Stockjock

I like them both, but there are distinct differences. Let us know if you have any specific questions.

I mostly sail on MSC or Celebrity, so I have some experience in this area. In my view, Celebrity has the best entertainment in the theater. But in terms of discos and such, MSC tends to be more lively with people staying up later & more audience participation. Celebrity can be a bit sleepy, in terms of late night entertainment. But MSC's announcements in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Brazilian Portuguese can grow tedious, at times. MSC has a younger demographic, although there are passengers of all ages. Celebrity offers the better cocktails and far more interesting bars, such as the Martini Bar and World Class Bar. MSC is trying to do some bars w/craft cocktails on their World Class ships, such as World Europa, but they are sometimes not included in your drink package and generally Celebrity's drinks are a lot better. That said, MSC's drink package is typically much better priced. I've been on Seascape's sister ship, Seaside, and enjoyed it. We'll be on Celebrity Ascent (newest Edge-class) this summer. Both seem like good choices. Not sure I can pick one at this time. Generally, I'd expect Seascape to be more affordable. If the pricing was the same (it's usually not), I'd take Celebrity, but MSC typically offers a better value, imo. You didn't ask about food, but... In terms of the buffet, Celebrity's is usually better, but MSC is solid. In terms of MDR, MSC is "pretty good" and seems to be holding steady in terms of quality. Celebrity is also pretty good, but I've noted a sharp decline in food quality over the past few years (cost cutting). MSC seems better organized in terms of dining room waits and such. I've encountered some frustration and long lines waiting for dinner on Celebrity, and generally, that's not the case on MSC. Both have very good specialty restaurants. I'd probably give Celebrity the slight nod, but MSC's are generally very good and tend to be much better priced, especially if you book a dining package pre-cruise.

I think my first Celebrity sailing was on Century around 2008 or so. The food was amazing. On par with an outstanding land-based restaurant. In the MDR, we ate a filet mignon of a high quality and large lobster tails. Then, we went on Eclipse, and the food was excellent. Not as good as on Century, but still of a high quality. Next, we went on a NYE cruise on Summit, and I'd say the food was very good. This past summer, we sailed on Infinity and the food was ok. This fall, back on Eclipse, and again, ok food, not much different than the "non-premium" cruise lines. We'll be on Ascent this summer, and I'm hoping they won't continue to go downhill in terms of the food served in the MDR.

Maybe I'm reading this incorrectly but I suspect there may be confusion between the shareholder benefit and a stock's dividend. As many know, a common stock may pay a dividend but is not obligated to do so. That dividend can be increased, decreased or eliminated at any time. I believe that when covid hit, most or all of the publicly traded cruise lines suspended/eliminated their dividend. They had bigger fish to fry, huge expenses related to maintaining empty ships, and paying a dividend was the least of their worries. The same thing happened to most banks during the financial crisis of 2008. Many resumed paying a dividend once the economic outlook normalized. There are different tax rates between qualified and non-qualified dividends, but I am not here to address that, as while I work for a big Wall Street firm, I'm not a tax advisor, and besides, these stocks aren't currently paying a dividend anyway, to my knowledge, so it's a moot point (or as my former manager would say, "a mute point", and no, I never corrected him). Most or all publicly-traded cruise lines choose to provide a shareholder benefit, under certain circumstances, to passengers sailing on their cruise lines. This could be $50, $100 or perhaps $250 in onboard credit, mostly depending on the length of the sailing. This has absolutely nothing to do with dividends. Also, to my knowledge, this is not a taxable event, although there's probably some snarky person out there who will insist that the IRS will kick down your door and arrest you for not trying to report your shareholder benefit. But again, to my knowledge, this is not a taxable event, or certainly no "normal person" would try to report it, and again, unrelated to the dividend, if any. And since I am with a big Wall Street firm, I have to say that this is not tax advice nor is a recommendation for or against any securities.

When we visited the Speakeasy a couple of weeks ago, another couple tried to follow us in and our guide basically slammed the door on their faces and locked it, lol.

I talk a lot about MSC vs. Celebrity, as those are the 2 cruise lines I mostly sail on. Both have their pluses and minuses. But I recently got back from 7 nights on World Europa out of Barcelona over the NYE holiday. So here's what I booked. 1 bedroom Aurea suite w/a huge balcony. Most spa services 40% off w/Aurea. 2 "Easy Plus" drink package for 2. 3. Wi-Fi for both of us. 4. 4 specialty restaurants (we paid for 3, 1 free due to diamond status). 5. Excursions for 5 of the 6 days that we stopped at a port. 6. Chocolate dipped strawberries in the room (minor thing). 7. They also included 2 bottles of sparkling wine & other snacks. 8. I think we got $200 OBC. Total cost over the holiday? $2577 for the two of us. Imagine with something like that would cost for a similar experience on Celebrity, particularly over NYE. Here's the cabin I booked.

