80sGal

1 hour ago, cruiser man 60 said:

Not sure , I assume you could ring & ask to be downgraded back if you’re original cabin in still available.

We were in Aurea , were invited to bid for YC for minimum of £780 pp against advertised prices of extra £1500 pp.

However we didn’t bid but somehow got email with free upgrade confirming new cabin number etc

Interesting.   Okay good to know.   I'm imagining any YC would be better anyway ... but I'm sensitive to noise so I like to choose what's over and under my cabin.  Thanks for the reply!  

On 4/26/2024 at 1:54 PM, cruiser man 60 said:

We didn’t participate in bidding as they wanted £800 each for YC from Aurea, however we got email Tuesday confirming free upgrades to YC 😀

When this happens for free, do you still need to accept it or are you automatically moved?  And if it is by acceptance, you know the cabin before you commit?  First time on MSC coming up.  Currently have Aurea balcony in a preferred location to my liking, an upgrade would be nice though!  

We did the Horizon at New Years and didn't get off the ship til around 1030. Previous times we were off by 9 or 930.  But, that sailing, debarkation was slow-going so we hung out on Lido and waited.   

They will make other drinks found on the ship if you ask, assuming they have the right ingredients there.  We like the Pirate Punch, found throughout the ship.   

We are booked for the week of the 12th of October.  Stops are Newport, Bar Harbor, Portland, St. John and Halifax.   Rethinking that I need to change to the week of the 5th. Thoughts on the timing of fall colors at those ports?   This is likely a one-time cruise to these ports as DH prefers warmer climates.   

Reviving this thread!  Although I know there are no guarantees of weather -- is it still generally warm enough to do the long walk to the mansions in mid-October or has it become chilly and unpleasant by then?  (Temp tolerance varies based on what one is accustomed to ...  Kentucky gal here).   TIA!

On 4/13/2024 at 9:00 AM, Heartgrove said:

Once booked you are retroactively granted Status Match, which means the discount as well.

Wait, what?  Our status match went through about a month ago and our 1st cruise is in October.  My account still shows the same balance due as before we got bumped to Gold.   Do I have to call to have the discount credited?  

It doesn't look like you're getting many good vibes here.  Maybe you need some positive news which I can report.  We've only tried it once on Celebration in late 2022 but it was excellent.   We had the lobster mac n cheese appetizer which was delicious, and to be honest I'm not even much of a Mac n cheese person to begin with.  I would have had that dish every night of the cruise if I could have!   The seafood was also very good -- I prefer scallops and crabmeat or crab cakes, but DH prefers steak and "suffered" thru the seafood restaurant like a good sport.  Happily,  he said the steak that night was as good or better than the steakhouse.   I'm sure we ordered dessert but I don't recall which and I was likely too full to have more than a bite or two anyway.   I wish Rudy's would be added on more ships.  Compared to Emerils, which we tried on Celebration and from the MDR favorites menu on Horizon, it was a hands-down winner.    Enjoy! 

6 hours ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

I often will fly in the morning of the cruise.  I have even flown to Rome (including changing planes in London), landing the morning of the cruise to make connections for the two hour transfer to Civitavecchia for a 32-day B2B2B cruise.  Although, I did get the airfare and insurance from Carnival that time.

You were VERY lucky with that dice roll. We were supposed to land in Rome this past summer around 4 pm on Saturday, with only one connection out of Chicago.  Thanks to a bad tire on the plane in originating city we missed connection, were rebooked and now connecting thru Chicago and Heathrow.  That Chicago flight was delayed by HOURS, actually rebooked a second time automatically by airline to make Heathrow ... and nope, it was late too.  Missed Heathrow connection ... and FINALLY saw Rome at noon on Sunday.   

You can put the cruise on hold at the end of the booking process then view the available excursions on that itinerary while it's on hold.  Go back into the booking and search Shore Excursions just as you would on a paid booking.  

Can someone explain to me how this is booked?  Do I book this in advance like excursions on the app?  Or on board?  I recall seeing something about "2 days prior to sailing" but I can't find that on my booking anywhere.   Thanks!  

Thanks to all who responded.  After another round of emails the issue has been fixed and status matched.  Perseverance pays, I suppose.  

Thanks.  Sometimes its just me and my college-aged daughter on Carnival or RC but for now we are just trying MSC out.  

New to MSC with cruise in October from Miami.   DH and I are both Platinum with Carnival so I filled out the online form, attached screenshot of cards, and subnitted.  The next day his was approved and I got a rejection note.  Seems like I accidentally loaded his card to both of our requests.  The email said to reply with accurate info ... which I've now done FIVE times over the past two months.   His took less than 24 hours!  How can I correct this?  I can't get through to a live person on the number for support.  It just redirects me to send an email to the status match address.  

On 3/2/2024 at 12:30 PM, TN Roz said:

Thanks. My only Havana experience was in a Havana Aft Balcony on I believe deck 7 on the Vista. There was no noise from the band at all.

 Had one of those on hold and let it expire.  I was concerned about the No Shade and Soot problems I've heard about.  What was your experience on 7 Aft on Vista?  

We just did this in July on Glory with friends who were new woth no good offers.  When we did the onkine check in, we made sure to specify the cards each person was charging to and NOT each cabin.  Took guest services all of five minutes to make new key cards for the two who needed to switch and the charge accounts stayed with the person.  It made no difference to guest services who was sleeping in which cabin.  

Try reaching out to John Heald in his official FB page.  It has a blue check mark by his name so you know its the "real" page.  I believe he's on Horizon this week but he appears to he very good at fielding these types of problems when someone is clearly frustrated and have done their best to fix an issue.  He perhaps cant fix the reimbursement question but he can at least likely address the legitimacy of those emails and reach out to the appropriate "beards."  

I don't see any cruises between Hawaii and Papeete listed past this Fall.  Have they decided not to cruise that route in 2025 or has it just not been released?  I don't see any ships with missing itineraries but then again I'm new to the NCL website.  Am I missing something?  

Which time of year is best to travel here?  I see you seem to go at various times of year but for a "once a decade" trip frim the U.S., what would you recommend?  Your photos are stunning ... and we've been looking at these islands for a couple of years now.  I'm ready to start some real planning ahead.   Thanks!  

I have noticed over this past year or two that White Night is not promoted like it used to be.  In 2021, ALOT of people participated, but like other special events, more people seem to not care as much.  You'll see a few groups in all white and even dressy whites, but the majority are just doing "whatever".  

Your bill will be presented at the end of the meal at the Steakhouse and it will show that you prepaid the price per person but no automatic tip at that venue.  Just like on land, you can then add a tip that will go on your Sign and Sail.   

Did not lose OBC when we moved to a suite on Horizon last year. 

2 hours ago, Até said:

You have to be signed in to Cruise Critic, at the bottom of each person's (who uses the signature function) post are the words "Expand signature".  People can put links to their reviews, blogs etc... there.

 

You may need to go to your account settings and turn on "View signatures".

 

That must be it!  I didn't have that enabled!  THANKS!!

On 1/26/2024 at 9:47 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

If you click on my Seascape review link in my signature, you can see the current menus and dailies.

I've been on these boards for several years now and still have no idea what this means .... as to "in my signature."  Where is this?  I've tried several times to find reviews ppl reference, but I'm clueless!  Any help is appreciated! 

Not asking about the promos but just any time during the cruise .... Can bottles of wine be bought at the 555 bar to take back to the room, without dining there?  The 555 menu has a couple that I really like.  Or ... do I even need to buy them there or can any bar sell those brands "to-go"?    I'm trying to compare the Cruise the Vineyards package to just buying-as-I-go.   Thanks!