LandlockedColorado

Thank you, BermudaBound. I certainly didn't mean to sound negative and am sorry if I did. I am just concerned that we may be moved since we booked with this specific location in mind. I think the ship not only looks gorgeous, but also lots of fun. All the venues are lovely. I'm just unfamiliar with MSC and wonder how likely it will for us to be "bumped". If we arrive to board and find that has happened for booking reasons only, then I'll have plenty of time to get angry. :D:mad::D Maybe we'll know more when the Seaside actually starts sailing.

And, yes, it would be nice if there was more consistency, but it seems like all of the lines have a problem with this, even from ship to ship. It would be nice not to have to play a guessing game or to have to cross your fingers.

It's odd that you are quick to castigate a cruise line, despite not knowing exactly what was said, by whom, or why. Why not read the details of your cruise contract ... whether it be MSC, Princess, Holland America, etc. As you will see, MSC clearly indicates they would move the passenger to the same category or higher. You might be surprised to know that not all cruise companies make the latter pledge.

Goodness, I'm not "castigating" MSC--I'm expressing concern about what the other poster was told when they booked. Are you warned when you book that it's possible that you will be moved? We never have been given that warning--this warning seems based on the number of people booked in the cabin and not due to possible maintenance issues--I'm well aware of the details in the cruise contract. My problem is the confusion on the number of people that is necessary to book a particular category and if there is the possibility of being moved because a booking of more than two people bumped us out of the cabin we booked--IMO that is not acceptable. Since I'm not familiar with MSC, I was simply expressing my concern and asking for productive input.

Just booked an aurea balcony for 3 Mar 2018. I asked for cabin 9059, this shows on my invoice but agent told me that wasn't guaranteed, and I could be assigned a different cabin on check-in? Has anyone else been told this? I've sailed with MSC before and never been told this? Should I be concerned?

 

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Although I believe that most, if not all, of the cruise lines include in their fine print the fact that they can move you, I have never had an agent warn me that this might happen. With an agent giving that warning, it makes me believe that it is a very real possibility and depends if a better booking comes along. This, for me, is not acceptable behavior on MSC's part. They need to decide which way they are going to fill those cabins--2? 3? 4?--and then stick to it so passengers aren't left in limbo.

We have an aurea aft cabin booked for a BtoB in Feb, 2018. My TA's regional rep originally said that those cabins weren't open to just two passengers, then the rep said we could book 2 grandchildren and then have them as no shows (a stupid way to do business, IMO), and then the rep said, on the third contact from the TA, that headquarters said that a BtoB takes priority over a 3/4 passenger booking. But, from what I have been reading in recent posts, I am now not holding much credence to what the rep is saying and will be totally devastated and furious if we check in and find we no longer have this location.

We've never tried MSC, but from what you have been posting, you (all the MSC cruisiers) usually haven't had this problem on other ships. This would have been the first time we would make the ship the destination--have been to the ports many times so itinerary isn't enticing--but am now wondering if we should just cancel the booking and not take a chance. Am definitely not impressed with this runaround.

Wow, you sure are right--what a gorgeous cabin!!

Something else that I have noticed that I am curious about. I mentioned this earlier, but it appears that you can only book an Aft Suite if you have 4 guests. I have tried mock bookings on multiple dates using all different combinations of guests, tried different websites besides MSC. I wonder why they won't let you book one of those with only 2 or 3 guests. If you have 2 children that are basically free you can.

 

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There's an exception to everything. My DH and I are booked in an aft suite--we are doing a BtoB and MSC said that that overrode the 4 guest rule. We used a TA who dealt with MSC to work it out for us; took several calls because at first they said no. We got such a good deal that our TA even booked an aft suite for a BtoB. :D We've never tried MSC and are really looking forward to being on this ship; the renderings are just gorgeous.

OP, I wish you a fabulous cruise and I hope you'll come back to give us your opinion on the lanai. We are trying one for the first time on our trip to Canada this fall. The negatives--not as much storage, smaller, etc.--didn't negate what we see as positives--getting easily to the other side of the deck to see the scenery, still being able to step out from our cabin, etc. We love to have our own balcony but thought that it was well worth checking out a lanai, especially since we saved enough to more than pay for four days in Boston. :)

Smooth sailing,

LC

Just disembarked from the Nieuw Amsterdam from a two week Collector's Cruise. I am very sensitive to vibration and I didn't experience any vibration including aft and upper decks. :)

Mike was playing in the Piano Bar. There was a Sip and Savor most of the days, at varying time of the day from 2pm to 9:30pm. Also several Mixology classes and cocktail samplings. Prices varied; around $3 for Sip and Savor, $12.50 to 20.00 for Mixology, and $3 for cocktail samplings. Enjoy.

