WEGL81

I just registered on the msccruisesusa site and booked a cruise. However, now when I try to go back and login I get this same error. And before someone says I have a technical glitch, I get the same error on my iPhone as I do my Windows PC. I can login using my booking number but only to manage my booked cruise. I can’t login to the actual MSC website.  Was there any other information from this thread that wasn’t revealed?

Facts about me that will help provide pertinent advice:

• I am by no means a professional photographer.  I won't be selling any of my pictures.  But I may be getting some of them blown up for gifts or framing.  
• My Antarctica expedition trip is not until November, 2021, so I have time to practice and learn a new camera system.
• I will carry my current setup (Nikon DX3300 with Nikon 18-300MM) as a backup.  This is not a camera I researched and chose but was a gift from my wife that I have used to educate myself on photography.  Well, I did replace the stock lenses that came with the camera because I wanted the least expensive option to cover wide angle and zoom without having to change lenses (which tells me I should've been using a bridge camera all along).
• I dabble in Lightroom and typically shoot in RAW so that I can play around in LR.  I have a rudimentary understanding of aperture, shutter, etc settings and the ability to take decent pictures without the auto setting 😏   But I will never be confused for a professional.
• I plan on bringing my Hero 4 for video shooting while on a Zodiac (though the choice of primary camera and its video capability might supersede that thought)
• Budget is not the primary consideration in this recommendation.

What I am looking for is a recommendation on a weather sealed super zoom bridge camera.  I have done a lot of research and know what is out there.  But I am looking for recommendations from folks who took the same path as I and concluded that a bridge camera is a better option than a DSLR with a bunch of lenses to cart around while trying to keep them dry.  Questions are:

1)  How much zoom is enough?  Being a gadget guy, I am intrigued by the lure of a Nikon P950/1000 but I also don't want to come back from this trip with a bunch of fuzzy pictures because I zoomed out too far or couldn't use a tri/monopod at the time.  Will 600mm do the trick?  It seems like Sony and a few others are making 1" sensor bridge cameras that produce better image quality than the super long zoom cameras and 25x optical zoom. And I understand I will still need a lightweight tri/monopod.

2) I am specifically looking at a Sony RX10 Mark IV, but if there is something with similar features at a lesser price, I would look at that as well.  I was enamored with the description of phase detect AF.  I can't tell you how many times I have missed great shots with my current DSLR because the lense auto-focus wasn't fast enough (or I wasn't prepared with the right shutter speed setting ☺️).  But looking thru the various photography magazines and reviews, it can be rated anywhere from best to not appearing (on a side note it's amazing how 10 different "authorities" on cameras can have such different ratings).

I appreciate any and all inputs.   I appreciate experience over theory and reading reviews is informational but unsatisfying.

Thank you,

Mark

Thanks, Don.  I did check with the TA and the cruise line re-did their Ts and Cs to be $500k min,

I recently booked an Antarctic expedition cruise for November 2021 on Ocean Endeavor.  Talking to my travel agent, she indicated that the ship requires travel insurance with unlimited repatriation and medical.  I have found several insurance companies/policies for up to $1,000,000 repatriation.  But I have not found any offering unlimited repatriation and medical.  Does anyone have any experience with this ship or finding travel insurance with unlimited repatriation and medical?  Thanks in advance.

Whatever they do, expecting accurate answers today is probably unreasonable.  Like a few said above, wait a few days until they get their act together.  If you have shore excursions, dining reservations, drink pkg pre-paid, etc., go into your reservations now and cancel.  Those will get credited back to your credit card, unless you paid with OBC.  That is one less thing you'll have to worry about.

Following up post-cruise.  Mscinmia was exactly correct.  He used his ARC card to check in.  No issues other than a wisecracking security agent who claimed we needed to provide him a beer to let my son-in-law through.  Coming back was a breeze as he got to use the facial recognition line and didn’t even need to meet with a CBP officer.

Well, despite what my TA said it wasn’t straightened out.  After several calls to Royal and to the TA, they finally agreed that what you said, mscinmia, is correct.  He needs to check in with his ARC.  Had I just gone with the first two responses from Royal, it would have been wrong.  Goes to show you that Cruise Critic folks know what they’re talking about an calling the cruise line to talk to someone whose prime job it is to sell yo a cruise is not always the best approach.  Now it took two more calls to finally get his name corrected, but today it all looks good.

