Morgsmom

Thank you for the review.  I'm not sure that I'd downgrade a cruise line for lack of availability of Chicken Tenders.  In addition, if it rains on Ocean Cay OF COURSE people are going to flock back to the ship.  That's no one's fault and I'm sure two gangways were open but it's just more people than can be processed in a few minutes.  

Ask to see the menus (both YC and MDR) for the NEXT DAY and place your order accordingly.  In addition set a time that you will be coming to dinner.  So if you see Dish X on the MDR menu (tomorrow's menu) that you want, ask for it and let them know you will be dining at 7:00 for example.  That way they can plan for it and hold it for you.  

If you try to do this MID-SERVICE (same day) expect either a "no" or a rather delayed service --- which will also impact every other table in the YC Dining room as someone will have to leave their station to try to do this.  

They are feeding 5000 people plus 1500 crew 3 x a day.    (4x a day for the cruisers....)

On 7/26/2023 at 3:46 AM, sverigecruiser said:

 

What we know is that they are old and have mobility issues.

 

They will defenitely be escorted EVERYWHERE if they need/want.

 

Problem to get a soda from the minibar? A butler will help them. NO

 

Need help to get from sofa to balcony? A butler will help them. NO Absolutely No. Butlers will not physically help someone from place to place.

 

Forgot the glasses when going to the lounge? A butler will get it for them.  WOW?  Really? You'd ask your butler to get your glasses? 

 

There are lots of things they can get help with, as you know.

 

 

Sorry but MOST of these things are just not true.  The butlers have 8-16 cabins. They CERTAINLY will not come to your room to get a coke out of the fridge.  Should they stand by and hand you a towel after your shower?  Come on now, @sverigecruiser this is just ridiculous.

There are espresso machines (not coffee machines) in the YC.  To my knowledge you cannot request in Aurea as the cabin stewards who service the room would not have access to the nespresso pods.  However you can have a pot of coffee brought to your room at any time.

9 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Ok, I knew it was a non-refundable deposit. I didn’t realize that wasn’t the case outside of the YC. We may just lose our deposit, rather than spend another 6,000+, when we’ve already exceeded our vacation budget for 2024. We thought we had a year from the date of the booked cruise to reschedule. Lesson learned. 

@NCteacherlovescruising  I remember you saying that you booked onboard.  When you did that you MAY have 1 year of flexibility because you booked YC while onboard the YC.  Check the terms of your specific booking since I believe it was made while sailing.  I *think* there's more flexibility from the literature I've seen/read. Good luck!

15 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

Personally, I would consider this to be one of those instances in which ‘another passengers behavior’ is negatively impacting my cruise experience as mentioned in the acceptance of carriage agreement we all must sign to sail. I will report and expect action by the crew.

I reported.  Their response was to ask if I (emphasis added) wanted to move cabins.  

On 7/25/2023 at 11:41 AM, amygutman said:

Really?

I don't remember that policy. Is it new?

That's a darned shame though having had many drinks spilled on me by over enthusiastic (or over-indulging) fellow theater-goes, I can understand why. Perhaps its a holdover from Covid. 

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. 

Warmest, Amy

No drinks in theater and in pools/hot tubs.  Policy has been in effect for a while now.

On 7/25/2023 at 8:55 AM, TravelandLeisure85 said:

Yeah, I still can’t believe people were openly smoking either. The thing is—it wasn’t just one person; we witnessed several! MSC needs to come up with some way to address this. 

Have witnessed this VERY OPENLY on MSC as of late.  Our balcony "neighbors" in the YC were openly smoking weed on the balcony and in their cabin.  The YC Director (and security) did NOTHING.  Not even a slap on the wrist.  🤢

On 7/23/2023 at 7:21 PM, def0715 said:

When I booked I was under the impression I could change the sail date. Didn’t realize I must pay the amount in full and can’t apply deposit to a cheaper cabin category. That’s on me, but the rep didn’t help. He didn’t make that clear to me before I pounced. 

@def0715Yes, you CAN change the sail date up to 90 days IN ADVANCE.  No, you do not have to be paid in full to do so.  Yes, on your new sail date you CAN downgrade to a cheaper cabin category and your $400'ish deposit will be credited.  

Sorry, first NCL.  On other cruise lines once you register a device the system knows it's IP address and you are "locked" (you can't switch on and off devices).  Is this the same for NCL?  Both DH and I will likely need to log in and do a wee bit of work during our cruise. The meager total minutes in current packge isn't going to cut it.   Do we need to purchase TWO unlimited plans or can we share ONE by toggling back and forth.  And, no, this is not comparable to trying to share a drink package - this is WiFi for which (as far as I am concerned) there is no incremental cost of goods to NCL.  It's just a money grab.

14 hours ago, EngrJones said:

They have a morgue?!  How many bodies are typically in there?  I would think that there would be just as much chance of somebody being dead in the next room due to "too much cruising" or it was just their time.

All ships have morgues.  And Jails, for that matter 🙂  The morgue would sail empty at the beginning of the cruise and then, who knows... However, a jail might already have a crew member in it (a guest would have been let off at home port)... Good times.

I second the not bothering to go to Paris from LeHavre - it's way too far.  You are pretty much limited to cruise transport which is pricey and limited.  The last time we were in LeHavre DH was sick so I just walked around a bit, unfortunately.  Not much to do within the city center.  

