sheltielover256

Well, I'm going to keep my eye on it.  Already booked a cruise for the 2026 eclipse in Spain, but they (Cunard) advertised as an eclipse cruise.  Thanks for the heads up.

Are they billing as an eclipse cruise?   I would book it in a second if so!

Well, it seems to me that the OP has a couple of legitimate concerns.  The long wait at embarkation with no water available (may not be NCL's fault, but somebody should address for safety), the overworked staff, and pushy/rude passengers can damper a good time.  But labeling passengers "exotic" and making fun of their hats and swimwear (I'm assuming they were at or near a pool in their speedos and bikinis)  is just mean (and smacks of intolerance and ageism).   

7 minutes ago, ditzygrly said:

this happened to me this summer on ncl... i was able to get pads from the medical center for a $30 fee until we made it to our next port

$30-Wow!  Maybe it is by design!

5 minutes ago, alliecat44 said:

I called guest services and they did not have any products—only the same suggestions. I asked multiple women and nobody had a tampon or pad. 
 

This is a basic necessity. 

Oh, I agree that its a necessity, and did not mean to suggest that you didn't do due diligence.  I was just perplexed (not disbelieving)  that they wouldn't have something like this easily available--considering the potential "implications" when this need isn't addressed.  It must be an oversight by management-- not by design!

Wow- that seems like an oversight by management!   People forget things all the time, and I know from experience you aren't the first!   Similar thing happened to me years ago on another cruise line when my bag was slow getting to my room after embarkation,  and I or one of my daughters needed something (honestly can't remember which line or who needed it), but they had pads at guest services.  

Ah- thanks guys.  That makes perfect sense-- I honestly hadn't thought about it being too far out to get full schedules.  I definitely plan to check the prices/schedules for self-booking the flights  before the time to cancel the BOGO expires.  One problem with BOGO is that they won't check the flights from drivable cities (like Miami or Tampa) that might have much better choices.  Right now air on this route is crazy expensive and the BOGO is a great deal--but that could change closer in.  Worst case--I stick with NCL air and don't get a pre-cruise deviation.  We can live with that.  

Hi-  I've never traveled with NCL before and hope some of you experienced travelers can help.

 We just booked a cruise from Tromso, Norway to Iceland for next June.  Part of the reason we booked now is that it is affordable with NCL's BOGO air.  I know that the NCL air program doesn't have a great reputation, but it is almost $1700 less than booking the flights ourselves!  And there aren't many flights from Orlando to Tromso.  Its a 20 hour flight, so I am pretty sure which flight we'll be on.  I called today to see if I could fly into Tromso a day early to alleviate anxiety (and spend a day in Tromso pre-cruise).  I was told that deviations aren't available for incoming flights on that cruise.  (I can get a deviation at the end).   The NCL rep told me to call back periodically to see if availability changes.

So, my questions:  (1)  has anybody gotten a flight deviation from NCL for flights into Tromso (is there something wonky about that town)?; and (2) has anybody had deviation availability change?  I can't figure out why NCL would care if I wanted to come in early -- I'd think they'd encourage it.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the replies guys.  We'll just suck up the loss and enjoy our cruise!  But I'm wondering if we need to call and let them know so that we don't get charged gratuities?

Hi,  I am looking for advice.  My extended family is going on the Divina on May 29-- a total of four cabins, all booked separately.  I  booked a balcony cabin for my husband, my college-age daughter, and me.  Unfortunately, my daughter must cancel.  We booked through a travel agent and she told us that the only way for us to take advantage of the MSC cancel-for-any-reason clause is for all three of us to cancel (and get credit) and then book a new cabin, BUT we will not be allowed to use the credit  on the same cruise.  In other words, there is no way for one person in a cabin to cancel under MSC policy.  I really don't want to have to pay another $2000 to book a new cabin at this point.

I am really regretting booking with an agency because they don't seem to know much about MSC.  The agent's statement might be completely accurate, but thought I'd reach out to see if anyone has experienced something similar.  To be fair, we aren't talking about a great deal of money (and its a sunken cost), but it is a few hundred dollars, that would be nice for my daughter to have as credit on a future cruise. 

