Robkat

We're just off the Getaway. It was opposite for us ... we asked at the Cruise next desk whether the vouchers could be used at any restaurant, and they told us that they could only be used at the restaurants printed on the vouchers. We were later speaking with the Maitre D at La Cocina, and he told us the vouchers could be used at any of the specialties. It pays to check a few places!

Just off the Getaway last weekend, and on embarkation day we inquired at the Cruise next desk whether the wine tasting and the Officers dinner was a go. We were told yes for both, and that we should sign up with them if we were interested. There was no letter in our cabin detailing about whether the Platinum dinner vouchers would be accepted at any specialty restaurant. We asked at the CN desk and were told that they were only accepted at the restaurants mentioned on the vouchers. However, we also asked the Maitre D at La Cocina, and he told us that they could be used at any specialty. When it comes to asking for information, always good to verify anything you're told!

The information provided above is pretty dead on. Our story is very much like OT-Miami's. Last September, we had decided that we wouldn't be cruising on the E-series ships, as we had no interest in the Infinite Verandahs. Then we discovered the Sunset Verandah category. If you're not wanting to book into a suite category, the Sunset Verandahs are really the only game in town (with the exception of a very few others), if you're wanting an open, "regular" balcony. (As mentioned, the SV's have larger than normal balconies.) Someone posted this photo back then, which we found very useful when booking our SV: I'll reiterate, these cabins, being off the back of the ship, are a longish walk to the nearest elevators, so anyone with mobility issues, should really think twice before booking into one of these cabins. We stayed in cabin 10280, and as OT-Miami said, we thought it was a fantastic location. One issue, these cabins are extremely popular and as there are so few of them, you can have a tough time finding availability. That's why our next one isn't until Feb '24 on the Apex! 😂

Just off the Getaway, and because no one ever throws any love their way, I'll mention La Cucina again. We ate there twice during the week and both meals were terrific. We had our usual Shrimp Ravioli in Lobster Sauce and the beef tenderloin, and all I can say is "scrumptious"! The food going out to other tables also looked tempting, but we love these choices. Also, did Ocean Blue for the first time ... food excellent (tiger shrimp and scallop starters fantastic ), but found the venue itself a little cramped. Will definitely return on our next cruise in November. We were going to use one of our Platinum meal vouchers in Cagney's about midweek, but time availability left was not suitable for us. We didn't mind too much as we find Cagney's can be a hit or a miss , but if you really want in, we def recommend either reserving in advance using the FAS dining, or if you choose to use a Platinum voucher, see them early on in the cruise to book.

Hey there, So, we didn't have a need to open up the balconies, so we can't tell you 100%, but we did find these two photos which can tell you a little. On the left side of the balcony (as you face the water), there is a definite bulkhead wall, so it's obvious that those 2 balconies wouldn't be able to connect. But, on the balcony wall connecting with cabin 10273, it's a different set up. If you enlarge the photo, think you can make out a small lock, which would be used to open up and connect those two cabins. Again, won't claim this as 100%, but the photos seem to show it leans that way.

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Aaah, I see. Your original post said you were 36 hours to sailing, so I thought you were boarding this weekend. Never mind. 🙃

Could you have your ship wrong? Believe the Getaway is doing 7 nighters right now... with the next one leaving from Port Canaveral this Saturday. We're on the next one after. Don't believe there have been any 9 nights???

Love that this post won't disintegrate into nastiness! I'd say, if you got a great price, keep them both. If they were pricey, return one. While I agree that they aren't the "same", they are the same style/look. If you do return one, I'd keep the one on the right. The retro look is fun, as is this post!

We have over 65 cruises on all the major lines. We've been on 5 cruises since the restart, 2 on Celebrity, 2 on NCL, and 1 on MSC, so we do get to compare cruise lines quite often. We had booked onto the Norwegian Escape in February and went on expecting good service and good food, as had been the norm for us with NCL. The service was so good, and the food was so excellent, we returned 3 weeks later to sail on her again. We are not finicky regarding our meals, but we know the difference between merely OK meals and very good to excellent ones. We were impressed by the quality and consistency of the two NCLs we took in Feb. We also thought the entertainment was good to very good, and since all the shows were the same on our 2nd cruise within a few weeks, we found plenty of other activities to keep us entertained if we decided to skip the show. As someone's else recommended though, once you have a ship and a sailing in mind, do you own research and read lots of reviews to see if it sounds like something you would enjoy.

js:. You were on the right track with your original thinking. The Platinum dinners are (as stated on the amenities list) "Dinner for two at xxx - per stateroom. " So, in addition to the two free at sea dinners, you and your husband would receive an additional two dinners ... not each, but per stateroom.

