crobinv

2 hours ago, DisneyTech said:

@Morgsmom

and yes, you can magically fly in Crew and have them trained for when your passenger loads increase. If you don’t want to increase Crew to support more passengers, then don’t sell as many cabins. It’s pretty simple. 
 

and no, these rates are not bargains. It is roughly the exact price as the cancelled cruise I had booked on the seaside. That was booked before the pandemic. 

 

DisneyTech, You are absolutely wrong about flying people in at a moments notice. Cruise Companies work through labor agencies in smaller countries. Onboarding is selective, intense (including full physicals w blood screening/vaccination mandates... And not just COVID vax), visa application and approval, and typically takes 6-9months. Plus, Agencies bring over hundreds of workers at one time. Also, many of the workers outsourced for these jobs are coming from countries that only recently opened their boarders. The process to procure a job on a cruise ship is difficult and that is why I get so frustrated watching guests treat them like crap. These hardworking men and women leave their families for 6-12 month intervals so please, check your privilege. 

Yes, this cruise was CHEAP for a Holiday Spring Break week. Did you compare it to other cruise lines? I did because I booked it 10 days ago for my husband, daughters, and niece. It was the cheapest cruise line. My husband went in knowing there would be service issues, no Diamond Boarding, and a bunch of kids... And so far, he and the girls have had an amazing time... Even w the service hiccups. 

I do hope your final 3 nights are enjoyable as a Family. I also hope you find a Cruise line that better suits your needs. 

We are booked on the 11/08/20 out of Canaveral for a party of 8. Paid in full back in August. Our fingers are crossed that we set sail. We are a group of 3 moms, 3 teens, and 2 little girls. Our backup plan is to rebook for February. 

I am also booked January 17th for a 4 night trip with 2 other couples. 

I think this Holistic Holiday is the "Vegan Cruise". I just remember a LOT of negatives after this cruise. Here is one review... Search for past reviews. 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=612723

Good morning everyone,

Just wanted to update my post. Two phone calls later and a week after the last phone call, we officially have a cabin#. Glad to report we were upgraded from Interior Stateroom to a B1 Balcony 8th floor. My girls are so excited to have a "porch" to read and do schoolwork on... They are 5 and 10. Thank you for all the reassurance and advice.

Glenn, see you onboard! Yeah to upgrade fairies! Hope to meet you at the Meet-n-Greet .

Courtney

Hi Skier52,

We we're upgraded this morning to 8108 from our interior stateroom. Wondering room size/balcony size and layout. I know we will have a view of the life boats, but that's fine :)

Thank you.

Unless you needed that particular cabin, it's probably for the best. Decent chance you'll get assigned a balcony cabin.

 

Bret

Thank you, Bret. I appreciate your feedback. Hoping at least for a cabin number so I can put my mind at ease. Traveling solo with a 5 and 11 year old on a three week journey across the ocean :D:)

Why don't you call them and ask what happened? EM

I did call. Representative did not know why my cabin was released. She said to wait a few days to see my new cabin assignment and if I don't like it, then to call back.

Hoping for some real life similarities so I can put my mind at ease.

I booked our Grand Voyage from Miami to Genoa on May 1st directly through MSC website. Paid deposit. Picked the last 3 person (myself and two daughters) Interior Fantastica cabin available for our dates. Have a confirmation on May 1st with my Stateroom Number.

Today I received a new Booking Confirmation from MSC showing we are now a GTY room and no stateroom number assigned. Showing Stateroom: Booked.

Has anyone experienced this? If so, what was your outcome?

A few things: Did the actual TA Vlogger respond or did a fellow commenter respond to you? If it was the TA, it was unprofessional and he is not worth your time or money.

You have said in this post that you have spoken with several agents and you have already booked your first cruise through them. Am I reading that correct?

What is it you're looking for from a TA? Sounds like you have a case of "Analysis Paralysis" and you are overthinking a lot of the details. I booked our first cruise ten years ago with the help of Cruise critic and the internet.

Make a list: Budget, Where do you want to go, When do you want to go, What type of cruise are you interested in (bigger vs smaller ships, age range onboard, etc). Book it, plan excursions, and have a great time.