Hope you have a fabulous cruise. We sure did. Did all the specialty restaurants and all were great but we especially liked the Tamarind and went back twice. But you have to enjoy Asian menu.

Bon voyage.

LC

We just disembarked from a two week Collector's Cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam--in a Signature Suite. I have to disagree a little with the previous posters that you can't see much from the scenic elevator. I took particular note because this has come up on CC before. You could definitely see at least half if not 2/3 of the balcony"s space beside the elevator, and some of the balcony area down the line. You could not see into the cabins. True, the ride doesn't allow a long look, unless you are entering or exiting the elevator and could conceivable take a longer view. I made a mental note not to book one of these cabins. IMHO

The stateroom tv was not interactive.

The Tamarind especially was fantastic! The whole cruise was great!

LC

Typically, how far out do you have to book the deck 5 aft wraps. I booked mine in March on Westerdam about 85 days out. Is that "far out"? Curious because I intend to book more.

We booked our deck 5 aft wrap in Oct for the March 2017 Panama Canal transit and were thrilled it was still available. So, yes, I think you were very lucky--sometimes things just work out well.

LC

Sorry I missed this question yesterday. :o

 

The neck cooling scarves worked...to a point. It was so very hot that they really didn't have a chance and once they warmed up around your neck they were done as there was no way to cool them back down unless you put them in more cold water...but then the gel would soak up more moisture....

 

The better option, in my opinion anyway, are the cooling cloths that you can put around your neck, on your head, around your wrists....they look just like a spongy fabric that is long like a scarf but get it wet and snap it and it goes cold. When it isn't cold anymore a bit more water and a new snap and they are cold again.

 

next time this is what I will bring. The neck scarves with the gel inside would work better in our summers in the north woods. ;)

Thank you for the feed back. I'm not aware of the ones that "snap" so will have to look into that. The heat and humidity really knock me to my knees so am always looking for something to help.

Recent pics continue to be great. Am so enjoying hitchhiking on your great adventure.

LC

I have so enjoyed keeping up with all of you on the Sail Away Gang threads. Thanks to all of you for all the postings, and to you, 10f4, for your great pics.

I see that you are wearing the neck cooling scarf---did you find them helpful?

All of you seem to be so much fun--would love to meet you some day. :)

LC

I have the same question for the Statendam, please.

We had great luck using magnets in our cabin on the Statendam, cabin 139. So handy.

LC

We also received the survey (I"ll fill it out later today). IMO, the recipients have been randomly computer selected, following unknown parameters, altho I don't know much about these things. But that would explain why all the cruisers in one particular category didn't receive the survey, i.e. previous World Cruisers.

I'd love to do such a cruise but don't know if I have the mind set (or the funds) to be on a ship for such a long time. But it is sure fun to fantasize about it. :D

LC

Just a clarification question--Is the date of the TA 10/19?

The reason I ask is that in January we had someone from the scheduled TA on the NA on 10/19 join our Roll Call for the Zuiderdam because HAL cancelled the 10/19 cruise and offered them the Zuiderdam as a substitute.

I didn't take the time necessary to check the HAL website, so the TA on NA may now be at another date; if so, I apologize....

BTW, we got air fare through HAL at almost half what we could find elsewhere. Good connections and good seats--hope they stay that way.

LC

Thanks for your review--great pictures! And, we definitely agree with you and several of the posters. We didn't care for our balcony cabin layout nor the layout of the ship. We did a TA in 2012 and even with all the sea days, we didn't leave feeling relaxed. Just too many people; lines, etc. But, as mentioned, everyone is different and some cruisers really like the ship. Never say never, but I doubt that we will ever sail on her again.

LC

To the OP----we live in the Northeast. It's winter. It snows. Sometimes it snows a lot. We learn to suck it up and live with it. Moaning about it isn't going to change a thing. It will be spring in about six weeks. Be patient.

I respectfully submit that it is perfectly appropriate to talk about the weather conditions of historic proportions that one is experiencing. I didn't feel that Sail was "moaning" about it but talking about how it was impacting her.

