eagletwo

23 minutes ago, groundloop said:

What a mess, especially now that we only have a two day window for testing.  I guess I feel at least a tiny bit better knowing that Carnival will soon have rapid testing available at the ports.

When will they have testing at the port?

Sad to hear they no longer are on Meraviglia.  We went to a show last March (2020) and it was awesome.

I feel your pain.  We sail on the Divina September 16th and our web check in shows the same thing. Need to provide updated data.  

I am a travel advisor for an agent here in SC.  I had booked our cruise on the agent MSC website with no problems as I have done in the past.  Three days ago, my boss sent me all the documents, health form,  luggage tags and all required documents.

My personal sign in on MSC still shows I need to update information.  Yeah, they have issues.

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

I’m very happy MSC is doing this.
We sail Nov 14th on Divina so I’m hoping this policy will be extended to include our cruise. 

I don't think MSC is doing this.  It a requirement from the Bahamas. 

Buying trip insurance is a tough decision. Personally, we always buy it. I'm in the private air charter business. A flight to take me home from Nassau would be over $15K, not counting any fees if I were transported by helicopter from the ship to the closest land based hospital, plus the fees the local doctors charge. 

Call it a ripoff, but like car insurance, you really don't need it until you need it. 

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

Totally agree.....

It is worth the extra cost to us. 

Does not impact my cruise.

We sail on Divina Sept. 16th. Web check-in completed. Can't download documents. Called MSC, they tried to send them to me. Did not work. The young lady I spoke with tried a number of different things to release our documents and had no luck. She said sometimes they wait until 20 days out before documents can be downloaded. FYI, I work for a travel agency.

Not sure why, but it seems all the ships back into Ocean Cay. That would put your view on the (starboard) right side of the ship.

On 7/20/2021 at 5:25 PM, sid_9169 said:

The bone in pork chop... They call it something different on the menu, but definitely worth ordering. Also, Nona's meatballs...

Definitely one of the best bone-in pork chops I've ever had. 

On 7/16/2021 at 9:56 AM, alyssamma said:

I guess the cruise lines disagree with you 🙂 As mentioned, I've known people who have done this - both in the Caribbean and for Alaska cruises that stop at Canada. I found the above article plus several others that this.

 

From Carnival's website about Martinique:

 

• For cruises that visit Martinique, guests going ashore are required to carry a valid, unexpired passport. .

There are some countries that require all passengers to  have a valid passport no matter if you plan on staying on the ship.  Most Caribbean ports, Mexico and Canada will allow you to use a certified birth certificate.

 

That being said, if you don't have a valid passport and you need to return to the US, even if you need emergency evacuation, the Passport card and your birth certificate do not work to board a plane right away until you go through many hoops/getting in touch with the local US Embassy.  I'm in the private air charter business and we deal with this weekly.  US Customs is very strict and all passengers have to be cleared before departure and have a negative COVID-19 test before they board our plane.  We submit our manifest to Customs 2 hours before departure and they run the checks for proper documentation. 

 

Spend the few extra dollars and get a passport.  Also think about travel insurance.  An ad hoc last minute emergency airlift from Aruba to Miami can cost over $25,000+ and must be paid up front.  I have a high limit on my Am Ex, but not enough to cover the air ambulance plus any other medical costs. 

 

I feel everyone's pain.  I do a little part-time travel agent work and we just booked a cruise last night for my wife and I on the Divina for September 16th, paid in full.  The MSC agent site will not let me print e-tickets until we get under 60 days before sailing.  Will update in a few days if we are successful. The website is challenging at times and I have spent many times over an hour on the phone trying to get answers for clients, so if you have a TA, give them a break when they take days to answer your questions.    

We were on the last sailing on the Meraviglia last March, 2020. Our Yacht Club experience was awesome. Yeah, Arthur made eating in the YC restaurant special. The food was not 5 star, but it was very good and the entire YC staff were just great.  Never crowded anywhere in The YC areas. Being escorted to the Cirque du Soleil by the Butler was nice as was being escorted off the ship for your excursions. The Private island with the Yacht Club area was phenomenal. Food was very good. Yacht Club beach could use a lot of sand to cover the dredged rock mixture on the beach. Bring water shoes. 

As a YC guest, we were treated very well on the entire ship. Never a problem getting a drink anywhere. I did like the YC band that could override some of the elevators to take you straight up to the YC floor. "Snob" maybe, but this is a perk for YC guests. 

Wife and I have cruised Carnival twice (interesting), and Princess 6 times, from an inside cabin, mini-suite, Club Class mini-suite, full suite and and Owners Suite.  MSC YC was the best so far. After the Yacht Club, you will not want to book a regular cabin on MSC. It does cost more, but dang, not much more than our Princess Club Class mini and there is no butler.

We are booked on the Enchanted Princess November 30th. If it cancels and we rebook, $2,000 more unless Princess honors the current rate. 

So sorry E731 is not available.  We have had this cabin twice and the extra long balcony and the last cabin on the starboard side is so awesome.

