RosieRoo

26 minutes ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

I wonder when fall 2025 TA's are coming out? They only have the one on Independence right now.

Brilliance is open, but that’s August 30th, 2025. Don’t know if you’d consider that fall or not. 

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

The other gig hindrance is the ship itself.  There are relatively few balconies and suites so by the time it got down to the shorter segments there was really only insides and oceanviews remaining.  Lots of great itineraries just not a lot of good cabins.

Exactly. We would have booked one of the segments but there were no JS or above cabins left. 

3 minutes ago, STEVE-O said:

I'm not seeing a Boston RT for 2025.....

If the Brilliance follows the same pattern as the Jewel does in 2024 the R/T will be after the transatlantic. 

16 minutes ago, STEVE-O said:

I'm not finding the 2024 sailing you reference but I'd certainly be a player for a RT in 2025 or 2026

Jewel September 7, 2024 Boston to Boston 

It was originally the Grandeur I believe.  It changed to Jewel when they pulled the Jewel from overseas. So everyone who booked on the original sailing was able to transfer over to the Jewel if they wanted. 

Just now, Sammae said:

Just this morning, I pulled the trigger on upgrading to an SJ for our February cruise. We are booked in 11812. I will update with as much information as I can when we get back!

 

In the meantime, I'm still thinking there's a need to make a list of most-to-least obstructed SJ balconies, if we can get experience from people. I remember when the Epic came out, someone on this board put together an extremely comprehensive post of the different stateroom layouts and balcony sizes. It was so helpful for booking!

Congrats!  The interior looks amazing. I have seen several videos on YouTube of decks 12 and 14, but it would be great to hear from people who actually sailed in these cabins.  Hope you have a great experience!

On 11/1/2023 at 9:31 AM, Sammae said:

There's very little information in this forum about non-Haven suites on Prima and Viva. I'm talking about S-category cabins, not M-category. 
 

- A compilation of SJ-category room obstructions (this can be estimated from deck plans, but real balcony photos/videos would be helpful)

 

We are booked in an SJ in May. I could find little to no information on which were the most or least obstructed by the slides. It would be great to hear from people who have actually sailed in them. 

33 minutes ago, Treacher1 said:

In response  -  our experience on the phone with concierge precruise was excellent.  No wait time to answer - took all our dinner reservations both specialty and MDR AND request for no feather bedding - since allergic.  This all went well - now we see if there was follow through once we board and that all things requested were granted.  

We have an SJ booked in May. How did you get the concierge number? Was it sent via email? And how many days in advance were you able to book your reservations?  
 

@John Bull,thanks so much for your detailed advice. I do not like to travel by bus. That is why I am trying to find a private car tour.  I will only have the one full day in Southampton so I was hoping to make the most of it. 

2 hours ago, marys350 said:

You might want to check out Paragon Taxis, based in Southampton. We have booked a transfer from Heathrow to our hotel in Southampton with a Windsor Castle tour for the day before our cruise in 2024. Adrian responded promptly to my email inquiry and answered all my questions before I decided to book and the booking process was easy. They also do day tours from Southampton. I also read excellent customer reviews of the company on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor before booking. Good luck in your search for a private tour out of Southampton.

https://paragontaxis.co.uk/

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will look into them. 

I have read a ton of posts about transportation from Southampton to London which include stops in Stonehenge, but I cannot find any info on day tours to and from Southampton. We will be spending one full day after disembarking Anthem before embarking on the Prima. We’d like to do a private car tour from and back to our hotel in Southampton. Any recommendations?

8 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Agree, some yrs it's only there in Boston for 5-6 weeks. Couple years it was listed under Seasonal Sailings, others as Canada. Or like with Repo's and Panama Canal's they can be inc with others or even an extra release Date not even listed until later

Counting on you to keep me posted on anything that has to do with Boston. Your posts have been very helpful in the past. 

54 minutes ago, TJA27 said:

OP here.  We decided to cancel our deluxe beverage package because we think we'll be content with the suite lounge.  I understand we can take our drinks to dinner, but can hubby take an extra beer to save for later?  Or is this frowned upon.  Probably my last question....thanks!

 

I don’t see why not. We saw people walking out carrying waters, sodas, etc. 

