jean87510

9 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

I think you’re being optimistic. If it gets rolled into the initial cost, it will just become “I can’t believe you are only tipping what is included’. There is a group of gratuity police on CC who will be never be happy. 

Agreed.  And they will brag how they continue to hand out cash.

On 4/17/2024 at 11:11 AM, cruzincraven said:

Does this excursion usually sell out?  I have some OBC that I would like to use towards it but am afraid if I wait until I am on the ship it will be sold out. Not sailing until May 2025.  Would appreciate any input on this excursion from those who have done it!

If you really want to go, I'd just book through the company.  I did that for our Juneau port day and it was cheaper than cruiseline plus they had some alternate times.

1 hour ago, Qextor said:

I agree they aren't tipped positions, but they don't earn a salary.  Just an  hourly wage.

An hourly wage is a salary, isn't it? Or am I missing something?  I had an hourly wage which I referred to as my salary.

On 4/14/2024 at 2:04 PM, handbellplayer said:

 

No, thanks.  We paid <$80/pp for it when it first opened....not worth any more than that IMO.

Absolutely agree.  I would pay maybe $35 pp.  

We thought about Hideaway but decided to head to our usual antisocial spot on south beach all the way to the right.  Quiet and free with shade.

Actually Exploras has no overnights planned at Ocean Cay.  Just 6 times upcoming in 2025 and 2026 will she be at Ocean Cay.

Seashore has quite a few overnights starting in June at Ocean Cay.  So to the OP, I'd look at the 4 day sailings if that is what you want.  

43 minutes ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

The generic pool of all the folks continuously filling the buffet line, cleaning the buffet line, clearing the tables, cleaning the tables, cleaning and refilling the soda machine, cleaning up spills, etc, etc.  This is why you leave tips on your account.  Every one of their restaurant server staff takes shifts making sure the buffet is a pleasant, clean, and healthy experience for you.

You can use this argument to tip basically anywhere - movie theater employees for handing you popcorn and cleaning the bathrooms, grocery store employees who bake cupcakes or slice meat for you and keep store cleaned.  The reason you don't tip them is because they have a salary.  As does fast food places.  And Starbucks.  And the cruise ship employees who clean the Windjammer.  

We have an upcoming overnight on the Seashore in June.

As a matter of fact, every 4 day cruise on the Seashore has an overnight on Ocean Cay.  So probably not yet a thing of the past.

2 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Thank you.  I definitely see the sensitive but mostly the over critical posters.

It's actually interesting reading these responses then going on FB where people try to sell lanyards with designs or a few insist one should wear for safety as ID purposes 🤨.  

Personally for Alaska, I wear yoga pants with pockets off the ship and that's where the sail pass goes or in a zippered portion of my backpack with my license to get back on ship, cash, and a credit card.  Lanyards are for work not vacation!

On 4/16/2024 at 6:59 AM, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I apologize that my original question seemed to offend people.  I don’t like wearing a lanyard because I have to for work but I have no care in the world what others do and certainly didn’t feel the question would offend anyone. 

You haven't.  People can be overly sensitive usually on cc but I think your post has received different opinions.

I have never worn the lanyard onboard or on land during a cruise.  And hopefully never will.  I understand about wearing one on the ship if no pockets but for the life of me cannot understand wearing one off the ship. 

On 4/11/2024 at 12:40 PM, 1kaper said:

 

The app doesn't work for all ships.  Divina is one of the ships it doesn't work for.  Or at least it didn't when I sailed and a quick search says it still doesn't. 

You can also log into your reservation on the website and look at excursions there to purchase before hand.l 

App has worked on Divina since December 2023.

First time in Puerto Plata next April.  We have started to look at things to do like day passes, the waterfalls, snorkeling but decided to pass as none look appealing to us (dead reefs, crowded waterfalls, many vendors).  We enjoy hiking and exploring so we came across the cable car and this park with the Christ the Redeemer statue.  Is it possible to walk from the Taino cruise port to the cable car start on your own?  A mile or so does not bother us.  After we were done, we plan on just staying at the port area for a bit.  This stop is our last stop and follows the ABCs as ports so we will have our fill of better reefs.

