DonnaK

OP here - thanks for all the advice and interesting conversation.

I ended up purchasing the internet package at the current "sale" price, and will monitor the price in case it decreases.   It seems strong majority felt the online price was better than waiting until onboard for the diamond discounted price.

Our cruise is 9 days,  The 2 device price showing now is $324.  $22/day for the 1st device and $14 for the 2nd device.  

I always purchase the internet package (2 devices) online before the cruise, because I was under the impression that the pre-cruise discount was greater than the onboard diamond discount. 

My last cruise was on Celebrity. I was able to apply the Elite discount over the phone when I made final payment, and it was about $100 less that the pre-cruise discounted price that was showing online.  

I just called Royal, and was told that unlike Celebrity, I have to wait until I get on the ship to apply the Diamond discount.  Is that so, and how do I calculate if waiting is a better deal than the pre-cruise discount that is being offered with the online "sale"?  

Symphony Aug 9th is replacing Labadee with Puerto Plata

We were in a similar situation on Ascent in February.  We just went to the Tuscan dining room at 5:30pm, and asked for an assigned table there for the remainder of the cruise.  We were able to order what we wanted from the menus of the other 3 dining rooms.

On 4/7/2024 at 2:11 PM, cruisinsusin said:

Hope @Salt Lifer doesn’t mind if I jump in - we have stayed at the Hyatt Centric before several cruises out of Ft Lauderdale and have really

liked it. Not very far from the port or airport

We recommend The Riverside in Las Olas.  Their Boathouse restaurant is excellent, and we also recommend Louie Bossi's restaurant.

On 4/7/2024 at 10:26 PM, Salt Lifer said:

Tonight's dinner was good!

I had the Tuscan shrimp soup (a favorite of mine from the Beyond last year), and escargot for my starters; the trout for my main course; and the panna cotta for desert.

 

Sorry, my soup was half eaten before I remembered to take a picture!  I was just so excited to get to eat it again.  😉

 

The escargot were a really nice size.  Much better in size and taste than those I ate on Beyond last year.  

 

The trout was good.  The grapes on top seemed like an odd pairing, but the flavor contrasted perfectly with the fish and other items in the dish.  I may seriously have to start slicing grapes and putting them on all my dishes at home.

 

The panna cotta was a nice light and refreshing ending to the meal. 

 

Our server in Tuscan was very personable, so we ended up making reservations for the rest of the week so we could sit in her section.

 

 

Bhanwar was our server on Ascent in February, and I agree she's the best!!!  🙂  Very knowledgeable about the menu items, especially those in the other MDRs that are available to order in the Tuscan one.

We did this itinerary on Liberty in August 2023.  It was wonderful.  Don't listen to the complainers,   We stayed in one of the newer panoramic OV cabins on deck 12.  highly recommend.

On 3/1/2024 at 4:07 PM, The Sunset Glow said:

And this is not just because of the cost. Royal's pricing has gone way up but the food quality and service has been cut big time. The value for dollars is no longer there for us so we are moving on. This is not to say that we'll never be back - it would just have to be a better value than what they currently offer.

This is exactly how we feel.  We are almost to D+, but instead of working towards that goal, our last few cruises have been on MSC Yacht Club and  Celebrity (Ascent).  They were less expensive than a standard OV balcony on a similar Royal Caribbean cruise, and the service and MDR food were so much better.  We have 4 future cruises booked, but only one is on Royal, Symphony of the Seas (because I had a FCC to use up).  Until the menus and service on RCI significantly improve and the prices become competitive with the other cruise lines, we get a better value for our money elsewhere.

We like the Riverside Hotel in Las Olas section. It's reasonably priced, clean, on the riverwalk with so much to see and do closeby.  We stayed there last February, and will be staying there again this weekend.

OP here!  Thanks for all this helpful info!  😍

We will be on Ascent in a few weeks.  We are Elite due to status match from Royal Caribbean.