2 hours ago, dunedinmaiden said:

Hello All,

My husband and I are contemplating our first MSC cruise (Yacht Club).  We have sailed most all major lines and normally book using our travel agent.  Our regular agent advised that AAA is not an MSC travel partner, so I reached out to a different travel agent who's a personal friend.  After a few calls to MSC, she stated it appeared the line would just prefer dealing directly with the cruiser instead of an agent.

For those of you who book with MSC, do you use an agent or book directly?  If you book directly yourself, how is their customer support if you have follow-up questions or concerns?

Thanks in advance!

Make sure you do a status match (link below) before booking. If you qualify for their highest level, you may be entitled to a discount on your booking. For the money, their Yacht Club far exceeds the suite experience on most other cruise lines. We do book through a travel agent who provides a little extra incentive, but some travel agents don’t like to deal with them. Their shoreside customer service isn’t the greatest.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match?utm_campaign=usa-en-sem-brand_general&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=msc+status+match&utm_content=branded&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvfmoBhAwEiwAG2tqzFUPWZY0eKLkKjwxuXazRPySBhXgu1J58UA81HpQVqte9aBQ_udGQRoCCoYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

5 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Bummer. When we were on her in February, there was a bartender and a server, and the suite concierge was playing goalie and keeping them in play😇🍹🍺

The concierge asked him if he needed help and he kept saying no.  Honestly I think he wanted to keep the tips to himself. 

Just off 12 nights on the Serenade in an OS. Full bar in the suite lounge, but just a bartender and no server. The lounge was never crowded, although all the seats at the bar were occupied by the same people every evening. If you wanted a frozen drink the bartender went outside of the lounge to the other bar to get those as he didn’t have the equipment to make them, but they were certainly available. Frozen mango daiquiris were very good. Also, Serenade is in great shape for her age. We really enjoyed our OS. 

@CatBoiler, thanks. I had seen that thread about perks, but was wondering if that was still the case. Sometimes they change things in the blink of an eye.  I’ve seen a few pics and it seems some of the balconies are worse than others. 

I know I have read a lot about the dreaded slides that pass through some of the SJ balconies on the Prima. For anyone who has actually sailed in one of these Family Suites, can you tell me are any decks better than others, meaning larger open space or less obstruction?  Do these suites come with actual perks like the suites outside the Haven on some of the other ships? Breakfast in a specialty restaurant? Thanks in advance for any info.  

Have been in suites on Princess, Holland, Carnival, Celebrity, Royal, NCL and MSC. For the money MSC Yacht Club excels in every area of the suite experience. 

Our bathroom in our YC cabin had a sewer smell the first day. I noticed the room steward covered all the bathroom floor vents with towels after the first day and the odor wasn’t noticeable anymore. 

42 minutes ago, DeltaJoe15 said:

The wife an I are booked on the Silhouette this December in a Sky Suite  Looking for next year in early December  the price in out of site.  Celebrity is starting to out price me

I feel the same. Just spent a week in MSCs Yacht Club. Far superior experience at much less cost. 

On the Meraviglia a couple of weeks ago the only night they really enforced a dress code was Gala night. 

On 8/10/2023 at 8:35 PM, marierdna said:

Question for Mushroom was it easy to find the tent?

Super easy. We were just there last week. 

How about letting people keep the cabins they booked a year in advance? One week out from Meraviglia sailing, first time in the Yacht Club and they send new documents with a  totally different cabin number. Called in, sorry reassignment of cabins. Yours is no longer available. Pick a different one. Happened to several people on my sailing. Not a great way to start out in the Yacht Club. 

@snmathe, I’ve been following your travels.  Congrats on your wedding. You mentioned that you booked a Yacht Club interior. I’m curious what your thoughts are on the cabin now that you’ve been in there a couple of days. Does the room feel super small and is the bathroom big enough to move around? I’ve never stayed in an interior cabin, but I am considering it on the Meraviglia. 

37 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

We were on 16.  No noise, and IMHO, the best location.  The concierge desk is "right there", the Top Sail Lounge is "right there"....the dining room is one flight up and the pool deck two flights up.  If you're too lazy for the stairs, the YC elevator is "right there" too.

Thank you. I was looking at 16 for just those reasons, but didn’t know what was above. I’ve never done an inside, but it’s a good value. Did you find it too small?