If you think you got a great deal, then you did. If you are going to the stops you want to, you made the right choice.

Cruise critic is a wealth of information!!! Read, read, and read .Ask questions.

And remember... Your TA is out there. You just haven't met them yet :) Until then, make some CC friends and get to know them. :D:D

MSC offers free cruising for children. Not sure how old your teens are, but they may fall under this category. You can "usually" change anything with MSC up until final payment. We actually had a $1500 price break when MSC offered a killer Memorial Day Sale in which we got a balcony for the price of an interior. Saved us $$$.

Other then the kids sail free and free Drinks on Us package, I have never seen MSC offer 3rd/4th sail free or free gratuities. I would book now and keep a watch on fares. I have two sailings coming up on MSC (11 day in November and 21 day in March).

We left our 1st child when she was a Toddler to do a 12 day Mexican Cruise. We left a notarized letter, medical letter authorizing my Mother to make decisions on behalf of our child, medical cards, a copy of our will, and lastly a copy of important information including emergency contact number to the ship, her social security number, her doctor/dentist information with phone numbers, etc. I would ensure both your care providers have correctly installed carseats anchored in their cars and ensure they are able to work them. Most important thing you can do is have full and complete trust in the person caring for your child.

Nine years later... our children (11, 5, and 3) now travel with us fulltime around the country in an RV and do an occasional 2 month stint in another country. We still have a folder with all the above information when the Grandchildren go to my Mom's for vacation.

Uber was around $18 or so from South Beach to cruise port.

MSC does not allow any beverages to be brought on board. That includes alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages such as a case of water.

Do you have a beverage package?

GB Pockit Stroller! We travel fulltime around the country in an RV as well as travel internationally 4-8 weeks a year. We have used our GB Pockit Stroller all over the world... even managing the not so wonderful streets in Bali. It is so compact and easy. Folds so small that fits underneath an airplane seat or underneath a dining table.

While it does not have the smooth maneuverability or features as our higher end strollers (Orbit, Bugaboo) or even our mid-range strollers (Baby Jogger, Bumbleride, Mountain Buggy), the size and compactness alone is worth it. It does not have a flat recline, but considering your child in age 2, that should not be a problem. Our backup choice is our Bugaboo Bee.

I typically travel with our GB Pockit and a SSC style buckle carrier on planes, cruise ships, and land trips. I have travelled solo with three children 9, 4, and 2 easily with that stroller. Highly recommend it. Do make sure you get the feel for folding and unfolding it because the flick of the wrist can be tricky to open it.

Sfaaa,

We are cruising on Nov 8th with my three children and Mother-in-law. We went from two B2 cabins to two B1 cabins with a total saving of $2961! Sad to give up my Aft cabin, but the difference will be paying for our Transatlantic Cruise in March with some dollars to spare. Thank you so very much.

Courtney

I have used Uber many of times in Miami with our children 10, 4, and 2. They never had carseats and the driver always picked us up. We were most recently in Miami last month for several weeks.

Even if the driver denies you, you are not out money because they only get paid after trip completion. Just request a new driver. The chance they will deny you or ask for proof of your childs age is very unlikely. I have Uber'd all over the US when my children were as young as 3 months without a car seat (no, that did not make me comfortable, but my options were limited on that trip).

I do think Miami offers Family Uber and you can always look into that option... even Uber XL might make you feel more comfortable to get to the ship.

Handbellplayer,

First, what an amazing gift you are giving your family. I would print everything out about the cabin and safety measures and present it to your DIL now. If for some reason she feels uncomfortable with a balcony, I would offer to switch her room to an inside cabin across the hall from your other cabins. Many times the interiors are almost same square feet size as a balcony cabin. Bring a baby monitor and the parents can enjoy socializing in someone else's cabin as their daughter naps or sleeps at night in the Interior cabin. Also, bring a stroller and baby carrier. I have enjoyed many evenings (shows, music, walking around) around a ship while my child slept on my chest in their carrier. Yes, I would carry my three year old in their carrier. Many toddler carriers are sized for up to 50lbs.

Personally, I would ask her now so if she is fearful or worried about a balcony, you have ample time to find an accommodating interior room. You do not want her to be in a state of fear and worry during an enjoyable trip. Put the ball in her court.

