nferr

2 hours ago, Mark_T said:

I'm sure they will follow whatever the rest of the market does, as they are mostly driven by the price-comparison sites and other advertising.

 

As long as the competition offers fares without compulsory gratuities and advertises those prices I'd be surprised if they did anything different...

 Gratuities aren't compulsory, they're optional. You can choose to not pay them. At least for US bookings. But I guess they'll now have to add in port fees and taxes, which gives a more honest picture.

5 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

There are indeed lines at the buffet - particularly at points like the omelet station during breakfast. I have witnessed plenty of people 'cutting' in line after the rope ends, but the line continues due to the station's popularity.

The omelet line is on every mainstream cruise ship. Something to be tolerated at best.

Eating is a big part of a cruise. I never go hungry lol. But I don't expect gourmet food in the MDR. It's usually pretty decent though with plenty of choices, especially for apps. I always book a few meals in specialty dining, and they're usually good with much better service and atmosphere. Great deals for lunch too, with often almost all the same choices and serving portions as dinner. I cruise to enjoy my time and relax, not to nitpick. Never had a bad cruise.

On 6/5/2024 at 7:48 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

50/50 chance of it being one or the other

 Room attendant asked me what I preferred.

On 7/15/2023 at 2:01 PM, bouhunter said:

 I don't know where to start.

 

1,  Do you seriously think US customs is concerned about someone buying a watch for a friend and calling it "re-sale"?  Thanks for the laugh.  We've been on 40+ Caribbean cruises, taking multiple swiss watches along (Omega, Breitling, etc) each trip and buying new ones also,  NOT ONCE has customs ever looked at a single watch.  

 

2.  "Many" watches in the Caribbean being knock offs:  Maybe in straw markets or whatever, not in reputable jewelry stores.  Most stores are authorized dealers for what they sell.

 

OP - do some research on jewelry stores where you're going in the Bahama's.  But generally speaking St. Thomas, St. Martin and others are the best for both selection and price.

 

 

 

 

Agreed. I've never seen a knock off in the reputable stores. I've seen some decent prices. I've seen some not so good. Do your research before buying. 

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

It wasn't near closing time, it was near last seating time. Whether or not they should have been accommodated is not in question. The host/hostess was in the wrong turning them away. No tables available near last seating is a failure by the YC restaurant.

 What do you want them to do? Kick other people out? Sorry disagree.

If it's full and there's no seats I don't know what people expect. Especially when it's near closing time.

There are no right or wrong answers to any of these types of questions. It's up to each person, what they like, what they want to spend etc. And that goes for cabins, specialty dining, drink packages, CocoCay and everything else on a cruise. Everyone is different. Do your research.

1 hour ago, SapphirePrincess993 said:

Sorry to hear about all.your cancellation issues DMH15. I would be livid. Im still very  leery on booking a cruise. We got an extention on our hold on a princess cruise out of Fort Lauderdale in February. Just  might bite the bullet and try again. 

 

I dont want to rule out MSC especially the yacht club but right now Im still steamed and not willing to give MSC a penny of my hard earned money. Maybe in time. LOL

 

Just so horrified cruise lines do this. I get the logistics of the move and how lucrative the move is for the cruiselines nut just so sad for all the passengers that got cancellation emails. 

 Unfortunately, all the major cruise lines do this for charters. I think it's a cruddy practice, but it is what it is. It's never affected me and I've done over thirty cruises so it's not super common, but I would not be happy either.

On 5/27/2024 at 9:52 PM, JamieLogical said:

My husband and I are booked on the Meraviglia for a 10-day out of NYC on January 23. It's a little earlier than you were planning to go on the Divina, but is a nice itinerary. The sailing before that is 11-day and even better. You may not be willing to consider MSC again so soon, though, which would be understandable. With you being in Toronto, a sailing out of NYC may be a little cheaper/easier for you?

 I'm booked on that one also! And I wanted the 11 nighter, but waited too long to book and the solo balconies were gone. 

5 hours ago, RichYak said:

I've seen this recommendation many times on this board and people really seem to like it. I really can't see myself enjoying it. To me it seems like an odd combination. Am I the only one?

 I think I'd prefer two lobster rolls.

I like watching the videos because you get a good honest view of the ship etc. If I don't relate to what is being offered I stop watching. Nobody's forcing anyone to watch a video.

On 5/26/2024 at 10:29 PM, PTC DAWG said:

I don’t think I have ever had sheets changed daily on any cruise..20+ cruises.. 

Me either. Imagine a cruise ship changing thousands of rooms every day with new laundered sheets? 