Thanks in advance-

Laura

2 hours ago, apandres01 said:

We will  be sailing in November and I have a couple of questions about your recent experience on the Divina.  I was on this ship several years ago, but it was a rock music charter cruise and they pretty much didn't care what we wore as long as we had clothes on.  What were the male cruisers wearing to the Yacht Club restaurant for dinner (shorts? jeans? dockers?).  I know the husband is going to ask me what to pack.  Also, what was your experience with masks indoors once you were onboard?  Do you have to wear them to your dinner table, in the showroom, etc.?  Thanks - just trying to manage my expectations!

The dress on the ship was pretty casual. Most nights I wore sleeveless silk/rayon blouse and knit slacks. No shorts in the YC dining room, but Dockers and polo or even nice jeans with polo would be ok most nights.  They did have a "white night" (I didn't get the memo) and I felt a bit awkward so that was the one night we got pizza. (Nobody said anything.  It was my choice) One night DH wore a suit and I wore an ankle length sundress because we had packed them.  That also seemed fine. Obviously, if you want photos, dress up a bit.

Masks were required everywhere indoors unless at a table eating or drinking, and everyone seemed to comply without much cajoling except for a couple of announcements from the cruise director. I  brought some pretty disposable masks, but they had the blue ones available. Also, they scan your card and take your temp once a day-usually at the breakfast buffet.

We bid on YC and received all the YC experience on last week's cruise.  I believe it was set out in the fine print before bidding.

We did independent excursions without a problem. I'd doublecheck though if you are with unvaccinated guests (children).

Hi-

Let's see.  I booked in a small window when COVID insurance was offered free of charge by MSC, and I didn't buy regular travel insurance, so I can't answer any questions on that issue.

Since my embarkation time was listed as 11:30 and I got there around 11:15 or so (we live in Orlando and our daughter dropped us off), I can't say how strict MSC is about embarkation times.  I know that they changed my required embarkation time no less than five times in the month prior to the cruise.  I suppose they were trying to keep the lines down for social distancing, but it would definitely have been difficult if I had a flight schedule or long drive to contend with.

I found the shows kind of strange-- partly because of the sparse audience, which sucked out some of the energy.  Not bad and definitely still entertaining, but just weird.  No comedians or magicians, but the performers were talented.  I also thought the singers and musicians in the lounges (who moved between the venues) were really good.  I would recommend sitting and listening to them!

As far as bidding for an upgrade, we received an email a couple of months prior to the cruise with an opportunity to "bid" for various upgrades.  We had booked a fantastica balcony cabin and I think our minimum upgrade bid for YC was around $700 pp, which was on the lower side of average for a week from what I've seen.  (This is discussed quite a bit in the forum).  My guess is there might be a variation in minimums based on where you start (and on how crowded the ship is), but I certainly don't know that for sure.  I'm not sure if YC was full or not.  It was NOT crowded at all-- as I said, I think some of the workers were actually kind of bored.

I had no problem getting drinks anywhere on the ship-- I would just show my card or give my room number.  Only once did an employee seem confused by the concept of YC-- in the regular buffet at breakfast an attendant said that she would have to charge me for a diet coke (presumably because I didn't have a "drink package") so I told her not to worry about it (I didn't really need it), but she came back a couple of minutes later with TWO diet cokes and an apology.  Her willingness to immediately follow up, even when I was ready to dismiss it without fuss, was indicative of the employees on this ship.

Before this, I had not been on a cruise for 11 years (and only with young children during school holidays), so I am not the best person to do a comparison to other lines-- especially when traveling as a couple.  However, we had a wonderful time, and would not hesitate to go on another cruise with MSC except for their pre-cruise customer service, which is definitely extremely awful.  

And to the question about disembarkation, I think it started around 7:45, but it might have been closer to 7:30. I know that I headed down around 7:45.

Hi Kidless,  I think you can drop bags at the YC tent.  However, it was behind the line of porters and I didn't see it at first. You might get your luggage more quickly if you drop at the tent, but no worries either way.

I honestly did not see any tea service outside of YC.  (In YC I did see traditional tea with the layered dish of treats and tea). However, there is a cool little cafe on the 6th or 7th deck that has snacks and coffee and cocoa and tea all day. We went there three times during the cruise and it was very nice-- just a great little spot. Just a warning, I thought the desserts looked far better than they tasted.  I understand that Americans like desserts sweeter than Europeans do, but they had several desserts with "lemon"  in the name that honestly did not taste as if they had any lemon juice or zest in them at all.

Hi Fog,

Full disclosure, there were only 900 passengers (more crew than passengers) on our sailing, so it may (and probably will) vary for others.