6 hours ago, no1talks said:

I, too, find the increasing "Americanization" of food and entertainment offputting. However, there is an itinerary I want to try as soon as the timing can be made to work.

MSC has a Lesser Antilles run in the Caribbean that equally splits the embarkations in 2025 between Martinique and Guadeloupe. Americans have a harder time getting to those two islands than Europeans might.

Three French airports have direct flights to Martinique and Guadeloupe, but in the US, there is only Miami. (In the case of Guadeloupe, New York has seasonal direct service.)

This difference in direct flight access causes me to hope those cruises still maintain more of the original MSC experience.

I actually was looking at those 2025 runs as although I love MSC YC, I really cruise for the ports and unfortunately, Nassau and CocoCay don't interest me anymore.  And am starting to avoid itineraries with Costa Maya and Cozumel as well.  The southern Caribbean is much more appealing to us as avid snorkelers although we may be ruined as we just got back from Sydney to Tahiti cruise.

I do have a 4 day upcoming with my daughter on the Seashore YC in June plus a 3 day in November on the Seashore YC.  Not expecting too much as the 3 and 4 days are a little different from 7 days experiences.  

19 minutes ago, Tiggipaws said:

Good morning

 

I booked a cruise a couple of days ago which is in 2026 with a TA in the UK. I cannot find on the website or the app, Already Booked/Cruise Planner/My Celebrity Cruise pre-cruise or my account. Is this because the sailing is nearly two years off?

 

Thank you

Did you try adding the booking number to either website or app?

13 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

Are you speaking about the Caribbean?  So, not leaving the ship at all(YC)would be a much better experience than on Celebrity due to clientele, facilities and price?  Average demographic equal to Celebrity?

yes.  I actually was looking at the YC in Northern Europe as well.

We were on the Divina and really enjoyed it.  

We have actually booked with Emerald cruises for December 2025 out of St. Martin doing the BVIs.  Price wise it was cheaper than a Royal itinerary out of San Juan I was looking at.  We did have to pay in full but ended up getting 50% off because we did that.  

We are not fans of the bigger ships.  We now pick for itinerary and a big bonus if no Cozumel, CocoCay or Nassau.  

9 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

I am really surprised to see the positive comments about MSC Yacht Club.  I haven't tried it yet, but I have watched tons of youtube reviews and have read many reviews/comparisons, and almost all said similar things...the YC experience is very good on some ships, food is below that of Celebrity, and if you leave the YC area, you feel like you're on a packed Carnival cruise ship.

 

If this is not what some of you have found, then I'd love to be wrong.  Are there certain MSC ships to focus on for the better experience?

Once in the YC, you have zero reason to leave the YC.  For the price, it's great.  

3 hours ago, Moonarino said:

Several days after returning from a cruise on the "fabulous" Mardi Gras, I'm still cringing at how much of a let-down it was. Too much too explain (too many things wrong), but after defending Carnival for many years I just might be done with them.

 

One Big Reason was having to depend 100% on CCL's Hub App for dining. We could not get seated without using the app. So whatever personal touches Carnival might've had left was banished to the dungeons because of that.

 

Specifically, getting an actual Table For 2 was pretty much impossible. Both nights, after a long-to-very-long wait (about 90 minutes the second night, after the app had told us 40-50 minutes), we were led to a "table-for-2" that was lined up so closely (inches apart) with other 2-seaters that it was really a table for TWELVE - and after waiting so long for uncharacteristally lousy food (and very limited choices) - the two of us are still reeling.

 

So... what problem does an app actually solve, beyond reducing staff by a handful of people? If we'd had the luxury of talking to a real person when we checked in for dining, we could've specified that we wanted an actual table for 2. Instead it was far more like herding a few hundred mindless sheep. And there were a lot of people complaining about it. We talked to quite a few, while we were waiting... waiting... waiting.......