I had contacted Celebrity on Instagram regarding the missing points. While they haven't yet been credited, I do now show the pending points for the December webinar in my points history, so I presume they'll be credited soon.

I just ignored the question, as I thought the answer was obvious.

My favorite cruise lines are Celebrity and MSC. That said, I do notice a deterioration in the Celebrity experience, mostly in terms of the food served in the MDR. MSC seems to be holding steady or improving in most areas. But sure, I like Celebrity. But some of that "wow factor" has left the building (or is it ship?).

The only cruise line where I've personally seen really bad, drunken behavior was, wait for it, Carnival (shocker). Physical fights, hammered passengers, rude behavior, yelling matches, etc. Won't say we'd never sail on CCL again, but we try hard to avoid it. I think the best comments so far is that the Maitre D should have asked them to quiet Junior down or leave. This isn't quite the same, but we were on MSC about a year ago, and they do enforce no shorts in the MDR on Gala Night. So one young man, in shorts, was refused entry by the Maitre D. The guy snuck in through a different entrance and sat down at the dinner table The Maitre D saw him and practically dragged him out by his ear, physically escorting him to the door. I must admit that I did enjoy that.

I think that is their game plan going forward (i.e. Cruise line that does not allow children, or limits them). They don’t seem to be having a wonderful time on Celebrity. They also complained about the food quality, which is something that I agree with because I think it’s gone downhill quite a lot. I’m referring to the food in the main dining room.

Got this message from a Viking cruiser, who is currently doing Celebrity (Edge) for the first time... "Went to a specialty restaurant tonight and paid $72.00+ and had a screaming baby who screamed the whole time and the parent did nothing. Totally ruined my and everyone’s meal. I will stick with Viking, which doesn’t allow kids." What is your response to this? A. Perhaps young children shouldn't be allowed in the specialty restaurants. B. Families have the right to bring their family to a specialty restaurant, even if their kids scream or otherwise are disruptive.

I contacted Celebrity via social media. We had multiple people watching the video. One was credited the other was not. They are checking it out.

I did two Celebrity Cruises last year and I don’t remember them charging for basic coffee and Continental breakfast in the morning delivered to the state room. But a friend is doing Celebrity for the first time, she normally does Viking, and she said they are charging her to have coffee delivered in the morning. I didn’t think that was the case, but is she correct?

I'm not even seeing it as pending, so I suppose I need to contact Celebrity. Anyone know who to contact?

I feel obligated to inform everyone that I too have not yet received the points that I have so longingly awaited.

Oddly familiar, for some reason. Have fun!

Oh please, oh please, credit my points soon! Let us pray. Dear Lord, let my points be credited pronto, so that one day, I too, may qualify for a free bag of laundry!

Getting served a smoked, craft cocktail in the speakeasy...

Some of the NYE entertainment in the MSC Speakeasy...

Even though I added the Speakeasy entry video in a separate thread, I think it's also appropriate to add it here.

We just did the standard automatic tipping, which was in Euro. But certainly you could tip extra, if you decided to do so. I believe the Aurea Thermal Spa is included, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I know we get at least some of that w/our Diamond status benefit, but we didn't use that benefit. Most Aurea services are roughly 40% off if booked online in advance, and the prices should already be adjusted accordingly, so I'd take a look and pre-book any services that interest you.

MSC Crew Talent Show. We thought this guy out of Bali was pretty good.

FWIW, we did Mt. Etna from Messina years back. I wouldn't consider it a "gimme" in terms of what to do. We took a long bus ride to near the top (but not at the top). It was hot down below, but we froze our buns off once we got there. So I bought a jacket while my teeth chattered. We walked around for a little bit, stared at some hardened lava, and got back into the bus. Frankly, I didn't love it.

On World Europa, the Captain/Master is Dino Sagani. He is a 4th generation Captain, formerly with Princess Cruises and was also in the Italian Navy previously. Not the best photo of moi, but it is what it is. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/meet-dino-sagani-fourth-generation-captain-latest-star-the-cruise/