Shippy

The OnPoint site says you can use your own government approved test & then schedule to have it done with a proctor online. Results in less than a half hour & only $14.95 ! Almost sounds to good to be true.

Only once did we get our assignment at the pier & it was NO upgrade. Sometimes got the cabin assignment immediately upon booking. We have gotten blocked views, either by ship design or by lifeboats. Also gotten handicapped cabins

A lot of U.S. airports have covid test clinics. We recently got tested at Miami airport. Convenient. Right by baggage claim. Took about 1/2 hour total. $79. Next month we will do the same at Fort Lauderdale. Their site also says right by baggage claim.

We have booked gty cabins & gotten the cabin assignment anywhere from immediately to actually once, not until we got to the pier. Worst was a run of the ship gty. Our cabin was right over the anchor chain. On Balcony ones... we have gotten blocked views & handicapped cabins.

We are sailing in September in a category YC3 ONLY because of that discount . Not on port & taxes & deduct the 5% prior passenger discount..... It was a full 30% off the balance that was left AND they let us book through our own agent who through in paid gratuities & onboard credit. We just called them with the booking number & then they applied the discount. This is the second time we are doing this in order to get a YC3 so I know it works. My only concern is that someone posted awhile back that the 30% coupon will no longer apply to that category.

I think one take away from your experience is NOT to get a guarantee cabin. They usually use the least desirable cabins no one likes. We used to get guarantees when we were younger to save money. We usually wound up with...handicapped cabins, blocked views, over the anchor chain, etc. We are older now & can afford to always pick are own. As someone else said, it it wise to carry your own covid test kits whenever you travel nowadays. And, cruising with a 1 year old can always be a bit problematic even before covid days. I do not think their immune systems are up to multitude of germs found on cruiseships.

We always do Italian night in the main dining room. Just have the YC concierge call & make a reservation for you there in the morning. I tend to find the YC dining room a bit stuffy at times. In the main ding room, especially on Italian night, the waiters all dress up & dance around. They blare Italian music & have simpler Italian food dishes. ....love it

VERY sorry you were disappointed with your vacation. But as a previous poster said....cruising is ALWAYS a crap shoot. We have been on over 50 cruises in the last few decades & been very lucky. We have never had the noro virus, sewage backing up into the cabin, lost luggage, etc. as others have experienced. We have missed ports I really wanted to go to for various reasons....no sense in whining, that happens sometimes. Like you, the last year for me has been very painful. I had my left knee replaced last November & the right one last month. Horrid surgeries & long painful recoveries but the option was a wheelchair.. Our next cruise is the beginning of September. I REALLY need a break & hope all goes well but realize anything can happen. Luckily for me I can always find some kind of food I like. All cruiselines seem to be very accommodating about bringing you something else if you do not care for what you ordered. Cruising has a lot of variables and is not for everyone.

Anyone know if we can get a rapid test at the airport ? Had one done at the Miami airport last year. It was a snap. Hoping for the same at Fort Lauderdale.

I play penny slots...of course you know that does not mean A penny :O) I average about $2. per bet. It is not about how much you gamble but how much goes through the machine. ALWAYS put your key card in to get tracked. So....if I put in $20. & do not hit anything & walk away, I probably do not get any points. If I put in $20. & keep getting little hits like $2., $5., $1, etc & play for an hour on that $20, I get lots of points because I have put a lot through the machine. If I put in $20. & hit $1,000 on my first $2. bet & then walk away.....good for me but in less I keep playing, I will not have any points because I only put $2. through he machine. You usually get the coupon by the 4th day on a 7 day cruise. It is really good PR because with a 1 year expiration date, I am sure a lot of those coupons go unused. I have heard it is a lot harder to qualify if you are a table player but not really sure how that works.

I thought ALL PCR tests took 24 hours to get the results. I am amazed they could do that in 1 hour ! I just had to take one to clear me for a surgery next week & had to wait the agonizing 24 hours for the results to make sure I would not get cancelled.

2 issues.... you did the right thing turning down the "free" cruise certificate. When I got my 30% discount certificate, they said my husband did a bit more & gave him the "free" cruise certificate. The intimated it was a better deal which of course it is not. When you get the 30% off coupon it is usually just a few days into the cruise. They tell you to come back to the cashier window on the last night of the cruise. Some people do not do this because they feel they already have the certificate but they then give you a voucher good for cash on your next cruise based on your play for the entire cruise. If you do not show up...no voucher. You must not lose it , it will not be replaced. Mine is for $350. which I will bring to the cashier cage on my next cruise. My husband was told he would not get a cash voucher because it got a "free" cruise. You can now see where the real ripoff is in with that free cruise unless you love inside cabins. 2nd issue...I understand about the other cruise lines. If I want to go on Royal Caribbean, I just call the casino number & ask about a particular cruise & what kind of discount they can give me. The trade off is I MUST book through the casino which usually gives a discount but no perks. MSC lets you book through any agent & then applies the discount to your booking number. That allows you to get unlimited perks from your travel agent.

Their casino club is the BEST ! First off, you can use any agent for your booking & then call them & they apply the discount. Love that because my internet agent always throws in things like prepaid gratuities, OBC, etc. Because of that we were able to book a YC3. The absolute best. While on that cruise, we got another coupon. While onboard , I searched for another YC3 available about a year later. It was 2 weeks past the expiration date of the coupon but they allowed it anyway....there are only 2 YC3 on each ship so hard to find availability. THEN....COVID. That trip cancelled. Rebooked for the following year. Found out a month before the cruise I needed a knee replacement & had to cancel. We did not get insurance BUT they were kind enough to let us push it 1 year forward again which will be this September. Amazing to me because the coupon was so expired & my agent also pushed forward their perks. Even more amazing is that I have heard that that coupon can no longer be applied to the YC3 category Getting the other knee replace next week ! I do hope nothing else goes wrong as I am so looking forward to this trip. Although we will still go Yacht Club. If we miss this one I know we will never be able to afford the YC3 without that 30 % discount..

We always find out when Italian night is & eat in the main dining room. They tend to have more common Italian dishes & appetizers....like my favorite fried calamari. AND....they blast Italian music there & the waiters dance. Much more festive atmosphere. We just tell the YC concierge when we want to got there & calls them & makes a reservation for us. I agree with your husband for his food preferences :O)