CruizinSusan70

We have the easy plus as part of our package. We have the option to upgrade for 20 pp per day or 140 for the week. MSC loses out though because my DH would pay it so he could enjoy some higher end drinks, but since I am OK with Tito's or Ketel One we're not going to pay the 280 for the upgrade since MSC requires everyone to have the same package.

The food is better at Blue Iguana.

That's why food is subjective. I thought the choices, quality and quantity of the food at Cucina on the MG was sub par compared to Cucina on the Horizon. Because of this, I would gladly pay 18 if the menu on the Excel Class was identical.

True, but the MDR requires a reservation and they are treated as additional places to eat that are included on the Excel Class ships. It's just another way for Carnival to chip away at their billions in debt one cruiser at a time.

One, you don't need it. It's a gimmick from Carnival that lets you put money on you sail n sign account before your cruise. It's for those that like to plan ahead and know what they're going to spend. You do lose it if you don't spend it all. Only used it once when there was a 20% off sale for a couple of days a few years ago during the pandemic so Carnival could generate some cash flow.

The NCL Viva does an every week cruise out of San Juan with zero sea days. Goes to Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, St Maarten, & St Thomas. Starts in December and with the exception of New Years is the same week in and week out. Unless Carnival adds another ship from Costa to the fleet, don't see them going back to San Juan until another new build and that won't be for another 6+ years.

Nobody does comedy like Carnival. No other line swaps out comedians during the course of the cruise to provide additional entertainers. Princess and Celebrity usually have a single comedian doing both PG and R shows. MSC has zero comedians because they are internationally skewed and it just wouldn't go over as well. Royal usually has a single comedian on board and two on their Oasis ships doing both PG and R rated shows. NCL usually has two comedians on board, doing more shows than all of their competitors, but nowhere close to the number of shows on Carnival, especially the Excel Class. As a final note, don't miss the updated version of Quest, it's even better than pre-Covid.

Best place to eat on embarkation day is Big Chicken. Also the best place on sea days for lunch is between 12 & 2 at Chibang or Cucina. The broth bowls at Chibang are excellent.

If you don't waste your time there, why imply that their food is as good as Jiji's? Also, I would personally prefer to pay the 18 at Cucina on the Horizon then eat at Cucina for free on the MG.

They are not really specialty restaurants. Chibang and Jiji's only have a few items that are identical like the spring rolls and the menus at Cucina on the Excel Class versus the Vista Class are different as well. I would gladly pay 18.00 pp for Jiji's or the non Excel locations of Cucina. Would not pay 8.00 pp for a second visit to Chibang. One dinner and two lunches there over the course of a week is fine.

Have to disagree with you. Have recently sailed on the Anthem of the Seas (April) as well as the NCL Prima (Feb) and on both ships I have seen drinks made with rail no name liquor. This happens when people order a generic drink like Pina colada, they get the cheap stuff blended up. Been on the majority of the US based lines and this is the case. I also saw a MSC list of cocktails broken down by easy, easy plus and premium. All of the easy plus and premium drinks had the specific name of the alcohol mentioned such as Bacardi rum, while all of the easy drinks used generic terms such as gin, vodka, rum, tequila and whiskey. Further implying that generic bar rail stuff is used.

As an alternative since 15 drinks per day is not enough for you, you can choose to cruise on NCL, MSC or Royal, whose drink packages are unlimited.

I would upgrade in a heartbeat. From what I saw online, the drinks all include generic names in their descriptions for what is covered under the Plus package such as vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, etc. This means you'll get bar rail bottom of the line alcohol that tends to result in quicker hangovers. At least with the plus package you'll be able to choose your brand of choice up to 10.00 which will include name brand choices instead of generic rot gut

Is it just me or are you a little fuzzier on those days where your alcoholic consumption hits 10+? 😁

Cmon.... you're implying that the quality of the food in Chibang with their Asian choices is the same as Jiji's? The spring rolls were the same, but in general the quality is substantially better in Jiji's, IMHO.

Where is this coming from? Do you have a link that provides more details?

That's the way it is on most cruise lines, but some people will still pay the increase on board if they have OBC to burn. I'll use my 175 in OBC towards gratuities.

The 20 pppd cost is what I am currently offered on my current booking on the Mera going from easy plus to premium. Don't know what the pre cruise charge is to go from easy to easy plus.

In general MSC is far and away the value price leader in the US market with Carnival a close second. They can afford to do this because they are trying to make inroads on this side of the pond. They are now embarking from NYC besides Miami and Port Canaveral. They will eventually go to Galveston and probably LA as well as Alaska as they attempt to increase their North American presence and market share. They have the most new ships in their pipeline compared to their competition, they don't have to deal with stock holder hassles since they are privately held and of course they are in a substantially better financial situation since they did not bleed billions during the shutdown because of their shipping division.

You're correct about NCL with their solo cabins but like I mentioned in my previous post, the World Class ships each have 22 solo cabins. There are also solo cabins, even with balconies on some of the newer builds by both Celebrity as well as Royal.

Both of the World Class ships each have 22 solo cabins available for sale for each and every sailing. Of course, when they sell out, you're out of luck.

You would have to upgrade both adult occupants of the cabin since everyone has to have the same package. The cost beforehand is 20 pp per day to upgrade from easy plus to premium, so I would assume it's less than that.

Do a price comparison with the newest ships that each line is offering. Wonder OTS, NCL Prima, Carnival Celebration and World America. World America is 449 plus tax for it's cheapest sailing without drinks package. None of the other three can come close. And of course I didn't mention Icon OTS, whose pricing is in the stratosphere.

That was one of the primary reasons we decided on the Majestic for our 14 days in Alaska over May & June.

Don't think it's worth the hassle unless they are running a promotion that you can obtain it at a discount. Was able to purchase 500 worth at a 20% discount during a short window purchasing opportunity a few years ago. Ended up saving 100 per 4 different cruises we had booked at that time.