MissyF3486

Hi there --

Traveling with my partner and my two step-daughters, ages 9 and 12, on the March 17th 3-night sailing on the Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral.  We're debating just staying on the ship on the Nassau day and using the ship amenities, but would love to see a recent daily planner to see what activities are available on the port days to see what we could do to fill up the day!

Anyone on this short itinerary recently have the Daily Planners they wouldn't mind uploading?

Thanks!

Hi all --

We are looking at booking a Jan 2019 sailing on the Armonia from Miami. We have read so many conflicting reports about the MSC BabyCare program and I'm hoping someone here has legitimate information.

We will be traveling with a 1 year old and a 2 year old, so too young for the other clubs, and are looking for specifics on the hours of the BabyCare drop-in program.

I believe on the newer ships there is a specific room for the babies, but not sure if this exists on Armonia and if not, how this affects the hours?

Any help much appreciated!

Hi all --

We are looking to book a December 2018 cruise from Galveston. It looks like the Carnival Vista and Royal's Liberty of the Seas are both sailing nearly identical itineraries out of Galveston at that time for approximately the same cost, give or take a few bucks. We will have a multi-generational group, including a 1 year old and a 2 year old, on this trip.

Anyone with experience on either or both ships have any insight on which we should pick? I know that Liberty has a baby pool/splash pad area where kiddos in swim diapers are allowed. Does anyone know if Vista has something similar? Would hate for the babies to not be able to use any of the pool/swimming areas.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi all --

We are looking to book a December 2018 cruise from Galveston. It looks like the Carnival Vista and Royal's Liberty of the Seas are both sailing nearly identical itineraries out of Galveston at that time for approximately the same cost, give or take a few bucks. We will have a multi-generational group, including a 1 year old and a 2 year old, on this trip.

Anyone with experience on either or both ships have any insight on which we should pick? I know that Liberty has a baby pool/splash pad area where kiddos in swim diapers are allowed. Does anyone know if Vista has something similar? Would hate for the babies to not be able to use any of the pool/swimming areas.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Cross-posting from the NCL board....

I am curious if anyone has heard anything through the NCL grapevine about the success of the Guppies Nursery on the Escape and if NCL plans to replicate this feature on it's ships in the future?

As a family with under 3s, having a drop-in nursery (not a playroom or mommy-and-me activities) is a deciding factor for us in choosing a ship. Until the Escape, that limited us to select RCCI ships and Disney. Would love to sail on Bliss in Alaska if she will have the Guppies Nursery.

Any info much appreciated!

Thanks,

Missy

Hi all --

I am curious if anyone has heard anything through the NCL grapevine about the success of the Guppies Nursery on the Escape and if NCL plans to replicate this feature on it's ships in the future?

As a family with under 3s, having a drop-in nursery (not a playroom or a mommy-and-me activity room) is a deciding factor for us in choosing a ship. Until the Escape, that limited us to select RCCI ships and Disney. Would love to sail on Bliss in Alaska if she will have the Guppies Nursery.

Any info much appreciated, will also post on the families board, but thought some of you might have more info!

Thanks,

Missy

We are considering cruising Bliss in Alaska 2018, but can't seem to find any information on whether or not Bliss will have the Guppies Nursery that is only on the Escape? I know some folks have said it will be very similar to the Escape and others have said it will be different, so wondering if that feature will carry over to Bliss? Just to be clear, I'm talking about the for-fee drop-in nursery for under 3s, NOT a mommy-and-me type program.

Thanks in advance if anyone has any info!

I have been on all Solstice class ships except the Silhouette a number of times and will be on the Koningsdam early next year so I can't make a comparison. However we have been a few times on the Nieuw Amsterdam and although we enjoyed our cruises it simply wasn't the same experience. Considering the age range for your cruise I think you might want to consider the Solstice class and if available with the same price and perks, the Reflection. You won't be sorry and I promise you will never bored.

 

I am looking forward to my Koningsdam cruise for something new, but also have cruises booked on the Equinox, Eclipse and Reflection in the next year and know we will have a great time on each. Oh, and I'm truly just a couple of years older than the oldest on your 2017 cruise.

 

Certainly you need to consider the Celebrity perks and also understand that both lines attract a more mature crowd but Holland is definitely older.

 

Hope this helps.

Can you say why specifically you think the Reflection would be the best out of all of the Solstice Class for our family group? Thanks so much!!

Thanks so much for the feedback!

