Formytinkerbelle

3 minutes ago, Joken35 said:

I strongly suggest you use a travel agent when dealing with MSC. The customer service is terrible . we be been on many cruises with MSC and dealing with that dept is terrible. Let an agent deal with the MSC craziness We always get a better with our agent as well. good Luck

Thanks!  Thay actually makes me feel better that perhaps they just really didn't know what they were talking about.

This is my first time booking on MSC.  I called the number to inquire about the heroes discount which I was excited that she said my room (inside Yacht club) did qualify for.  But then she quoted the price for the room prior to that discount and it was a bit more than $1,100 different than what I was looking at online.  She was confused and kept asking me how I got to that booking summary.  So we walked through online together to the first option which was to pick either best price or best value.  Of course I was choosing the one that gave me the better end cost which was best value.  She said oh no that's not right you can't make that selection for yacht club that's just for non YC and will be more pricey. Well ok ma'am but I'm still showing an end price confirmation for the same exact room that you're telling me I have to pay over a thousand dollar difference for.  She told me I would have to call back and add more cost because it just wouldn't work.  I told her I was uncomfortable with the price discrepancy and went ahead and booked online.  I triple checked got my booking details all with the price I was saying.  I'm just worried I'm going to be hit with $1,100 charge when I get on board or something, or did the lady just not know what she was talking about.  Oh well I didn't get the heroes discount, booking online saved me more money just hoping it's all accurate.

17 minutes ago, gerif said:

Does your son go to daycare now? Just asking because if he doesn’t settle in they will call and ask you to remove him. 

Yes, he is dropped off 5 days a week for a few hours a day.  He doesnt have issue being away from us.  

10 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

According to this okay CC won't let me link to it .... google "nursery on freedom of the seas" there should be a link to "Royal Caribbean Blog" titled "Review: Royal Babies & Tots Nursery on Freedom of the Seas"

 

Kids are NOT separated (2yr old and 6mos old together) and it's $8/hour, Ships available: Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Legend of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, & Brilliance of the Seas

Thanks so much. I will try to Google that.  I have a hard time with searches.  Everything under the sun comes up except what i am looking for.

I have tried to search but cant find the answers so hoping someone can help me.  We are basing our next cruise on having child care for our 2 year old.  I understand it's a fee service and that's fine.  Does the nursery follow the same hours as the regular Adventure Ocean?  If not is there a way to find the hours for each ship...thinking Freedom but not sure yet.  Also I am reading it is a service that is first come first serve and have to book in advance.  In anyone's experience has the nursery booked up and you were unable to have care?  We are also thinking of a port intensive itinerary and would be relying on the nursery so we could actually enjoy the ports (that makes me feel like a bad mom for saying but seriously its difficult to do anything with the child at his age). I'm just nervous getting on the cruise and then having a cranky 2 year old who is bored because we weren't able to secure the nursery.  Which leads to my next question, surely they separate the little babies from the toddlers right?  I would love to hear personal experience.  My other children have loved kids programming.  This is just our first toddler experience.

On 4/1/2019 at 5:29 PM, bjfitz0703 said:

Cool.  See you on board!!! For Bermuda which beach do you recommend?  Any beyond Horseshoe as I know the whole ship goes there.  Also think a Norwegian ship is there then as well.   Thanks 

This is our sailing as well, cant wait! First time at both ports.  Bringing our 10 and 11 year olds.

We were planning on doing the train same day but have been told now that there can be major delays going into Penn Station.  If we have an arrival time of 1215 for a cruise that leaves at 4, is that really cutting it too close?  I tried to find online about delays and searched average times and it looked like the average was 15 minutes which wouldnt be bad at all.  So is the Amtrak reliable or not?  Thanks in advance for advice.  Going into NYC the day before isnt an option because of child care.  Dont want to fly but if it's that bad to ride the train then we would consider it.

33 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Way to risky IMHO.  Travel in the day before and take all that stress off the plate.  What sailing is this?

June 24th to July 2...Sunrise going to Bermuda and Grand Turk.

3 hours ago, jdoc2007 said:

We surprised our 11 and 14 year old in December with a Christmas Cruise.  We left super early in the AM, they thought we were going to Grandmas in Florida.  Made it all the way to New Orleans - one hiccup, the boat coming in was delayed, so we had a 4 hour delay getting on the ship.

We took the kids down to the river and had them take a picture of husband and I standing in front of the Natchez.  We popped off our coats to reveal our "Merry Cruisemas" shirts.  They both were trying to figure out what it said -- It was cursive so it was hard for them to figure out.  The 11 year old said "your shirt is spelled wrong" (Cruisemas vs Christmas).  Then the 14 year old figured it out and then thought we were going to cruise on the Natchez.  LOL

That's a cute reveal!  

