mackfam

Still trying to get the discount added as OBC to my son’s reservation. TA is not being very helpful, says she was told it can’t be done as the cabin category is sold out. 

Concerned to hear about all your negative experiences especially as you are in YC. We board on June 4th and our previous experience in the YC on the Meraviglia last November was excellent. Of course the ship was only half full at that time.
We’ve also convinced friends who are loyal Celebrity cruisers to join us in YC this November. Hope we’re not all going to be disappointed. 🙁

Yes, with my first MSC cruise I was able to get it applied after booking and a new invoice was issued with the reflected discount.  I also was able to do this on an upcoming family cruise for one of my sons. However I am currently having trouble getting the discount as OBC for another son who was slow getting his status match done and w cruise next week.

Yes

Water shoes or waterproof sandals definitely make it much easier getting into and out of the water 

58 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

The YCI is my favorite YC category. 

18033 is actually a YIN. 

2 hours ago, Linda W. said:

Not sure if I am going to be happy with the size, location,

The cabins are small but depending on how much time you typically spend in your cabin, this may or may not be an issue for you. We’ve sailed in a YIN and on our last cruise upgraded onboard to the deluxe YC1 balcony cabin just because we were interested to see the difference and the price was way less than if we had originally booked that category. While the balcony cabin was fabulous, and certainly had way more storage space, we really did not spend any appreciable amount of time in it or use the balcony for anything other than to dry our shoes! We have three more cruises booked back in a YIN as you really can’t beat the value.
 

Everything in the YC is close by so I don’t think the location will still be an issue.

It seems it’s the usual smoke and mirrors.

Thank you for a very informative and interesting review! I took the plunge and booked the same cruise for September 2nd, alas in steerage, not YC but hopefully we will survive!

The solo rates with low single supplement were for cruises sailing by May 31st, 2023 as stated on the website.

I was planning a family cruise where we needed one single cabin and were originally planning for April or early May. For these dates the solo cabin was only slightly more than the price for one person. Due to conflicts with family members work schedules we ended up booking early June and I had to pay basically double (less the port fees) for the solo cabin. As we’re all in YC that was a major ‘ouch’.

9 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

The posted sign in the casino indicates 35K for a YC 3-5 nights, 55K for 10 nights.

I have no idea what this means in terms of how much time or money you have to spend in the casino to achieve this number of points.

How are things outside the YC enclave? Are most of the passengers British? 

1 hour ago, jonnyenglish1 said:

All the extra touches and service Pirate has received, the bottles of wine, in the cabin, the waiting pizza delivery late at night, all the little treats every day. Are these normal yacht club expectations i should expect?

I would say ‘no’ unless you are tipping daily at the level Bead Pirate is!
 

We have sailed twice in YC and while we had very good service and no complaints, we did not receive bottles of wine or treats except for a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries and some macaroons. We are pretty low maintenance and didn’t ask for anything extra from our butler, I’m still somewhat uncomfortable with the whole idea of having a butler!

I’m sure I have read that it is possible to add a Voyagers number after final payment and get the discount as OBC. There was a difference between my son’s name on his reservation and his name with Voyagers Club so initially it couldn’t be added as the ‘personal information did not match’. That has now been corrected but my TA says we can’t get the discount now as it’s within 90 days of the cruise. 
 

Can anyone verify this to be true or should I push the TA to try again?

Has anybody done this recently? Just wondering how it was and if it’s best to book pre-cruise because it’s likely to sell out. 

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

Not in my experience, long trousers are required at dinner.

That’s what we were told on our cruise last November but it was not enforced. There were many men wearing shorts in the dining room in the evening albeit with nice shirts, but also one night a man in a wife beater, gym shorts and baseball cap was not turned away. 
 

DH and I enjoy having a reason to dress for dinner when we’re on vacation  though realize not everyone feels that way. If a man has a nice shirt on I don’t necessarily object to shorts as you don’t see them once someone is sitting down, but hats and gym attire belong in the buffet.

How were the beaches and water at Ocean Cay? Any seaweed or sea lice?

Does this apply if one couple has the premium drink pkg and the other the easy plus?

No jacket required. They ask that men wear long pants in the dining room in the evening but that is often ignored. 
DH wears a shirt and tie on elegant night but there was a wide range of attire on our most recent YC sailing. As long as he’s not in a tank top and baseball cap he’ll be fine.

5 hours ago, kernow said:

Been for a walk around the ship this morning and outside of YC it's heaving, never seen it this busy before. I know what people mean now about no seating.

Oh no, that’s what I’m worried about in contemplating a non YC cruise. Is it just the atrium area that’s packed or is it everywhere inside? I’m not sure what the equivalent of the Sky Lounge is on the Virtuosa, but on the Mera it was quiet during the day, of course this was in the Caribbean and it was hot and sunny out.

Looking forward to hearing about the ports. Thinking about  booking this cruise for September.

14 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

Prices last year were better than this year. I am on the Seascape now and booked this sailing last year solo for $ 649, including taxes / port charges, with $ 200 OBC and a free balcony upgrade.

So it seems like the free balcony upgrade and extra OBC replaced the free drinks and wifi promo?

I’m trying to decide whether to book under the current promo or wait until I’m onboard next month so that I get the double points and extra OBC for booking on board. Really like the free drinks and wifi deal. I’m pretty sure whatever I decide, I’ll wish I had done the other!

7 hours ago, JT1962 said:

I hope they have the same offers this year,

Were they better than the current sale or did they just jack the prices up and then give more OBC?

Does anyone know what the individual costs of the activities are if you don’t have a fun pass?

Thanks, you’re right, I thought I had picked Flåm stasjon but must have picked something else as when I went and looked again, I saw the same departure time as Norway’s Best.

I don’t have a cruise booked yet, originally was thinking of 2024, but now am considering one in early September. Norway’s Best is already sold out for round trip tickets the day the ship will be in Flåm, but they have availability for one way to Myrdal (which I found strange). This could work as I would like to bike back, but wondering if it’s better to book a return on vy.no  just in case the weather is awful. Tickets are not available to book yet but will be soon. I think I am right in thinking that tickets are refundable up until a certain point.? I won’t know for another month if I’m booking the cruise but want to make sure I can do the Flåm railroad in the event I do.

Looking on the vy.no site and is  R45 the correct route? The departure times are slightly different from those listed on Norway’s best.