Moparfiend

I had seen posts where it was stated that casino comps where people ended up in free royal/owner suites. Well, that had me curious, is that even possible to pull off in advance? Short Answer, No Here's what I found out from the Casino Department My wife had received a free Balcony room, any sailing up to 10days, from the casino. I asked them the fees if it was upgraded to YC, and the different rooms choices. This is just an idea of the costs of what the free room (Balcony Bella) to upgrade to a higher level in YC. This isn't the "upgrade bid" that you may get after the room is booked, but the details from the Casino when you make a booking and upgrade it at that time. This was for a 7 day, Sept '24 on the Seashore from Orlando I'm sure they change depending on where the cruise is leaving from, and it's length YC Deluxe - 2200 USD YC Grand Suite - 2449 USD YC Royal Suite - 6600 USD YC Owners Suite - 8700 USD So basically it seems it's normal room cost (in this case a Balcony Bella), from the highest non-discounted rate for the YC room. The booking details will show a bunch of odd line items to equal the dollar amount, while it lists out the cruise as "free" Also of note, if you upgrade a "free" casino room to a higher level item, you have to pay the full amount when you "upgrade" that room.

If I'm reading this correctly, which I'm really not sure I am, the Pride won't be going into Baltimore until the full channel is open. Carnival Pride has a displacement of 85,920 tons. "vessels greater than 60,000 long tons of displacement will most likely not be allowed to transit" REF: https://homeport.uscg.mil/Lists/Content/DispForm.aspx?ID=89633&Source=/Lists/Content/DispForm.aspx?ID=89633

Final Review Score 10/10 More value then we paid for, worth it, awesome. Would we book YC again, YES!!!! I think the key take away with MSC is you get to pick the experience level when booking, choose wisely, and set expectations inline with that. There's always bumps and hurdles with any vacation, with the right mindset any vacation is a good vacation.

At the end of the cruise, getting off the ship was easy. We added a transfer to MIA (twenty one bucks pp) and they gave us the luggage tags with number 5 on them. At 7:45 we met the butler in the lounge, we had one carry on so he took that and led us down to deck 6 to be scanned out. Off the ship, we headed to pickup the luggage (which had the same number on it), and off we went to the bus. The baggage area, and lack of walking space in the row meant one person could get the bag, and then walk back down the row, then another could go in to get another bag. They should have had more space between rows. The bus drops you off at one end or the other, and it's a hike to the terminal as MIA is a mess of an airport. I'd recommend taking an Uber and skipping the bus transfer. I'm not sure of the Captains name, but he ends every notice with "Bye Byeeeee" 🙂

Got one on Seascape without issue in YC

Mustafa noted he will still be in September. YC time is almost up for us, disembarking in the morning. Love YC, still a 10/10. We where able to get any food from any dining menu if we asked in advance. Not sure if that is a policy or courtesy. One member of our group has dietary restrictions so they loved getting option's from anywhere (basically). Great job MSC YC

Fancy out in common areas as well

Mustafa has been great, and on top of things. Fresh OJ, great breakfast with a view.

Late night pizza, yummy

MUSTER DRILL - new format, go at any time after boarding to have card scanned, watch video in room at any time, dial 881 from cabin phone and done. Room - Every drawer is soft close, spotless, smells great, that diffuser is a nice touch. Shower had great pressure and plenty of room in (Deluxe Grand suite). Closet and two wardrobes give plenty of space. Sofa is comfy, deck is a good size and they brought a lounger after asking.

Overall: 10/10 Amazing Cleanliness - Super clean areas Food - Excellent food, except the burgers, which need some donkey sauce or something, still decent, but Guys burgers are better. I rate it better then the Four Seasons which we stayed at pre cruise. Staff - Room bulter team, the best we have had, Gusti is amazing. Crew are super friendly and quick. Top sail lounge, awesome, great snacks and instant bar service willing to make pretty much any drink you can think of. Pool deck, wonderful and the crew picks up left over towels every half hour, so no chair hogs. Overall, as of day 3, best experience ever from more then 15 other cruises with other lines. The ship, a beautiful and super shiney ultra clean masterpiece. Well done MSC, you have taken the top spot with Yacht Club experiences. We haven't tried the other experience offerings. You get what you pay for.

Links to the time where he shows the bathrooms Owners Suite, yes, - https://youtu.be/G1sYPAySNN4?t=41 Royal Suite, yes, - https://youtu.be/lxs_lffbBrU?t=43

I have driven from Baltimore down to Norfolk. It's not going to be 4 hours. If you are driving, plan for at least double that time (8 hours+), or go the day before. Key Tip: Get an E-Zpass so you can use that lane

Has anyone else gotten upgrade offers for bookings they didn't make / have? I got an upgrade email for the next sailing, different room type, different booking ID, showing my name. I checked and this is not a booking I've ever made. Luckily I'm pretty good at checking the fine print / numbers or I might have put in an offer to upgrade, except that it would have been a downgrade of room type. How often does that occur?