11 hours ago, mcoler181 said:

Yeah as gizfish says if you purchase the package it is a set menu.

 

On Seascape we purchased the two restaurant one, it entitled us to Butchers Cut and Teppanyaki. Teppanyaki I think was their midrange menu (there was the option to upgrade) and Butchers Cut was a 3 course menu, only steaks were 8oz filet and 14oz new york strip (which was really good), again in butchers cut you could upgrade and buy a more expensive steak for 50% of the al a carte price if on the package. 

 Yes, the strip I had at Butchers Cut was excellent. Well worth it. When I ordered the package it was $71 for three  dinners and the only limitation was you could only go to Butchers cut once. I found the "Experience" menu to be fine at all three restaurants. I used them at Butchers Cut, Ocean Cay and the Teppenyaki hibachi. Unfortunately now they've raised the price a lot and pick the restaurants. They include Hola which is only $19 anyway.

Love the brunch idea, I'm a late riser and never make those early MDR breakfasts. Brunch around noon or so sounds wonderful.

On 5/21/2024 at 5:49 PM, marktwothousand said:

 

Ok, so I just saw a video of rowdiness on board recently. It was apparently a bartender on board pouring shots straight down passengers mouths leaning over the bar counter. 
 

this is full-on, spring-break “girls gone wild”-level stuff. Not only that, it’s a health hazard to be sharing the same spout, and there was NO wiping it in between

 

Anyway, I’m not going to let that kind of horseplay ruin my cruise, and I wouldn’t be the one to say anything to food & bev, but SOMEONE should have

 Just relax and enjoy your cruise. If something is not affecting you why bother? 

On 5/20/2024 at 6:16 PM, JamieLogical said:

 

There should be a trash can hooked to the inside of the cabinet door....

Yup I didn't see mine until about day four of my nine night cruise!

On 5/20/2024 at 3:45 PM, JamieLogical said:

 

Facial tissue is not provided. I am unsure if you can request it. If you need it, I suggest you bring your own. I am also unsure about bar soap. Liquid hand soap is provided in a dispenser by the sink and liquid body wash is provided in a dispenser in the shower. I never had a need for bar soap or facial tissue, so neither of these things have impacted me.

 I had facial tissue in my solo interior cabin in January. Maybe I was just lucky.

I'm the cruiser that mostly travels solo and loves to roam around the ship. I hit different clubs at night and always find a decent place to sit and enjoy the sun on a sea day without fighting to sit next to the pool. I usually get a few nights of specialty dining and always manage to find decent food. For this cruiser the yacht club thing doesn't appeal to me at all. I don't like a "butler" hovering around, and I like to wander the ship. But that's just me - my best friend books the Haven on NCL and Yacht Club on MSC. He doesn't get my view at all. Everyone's different.

3 minutes ago, ocdb8r said:

Agreed...but RCCL needs to be careful about getting wrapped up in a race to the bottom.  I'd prefer they keep the standard up and raise pricing if need be.  For us, the strategy has been to buy the UDP....but diversity is starting to lack there AND were seeing quality start to drop there as well.  I'd gate to reach a point where we feel we can't even "buy" the quality of food we'd like on RCCL.

Try other lines and see if the quality more meets your expectations. 

1 minute ago, Mikew0805 said:

Have you seen the cost of a cruise on Royal?

I have which is why I've been booking MSC. I don't blindly book with only one cruise line.

9 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

Subjective indeed, as we love them both.

I find the main courses at Wonderland to be really good. Some of the appetizers are kinda "strange", but that's really the whole point of it IMO. 

On 5/13/2024 at 6:28 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

I'm with those who wouldn't mind seeing Wonderland go.  The food looks ... weird and unappealing.  Of course, we don't usually hit the Specialty Restaurants, so we're not the target audience.  

LOL.  Thanks for sharing

On 5/15/2024 at 12:48 AM, Twenty2020 said:

How much wine would I drink on a TA?

 Sixteen bottles??

On 5/8/2024 at 12:27 PM, chickychubs said:

I agree that the drop in ingredient quality is a significant factor. From my observation, the kummelweck used to be made with the ribeye cut which has now changed to cheap round cuts. The bread used to be more varied and high quality to now having the same dinner rolls with just different toppings sprinkled over. Desserts changing from using dark chocolate to cheap cocoa (if it is even cocoa) to something that tastes artificial. The escargot which now uses a blend of oil and butter instead of pure butter.

 

Some say that taste is subjective but that refers to flavour profiles of the food prepared not the cause of declining food quality caused by cheaper ingredients.

Have you seen the cost of beef in your local supermarket?