 

TMI maybe. Just needed to clarify the major point of my concerns. So, in recent experience, have others experienced this kind of meltdown on Celebrity because of an App?

 

 

 

No.

90 minutes seems a tad bit unbelievable with the app.  I've been on a couple of busy ships on Carnival and maybe 10 minute wait?  90 minutes is a bit exaggerated.

I thought it was extremely easy and much more efficient to book your time on the app then your phone buzzes when table is ready.  Similar to many restaurants on land.  I liked it much better than standing in a line with coughing grouchy people.

It appears you don't like using your phone onboard.  A lot of us do and prefer the app rather than paper.  

The 2 top tables on every cruise ship I have been on (Carnival, MSC, Royal, Celebrity, Norwegian) in the MDR all are too close.  We don't like it at all as we prefer to be loners and antisocial when we eat.  Good luck in finding an out of the way 2 top.  Only place you might is the back of the buffet or your room.

13 hours ago, RFerrington said:

Pinns still have to use a voucher for drinks unless they are in a full suite, so that’s the reason the servers might ask to see your Seapass card….if they don’t know who the Pinns are.  Yes, if you are staying in a suite they should not be using a voucher for drinks in the CK/SL. I guess the single exception to this rule would be if you wanted a cocktail during non-Happy hour hours…then they might want to use a voucher.

That makes sense.  However on this cruise the servers definitely knew who the Pinnacles were by the pins and they addressed them by name (server to Pinn). My husband reminded me that the one night we were in there they asked for it 2x as we both got 2 Coke zeros.  We remarked to each other how Royal was a little cheap with their suite guests by using vouchers for Coke Zero.  I think we stopped going after that as 1.  Our room was much more comfortable and 2.  Too many Pinnacles thus not allowing places to really sit and relax without hearing the war stories. Our only other time was when we were on the Voyager 7 months prior and it was a much nicer quieter experience.  When we just did MSC YC we were just blown away by the Top Sail lounge and the service so thinking back compared to RCCL suite, it was so much nicer.  Moving forward we do have an OS on the Radiance in September, a GS next year on the Grandeur again 2x and I believe a GS on the Brilliance.  I will definitely pay more attention as we do use our now 5 vouchers to stock room with sodas.  May have been just a fluke plus us not knowing much as we were pretty new to suites.

4 hours ago, puckliny said:

No need to wait. Since it’s my 2 kids that would be left on the dock (joking) there was no chance I wanted to take a huge risk like that.  So I made an appt with a State Passport Agency had to drive 3 hours this AM and pick up Thursday, another 3 hour drive.  But now we have no worries.  I just can’t take the risk some stickler dock person decides to enforce this rule which doesn’t apply.  

Good.  This was one of my suggestions.  Glad you did this.  Better safe then sorry.

54 minutes ago, George C said:

No vouchers should be used during happy hour , maybe they wanted to confirm you were in a suite . If they attempt to use your diamond drinks just go to concierge and complain.

It was a strange experience.  Because I needed my card to get into the suite lounge so obviously not sneaking in.  I think 2 drink vouchers were charged 1 night then the other night 1 drink voucher was charged.  We were new to suites and it was our 2nd time as a suite guest.  

So I know now no vouchers to be charged between 5 and 8 in SL, correct?

So if I am in a GS and above, during the suitr happy hour 5 to 8, the server should not ask for my card and use one of the Diamond vouchers?  Because it did happen to my husband and I more than once last July on the Grandeur.  

2 hours ago, wrg said:

Should we bring our passports with us while in port or leave them in the cabin safe?

leave them in safe and keep track of the time.

6 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Royal doesn't care what state.

The point is it shouldn't be a copy.  The raised seal obviously is not a copy.  But whatever.  

6 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Raised seal has nothing to do with a BC being official or not

it does in my state.

4 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

What use would a birth certificate be on an open-loop cruise?
 

The OP already acknowledges that passports are required.

Ok