travelberlin

This behavior could apply also for families

Not a good comparison. Safety has priority.

Time will tell… Ivi

You travel also solo?

Yes. Beautiful experience. It is worth it if you want to avoid crowds. But it comes at a price. And the larger the ship the larger the yacht club, meaning not that exclusive. Try it on the fantasia class ships.

If you pay the double price why it should not be possible? It is discrimination. They do not allow solo cruisers even though the solo cruisers will pay for two. Is discrimination on the name of maximizing revenue acceptable to you? It is not to many of us.

Look at the Grand Voyages…

I understand but a solo cruiser is probably going to take more ships excursions because of traveling solo. Will probably use the hair salon or spa services more. And I do not believe that the whole family gamble on the casino. But Ok … it is an unfortunate policy. Me as a solo cruiser sometimes, I am looking and finding better alternatives for cruising and taking my business somewhere else. Maybe the Italians at MSC that are extremely family friendly, will one day realize that there are others who want to cruise solo and not with the mama, the papa, and the extended family 😎

Where?

If solo passengers pay for two, why are they putting a ban?

For me it is definitely discrimination.

Can yo explain the reasons why you understand? Solo cruisers pay at MSC double prices. Where is the lost for MSC?

Maybe this subject has been discussed before. I was interested in a cruise with MSC as a solo traveler. I have searched first for two people and there were plenty of cabins available, in all categories. But after I have searched just for one passenger, all cabins disappeared. Suddenly there was no availability anymore on that cruise. The cruise is many months from now and it is definitely not sold out. What are your experiences about this? Will cabins be released for solo travelers in case the cruise ends up not selling well?

Not in my case. It is not only a higher deposit but a higher cruise price if I wish the deposit to be fully refundable. I would have to pay US 200 more in order to have a refundable deposit up to 90 days before the sailing date.

When the price drops how do you benefit from the new price after booking? Are those price drops not for new bookings only?

The advertised prices for some cruises make you believe that there are good deals. By the the time you finalize your booking with the taxes, fees and gratuities, you realize that you are not getting a low price. Iff you want to upgrade your experience to a better cabin, drinks and better dining, then you notice that you might us well start comparing with premium cruise lines, where those additions are already included in the cruise price from the beginning.

I agree with most of what you have said. However Explora has done a lot to disappoint future guests like me. I was very excited to sail with Explora but cruise cancellations, unreliability and shorter itineraries have made me move on. On the other hand, the new Crystal has done something that has impressed me. This is the Crystal initiative. From what I see, this was a very nice move to attract again Crystal cruisers which were so dissatisfied like I was. So the new Crystal has now my trust and my money for future bookings 😊. As long as there are no cancellations and unreliability, I will keep booking with NC. Ivi

Is any body else worried about the current load on the ships? I have just read, the Symphony is sailing currently with less than 200 passengers. How about the Serenity? I really want this company to be successful. Ivi

Question, I read that checks might be sent. Are the refunds not going to be via credit card? I am not sure how checks could be sent outside the USA… Ivi

Adrian thanks for sharing your observations. Very careful expressed but balanced. Looking forward to cruising with the NC. Ivi

Is it the same price if we buy chef’s table onboard than pre cruise?

Are they still offering champagne (the real thing from France) as aperitif fir the chef's table?

With MTD we were able to reserve our seats online but there was no option to choose if we want to share a table with others or just seat by ourselves. Is not possible to choose this with MTD?

As a Diamond member I have heard that one has 1 day free internet as a benefit. If we buy the Voom package, will this one day free internet reduce the price of the package?

Me too if this is really champagne and not some sparkling wine…