mnocket

If you are a suite passenger on Celebrity and are considering the MSC Yacht Club, you will be pleasantly surprised. If you are a non-suite passenger on Celebrity and are considering a MSC cabin outside of the Yacht Club, you will likely be disappointed.

I guess in a free market system, we should probably blame the people who actually buy junk from Park West for this situation. If they'd stop buying, Park West would disappear.

And pictures. Let's not forget to ignore the pictures too.

Yep. Good price, but can't say I'd be thrilled about a TA ending in Arricife. Maybe they want to encourage people to make it b2b?

Aren't the gondola prices standardized? I'm sure that's what I read recently.

Maybe one contributing factor in low sales volume is the lack of unique or attention-grabbing itineraries. I've wanted to give EJ a try, but when I look at the itineraries I'm less enthusiastic.

I honestly had no idea that the captain got to hand-pick his executive team. Must be a scheduling nightmare.

lol This is one of the best lines I've read on CC in quite a while.👍

Wow. You are trying to compare two very different cruise experiences. Both the ships and the itineraries are completely different. My inkling, given your stated desire... "I really enjoy seeing new destinations, so I do not want a mega ship or a lot of nightlife. Food should be good but doesn’t need to be gourmet." is that Windstar is a better match. In all honesty, these two cruises are so different that I really don't think it should be a difficult decision for you to make. You know what you value most. It really shouldn't be hard to determine which option is the best fit for you.

I'm booked on the Wind Spirit for a Greece itinerary. Many of the ports are tendered, but the itinerary only shows the water sports platform on one day. Should I expect it will be available on the tender days as well?

I agree. I love the LCG 😋 Too bad they no longer allow people to participate.

We cruised the Amazon in Dec-Jan, no issue at all with bugs, but might be a different story in Feb. Overall, it was an enjoyable cruise, but not at the top of my list of memorable ones. The shore excursions were mediocre. The Amazon is not the rustic, untamed, wild rainforest that I had imagined. It wasn't what I would classify as an "adventure" vacation. If there are other items higher up on your bucket list, I'd recommend you focus on those instead.

Not true.

A Caribbean cruise in the Yacht Club is one of the few (only?) sailings where I would book an inside cabin. With the lovely YC pool area just steps away, I never feel the desire to spend time on a balcony.

I'm following with interest, but when does your cruise actually start?

I don't know if this is still the case, but it used to be that you could cook your own steak alongside the chef when dining at the LCG. Seems one could get a more personalized and hands-on experience doing this than attending the steak Master Class Ship Experience.

You have earned my respect for having a wise and open mind👍

WOOSH! It's not about alcohol.

Talk about missing the point🙄

At the end of the day, it really comes down to IT, specifically their customer facing IT, not being a priority to the cruise line executives. I don't know if it's because they don't understand it, and hence ignore it, or if they just don't put much emphasis on the pre-cruise experience. Either way, they either under-invest in these IT systems, or they don't manage the quality of the developer's work. It seems to be an issue for most cruise lines. There's really no excuse. Other travel related websites offer reliable websites with excellent functionality. Cruise line websites could, and should, do the same. The fact that they don't is 100% a management issue.

I'd hate it. I enjoy nice background music when dining in a restaurant, but loud, in your face musicians? Go Away!

Actually, many TAs who specialize in cruises are one-person franchisees. I have no idea what the up-front cost is of buying a franchise, but I suspect it wouldn't make sense for someone in your situation.

Great trip report! Thanks👍

Thanks👍

Do they issue different chips for OBC? By that I mean, on another cruise line the chips they issue for OBC are marked as such and can't be cashed out. You can only cash out the "normal" chips you get when you win a hand. So basically, you have to cycle through all of your "OBC" chips before you cash out.