Pat

Lots of legitimate complaints if things happened the way it's portrayed. Some of the complaints are definitely subjective, but to each their own. However what i object to with this post is the headline "Avoid MSC like the plague". Please don't tell me what to do! Give your opinions all you want, but let others decide for themselves.

the issue i have with Yankee Trails is that they don't pick you up after the cruise until 11 or 11:30 and you have to wait outside the terminal in the weather. Could be boiling hot, could be freezing cold. Could be pouring rain or snow. Very little shelter and NO seating. Then you don't get back to the bus station until 3:30 or 4:00, sometimes later, if you have any drive at all to get home, you've had a very long day.

We buy what we are happy with from the beginning. We are perfectly comfortable in a YIN, would we like a balcony, sure who wouldn't, but our budget allows us to go on more cruises in a YIN and that's what works for us. We would, however, bid on a YC balcony, if the minimum bid were reasonable. As of now, we've only gotten minimum bids that are the same as if we initially bought a yc balony outright. So for now we are happy in the YCI and happy to be able to go more often.

I would argue though that it would have made for better customer relations if msc had upgraded an YC interior(at a REASONABLE bid) to the YC balcony and put you in the YIN. Particularly since it gets reported here alot when these upgrades happen. We book YIN cabins, well in advance, and have NEVER received a reasonable minimum bid to a YC balcony. Just a thought that this would have made 2 sets of guests very happy.

Thanks! Good to know before I waste the money. I wish they had some loungers that were all shade, not all of us are sun worshippers but enjoy sitting outside.

Perfect! Thank you.

What about on the Meraviglia? Are there extra ones you can rent for the day? Seems like there are only a few? We need a little more shade than the normal lounge chairs due to having had skin Ca in the past. TiA

I did a search but couldn't find anything. Is the Butchers Cut lunch menu the same as dinner menu? Do you absolutely have to have reservations there for lunch? TIA, Pat

Thank you Laura. Exactly the information I was looking for. I'm assuming you've been satisfied with your stays there?

I'm sorry for my confusing question. I'm looking for a hotel near the bus terminal just outside of Albany.. In April we paid about $125 for the HI Express.

Leaving from Albany on the Yankee Trails Cruise Express to the Brooklyn NY port. We'll need a hotel stay the night prior. Preferably close to the bus terminal. Last time we did this the HI Express was reasonably priced, now it's close to $200/ night. Any other hotels in the area that are clean and safe that might be a little less expensive? TIA.

It seems like it is almost impossible to avoid a "spring break" now. The states are all doing their breaks at different times. It used to be okay to sail in March because the Elementary, middle and high schools were on break in February and April and the colleges were on break in April........now it doesn't seem to matter what week I pick in March or April, some schools are on break.

If you book onboard and get the additional on board credit and immediately have your booking transferred to your usual travel agency, would you expect to get the OBC that your travel agency offers also?

March 24

I have noticed that, that's why I keep checking. Do TA's sometimes hold a group of cabins for 24 hours after a rate reduction then release them the next day?

No, as two seniors. As an aside, I was never given an opportunity to bid on an upgrade and I was hoping to snag one of the YC cabins at the new rate.

I wonder if anyone might be able to satisfy my curiousity. I periodically check to see how many open cabins there are on my sailing on MSC Merigvalia. Last night there were multiple balcony and YC cabins available, This morning I looked and the prices had gone down by around $300 in each category, but there are NO open cabins on the whole ship. Can anyone tell me why or how this might have happened in less than 12 hours? Just curious.

For me this time, the minimum bid for me for a YCI to a YCD is $980 and the amount to upgrade is $1000 when there are 30% of the YCD cabins left 3 weeks before the cruise. This seems weird to me.