from fellow cruisers.

Unsurprisingly, no one called us “cheap” for saving ~$50 by drinking alcohol we had already purchased. That seems to be an internet phenomenon...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Aren’t you just being kind of cheap??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You prefer to pay extra for things when you don’t have to?

That seems strange. Good luck. [emoji1303]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I don't think they meant taking a drink out of the bar. That's not a problem. Taking an open drink off the ship would be a problem. Discretion can be your friend.

Of course, no one said anything about taking an OPEN drink off the ship. These would be closed containers.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sounds like a really great bargain! Unfortunately there are many onboard services that we can't pre-book. :(

I'm considering purchasing this for my wife, but I have some questions. Be gentle, I'm a little out of my realm of expertise here.

Would a woman have to let her leg hair grow for a few days to take advantage of a leg wax? I'm not sure my wife would be ok with that while we are on vacation. Haha.

And, as mentioned above, should she stay out of the sun and water for the rest of the day? (Again, that sounds like a bummer on a Caribbean vacation).

Thanks for the help.