For the adults: small packets of Tylenol and/or Dramamine. Do you gave tubs in your cabins? If yes, bath bombs or bath salts in an island fragrance (make them yourself) or small jar of body salt scrub (again, diy). Small magnetic dry erase board for each of their cabin doors. Lanyards to hold they cruise Id. For the women, maybe a flower or starfish hair clip.

Why not split the cost of the cruise by 5 then buy the drink package for the other 3 and split that amount by 5 also. That way everyone is getting the same cruise for the same price.

Thank you all so much. Sending the email tonight to Special Services.

Sadly, my son can not tolerate Soy Milk either. He has been such a joy to nurse considering all the foods I had to take out of my diet so while transitioning him from breastmilk to "real" milk has been so fun :) Hives from raw milk, regular milk, soy, and cashew. He is good with Almond and Coconut as well as he still nurses so I still have to manage his intolerances.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond.

We will be traveling in November on the Escape. My 15-month old son is allergic to cow milk and only drinks almond/coconut milk.

I know I have to contact Special Services to pre-arrange it and I will happily bring it onboard with us.

What email do I use to contact them and do they respond in a timely fashion? I read some threads that Customer Service can take up to a month to respond.

Thank you.

You must have missed my previous response. All I was saying is that we have traveled with our children since they were newborns... Not traveled specifically on a cruise ship.

We cancelled a 14 day cruise when we found out we were pregnant with #3 because he would only be 5 months old when sailing and most lines require babies to be 6 months old.

Personally, the early you introduce travel into your child's norm, the better they adapt. This is a broad statement... Not cruise ship specific.

I should also mention that we have been traveling with our children since they were newborns. I think it is wonderful to introduce travel and wanderlust at an early age.

We currently are traveling the country in a 45ft RV with our three children to show them this beautiful nation.

Please do not let other people make you second guess traveling with your baby. Be flexible. Be forgiving. Give yourself grace. You WILL encounter negative nellies and people who do not like children... that is on them, not on you.

I have cruised 24 weeks pregnant as well as 16 weeks pregnant. I get seasick so a nauseous pregnancy + waves made for an interesting combo. It usually takes me 2 days to get my Sea Legs and then I was fine (plus Sea Bands, Essential Oils, and Ear Seeds from my Acupuncturist). I loved cruising pregnant. Did not get to partake in any adult beverages so our overall cruise bill was significantly lower than our normal bill. Check excursions because there were several I was not able to participate in. I did not mind. The cruise was to relax and lounge.

We also sailed when our middle child was 17-months and I was pregnant with #3. That was exhausting. Luckily, we were in a suite and my mother-in-law was in another suite. My husband and MIL would take the girls so I could relax. She was potty trained by 17 months, but they questioned me about her wearing a diaper (which she was not wearing).

We are taking another cruise this November with our littles (9, 3, and 17-months). I highly suggest Babywearing! It is much easier to maneuver around the ship without being held hostage to a stroller (plus parking the stroller). We took our Maclaren Umbrella and several wraps/Tulas. We only used the stroller when we went off the ship. The cruise line provided a high chair for dinner. Our daughter did exceptionally well during dinner, but one night she was not feeling up to sitting so I took her back to the room and they delivered our dinner to the room for us. She did attend one show and my husband left when she got rowdy, otherwise she had a great time. On one of the last days, we went into an empty card room and just let the girls run and play around.

If I had a choice, I would suggest going for your BabyMoon on the cruise. While it is wonderful to go with your baby, the entire "relax" aspect of a cruise is there. Your baby's needs and schedule will dictate what you do and what you see. If you go without baby, you can relax, sleep, spa, sleep in, room service on the balcony, etc.

Congratulations and wish you the best of luck.

We (DH, Sister, and her husband) are sailing for the first time ever with Celebrity on the Equinox. I have us booked into SV 8342/8340, but I read that you should try to go for a center cabin since the balconies are bigger. This is their first time cruising and our first time in an Aft Cabin (we usually cruise with our children and aft's don't accommodate a party of 4).

Deck 6 is available 6312/6315. Should I move us? Do you prefer Deck 6 over Deck 8?