6 hours ago, mscinmia said:

I am further south at Port Everglades...Don't stress about this... Just leave it as it is and bring the passport, ARC and his driver's license.  His passport will be stamped with the ARC notation.  They have an amazing documentation person in Port Canaveral that handles the Royal ships up there....Have a great cruise!!

Thanks.  Our travel agent actually called us last night because of this.  It seems to be straightened out.  Thanks for all the advice.

13 minutes ago, mscinmia said:

Yes, I do have experience with this.  I work at a port and handle this on a daily basis.  What ship are you sailing?

Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral.

13 hours ago, mscinmia said:

Since he has a ARC, input that information as that is what he will be checked in with.  Although his passport can not be used to check in, bring it anyway to show the 2nd last name..... 

 

mscinmia- Do you have person experience with this?  Reason I ask is that I called Crown and Anchor Society and the person there said to input his passport.  I realize he will still need his green card to re-enter the US, but they said entering the passport was the way to go.  Hopefully they are right.  But if you have personal experience with this, I would appreciate your response.  To be safe I am having him bring his passport, ARC, and DL showing his US address.  If it weren't the fact that his passport has the two last names and his other two IDs don't, I don't think it would matter much.  Thanks.

Thanks.  These have all been helpful.  I do plan on calling Royal Caribbean today and then my travel agent to get the name changed back to match his green card.  Will let you know what they say in case someone else encounters this issue.

Thanks for the replies.  I did that and his name is updated.  What I failed to mention is that he is a legal alien and so has an alien residence card.  Should I put his passport in the check in or his alien residence card (Royal has either as an option).  And the kicker is his alien residence card doesn't have the second last name.  So now his set sail pass matches his passport but not his alien residence card.  Color me confused.  I think I just have to put in one and have him bring both documents.

My son-in-law is Hispanic and his passport shows two last names.  But the cruise reservation was made only using his “First” last name.  Will this create a problem at check-in?  I have heard that cruise lines can be extremely picky on passports matching registered names and have denied boarding when they don’t match.  I know I can call Royal Caribbean and get the name changed on the reservation, but wanted to get some feedback from people with similar situations. Thanks in advance.

I experienced something similar on the Summit two years ago. I was standing for about 30 minutes in a stifling atmosphere with no way to move around or get fresh air. It was very difficult to breathe and I started to feel claustrophobic (which I have never felt before). Had the thing gone 5 minutes longer I would have been bolting for the door. Definitely need better planning.

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On my upcoming cruise I think I was alerted to at least three significant drops though the roll call for the cruise. Stay active on your roll call and you’ll get a lot of useful info. Plus you meet some really cool people.

Here is what worked for me. I had no MLife membership, but I filled out whatever I needed to fill out, and then brought up my Celebrity account on my phone, showing that I was "Classic." That was all it took to get a Pearl membership instead of their entry level.

 

 

 

Then when I went up to "Select" level after our last cruise, I called MLife. They were able to check while I was on the phone to verify my Select level, so they upgraded my membership to Gold level, but I had to pick up the new card in Vegas on a later trip as they cannot mail it out.

 

 

 

Tom & Judy

Visited Vegas this weekend. I tried to get my Mlife and Celebrity accounts linked but the front desk said they no longer partner with RCCL or Celebrity. It seems others on this thread have had some success, but just giving you the latest info from an actual MGM hotel.

Upon taking over a transatlantic in the Canary Islands, Captain Tasos announces: "I'm not sure exactly where we're going, but if we head east we're bound to hit Florida." Also loved him on the Liar's club with his continuos reference to the "Greekipedia".

Two years ago we took a 3 day out of Port Canaveral on Norwegian EPIC. We splurged on the Haven and Saturday were laying out by the pool when a neighbor in our condo complex walked up and said hi. Neither of us knew the others were going on this cruise. Last year we were on an eastern Med cruise on Reflection. As we're walking back to our room after the show, I see a VP of a division from my company that I interact with almost daily. Never knew they were going on the same cruise. We had fun talking to them in a social environment rather than work. The funniest one was one year we decided on a certain cruise based on a great Youtube video this guy and his Dad made. They had showed the type cabin we were going to be in, the ship, and many of the ports we were planning on stopping in. We get on the cruise and there they are, the same two people who made the video were taking the same cruise again a year later.