InTheWASide, it is great to hear your comparison. Also, I did not realize that there were differences between the Solstice Class ships! Thank you for breaking down the main differences between them.

Since you have been on both, are there any features on the Koningsdam that set it apart in your eyes? You said it blew you away -- how so???

Price wise, we're looking at a pretty big difference -- the least expensive balcony on Koningsdam (13 night Treasures of the Adriatic) is $3000pp with no perks. On Equinox (12 night Italy and Greek Isles) is $2500pp with a free perk (beverage package, grats, internet, OBC).

On this board I saw someone mention a HAL promo for Europe 2017 that would include beverage packaged, etc. Does anyone know about this? Assuming we missed it but would book K-dam in a heartbeat if that was the case.

Thanks again!

We are not smokers, but I have no recollection of noticing or minding the smoke while we were on the Eurodam. We've also been on NCL Getaway, which many people complain smells of smoke, and we didn't notice it then either. Maybe we just aren't very sensitive to it!!

Price wise, Koningsdam is a bit more, but we were hoping the prices would come down some -- do you think this is a realistic possibility?

Are there any specific features that Solstice class has that Koningsdam doesn't, or vice versa? Specifically pools, common spaces, etc?

Thanks again for all responses!!!:)

Hi all --

(I also posted this on the Celebrity board, but posting here as well to maybe hear a different perspective!)

We are planning on a late summer 2017 cruise for an extended family group (ages 1 year to 60 years). We are looking to do a Med itinerary, and there are itineraries on both the Koningsdam and Equinox/Reflection/Silhouette that would fit the bill.

I am leaning towards the Koningsdam because it is brand new and also because it has an overnight in Istanbul, which was our family's first choice destination. None of the Celebrity ships go to Istanbul, though some itineraries include Kusadasi.

We have been on the Eurodam and found the food to be EXCELLENT (the foodies in the family would go back on HAL just for Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill...) but none of us have been on a Celebrity Solstice class. We've heard great things about Solstice Class ships so it is making the decision VERY difficult.

Any opinions that would help sway our decision??? Anyone been on Koningsdam and a Solstice Class ship that can compare?

Thanks so much!

Hi all --

I realize I am posting this on the Celebrity board, so opinions may be a bit biased, but hoping some of you may be able to provide some insight!

We are planning on a late summer 2017 cruise for an extended family group (ages 1 year to 60 years). We are looking to do a Med itinerary, and there are itineraries on both the Koningsdam and Equinox/Reflection/Silhouette that would fit the bill.

I am leaning towards the Koningsdam because it is brand new and also because it has an overnight in Istanbul, which was our family's first choice destination. None of the Celebrity ships go to Istanbul, though some itineraries include Kusadasi.

We have been on the Eurodam and found the food to be EXCELLENT (the foodies in the family would go back on HAL just for Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill...) but none of us have been on a Celebrity Solstice class. We've heard great things about Solstice Class ships so it is making the decision VERY difficult.

Any opinions that would help sway our decision???

Thanks so much!

Cross-posting here, also posted on HAL board...

Hi all --

We are looking to book a summer Europe cruise on the Koningsdam in 2017, and we will have two babies -- 8 months and 15 months -- in our extended family group. I know that Club Hal does not take kids until they are 3 years old, but does anyone know if there is a room on the ship where parents/grandparents can take the babies to play? We have been on other ships that also did not have official programming for infants/toddlers, but there was a room with age-specific toys and games that you could use independently. Hoping there is something like that on Koningsdam, but can't find any info about it!

Thanks so much!

Hi there --

We are looking to book a summer Europe cruise on the Koningsdam in 2017, and we will have two babies -- 8 months and 15 months -- in our extended family group. I know that Club Hal does not take kids until they are 3 years old, but does anyone know if there is a room on the ship where parents/grandparents can take the babies to play? We have been on other ships that also did not have official programming for infants/toddlers, but there was a room with age-specific toys and games that you could use independently. Hoping there is something like that on Koningsdam, but can't find any info about it!

Thanks so much!

I just chatted with someone on the NCL website. She said Star, Spirit, Epic and Escape itineraries are posted. Getaway and Jade have been postponed until Monday :mad:

I've been following this thread and just checked out the link "provided" above. But I'm confused...an earlier posting said the Jade was scheduled to be in Kirkwall, Iceland, etc, but the itineraries I'm seeing show the Jade in the Med?

Do we know which of these is accurate?

Also, do we know for sure which ships NCL will deploy to Europe for Summer 2017? I think I'm seeing Jade, Spirit, Star, and Epic?