Just to note, I have never seen a Yacht Club Guarantee category, though that would be interesting.  As far as the willy-nilly juggling of YC cabins (or any, for that matter) it's just maddening.  Now I want to log in to check my booked cruises to see if there are any changes.

Hi Laura,

I have used the special needs form for a severe food allergy. While it's never been acknowledged beforehand (other than the courtesy return email) it has been correctly noted on the ship. That's totally different, however from yours all of which require a service.  

The wheelchair embarkation should be easy enough to arrange even if that slips through the cracks. The pack and play seems iffy, based on how many babies onboard.  I should *think* that that number would be low in September, but then what's your plan B other than to cart on your own? 

1 hour ago, Floridagal2213 said:

Wow I also checked the other categories left and there are only around TOTAL rooms left! Looks like we have a very popular sailing!!

The ships are sailing at capacity

18 hours ago, bac513 said:

Does the one change allow rebooking to get a better rate on the same sail date for same cabin and/or upgrades? Thanks.

No. You must move your cruise FORWARD up to 90 days so it is not applicable toward the same cruise.  In addition, the fare you will be quoted on the new cruise will be WHAT THAT FARE was on the day you booked your original cruise.  So for example, you book the Seashore today (July 22nd) for Jan 1st in YC and your fare is $5000.  Then in December you see that the Seashore for Jan 8th in YC is now $4000 (because of a sale or capacity or something) and you call to change your booking, you will not get the $4000 fare. Rather it will be the price that that cabin was on JULY 22nd, the day you booked your initial sailing. 

29 minutes ago, 1trainer1 said:

i.e. we booked guranteed Bella inside cabin for February knowing full well in February school half term the ship is never full, whereas in the Summer we always book balcony as the cruise will be full so we want to make sure we have our balcony cabin if we can

 

Things have really changed is all that I can say. We were on the Grandiosa in Feb of this year in the Med and the ship was FULL to capacity.  

Wonderful!  I had this same issue/question when trying to add for only one person on the app.  Will log in and do so

9 hours ago, CruiseLand said:

Didn't cruise with MSC for a while. Booked my 3 days cruise From Port Canaveral for this September. I am Diamond Status. Do we still get 1 free taste menu, Champaign +sweet treat, Party and some gift? or do they get rid of all those perks? Who went on recently please help.

Since you indicate that you haven't cruised in a while, have you confirmed that you still have Diamond Status?  It was extended due to the pandemic, but....

23 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The free cruise change is applicable either on the cruise dates or on the destination. Such change needs to be performed up to 30 calendar days before departure, for a new cruise to sail within 90 calendar days from the original departure. Any cruise change shall be requested through MSC Book or our contact centers.

but it is 90 days FORWARD, not backwards. So if you originally were sailing on 12/15 you could change to 12/16 but NOT 12/14

Thanks everyone.  Based on the responses I'm going to remove my bids.  From what is NOT included in the Haven I don't think it holds a candle to the Yacht Club on MSC.  (I can't drink a soda from the minibar without paying for it? huh, what?)  In addition since there's apparently no thermal area on the Joy and we will be cruising in September I'm not sure any haven pool area would be of interest. 

Truth be told, I'm regretting booking this cruise which is 100% on me for not doing more research into NCL cruise line and what it includes -or doesn't in the case of a beverage package.  And don't even get me started on the Veuve 🍾

The main dining room and buffet are included.  Not sure what you mean about "snacks".  Room service costs and menus vary based on experience level of cabin selected (bella, fantastica, etc)

Yes, each card is scanned individually.  No worries.

1 hour ago, ohdiane55 said:

Hi Friends!  We are sailing on Seascape for 11 nights on August 20.  This is our first MSC cruise and I booked a Balcony Bella cabin.  After reading many reviews I am stressing a bit and wondering if it would be worth the money to upgrade to Aurea.  Here are my concerns:

1.  Embarkation/Debarkation.  I'm hearing that the wait can be up to 2 hours.  Upgrading gets me priority boarding, so is that worth it?

2.  Dining Times:  I am a diabetic and don't want to eat at 9pm.  Also, are there any special dining options for this class that I'm missing?

3.  Thermal Spa: Aside from getting access to the thermal spa included, are there any really great perks for the Aurea Class?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

If you show up at noon or so the wait should not be 2 hours; if you get there very early then, indeed, it might be a wait.

It is correct that you will not be able to request a dining time with Bella; however if you are assigned the late slot you can go to the maitre d' on the first day to try to request earlier.  

Thermal spa is NICE, but I find personally that I use it twice in a week for maybe 45 minutes each time.   Your experience might vary.

As @JAGR said the private sundeck is lovely if that is important to you.  

2 minutes ago, omahabob said:

 

You can call and upgrade a cabin at any time, assuming the higher level cabin is available. But no cruise line is going to give out winning bids on cabins that just aren't available, Norwegian or otherwise. Haven cabins are in high demand, and are almost always sold out. You can't fault Norwegian for not letting you win a bid on a cabin that just isn't there to win.

No, you misunderstand.  There are a lot of Haven cabins available.  What's I'm commenting on is the SNARKY responses from some folks.  I know how to do a mock booking, thank you; I just don't want to pony up the full difference.