Morgsmom

The smoking areas are designated, and not near the pools per se. NO smoking inside, unless the casino or in the ships with designated Cigar Bar.

1. On the Caribbean sailings (or any sailing that does not have guests who join at various ports of call) you pretty quickly learn the other YC faces/guests and you might spot a "new" face. 2. There's often a "tell" - the looking around, not knowing what to do, how to get a drink when you are few days into the cruise is a signal, too. 3. Listening - many times these folks brag to their friends 4. Looking - sometimes folks are so dumb that they wear their key card on a lanyard which clearly doesn't have the YC logo on the back side 5. Looking part 2 - guest presents key card to get a drink 🙂

Do not worry about it; the credit card registration RARELY works beforehand. There are multiple kiosks onboard to do this.

We've seen interlopers on various ships. Those that sneak in are generally escorted out fairly quickly. However the real issue is when a YC guest "invites" their friend/family to join them and the YC guest gets all high & mighty with the pool attendants/staff and starts ranting about "I paid good money and I can do what I want" .. blah, blah, blah. Then it becomes a whole thing.

You can order any drink you want if they have the liquor and the ingredients (and the liquor is below $15 a pour)

Lol. The YC on the Divina is intimate. But the whole ship seems teeny weeny vs the new builds 🤷🏼‍♀️

@NCteacherlovescruising Then I say go for it!

Flavored cappuccinos are not really a thing on the ships (and some Italian grandmother is shaking her head), but the "traditional" espresso based drinks are FANTASTIC

The Divina is an older ship and the YC definitely needs a refurb (especially Topsail). Le Muse (the YC restaurant) is NOT in the YC as it is a retrofit, so you have to go down to 7, walk across, then up to the restaurant. The Divina is lovely, but does not have the bells, whistles, etc of the newer ships, but it is quaint and intimate. The thermal spa is poor in comparison to the newer ships so if you value that I would not recommend. On a plus side, the YC is much smaller and more personalized (IMO) since the concierge, director, etc have many fewer guests.

oh, boo! I was just watching a YouTube on the Euribia and just found out about Helios. Of course it's not covered (shaking my head)..

Without looking at the itinerary my guess is that you are joining "mid" itinerary so that's why the ship is sailing so late. If it were me and I was arriving into AMS (and you haven't been to Amsterdam), I'd.... take the bus/shuttle into Amsterdam directly to the central train station. You can check your luggage there. Spend the morning and early day in AMS, then take the train to Rotterdam. Alternately there is luggage storage in the train station in Rotterdam for about 7E for the day. I wouldn't plan on going to the port and dropping off luggage very early and then turning around.

That's Venchi and nothing is included there. Also many have reported issues with using their drinks package at Hola!

Your TA is, unfortunately, woefully misguided (unless you are in UK or a country with such protections). That does not apply in US

Well then we see you in Copenhagen! ✅

We enjoy Krazy Lobster. No hard sell and no pushing. Plus the $20 beach massages are wonderful.

Yes, we booked this one but joining in COP.

FYI this the one we booked, too (but starting in Copenhagen) 🙂

So I booked (through a TA) what was likely a Mistake Fare for a Yacht Club balcony cabin (someone else on a very large social media site noted it). I know that the cruiseline can refuse to honor the price -- anyone have any direct experience with this? My thought is that if the TA gets the confirmation and MSC has the deposit then we should be good to go..... Oh, but, wait,.... it's MSC. So how long might they have to pull the plug and cancel? Likely they (the cruiseline) are fully protected and could bump us right up to the sailing while we, as US-based passengers, have no protections. Thoughts?

Huh what? Never heard of that.

No, you will get Prosecco

There is one drawback to the Med sailings, IMO. The ships act more like a train with guests getting on and off in every port. This makes for a much more chaotic experience for crew and guests. In they Caribbean you sail for the whole time with the same other guests - so you can get to know the "guy with the cowboy hat" or the "lady with sparkly blouses" etc. In the Med it's a new experience every day as people come and go. Otherwise the service is lovely and the ship feels more "authentic" in Europe with the vibrant mix of nationalities.

Agree with @Essiesmom. Head over to the FL Departures board. Miami is our least favorite Florida port - often there's a road race or some other distraction on weekend mornings in addition to the maddening traffic in South FL. However it's obviously doable; just pack some patience 😉

Oh, my, thanks for man-splaining (woman-splaining) me. I think I choked on my coffee a bit 🙂 So here's the thing about math, and dimensions, and layouts - where things are placed really matters. Having personally cruised on the same ship in each of the noted categories, and not based upon a website, here's my perspective. For the YIN - you walk straight into the cabin and are faced with the bed. Assuming the bath is to the left, as well as closet and desk, then there's an odd, useless space to the right where there is sometimes a single chair (akin to the one found by the pool) which is fairly useless and gets in the way. Overall it's a poor layout and I'll stick by my "teeny tiny" comment. In a balcony cabin the bed is perpendicular to the door and there's also a sofa (either near balcony or near bathroom depending on configuration) as well as the full glass window of the balcony (regardless of whether you open it or not). There are thus multiple seating areas. The feel is totally different. The OP is sailing with a friend, NOT a spouse. Listen, I love my DH to pieces so he's about the only person I'd share a YIN with because I could "deuces out" to the Spa for some solace (and a decent sized shower). There's not a friend in the world I'd share a YIN with because I'd feel like I was constantly tiptoeing in little dark box.

In short, if you LOVE snorkeling you will be sorely disappointed. The snorkeling is a 2 on a 10 scale - a 2 because the water is nice but there's VERY little to see. Yes, there is a shark net. Yes, the beach "right off the cruise ship" is the best (near the lighthouse) No, you cannot fish. No paying snorkeling excursions.

You will need to log into your specific sailing/reservation to see what is being offered for purchase beforehand. Once onboard there will be "specials" but not as good (usually) as buying what you want ahead of time.