Not sure what you are referring to.  Princess plans to start cruising from Alaska in July, but still may have a few challenges.  If the CDC gives the ok, Princess will start cruising in July/August.

On 1/24/2021 at 3:50 PM, puppymama1 said:

We are booked in E731 on crown for next year on a British isles cruise... I picked that cabin because of the larger covered balcony but am thinking about changing that now!

Not sure if E731 on the Crown is the same as on the Caribbean Princess, but we have had E731 on the CB twice.  Loved the larger covered balcony.  Vibration usually is limited to docking maneuvers coming into or leaving port.  My wife and I will always book E731 on the CB if available.  We had the family suite on the Crown in 2018 on the port side. Same vibrations coming in and out of port.  This suite is all the way up front.  You can see the photos of the couple having a Balcony Dinner on the Princess website. (FYI, when under sail, you can't enjoy the balcony due to the 20 plus knots of wind) 

We were on Deck 18.  Loved it.  Not sure there is a bad YC deck?

We were on the last MSC ship to dock in Miami on March 15th, 2020, Meraviglia.  The crew in the YC did not know what they were going to do as far as getting home or staying on the ship.  The YC staff could not have been more gracious or accommodating on the last day.  Breakfast served in YC was good as the rest of the cruise.  When we were ready to leave the ship, we were escorted directly to the Customs area.  US Customs was clearing passengers off the ship so fast we were in our car by 9:00 am. 

24 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Lucky you!  You must have been on one of her final cruises before cruising shut down.

 

Was Arthur and Luis still the Maitre d's in the YC Restaurant?  Great and friendly service from both gentlemen.  Watching Arthur "do his thing" during dinner was an entertainment delight for me.  He seemed to really love his job!

Yes, we were on the last sailing, docked on March 15th.  Arthur was so awesome! You are right, watching Arthur during service was a delight. He treated everyone in the dinning room as if they were his only customer and his staff was also top notch!

Our March 2020 sailing on the Meraviglia YC was one of our best cruises ever.  We have sailed on Princess in inside cabins, mini-suites, full suites and Owners Suites.  The Butler service on MSC was awesome from check-in, to the YC area on board. The Concierge desk would handle onboard reservation for dinning or shore excursions to airline flight changes. YC drinks were included including all over the ship.  Food in the YC was good to excellent as was the service. We enjoyed being escorted to the Cirque du Soleil and seated in the front row. Escorted off the ship at every port for excursions.  Ocean Cay was the best private island with the YC experience. Golf cart to and from the YC Club House, good food and drinks.  Your ship Butlers also work the YC Club area on the island.  Just wish the private beach would have a better sand base instead of the hard rock/sand combination they dredged from the surrounding area. 

We love Princess, but for the price of a full suite vs MSC YC, Princess needs to up their game a bit.  We do have a cruise booked on the Enchanted Princess for 2021 in Club Class.  Still love Princess.

On 1/1/2021 at 6:51 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Good questions.

 

 

Never made a reservation for a main Theater show as a YC guest.  Always was admitted; never was questioned by a staff member at the Theater's entrance I recall a separate YC "lane";  always had plenty of YC seating in the Theater; this was aboard Meraviglia.  I did, of course, make a reservation for the Cirque show.  And, I did utilize the services of a Butler for escort and seating at that Theater.  The YC seating area was excellent!  I was in the second row on an aisle from the stage.  

 

Drink prices?  Never was charged for any beverage that I ordered out of YC nor in the YC.  Outside of YC, the bartenders made very generous pours when they realized that you were a YC guest.   

Totally agree.  Our cruise on the Meraviglia in March 2020 was awesome as we were in the YC. Anywhere we ordered a drink outside YC was "free" and the bartenders served our drinks with a smile. Being escorted to the Cirque show and seated in the front row was very nice.  The YC experience overall was worth the money.  We really enjoyed the private island and the YC experience.    

We were in the Yacht Club on the Meraviglia in March 2020.  Ocean Cay was awesome.  I have to agree, the Cabanas were way over priced.  We were impressed with the food , bar service and the free umbrellas on the beach.  MSC could have done a better job providing smooth sand instead of the rough crushed stone on the beach. Better yet, having the beach area to the left of he Club House to Yacht Club guests.  Smooth sand, clear water and no wind.  

Sailed once on Diamond Princess, once on Crown Princess and three times on Caribbean Princess. Don't go to shows, so crowded theater is not a problem, but I see other lines have similar issues. You can't have a 3000 passenger ship and expect to seat everyone in a 900 seat theater. We love the CB and will sail on her again  Medallion Class ship is wonderful. Also, if it's in your budget, Club Class dining is wonderful. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a table  Service was better than any of the specialty restaurants. 

Once you try the Yacht Club, you will be spoiled. After 6 cruises on Princess, 2 on Carnival and 1 on MSC, YC was over the top. If you are worried about it being too fancy, just ask for help. If you feel you might be intimidated in the YC, just do want you feel is right  Heck, you will never the 200+ people in the YC again, so have fun, treat the staff well and enjoy being pampered.