alyssamma

Agree with what @Essiesmom said. However, I will add that I've used Happy Hour shuttle and was VERY happy. It is a private shuttle, fyi. Really like a prepaid Uber. If you Google them you'll see great reviews.

Sorry you feel that way. I certainly dont think that and made it clear that there is a trade off in both time and convenience...using a PCC is absolutely perfectly acceptable IMHO. I think above @donandmelissa said the same thing. Everyone has different priorities and things that are important to them. If someone chooses to stay in a suite that is certainly more than an inside, but they aren't stupid for doing that. Book how you want to...that's why PCCs are there to begin with. Obviously a lot of people use and like them.

I think as @donandmelissa said, YMMV, but more importantly, once you get an agent and BYPASS that site you get great savings. I personally use it as a benchmark to see what most will give me. I almost always get a better deal with one of my normal agents, but every once in a while I'll get something incredible from that site. I might have missed that specific point, but I am one who said 10% and I compared it to a check after the cruise. I think if you get X as fare reduction or X after the cruise it's the same. I agree neither are as good...or the same...as OBC, unless it is refundable. If it is refundable, then there MAY be a slight insurance cost, but at least with the carrier I use, they go in blocks of 1k and is usually pretty negligible. I can also specify the cost. If my cruise is 2134, I can say 2000. You can specify you only want non refundable...or specify you want both to see the difference.

Sorry, I know you didn't ask me this, but I wanted to add something. Often you may not get this deal initially, but if you keep.checking a price drop or new sale will come along. If you want to get the really good deals you have to keep checking your reservations.

It is 100% agency specific. Like I said in an earlier post, I rotate between 3 TAs...each has their own specialties. If you have a TA who helps you a lot, then it makes sense to be loyal. My TAs simply push the buttons I tell them to... I do all of the research. As such I don't have loyalty to any specific one. It's a lot of work, so I get why some don't want to do it. A good place to start is with that site that others have mentioned that lets TAs compete for your business. Another good place is simply google...go through the first 10 or 15 agencies that pop up and see what pricing you get. It all depends on how you value your time. I search for travel deals while watching TV, so pretty easy for me 😀

Ack...sorry! Typed the above when I was trying to disembark. The HAL cruise was just under 7k, not 4k.

Not sure if the OP is in YC or not, but for YC you don't need luggage tags. I understand that doesn't help with the cruise docs, tho.

Unfortunately, this. Sometimes you can print on your own and sometimes you can't...like all things MSC 😀 Bottom line, like others have said, use your TA if you can't do it yourself. But even then it is not a problem if you show up without them...they will just process you at the pier.

Yes, again, I understood what you said. You are making a claim I am not . Go back and read what I said carefully. I gave an example almost like yours, except instead of 150 and 100 I used 100 and 50. You are arguing a point I never said. You can believe it not believe, but I'm just talking math. 150 before vs 150 after is the same. That's just a fact and it's true whether or not you believe it Please go back and read what I said carefully. And my only claim.was that you can get about 10% off with the right TA...I am not the only one on this thread making that claim, so I'm not even close to the smartest cruiser, lol. TAs are all very different and some work closely with certain lines. Shop around if you want to get the best deals. You gave me a specific example so I will give you one. For my 14 day midnight sun HAL cruise I am getting off of today, I paid just over 4k total for 2 people for a verandah. Another 420 for CO to upgrade that to a VB category for the extended balcony. This included HAI with prepaid gratuities. On top of that I got 1350 in OBC. On MSC in July I'll take a 21 day cruise to Iceland and Greenland for 4500 total for 2 which includes wifi and drinks...but no gratuities...and 300 OBC. Great cruise deals are out there. I spent a LOT of time to get those deals, but travel (not just cruising) is something I love and the time spent is fun to me.

We are in complete agreement.

Lol, you can disagree all you want, but you aren't disagreeing with my point. You are really saying that you don't BELIEVE my point. You are basically saying getting 100 off the cruise rate is better than 50 after the cruise. Duh 😀 However, given 100 off the cruise rate vs 100 after the cruise... mathematically it's the same. Yes, technically you are putting more upfront and then have to wait to get it back, but overall it's a wash. If you want to say you can no longer find those deals...fine. that's unfortunate for you. But that isn't my argument so you are disagreeing with something I never said.