If I book 4 nt. special.dine. pkg will I have 1nt. in Murano, Silk Harvest, Tuscan Grill and Sushi on 5 on the Solstice , or can you pick the restaurants you want ?

You can choose to go once to each of those, or you can choose to go 4 times to one of them. Any number of combinations. You might hear that Celebrity chooses the first restaurant for you and you choose the rest, but experience has shown me that once you are on board, go to any of the specialty restaurants and someone will schedule whatever you want, pending availability.

Have sailed Celebrity 25 times or so, NCL 15 or so. No one has sailed Edge yet, so that makes that direct comparison impossible.

 

 

 

However, having sailed both Sky Suite on =X= and 2 BR suites on NCL, they are not in the same ballpark. The Sky Suite is basically just a larger balcony cabin. The 2 BR NCL suites are about double that size, with a living room, dining room table, large master BR and a quite small 2nd BR. 2 full baths.

 

 

 

Dining? We like Luminae and the Haven restaurant equally. Same level service, same food quality. Bonus for =X= is the menu, although small, changes. The Haven menu is more extensive but is fixed. Haven restaurant is open for every meal, every day. Luminae is not open for lunch on port days.

 

 

 

No one has any idea what the suite "private areas" on Edge will be like. On Epic, they are wonderful, and extensive (private courtyard and private sundeck, 3 dedicated bars, it's own gym, etc. etc.). Butler service equal on both lines.

 

 

 

Have no way to comment on Edge, but honestly, we did NOT like the total Epic experience, save the Haven. Loved all our other NCL cruises and will continue to sail them. There simply is not the huge difference between the 2 lines that some (usually with a whopping 1 cruise on the line). However, the Epic just didn't ring our bell due to crowds. Will that happen on Edge? No way of knowing, but but part of the problem on Epic was the large amount of spaced dedicated to the Haven (and robbed from the rest of the ship). It appears that Edge will be going in that same direction since it appears to be very suite-centric.

We loved the Haven on the Epic, but once you leave the Haven, the rest of the Epic is dark and very claustrophobic. We did enjoy both the comedy show and the cirque show, but not much else outside the Haven.

Also have been on Equinox and Allure. Never felt crowded on Allure except when getting out of a show in the main theater. The reservation system really cuts down on crowds, but you have to reserve as soon as it becomes available online, especially the comedy show (venue only holds 150 people or so). They are different experiences. Allure had a lot more kids, but they also have the adults only solarium area that was very nice. It wasn't as relaxing as Equinox, though. A lot more "free" food choices on Oasis class ships. So it does depend on what you're looking for. When we went on Allure, we did B2B with a 5 day Liberty of the Seas. We called it our "vacation from our vacation". Entertainment was hands down better on Allure than Equinox.

I understand weight limits for certain excursions (zip lining, horseback riding, etc), but a height limit? Give me a break. This has to be a mistake. What, you won't fit in the vehicle if you're 6 ft tall but you'll fit if you're 5' 11 and 3/4?

Pretty sure Celebrity have also appointed a woman as Captain of one of the Galapagos Island cruise ships. Besides what difference should it make whether the Captain is male or female. It is their professionalism that is the only thing of importance.

This is an interesting question, why does it make a difference? I don’t know why, but it does. I think, from my personal experience with Captain Kate on the Summit, it is 75% the person and 25% being a woman. I have found most Celebrity captains are a cut above the other cruise lines (partly because they are more accessible). But I found Captain Kate even more accessible and more personable. I just think the fact that she must be such an inspiration to other young women that aspire to break into traditionally male dominated professions is what makes the difference.

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Stress is self induced based on your choices. Have a great cruise, make great decisions!

This is me. I am the planner for our cruises. I Youtube places and excursions we consider. I will consult with DW but she wants to be surprised by not only the excursions but the ship as well. We always have a great time, whether we take an excursion or not. Sometimes I will just tell her there are no real interesting excursions so we’re going to just shop around the port town. Like I said, we always have a great time and as long as we get on the ship (we’ve never missed one yet), I don’t stress. I always travel to the embarkation port at least one day ahead of time, so no stress there either. Finally, being the planner gives me so much more “anticipation joy” than just going on a cruise. So embrace the process and don’t stress the small stuff.

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I have not been able to register on my iPad or PC using I.E. or Chrome for a cruise 186 days out. I'm happy for those who have, but my quest continues unfulfilled.