cathep

We used our FCC from an April 2020 cruise on a Dec 2021 cruise. We still had $800 remaining of FCC and had been told it would be refunded. I had a prior thread where i doubted it would happen. We received it this week!!! Best scenario we could have hoped for. We upgraded the cruise from the original and got money back. Yay!

My husband stopped by the desk Tuesday night and we miraculously had an answer within 30 minutes. The amount remaining will be refunded in the way you paid for the cruise. So it will be FCC for us. Can we actually use it? Won't know until we try to use it. At this point, we have as much info as we'll get on board. We'll enjoy the last full day of our cruise.

**This wouldn't post when I originally typed it up. Adding the update now that we're headed home.

Our butler said they need shoes. We brought a bunch of stuff on board with us and the major thing we didn't include was black dress shoes. If you have room and can find good black dress shoes, bring sizes 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5.

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

That's what I figured until I saw this thread.

 

 

I understand and have no problem with that. Even if extra FCC could be used as FCC on a different cruise, I'd have no problem with that. It's when extra FCC just disappears that bothers me. In my case, I had intended on using the extra as OBC to use on overpriced excursions. Seeing this thread leads me to believe that extra FCC can't be used at all and guests are told something that isn't true (wouldn't be the first time).

This is our thinking as well.

If it will be refunded to my credit card, that would be wonderful. I don't think that will happen since one of conditions of the 125% FCC was only credit and no refund. And I think it said the FCC has to be used on one cruise. We booked the top level cabin on the ship aside from royal or owner suites and the $832 definitely doesn't cover the $6,000 to $10,000 to upgrade to a better cabin. 

Seems like they should have this worked out by now.

Is Eva Dutch? Tall and blonde? If so, that's exactly who it was. Felt like I was getting an answer to get me out of her hair. But nothing I can do about it at this point. Between the desk and the check-in, it's been a more frustrating cruise than I anticipated. Check in was horrible. They sat us to the side and then took a good 12 groups before us and kept moving our paperwork to the back of the line. I asked 4 times and was told we were next. Finally got someone who stood at the desk for us until they would take us. Took an hour and a half. Would have been much faster if we hadn't been YC. Experience outside of those 2 things has been great.

We booked Seashore last minute with a future cruise credit balance that had over $800 remaining after this booking. We are on board now and were told by the desk that the remaining balance isn't OBC and would be refunded to the credit card. My TA was told when we canceled the original cruise that it would be OBC. I'm pretty sure the condition of taking the FCC instead of a refund was that you don't get any of this refunded. We're waiting on the YC desk to hear back. Does anyone have experience with this yet?

MSC was the best GF experience I've had including Royal and Celebrity. Warm bread plus GF pasta or risotto every night? I was in heaven. In the buffet, I asked the server how an item was prepared. If they couldn't tell me, they found someone who could. I was generally able to eat the rotating fish or chicken dish each day along with a potato or rice plus veggies. My only complaints were pizza (sounds like this may have changed) and dessert. The same cakes were served multiple nights. But with gelato available, I didn't suffer. 

We just got our FCC from an April 4 cancelled cruise. Port fees were refunded a couple of weeks before signaling that the cruise credit might be coming soon.

April 4 sail date that they cancelled. Haven't seen FCC or fees refunded. 

2 hours ago, deweytrader said:

As a side note:  I stayed in the Seaside 12001 2 bedroom suite and the balcony was terrible.  It was steeply angled high steel with glass up top.  In order to see anything I had to stand on a deck chair ( I am 5"5).  I do not think you are missing much by not getting this room....

We loved this balcony, but we're tall. Shortest is my daughter at 5'7" and she didn't have a problem with it. 

mama, you've commented on my review, so you already know we loved this cabin. I hope you do, too!

Thanks!

Has anyone booked their 17yo on a cruise where they turned 18 on the cruise? Were you charged the teen amount or an adult amount? The site says it's age at "time of travel". I'm hoping that means the first day of travel. 

On 3/20/2020 at 2:47 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

It looks like Sunday, March 28 is the last Sunday departing cruise. After that, the ship leaves on Saturdays (April 10). 