Boy, that's always such a loaded question! What is "important" to one person may be utterly not so important to another. You say you realize MSC is different (even that is subjective), but I will say that you can expect that the passenger demographic will generally be more European. Other than that, there are more similarities to the cruise lines you mentioned than there are differences. Try them, go expecting to have a good time, with a good attitude ... and that would hopefully happen. And then, you can make your own decision as to whether you want to cruise with them again. and PS: Go Avalanche! 🏒

Thanks Sidari ... this answered several of our questions about the Aurea experience. And PS, we totally agree about the limited wardrobe space ... just looking at some of the videos and photos have me nervous! When going through a mock reservation, we can choose to have the drinks package and the wifi included, and then there is the option to choose the experience. So, we'd have the drinks package, we are utterly indifferent to any of the spa amenities that used to be included, and we're most interested in the open dining aspect, and having the quieter and more private sundeck available. Having never done MSC outside YC, we were wanting to hear from folks who had done opted for the Aurea experience and to hear how they found it went. Thanks everyone for all comments and replies!

Morpheus OTS: These are some interesting musings, which I read with interest and a little amusement. DH and I have always thought of this Blue Mind state that you describe (or, quote the description) as the Negative Ion state, which also promotes a sense of well-being, a mild meditative state, a state of zen/calmness/happiness. Happily, in addition to when you're near moving water, the NI state is also achieved near forests and other natural environments. Where I'm not sure that we agree: while I think the "white gloves" of the YC butlers (and all the rest of the amenities, for that matter) are impressive and do evoke a feeling of being pampered; for us, at least, they did not contribute to any zen/calm/meditative feelings. I will grant you that they are fun to see though. The lovely thing is that, even if you are not in YC, by being anywhere on a cruise ship, you can experience the wonderful effects of the water. We always find your musings to be interesting reading, and this one was no exception.

Jagr: we hear you, about avoiding the smoking areas! And, on our most recent Seashore in YC, we do remember the smoking areas being on the starboard side, so you're probably right in thinking that MSC uses the starboard side fleetwide . Thanks for pointing that out, as it would be a determining factor in our choosing a cabin on the port side!!!

Thanks to all for your answers. The most important aspect of YC (for us) was the open dining and the (fairly) quieter and more private sundeck area. So those aspects of the Aurea experience would be very important for us. We're still hoping to hear from someone who would know about where on deck 8 the smoking zones are. Those Aurea balcony cabins look OK, and they have those lovely big balconies, but they are very close to deck 8. So if anyone can tell us where those smoking zones on deck 8 are, it would help us decide if this option was for us or not. We'd definitely not want to be effected by smoke when sitting out on our balcony. Thanks again.

We've been on 4 previous MSC cruises, on Divina, Seaside (x2) and most recently, on the Seashore. All of them in YC. We are considering and have been looking at the Seaside, in a balcony with the Aurea Experience. We do have some basic questions though: 1) with respect to the Aurea experience, how do they work the "open dining"? Is there a section of the MDR that is allocated to those with Aurea? Is it truly "Open"? Can you go whenever and get seated (at a table for two) in different areas? Or do they try to slot you into the same table each evening? 2) Does the Aurea experience come with the "Easy Plus" drinks package? Is there a drinks number limit? 3) Which side of the ship is smoking? We're particularly wondering about the public deck 8 ... is there a lot of smoking out on that deck? 4) It seems like when you choose regular balcony, with the Aurea experience, you can only choose cabins forward on deck 9. They look like they have lovely big balconies, but they do seem to be pretty close to goings-on on deck 8. Has anyone been in these cabins and how did you like them? Did you find any issues being just above a public deck? 5) And finally, has anyone who is usually in Yacht Club made a change like this, and how was it? Did you have a good time, or were you always missing being in Yacht Club. Thanks for any and all help and comments.