What can we expect?  For example, on the list of benefits, "Access to exclusive daily coffee house-style breakfast and Evening Cocktail Hour" listed.  Where is this held, and what are the hours?  What is served?  Are there complementary beverages involved, like the 4 free coupons per day that we get on RC?

Also "Complimentary access to Persian Garden (on one port day)".  Must we make a reservation, or just show up on the chosen day?  Can we stay all day, or is our time limited?  

Any other tips?

I just called MSC and it was very easy to cancel.   I didn't want to wait until onboard because I wanted the refund to go back to my original form of payment instead of OBC.

We are leaving on Meraviglia on Sunday.  I have the Blue Lagoon excursion booked for our day in Nassau. So far, while other cruiselines have canceled their excursions yo Blue Lagoon because of the recent ferry sinking/death, MSC has not. I no longer want to go and would like to cancel, Can I do this and get my payment refunded? I can't see where to do this online.  Do I have to call, or wait until I am onboard?

9 hours ago, Happytime22 said:

Okay, Biker19 you are most definitely a Verternan cruiser...

My cruise is 9-Night Eastern Caribbean and Perfect Day  (Symphony of the Seas
Aug 09, 2024 - Aug 18, 2024).  It is way off from final payment and I wouldn't think this a new market?

Someone said 'some' TA's are restricted in some way for multiple rebooks?  

Should I be worried?

Thank you so much for the heads up.  I am on the same cruise, and just called to save $454.00, plus I changed from a guarantee to an assigned cabin!  

Are there any shady spots at all by the YC pool area on the Meraviglia?    How about on the YC beach on the private island - are umbrellas available?

My choices on an Edge class ship are:

Infinity balcony = I selected a cabin in the location of my choice

or

Concierge class guarantee

The price is the same.

Which would you choose?

21 hours ago, NightOne said:

We have always prepaid gratuities. We have also gave additional cash gratuities to our room steward and MDR waiters. We also added additional gratuities at special dining.

 

However, with the automatic daily gratuities going higher and higher it is getting hard to justify the "tips on top of the tips".

 

Anyone else feeling this way?

 

Are you still going to tip more?

To be honest, we leave the auto-tips in place and that's it.  Unless someone does something extraordinary for us, over and above the usual expectations of their job, we do not give additional tips.  The auto-gratuities are sufficient.

On our upcoming Ascent cruise, we will be Elite due to status match with RCI.

Please tell me about the Happy Hour drinks?  What is included?  At any bar, or just a specific one?

Any other useful benefits included?

This is great info!  thanks!

Is the marketplace walkable from where the ship docks?

MSC newbie here.  Have the YC booked for a November cruise.

I have read that the YC beach is rocky and not as nice as the other beaches on the island.  Are we better off just going to another beach?  What is the lunch like, compared to the offerings in the non-YC areas?  Any advice/tips?

2 hours ago, Esmerelda said:

Riverside hotel, great hotel, great restaurants, great location.☺️

 

Remember to always do your homework wherever you choose to stay.   TripAdvisor is a great resource and try to read at least 10 reviews of any hotel you are interested in to get a general idea of people’s opinions. There are a few hotels in Fort Lauderdale that we would never return too because of bad experiences. 

 

Best of luck and have a great time! 

We agree with this recommendation.  Lovely clean hotel on the Riverwalk, with plenty to see/do.  We had been to FLL numerous times, always staying on 17th street.  The last visit, we chose Riverside, and wondered why we hadn't done this before!

We will be on a cruise that calls on Miami on the day before Thanksgiving 8am to 10pm.  Any suggestions of what we can do in port that day?  We were considering the cruise ship tour of the Everglades, but want to look at other options.

Boarded Liberty today.  The CD is “Coco” Colette from the UK.  It sounds like she was the activities director who has now moved  up.  No word on where Eric is, or whether Colette is just filling in for this week, or if this is a longer replacement.