 Check-in literally took 15 minutes.  We dropped our bags with a porter and walked to the small white YC tent near the terminal entrance. From there, we were escorted through the security and check-in.  There were coffee, juices, Pringles, and nuts available in the waiting area, but the wait was so short that we barely had time to grab a chocolate nut can before they escorted us to our room.       

     Both the YC buffet and main buffet were behind glass and had to be served for you, but it was fine.  I can see that it could be slow if there were crowds. Only about half the lines were open though, so maybe they will open more on crowded ships.  I liked most of the food on the buffets, with the pizza and french exceptionally good.  If you want a burger at lunch, order from YC pool deck- they cook to order and use better buns than the regular buffet.  We ate at the YC restaurant for all dinners, and about half the lunches. I liked most of what I tried, but food is subjective, so I won't wax on about it.           

     Meals and drinks at Ocean House were great.  I felt so Hemingway-like fancy!  The crew seemed super happy to be off the ship and outside. The YC beach is rocky (bring water shoes), so we left to play in the protected lagoon on the first day. Second day, we used the lighthouse beach, but went to Ocean House for lunch.                        There were plenty of bartenders and staff and they constantly asked if we wanted anything.  I think passenger to employee ratio was so low that they were a bit bored! Overall a great friendly interested and interesting crew.       

We walked off with our own luggage for debarkation, and it took ten minutes at most.  I think it was staggered by tag color for those who didn't carry their own 

We enjoyed the cruise, although the pre-cruise shenanigans from MSC was frustrating.  

HTH, Laura

We just returned from our one week cruise on the Divina. We went in YC, which we got on a bid. We are not experienced cruisers, so feel free to ask if you want a "novice" opinion.  I'll check back here for the next few days.

Thanks for the answer!  That makes me feel better.  I'm sure my bid was no huge bargain for us. I think the min was 715pp for a week.and I bid 720pp.  It ended up only  a bit less than booking outright.

Hi, I just got my MSC Divina tickets for my October 3rd cruise. We bid for an upgrade and got upgraded from Fantastica to yacht club (for a hefty sum).  My room is in YC area, but the ticket still says Fantastica.  Can I check in through YC?   Also got the oddly specific boarding time of 11:12.  Is that normal? I haven't been on a cruise in almost 11years, but I don't remember it being so confusing before.  Hope somebody here knows-just not in the mood for another conversation with the friendly, but clueless CS people.

They are just the worst!  I guess they will argue that they get to decide if something is "available."   I'm scheduled for my first (likely last as well) MSC cruise in a bit over a week, and I'm seeing them move people around without any notice or apology.  They simply don't care.

Are you looking only at ship excursions?  I'm looking at non-ship excursions and there are some that seem more "jungly." You don't say how old your son is, but they all have a 16-year-old minimum age limit for driving.

We are 16 days out and bid accepted a couple of hours ago. I bid just $5 over the min bid for yc deluxe suite. 

Oddly enough, knowing that others are getting their chosen rooms reassigned makes me feel a little better.  At least it's not personal! I also booked way back in February and chose an extended balcony. I figured that I would sit out there in the shade and read if I got nervous about covid-19 protocols on the ship. With no notice or explanation, they moved me to an exceptionally small balcony at the front of the ship with a connecting door.  I can't sit in the sun, so a tiny balcony is useless for me much of the time. I would have been better off just getting an inside or a window room. What is super annoying is that people who paid far less than I did are getting upgraded to better rooms. And they are still selling better cabins in my category, but we are not allowed to switch.  I've called three times and sent four emails, but to no avail. In fact, no email response at all.  I guess MSC cruises was an experiment for me that failed.  They really don't seem to care about their customers.  That is too bad. I had hoped to have a really good cruise line to sail out of Port Canaveral since we live in Orlando.  Now I just want to cancel and get my money back but it's after the final payment time.  I too have lost my zen. :)

I bid for a YC suite from a balcony, but thinking of canceling. If I buy a brinks package ( non alcohol), now, but my bid is accepted later, msc would  refund the package price, right?  And if we don't drink alcohol (or drink very little), is the YC experience still worth it? We haven't been on a cruise in 11 years and never on MSC. Also, this will be our first cruise without kids--the reason I thought the YC upgrade would be fun . But I'm now thinking that we could use the extra money for specialty restaurants instead. Any thoughts?