Tom-n-Cheryl

Yikes !

Other than having a reserved cabana, any other differences (amenities, bottles, contact prior to sailing) for those in a royal suite? Tom

Still wondering how this applies to MSC cruises. I can't say I've ever been offered such a thing on other lines! Tom

Yep - I remember that. Carnival, for a period of time, stood out among cruise lines with quite the high limit on covered drinks. Stands to reason it didn't last! Tom

It's pretty clear that Celebrity needed attention at one point (hence all the PUP offers), but with the rates on sailings going ever higher (at least Retreat), apparently business is good. Frankly, in the last 2-3 months, I'm getting a sour taste in my mouth with Celebrity, at least thanks to the Blue Chip Club. These aren't the good old days! Tom

I'd go with that one as well! Tom

Interesting. What is "late checkout"? Tom

What's this?

If nothing else, let's see the chairs replaced at the $25 tables! 😉 Tom

Man - those chairs should be an embarrassment to Carnival. I can't fathom why they haven't had them either recovered or swapped out. Cost should not be an issue with an eyesore like that. It would be one thing if the ship were 5-10 years old! Tom

Perhaps I should bring a cushion ! Tom

We missed out, by one cruise, on the signed Mardi Gras books (I think by Duffy, and someone else?). We were on the second sailing of the ship as it turned out. Tom

Nice ship and year!! I wonder, for the Freedom, if they'll have the trimmed funnel... 🙂 Tom

Perhaps because supply chain issues necessitated utilizing the rats for some stir fry dishes? Tom

Interesting read here... Glad we bumped up to YC for our April (weekend) Seaside cruise --- first with MSC. Tom

Back "in the day" (probably in the 12-15 year ago time frame) we took our youngest and 3 of his high school friends on a cruise each year, all on Carnival except one. After pricing things out one year, we actually found that a quad balcony on the Solstice was less for that week than on Carnival. I was shocked, but we booked it without hesitation!

Not as bad as deck 0 😉 Tom

Yep - that kind of takes some of the point out of collecting them. About the only thing I collect any more are our ship cards. I've given away (friends or Goodwill) all the other stuff, including my John Heald bobble head. 🙂 Tom

Those were sturdy - I carried our Starmate Sirius radio in that - fit perfectly ! Tom

Wait until AI takes over !

I think the only thing the forward Excel suites have, that the aft suites don't, is the wet bar. Other than that, their balconies are spartan. No tub, no daybed, no real estate to speak of. Enjoy ! Tom

Sometimes I wonder if they post bounties, or "production goals" for their screening. Tom

You never know which line to get into, to avoid the gung-ho screeners. For some of them, it's a job. For others, it's an adventure ! 😄 Tom

Here's one I just looked at, for an example. The first option for this suite is the least expensive (out of pocket). Though it has Freeplay and your deposit comes back to you as OBC. The second one, is about $1,000 more, but has a significant amount of OBC. Decisions, decisions ! Some of the fine print, for the second offer: Offer is capacity controlled and subject to change at any time. Promotional deposit of $99 per person is non-refundable for sailings outside of final payment due date. Onboard Credit is non-transferable and is provided as a non-refundable credit to your Sail & Sign account of $500 per person up to $1,000 per room for 2-5 day sailings, and $1,000 per person up to $2,000 per room for 6+ day sailings. count. Onboard credit may vary with single supplement rates. Onboard credit may not be applied to cruise fare or Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses. Tom

They'll usually order the offers, for a given cabin, based on the increasing out of pocket cost for the cabin. Sometimes you'll see option # 2 on the list for (let's say) $100 more than the least expensive. However, that option might have a few hundred, or a thousand or more, in either OBC or Freeplay. It's not uncommon to see one with $1,000 OBC that is exactly $1,000 more in cost for the cabin. Of course, OBC for a given amount is always more "valuable" than the same amount of Freeplay - but, they use that to occasionally throw you a curve. Buyer beware ! Tom