UPNYGuy

if it is the Havana Cabana suite, look at the deck plan carefully. these cabins are right next to the band stand in the havana bar. you will hear music radiate through the walls at night if you are a light sleeper. IMHO the cabanas farther up the starbord side (like 3 down) are in a better spot. This is 5207 on the Horizon, and should be in the same spot on the Panorama. (we were on the other side on Panorama and had a fire hose in front of us)

disagree here. DW and I sail on MSC frequently with *zero* problems. I have yet to figure out why anybody has issues with them.

no ***** she was referring to the card. if you read the statement it was a phone call that was being quoted.

this is how I feel about Holland America. Almost 80 days at sea with them, and have had repeated problems with them. No desire to experience any more cruises with them

THIS!!!!! This is why it is important for DW and I to cruise in a ship-within-a-ship on a megaship.

this is part of the thing I LOVE about MSC. The staff will be blunt with guests being idiots. I have seen it repeatedly. On Divina, the desk attendant answered a call from a guest that kept calling down and tried to get his cabin moved. I was in front of her to witness this. She proceeded to tell him the following: "Sir, you have called me repeatedly and the answer is still no. I can also see you are one of our black members. Being you are so familiar with our ships, I suggest familiarizing yourself with our deck plans so you book a cabin you will be happy with, instead of calling down here trying to get a free upgrade". They arent afraid to say it like it is.

I hope you and your family had a very memorable cruise, and I sincerely hope that your mother will be able to partake in more adventures in the future.

Reason #2 why we havent.

we try not to sail on a ship that large without booking in the "ship within a ship" area. It cuts down on the crowded feeling. The exception to this rule is Seaside (and that class). This is why we rarely sail with Royal Caribbean.

This is what has kept me off that ship. I have looked at it, but I wouldnt sail on it without going in the Havana area, or booking a suite.

out of over 40 cruises, 1/4 of them have been on MSC. we have sailed on them out of Rome, Southampton, Copenhagen, and Miami. We have spent time on all classes of ships aside from the Lirica class. We think very highly of them.

if you were to go in the Yacht Club, yes. If you are a spa person, yes. I also find the decor on the ships more to my liking, however I quite like the decor on the newer Carnival ships. With MSC, you have to do your research to what you are getting. You can book multiple packages, but only 2 include flexible dining (aurea and Yacht Club). If you like "cirque" type entertainment, you will like MSC. They had a partnership with Cirque du Soleil on the Meraviglia class ships, and even had a specific theater in the round where the shows were performed. I am not sure if these shows are still being performed. this is what the inside of MSC Meraviglia looks like.

The Haven is quite good on the BA class.The standard balconies and minisuites on Breakaway and Getaway have an arrangement where the bed is recessed into a detent in the wall, and has a loveseat IIRC next to the bed. The cabin behind you would have the bed going in where the loveseat is in your room. The cabins are quite narrow as a result. This is a space saving design, but it makes the cabin look narrow rather than roomy. Also, these ships have the smallest balconies I have ever seen.

I am actually glad I saw MSC mentioned. The Seaside class is one of our go-tos if it is doing an itinerary that we want to do. MSC is a great line, and has one of the most wide ranging buffets I have seen. You can walk around the buffet on the Seaside and get standard fare, but also cuban and Mexican fare, vegetarian, Asian, and sometimes Indian food. The Ropa Viejas is better (and spicier) than I make it.

I myself have mostly stopped cruising on NCL. Look up who the current CEO is (Frank Del Rio). He came over from Renaissance after his administration did a Crysta (tanked it), he resurrected it as Oceania, and oversaw Regent. He is an account that is trying to run NCL holdings (the new company created after Regent and Oceania merged with NCL) like a luxury line, but with mixed results. We are platinum on NCL so this isn't for me disliking the product. This is me disliking all the policy changes back to back, and the staff not being able to keep up. I get more "ask 3 people get 3 different answers" with NCL than any other cruise line (barring HAL, where I have been outright lied to)

We are the exact opposite. We almost never book inside cabins. I can count on one hand the inside cabins We have had in the past 10-15 cruises. On the Carnival Horizon and Panorama, we had a Havana cabin. Regarding the food, do not be under the impression that going upmarket will give you more upscale food. DW and I are 3 star on HAL (equivalent to platinum on Carnival), and have had some of the worst food at sea with them. The exact opposite is true with Carnival, especially with the newer ships. The steakhouse on Horizon and Panorama rivaled what we would get on Oceania.

this is the exact reason why i told friends that bought property near Bar Harbor to *not* buy in downtown. I also told them to drive up there in the middle of high cruise season (pre covid) when the largest ships were in port. They bitched about how jammed it was. They ended up purchasing just outside Bar Harbor *proper*

I have used the emed tests many times (think i have used 12 or 18 at this point). never had an issue with them boarding a ship, or returning from resorts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. emed is the one I would personally suggest.

the only priority check-in is for suite pax

you pay more because there are FAR fewer pax to spread the costs of ship operation out over. Plus, it is expected that the staff to pax ratio will be better, and the food will be better (I can get filet mingon for room service on Oceania). But, you are also looking at sometimes 3-4 times the cost to sail with them as per carnival. (average 10 day cruise on Oceania is around 5k for an entry level balcony)

you would be seriously put off by Oceania. the evening entertainment is a string quartet that plays in the lobby (not an atrium)

Oceania ships are smaller and have the ability to get into ports that the Carnival (and other lines) cannot. The R Class ships are roughly 30,000 GRT with roughly 650 pax on them. Take Bermuda for example, Oceania will port right in downtown St George, and run over to Hamilton. With the larger ships you lose this ability. For what it is worth, my avatar photo is from an Oceania sailing to Alaska. DW and I have sailed on HAL, NCL (Haven), Oceania, MSC (Yacht Club), and Carnival. Each cruise line has plusses and minuses. If you are a more destination focused cruiser, Oceania will be more your cup of tea. But just be advised, casual for them is slacks and a polo (tshirts are discouraged). I usually dress like this anyway, so it does not bother me. We just got back from a 10 day sailing on Carnival, so we do bounce around.

I think the larger issue is that Carnival has issues doing rapid turnovers. They struggle with this even on the Spirit class.

Royal used to send a Freedom class (160,000 some GRT) to Grand Cayman. I know not Mexican Riveria, but they do tender.

Not if you stay in the Havana area on a Vista I will generally take a Spirit class, but same itinerary I will take a Havana cabin on a vista over a Spirit class (granted, you pay more)