I'm Cleveland and before that upstate NY so I understand snow. But I love it. I melt in the sun and can't stand heat. I'll take a cold snowy day over a hot humid one any day of the week. And yes, I understand 99% of you will disagree with me 😀

So, are you in the YC on MSC? If so, I think you'll like it. That being said, we kind of left MSC for Celebrity. We found the food better and dealing with customer service was 10x easier. Basically, MSC screwed us one too many times, so we switched. But..lol, that being said, we are about to sail on the Poesia in July and then again in Sept 2024. Both because they are itineraries we can't find on any other line. We are also doing Seascape in Jan to celebrate a friend's wedding. So somehow we can't quit MSC 😀 I completely understand about being burned out on the Caribbean...we are too. We are looking now at more exotic itineraries and that is why we picked HAL and why we are doing the Poesia.

It is on our sailing

Lol, we have that cruise booked so will be onboard with you if you take it. With club orange we booked an obstructed balcony and upgraded to an aft balcony. I only have one data point but I'm shocked (in a good way) about the dress code. Even in the specialty restaurants people are wearing jeans and normal shoes. Some are dressed up but most are extremely casual. That being said, everyone is dressed respectfully...no ripped clothes, etc. I've been wearing tennis shoes to dinner and no one has looked twice at me. As for the demographics...yes, most people onboard have children my age...I'm 57. But everyone is really nice and easy going.

Yes... actually on ever other line I've cruised...Royal, Carnival, and X, you can see the entire menu. I think you can on MSC also but always in Yacht Club there so it's a little different. As I said it's annoying, but in no way will affect our booking future HAL cruises. We've already booked NS for a TA next April. HAL also has way better itineraries than most other lines...MSC is the only other line we've seen with the same level of European itineraries.

Oh, I agree 100% with this. I use my TA to give me perks and nothing more. I do all the research and determine exactly what I want. I then have 3 TAs I'll get a quote from and use whoever gives me the best deal. They each are better at different lines, and will sometimes have good group deals. There is only one TA I have that I would call good, but unfortunately I rarely use him because he gives the worst perks. I don't need a good TA, I need a TA who will give me stuff 😀 That being said, I've referred my good TA to several people I know who either don't want to or can't do the upfront research and they've been very happy with him.

Also, fyi, you can do CO and a new booking at the same time. I look to see what cabin I want and give that info to my TA. She books my cruise and adds CO with my preferred cabin at the same time.

You are missing my point. I am saying if you get X off the fare or X after the cruise it is the same. If you aren't getting the same discount now as you were before, get a new TA. My discounts haven't changed and there is no reason for them to.

Whether you get a reduction or post cruise check it all works out the same 😀

The fares aren't carved in stone 😀 Like.i said, my TA is normally 10% less than HAL. The fare they have to pay HAL is different that what I have to pay. Part of that difference they give in a fare reduction. Part they give in OBC.

The VAST majority of their business is shipping...it's the S in MSC 😀 Add that to them being a privately owned Italian company and they really don't care. Not saying I don't agree with you...I do. And in NO way defending them...but lots of people...esp in Europe...will continue to sail with them. Now...you've hit on something which drives me crazy...free drinks and wifi. NO NO NO. You are paying several hundred per person for their "free" promo. I get that you realize this...it annoys me to no end. They do still have some great deals out there, but you have to look hard to find them. And if you can live with an inside cabin, the YC is super attractive.

I have found a good TA can get a lower price often...and when they can't, OBC always makes up for the difference. My TA will typically be 10% cheaper that the HAL rate.

And THAT is the difference 😀 MSC just makes the change. And as @Stockjock said above, it can be severe. Lots of lines will drop or add a port, or *maybe* have a day added or dropped occasionally, but it seems that only MSC can do a major itinerary change and NOT tell you. And not just that. During the pandemic they dropped everyone's cabins without telling them. That's really the crux of it... complete lack of communication. And when the OP called they wanted them to send the reservation??? What type of rinky dink crap is that?

Did they tell you upfront or just let you figure it out on your own?