Thanks so much!

I spoke with an MSC representative on the phone earlier, and I was asking after a cruise on the Seaside. I mentioned that I had a family of 5 and assumed we would be forced into an expensive suite or possibly even two staterooms. HOWEVER, the rep said that because one in our party is an infant, we could book ANY stateroom that holds 4 pax, and that the cruise line would email me a wavier and the 5th pax (since it's an infant under 2), would be allowed in the room. The infant would only pay port fees.

I thought this was an awesome deal and I posted it to the Family Cruising board. A reply on the family board said that this was not legal by US Coast Guard regulations, and that it's possible that MSC, being a non-US line, may be unknowingly promoting an option that isn't allowed?

Does anyone have any experiences with these waivers, or have been allowed by a cruise line (any line) to put 5 pax in a cabin for 4, if one is an infant?

Thanks so much!

It is for the MSC Seaside, which will be sailing out of Miami. I was only asking after that specific ship and on a Caribbean itinerary, so the MSC rep definitely knew it was sailing out of the US. I would assume that since the Divina has been in the Carribean for awhile now that their reps would be aware if the waiver doesn't apply in the US?

Man, I hope I didn't get excited for nothing!

Hoping someone on this board has sailed MSC out of the US with an infant that can give me the low-down! If not, I can always call a rep back tomorrow and confirm.

Thanks!

I was browsing the NCL site today, and one of those "Chat with an avid cruiser" boxes popped up. I, too, have been wondering about the release date of the summer 2017 Europe itineraries, so I asked the woman I was chatting with about it. She said, "It should be any day now -- keep checking back!" Just thought I'd share in case anyone was still wondering!

Hi there --

My family is looking to book a cruise on a new ship in late 2017/early 2018, and seem to have narrowed it down to the MSC Seaside or Harmony of the Seas. We have previously sailed mostly on NCL because of affordability (Epic, Getaway, Jewel, and Sun), though we've also sailed on HAL, RCCL (Brilliance of the Seas, so nothing as big as Harmony), Princess and Celebrity.

Though we'd love to try HAL's new Koningsdam, we'll be traveling on this trip for the first time with two babies under 2 (and additional family to help!) and think Royal or MSC would be a better fit with more amenities for them.

My questions are these:

1) Harmony of the Seas seems to be about double the cost of Seaside -- $4000 on Harmony compared to $2000 on Seaside for a comparable room. Granted, Harmony's sailings are not posted into late 2017, so I'm comparing different weeks, but not choosing peak weeks for either. Is Harmony of the Seas/RCCI really worth that much more? MSC is also offering a free beverage package on top of the price difference.

2) Anyone out there have any experience with MSC's infant programming? I've read a bunch of threads about the Royal Babies and Tots on RCCI, but I'm not seeing anything on MSC's options -- babysitting, nursery, etc? (I did cross post these infant questions to the family board, but I thought I'd try here, too!)

Any advice/opinions from those who've sailed either or both lines would be much appreciated!

Missy

Hi there --

We have been intrigued about cruising the new MSC Seaside in the Caribbean in 2017-2018, so I called in to their customer service line today and asked about pricing for a cabin for 5 people -- 3 adults and two infants (let's just say their website is less than awesome). I was expecting that we would be forced into two cabins or a pricey suite, but the rep informed me that as long as the 5th passenger is an infant, we could book ANY stateroom that holds 4 and simply fill out an occupancy waiver to get the baby included as a 5th in the stateroom.

This seems too good to be true! With MSC's "kids sail free" and a reduced rate for the 3rd adult, we're talking less than $2000 total for 5 pax on a 7-night cruise on a brand new ship! PLUS, MSC is offering a free drinks package on any bookings on Seaside this month, AND an additional discount with a Voyagers Club Number.

My questions are three-fold:

1) Has anyone used this 5th passenger infant occupancy waiver on prior cruises? Is there a limit of the number of these per cruise?

2) We've sailed previously with NCL and I've talked to one of their reps and they said they do not have this same policy. Do you know if any of the other lines offer this option?

3) Is anyone familiar with the childcare on MSC? Do they offer in-cabin babysitting and/or free or for-fee nursery drop-off?

Thanks so much!

Missy

Hi all - I'm new to this thread. Just curious if anyone has any information on the nursery on Escape? The press release mentions a first-for-ncl nursery for 6moo-3yro, but I can't seem to find any additional info. Will it be for-fee childcare or included programming? Any info greatly appreciated!! Thanks :-)

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