blueslily

Black Friday is a month from now. Higher prices for 4 weeks seems a bit much just to trick people into thinking they are getting a sale price during a Black Friday sale. I mean they could manage that with just a price jump for two weeks or so. I know some of us watch prices like a hawk, but many other, like casual cruisers, aren't that attentive. Plus, it's a bit of a turnoff to see higher prices posted for so long. (A month just seems long to me since I check prices daily, lol) I understand that people that dont know any better will buy at the higher posted prices for that long timeframe (if the prices indeed stay higher from now until then.) 🙁🤔🤨👎 Its just boring and feels like it will drag out the planning experience. That's not fun, lol. I love planning for my cruises. That process is as fun for me as being on the actual cruise 😁.

We check in next week for our SOS Dec 10 cruise. I'm so excited. 🤗🛳🎉🏝🌞

Oh, that's not as fun. No wonder I dont remember them. On the Epic, they are in a prime location on the ship for folks to use regularly.

Oops.

Which Royal class ship have the most outdoor deck space for relaxing? That's what I want. And, hopefully it's been amped for a little touch of upgrades if it's an older ship.

Oh, thanks. Just for getting off the ship I guess.

Where are the escalators on the Symphony? I'm trying to remember where they are.

I've seen an escalator on the NCL Epic. Its cool.

Yep, totally agree. Tipping threads just go on and on here on this site 😂🤔😉 I often skip those threads. I'm going back to that strategy. Today is another day closer to my next cruise. I'm taking a first time cruiser, a veteran, on their first ever cruise! Woohoo! It's always fun introducing people to cruising. So, I'm heading back to reading threads that are helpful for my next cruise. Love cruising!

I'm curious if most of the people responding to this thread are from the US. It's interesting when I travel around the world and service staff comment on tipping and the tipping culture in the US, which I understand has caught on in some other parts of the world. There are interesting comments in this thread. Like the many other tipping threads that are posted here, on and on. Happy cruising everyone!

Thank you.

Some news is coming Thursday from Royal.

Good luck

Sorry that you had an unpleasant cruise experience. I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but that cruise experience does not represent every experience that everyone will have. I sail MSC and have not had the experiences you report. I learned from this thread not to choose the sailing you all were on. I will certainly take that into consideration when planning, like other people have also stated on here. But, I'm not giving up on MSC totally. That doesn't make sense to me since I've never had a horrible experience on land or on sea with them. I sail with various cruise lines and have seen really bad experiences from time to time posted here about those lines as well. I would never cruise if I chose not to cruise on a certain line based on postings on here. I just learn what to do different. Hope your next cruise is much better. Enjoy!

I've enjoyed sailing on MSC and will sail on the new Seascape in February. I usually book directly with cruise lines. No major issues so far. I guess I've been lucky. Cant wait to check out the Seascape.

I've enjoyed sailing on MSC. I was aware before getting to the ship that I could just ask my cabin steward for a box of tissues and a washcloth. I did that Day 1 and I had everything I needed every day (sailing from Miami). Staff were friendly. As others have noted, I don't really need the staff to act like we are best friends. I don't know them. Some Americans seem to want that type of interaction. I'm not sure why. I'm American and I don't care for really chatted people and I don't believe it's my place to be asking staff personal questions either. Americans do that all day on main US cruise lines. It must get tiring for staff. I have not had any major issues during the booking process. Once a mistake was made and it was fixed quick. It was not a mistake that is specific to MSC. Anyone on a different cruise line could have made that mistake. The ships are indeed beautiful. No complaints. Other than the Seashore has some odd layout on a couple decks for public venues. But, once I figured it out, I just followed the route and got from A to B. I travel internationally so I'm not bothered by different nationalities, foods, and languages. I'm on a cruise. Not sure why I would be grumpy about small stuff. Looking forward to my birthday cruise on the new MSC Seascape in February! Happy cruising everyone. Definitely check out MSC. Save money and enjoy cruising 🤗🌞🛳🏝

Oh, I see. Yes, I have some family that were in a similar situation. They both retired at the end of the last school year. It was the first time that they got to enjoy some flexibility in traveling in many years and could travel off peak time to save some money. Now one is back working part time in a school system in their new state. Hopefully part-time will allow her a little more flexibility. I love birthday cruises! Enjoy Definitely not selfish 🌞

Oh man, you all are brave. I try to stay away from those peak timefrmaes for cruising. It just doesnt work for me. I've not sailed on the Seaside. I loved the Seashore. There were a couple layout decisions that had me shaking my head a bit when on the ship due to the confusion caused by some of the public areas not really flowing well. The layout could have been better for going from one space to another or finding a certain venue. But other than that, I loved the ship and the staff was great. Certainly excited to try out the new ship!

Oh, I thought this thread was about use on a cruise ship. And the specific post that I was responding to was about use in a public space on a cruise ship. It is hilarious what people assume from my post. I see why posts go the way they do on this site. Take care.

Good luck with the condo. Yes, that's a lot for only 7 days with 2 people in a balcony. I've booked last minute as well. Actually, I do that a lot when sailing solo as the pricing works out better for me usually as the single supplement gets reduce closer to many sailing dates. When sailing with 2 in our cabin, I'll book it a little more in advance since someone else will be impacted by the planning. . Enjoy your cruise.

If I'm watching a cruise I really want, I might go ahead and request the time off in advance. I then just book the cruise whenever I am ready based on the price drops. This is an option when I dont have to fly to a port. I have some ports within driving distance so I dont have to worry about airfare. If the price doesnt get down to what I want to pay, I just cancel my time off from work. The process works out ok for me usually. Happy cruising.

What are the recent changes on the island? Will be there again in early December.

Yes, there is some housing on the island for certain staff for the island. And, many staff from the ship leave the ship and work on the island for the day. I've watched from my balcony during morning preparations along with my neighbors on their balconies. We've watched many staff from the ship exit and go on the island to work along with the many food and supplies being taken onto the island by other staff. I've seen staff that I know from the ship working on the island. I say a quick hello and keep it moving because they are working. It's a big team effort and they do a great job. The staff return to the ship after working. We've seen them reporting back and again, will sometimes say hello.

Will be sailing on her in February for my birthday cruise. Wanted to give her a few cruises for the kinks to be worked out! Hahaha.

Yes, I've removed glasses then before as well. It was easy peasy to do. Enjoy your cruise.