Hope everyone, including you in NB, make it through all this safely.

LC

Thank you for saying that. I hope to get more involved in planning for that cruise as time goes on.

Right now I'm planning for my upcoming cruises in April-May. Can't look too far ahead anymore. My little brain just doesn't work as well as it used to. ;)

:):) And, not too many days to wait for that chocolate from your valentine!

(Sorry, OP, for the thread highjacking. :o)

LC

It is. :)

This was my first trans-At, on the Amsterdam at the time. It's a nice balance of sea and port days, unlike the trans-At from the Med to Ft. Lauderdale. That one is port-intensive at the beginning, followed by all those sea days (nice in their own right, but very different).

The Passage alternates port and sea days, with only a couple of either at a time. Interesting, less frequently visited ports, with lots of great scenery.

Thank you, RuthC, for the thumbs up for this cruise. Will definitely be looking into it. We are doing the TA from Athens this fall and I am already exhausted just planning the port visits! :D

If I'm not being too presumptuous, I see that you are doing that cruise, boarding in Rome. Sure would love to meet you. :)

LC

Very interesting, thanks. I wonder what Eurodam is doing between June and October. I had hoped to do the Viking Passage next year.

 

I checked, and it looks like there will be no Viking Passage next year.

If I'm looking at the schedule correctly, the Zuiderdam is listed for a Viking Passage from Copenhagen to NY on Aug, 21, 2016.

I've learned from postings on the HAL CC board that this is a really good cruise; very tempting. :)

LC

We used these soda cards last spring on the Statendam. You could get a bar-sized glass, with no ice, for $1.50 plus the 15% gratuity; your card was scanned, the cost was deducted, and the remaining amt on the card was on the receipt. Our friendly bar tender soon learned that I wanted two glasses, no ice, that I would then pour into an insulated mug which contained ice.

Worked just fine. But probably wasn't much difference in cost from just a full can of coke, so not sure we would do it again. The only convenience was having it already paid for so there was no need to check cabin charges for those drinks.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise.:)

I recently contacted guest services about extension cords and this is what they said: "guests are not allowed to bring their own". They will have a cord in the room when we arrive. We want to be sure that hubby's cpap reaches as I am not sure if there is a plug on the outside wall of my OV room. Bringing an extension cord was never a problem on our Princess cruise. I will bring one with me anyway just to be safe.

 

Can I assume that the plugs are American outlets?

pmjnh--Thank you for the follow up. We'll call guest services to hopefully have one in the room when we arrive, and will also bring our own, just in case. One of the posters said they put the extension cord in with the Cpap machine. We'll do that also.

Can't give you a definite answer but, yes, the outlets will almost certainly be American.

Fun cruising!

LC

We are somewhat new to cruising but have one booked for June on the Amsterdam out of Seattle. Will the average working American be welcome on Holland? While we are very blessed to be able to vacation frequently, I am most sure that there will be many on the ship that have "much bigger money" than we do.

 

We both quit a few months ago so it really doesn't matter to me if they ban it or not. However, I hope those that still choose to smoke in a designated area are allowed until they choose to quit.

Musbeus, don't worry, you will be very welcome:) I must admit that I frowned a little on the comment, "my money is bigger than your money, I'll betcha." I'm assuming it was made in fun (I sincerely hope so).

The HAL cruisers are great, fun, and usually down-to-earth; most are simply in love with cruising.

You sound very polite and gracious and am sure you'll have a great cruise--certainly hope so.

LC

we are staying in fl for several days before the cruise so i'll just buy it on the way to the port.

 

 

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:)

lc

And if it needs refrigeration because it is a liquid, then it is probably above the ounce limit for carry on luggage on planes.:mad:

LC

We had not had a problem with our ungrounded extension cord for cpap machine until last year on the Statendam. It was confiscated via the naughty room and all the ship's cords had already been loaned. Our steward let my DH use his personal one, thank goodness. It seems that the rules vary; need to check with each ship, which we had done, and the ungrounded cord was still a no-no when actually aboard. :confused:

For our upcoming cruise, we'll contact Guest Services with a request for a cord; maybe that will solve the problem. It's frustrating enough when you want to use an extension cord for convenience, but when it's needed for medical reasons, it goes beyond frustration to concern.

LC