They might squeeze a shorter cruise in-between but they don't know where they are going. 

The April 4th cruise was a 6-night originally.  Now it's showing again and is a 7-night.  There's a 7-night cruise listed starting on April 10th and another leaving on April 11th.  There's some confusion going on....

What I gathered on the Seaside is that they won't tell you anything is GF unless it has been prepared in the GF section of the kitchen and officially certified as GF.  That's different than other lines because MSC is so diligent about GF being an Italian cruise line (other lines present as gluten-friendly but aren't as meticulous).  Once I figured that out, I started making my own decisions.  If you cook, you have a reasonable idea of what is GF and what may be dangerous for you.  On the buffet, I asked the chefs on the line if I didn't know and they were great about helping me.  If it was something they weren't sure about, I stayed away.  I only had 1 problem in the buffet and that was on me because I didn't ask before eating it.  

Not having any GF pizza was a disappointment, but I get plenty of GF pizza normally with the widespread availability of GF and cauliflower crusts now.  I don't get fresh bread or freshly made pasta often, so I was thrilled enough with that to make up for not having pizza.  It sounds like the Divina doesn't serve the fresh GF bread with meals which would be a big disappointment.  While I loved the prepackaged pastries the first few days, they got old toward the end of the cruise.

We want to use our 125% credit on the April 4th, 2021 Meraviglia sailing, but it's not on the MSC site any longer.  Any idea why?  It was there a week ago.

Celebrity was our preferred line before we sailed the Seaside last year.  We had the Aurea package and dined in the MDR.  We all felt the food was comparable to Celebrity, and the food was one of the reasons we'd preferred Celebrity.  The pasta and risotto were incredible.  That extends to the gluten-free pastas for me.  We loved the buffet as well.

We've cruised with our kids (teenagers now) on Royal, too.  They feel like MSC is a great blend of the fun features on Royal and the food and European feel of Celebrity.  We're booked for YC in the upcoming cruise.  But we'd cruise again on the Aurea package.  

We sailed in the Aurea 2-bedroom suite last spring break and loved it.  But that was under the old Aurea drink package that included gelato.  If we could have had that again, we would book the Aurea experience over and over.  But with that change, we've booked YC for the next cruise.  It will be  test for us whether service and drink package are more valuable than space.  We're a large family with the shortest being my 13yo daughter at 5'7", so space matters.

It's possible that it's the number of people in the cabin that's causing it to show as sold out.  I had a panic moment when I put in 4 and saw all were gone.  If I changed to 5, there were rooms available.  The rooms that fit 4 were gone, but the ones that fit 5 weren't.  

On 8/6/2019 at 9:23 AM, JAGR said:

Sorry. No "attitude" intended.  Just saying that Premium Plus has no impact on any YC experience other than the drinks, as far as I know.

I'd seen some experiences where the upgrade to Premium Plus seemed to take away the YC designation and therefore took away gelato outside of the YC.  I can't remember if drinks in Venchi were included.  Our focus with kids is on the gelato.  I wasn't sure if that had been resolved yet.  Are you saying that they've changed it so that Premium Plus now allows free gelato on Seaside if you're also in YC?  

Is the upgrade to Premium Plus still overriding the YC access to Venchi on the Seaside?

On 5/9/2019 at 12:21 PM, Epos Man said:

In the buffet when you sit down there is a button on the table that you press and a waiter will come along and ask you what drink would you like he will then scan your card and bring you the drinks

 

We didn't see this on our cruise in April.  Not sure if they removed the buttons or we just missed them.

There's a Fyre Festival joke in here somewhere.

It has occurred to me that the island looks small to house a ship the size of the Seaside, so I'll be curious to read the reviews of it once it's open.  But it's still more appealing to me than Nassau.

That would be great!  

I think she's asking about the Bubbles and Chocolate, prosecco with chocolate chips in it.

Rattan loungers spaced throughout.  3 rattan next to the large hot tub and 3 thermal loungers.  People put towels on the thermal loungers like they are the rattan and can be reserved.  Just move the towels.  None of the loungers face outside like you see on the Celebrity ships, although there is a separate, uncrowded area outside just for the spa guests that has plenty of loungers and a hot tub.