Fredric22

10 minutes ago, L75317 said:

We sail on the NS this Sunday and still do not have our cabin assignments.  We have 2 balcony cabin guarantees in our party and neither has been assigned.  Has never been this late before!  Getting very anxious!

I hope this isn't indicative of the NS waiting this long on all sailings to assign cabin numbers.  We sail on the 7th and I was hoping to hear something within the next few days. 

Thanks!  I guess they will be pretty close together then. 

Sun - Fort Lauderdale 

Mon - HMC

Tues - At sea

Wed - Ocho Rios

Thurs - Grand Cayman 

Fri - Cozumel (11pm departure)

Sat - At sea

Sun - Fort Lauderdale 

Does anyone know which 2 nights are the Gala nights?  Thanks! 

16 minutes ago, teach/2/cruise said:

Any word on what caused the delay?

hopefully everyone is ok

 

A medical emergency at around 5pm... Captain said the ship wasn't cleared by local officials until 11pm.  Something doesn't add up there. 

11 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

 

Based on recent trip reports, it appears epic hasn’t been to GSC in over a month.

 

Something is off here and NCL is not being transparent. 

I would have to agree considering nearby ships are anchored at their respective private islands.  I guess it is possible the location of GSC makes it unique and the winds there would pose more of an issue than nearby islands.  But the fact that the ship didn't leave port until 11pm and now this seems like an odd coincidence. 

Epic's call to GSC has just been canceled.  Captain saying because of "high winds" but the ship is still 3 hours away from reaching the port.  Enchantment of the Seas is anchored off of nearby Casaway Cay but no way to tell if she's actually letting off guests.  

The ship is now departing. 

Perhaps the "new experience" space is the a suites only lounge for the new "excel class" suites. 

Thanks for the quick reply.  I didn't literally mean we would try to squeeze 4 people into 1 cabana 😉 . But I suspected that each cabana was only reserved for 2 people.  

We have a regular retreat cabana booked on the Nieuw Statendam. We are two people staying in a cabin.  We are traveling with another couple in a different cabin. Are they allowed to join us in our cabana? I thought I read that you can have up to 4 in a cabana but I wasn't sure if they had to all be staying in the same cabin.  

21 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Lol, it is more then odd, but we are here talking about it...

That's very true.  I'm very surprised that Carnival veterans are not up in arms over a new "suite class."  So far Carnival hasn't really followed the industry trend for separated suite class areas.  

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Carnival def gets the most miles from announcements as they possibly can.  Part of that is to release information in dribbles over time.  In this particular case, it makes some sense as some of it might get lost if it were all out at once.  In any case, I think you we will see more of this, not less.

That makes sense to me.  But it seems odd to me that all of the cabin categories appear bookable, but there is no indication on which suites are "excel class." 

Is there any speculation about what this new class of suites will include?  It would appear from the press release that there are suite class amenities to be announced in April.  It seems odd to me all the stateroom classes weren't released when the ship became available for booking. 

I have enjoyed both, but I would have to agree that the proximity of everything definitely makes the Seaside YC a bit better.  Also, I like the Seaside's pool deck a bit better as it feels larger and now has shaded areas to sit.  Honestly, you can't go wrong with either one though. 

Aristotle and King are a team and were excellent on our cruise last month.  I would certainly recommend sitting with them. 

3 minutes ago, aimcat said:

As far as the Havana room and the Carnival sailing coming with a drink package - NO that is extra, where YC has a one up for me. My husband and I do have a few drinks each day. Our last 5 day sailing with Carnival the drink package was about 400 extra, so for a week I expect double that. Maybe more now. So I guess count that in also. 

I expect the inside rooms in YC to be not as fine and big as the balcony rooms. We were sort of sacrificing the balcony to get in YC. The balcony rooms for the sailings we were looking at were either sold out or about 1200 more. I cant see spending 1200 more for a balcony when I can hop outside to see the port. We have always had a balcony in the past though.....soooo. 

On Carnival the only thing that was doable for us was the Havana Cabana or Havana aft balcony. 

I would book the YC inside "and not look back".  Once again, there is no comparison between anything on Carnival (sorry) to the Yacht Club.  You're literally comparing apples and oranges.  The Havana room will be similar in size to the YC room with the exception of the outside area.  But, you will have your private pool area just a deck or two up from your room.  The drinks alone make up the difference in cost between the Horizon and the Seaside.  As long as you guys are open minded and enjoy meeting people from different cultures/countries, enjoy lots of different kinds of food (the YC restaurant is excellent but the menus will have lots of seafood, risottos, veal, along with the usual stuff like steak, lobster, and chicken), enjoy entertainment that is focused more on singing and acrobatics, then I say go for it.   Also, if you like Gelato you will be in heaven.  You can order it at breakfast or lunch in the YC restaurant and it truly is the best gelato you can have at sea in my opinion.   

Just now, Magnelasagne said:

Off course it would be wrong. I dont’t know if it’s even possible to book them if you dont need it, but ethically and morally it’s just very wrong if you ask me.

Well there are only a limited number of YC inside rooms, so I honestly wouldn't have any issues booking one if it was the only room left in that category. There are MANY other handicapped rooms all over the ship.  

2 hours ago, aimcat said:

One more quick question - if there is a large interior handicap room, which they seem to be larger than the rest, would it be wrong to take it just for the size? They seem to be wider rooms, larger bathrooms? 

That really is up to you.  I am not sure if MSC allows those rooms to be booked without calling and speaking with someone.  I think the YC experience will definitely spoil you.  If you do end up doing, please be sure to let us all know how you enjoyed it!  Once you travel in the YC, it is a bit hard to go back to a "regular" cruise!! 

11 hours ago, aimcat said:

I was more carefully looking at prices and I can get a yacht club interior suite for the same price as a Havana cabana. Which would be the better experience? For about 1000 less I can do a balcony with the aurea. 

 

How would we do the cabana on NS if we go that route? 

There is no comparison.  Take the YC Inside suite!  The Yacht Club is an amazing experience and honestly cannot be beat by anything that Carnival or even Holland America has to offer.  The YC inside suite will just be a regular inside room (but it is very nicely decorated).  But, you will most likely be spending your time out of your room and in all of the beautiful yacht club areas (like the pool deck and the lounge).  

As for the cabana on the Nieuw Statendam, all you need to do is call up "Holland America Ship Services" (you can google it for the number) and reserve a cabana.  I believe it is $399 to rent a cabana for the week.  

We just cancelled our April cruise on the Summit (post edgification). Honestly, I have my doubts about just how much they will be able to do in such a short amount of time.  I was a bit nervous there would still be work going on during our cruise (only the second full length cruise after the dry-dock).  I think I would rather see some first hand pictures after the work is done and then decide for myself if it is worth going on one of the renovated ships. 

1 minute ago, aimcat said:

Thanks your the first person to give a positive vibe on the Seaside for me. I had totally written it off. The seaside even with Aurea level room had a little better price than Horizon but not as good as a basic balcony room on NS. 

No problem.  I honestly don't understand all of the negativity on this board.  I've been on the Seaside twice now.  Both experiences have been great.  If you have an open mind and enjoy meeting people from different areas of the world then I think the Seaside is a great option.  After being on the Seaside, the Horizon felt more like a ship designed for children.  There is no comparison between MSC's gorgeous interior designs and expensive Italian finishes to Carnival's very basic decor.  Also keep in mind the Aurea room will come with a drink package, spa access,  and two 1 hour massages.  Also the MSC spa prices cannot be beat.  You can pre-book a 50 minute massage for $70 (gratuity included).

If you are choosing the Nieuw Statendam, I recommend getting a retreat cabana.  This will give you a nice private cabana, sun deck, hot tub, and all-day drink service.  

2 hours ago, MommytoAsquared said:

 

They didn't do a muster drill???  Seriously???  As much as I grumble about it, I am glad they do it.

The Costa Concordia was on her very first night of the cruise when the incident happened.  The drill was scheduled for the following morning.  Unfortunately, the ship hit the rock the first night before the drill.  I believe it is a requirement to have the safety drill within 24 hours of sailing, in which the Costa Concrodia would have certainly been in compliance.  I was on a ship several years ago with a very late embarkation due to a previous medical emergency and the drill was moved to the morning of the first sea day.  

On 1/9/2019 at 2:33 PM, aimcat said:

My husband and I are trying to plan a April to May (this year) cruise. It's just us, we are in our mid 30s, no kids. We are young minded, like to drink but nothing crazy, we love FOOD, like shows, comedy, music, and relaxation. As you can see from our cruise history we have done a lot of Carnival and RC Harmony. All of our cruises have been great so far. Right now I am looking at Carnival Horizon (heavily considering the Havana rooms), HAL NS, and just thought about MSC Seaside. Wondering the thoughts because I know its more of a heavily Europe influenced ship and I was not sure if we would like that or not? 

I would love some thoughts and if there are some other ships we should consider please let me know. 

I was recently on the Horizon and was NOT impressed.  I would take the Seaside over the Horizon any day.  If you want a private space like the Havana area, then I suggest booking an Aurea stateroom which gives you access to a very nice private sun deck, 2 hot tubs, and an outside bar and lounge area.  It will also give you access to anytime dining in the dining room in a separate, dedicated area.  Also, this will give you access to the spa which on the Seaside is VERY nice (much nicer than the one on the Horizon).  This will give you additional areas to relax in.  If you enjoy pastas, pizzas, fish dishes, gelato, etc. then I would say you will enjoy the food on the Seaside.  The Asian restaurant, the seafood restaurant, and the steakhouse are all excellent and highly recommended.  The Asian restaurant had one of the BEST meals we have ever had in a cruise ship specialty restaurant.  

I also think Holland America would be a great choice too.  The prices for the Nieuw Statendam are very good right now and we will actually be on the April 7th cruise.   If you really require American-centric entertainment (like comedy shows, hairy chest contests, etc.) then I would suggest Carnival.  But if you are willing to branch out and try something different I would try the Seaside or the Nieuw Amsterdam.  Just note that Holland America will most likely have an older crown than the Seaside (if that is something that is important to you). 

I have a hard time buying that Club Orange has been eliminated already.  I felt like the rep on the phone wanted to say more but she couldn't.  Perhaps the ability to purchase it is going away?  I can see them possibly only allowing suite guests to partake.  But that will be a loss of a revenue opportunity for them and it doesn't seem like overcrowding is really an issue anyway.  I remain baffled.