4 hours ago, nycruise1 said:

We are on the same cruise.  It is getting closer, yeah!  I also think you are cutting it way too close.  With a 4PM departure final boarding will probably be about 3PM.  Penn Station is only about 15 minutes from the port, but if you hit a delay of a couple hours it will get really tight.  Come up the day before on a Sunday and spend the afternoon and next morning in NYC.  You might even be able to get a weekend rate for Sunday night hotel.  Maybe Amtrak has a package deal?  NYC is a beautiful port to travel out of.  You get a great view of the skyline and Statue of Liberty and I love going under the Verrazzano bridge.

 

I will give you a contrarian view.  Have your kids cruised before?  I had asked my kids if they would ever want to be surprised this way and they said no, because part of the fun for them is looking forward to the cruise.  But they have cruised many times before so they are involved with the planning and all.  Either way it is an amazing time!

They have cruised once but they were so much smaller, like 5 and 6 yrs old.  I actually worry if I told my son beforehand he would talk himself out of wanting to go because he has a lot of anxieties if he has time to think about it.  Once we are doing the activities, he is fine.  He over thinks everything.

I am looking into going Sunday or maybe even flying out of Richmond. It would be hard to ask my in laws for another night of kid watching though. Lots to think about.

7 hours ago, merdon said:

We're doing the exact same thing on Sunrise in July for our grandson and granddaughter (12 and 6). Our daughter knows (she's coming too) but the kids don't. We cruise every year in October and our grandson always wants to go. Can't wait to see the surprise on his face when he realizes we're not going to the Hamptons. 😁

They are going to love it!

3 hours ago, elaine5 said:

Bermuda is an excellent place to wing it. If you want a Diy for your ages: take the ferry to st George walk around. Explore the replica sailing ship near the ferry. Walk to church ruins and then take the public bus to hamilton. It’s a great way to see the island. Along the way you can get off and explore the caves. At H switch to bus to port and get off at a beach along the way before continuing to ship. Or explore H and then bus or ferry back to ship. Very easy, cheap, and safe. 

Thank you! I love suggestions!

7 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Also, That is rush hour for trains all around the northeast. So yeah! I do not mean to "rain on your parade" but from past experiences, it can be super stressful! You can tell I have cruised on out New York many times if you expand my signature!

You're not raining on anything. I probably needed to see this so I can plan better! Thank you!!

48 minutes ago, obx_fintoo said:

We told our daughter we were going on an adventure.  The look on her face when she first saw the ship is priceless!!  So, my only advice is to make sure you guys have cameras ready to snap away when they finally figure it out!!  Enjoy your cruise and don't worry, the littles will likely enjoy their time with the grands without the older kids taking their valuable time!

How awesome! I'm sure you'll never forget her smile that day.  I plan on videoing various points like when we wake up, when we get to the train, when we get to NYC, and then rolling up to the terminal.  Each point will be surprising to them.

47 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

That's a little risky with taking a train on the day of the cruise to NYC! Of all places. NYC is notorious for train delays. Especially from Virginia. You should consider a hotel near the port, and stay there to relive the stress, with two children! As a younger cruiser myself, however, I would be THRILLED to go on a newly renovated ship! Great idea, you might risk missing the ship!

This is a good point!  We are not train travelers so didnt know delays are typical.  We were planning on taking the 6am train with arrival around noon.  In your opinion, is that time frame too risky?  Are delays usually likes hours long?  May have to consider going the night before. I haven't bought the tickets yet so glad I'm considering it now.

It's okay if nobody actually reads this but I just had to say it somewhere so I don't tell my kids.   They are 10 and 11 and the plan is to wake them up day of the cruise, hop on a train to NYC (we live in VA) and board the cruise all while not telling them what we are doing at all!  Grandparents will be watching our 2 little ones, age 4 and 1.  It was just too expensive for us to add them and I'm banking on the hope they won't remember when we left them behind...insert a whole lot of mom guilt and hope it doesn't ruin my vacation.  We go to Bermuda and then Grand Turk.  Have no idea what they will want to do excursion wise so we may just wing it.  

I would love to hear others stories if they surprised someone like this and what the reaction was!

This goes against everything in me as I am the type who plans out every minute of vacations, but I'm thinking of just winging it in Bermuda.  Is this a good port to just go and see what you want to do when you get there?  Like will there be last minute excursions available off ship or does it really need to be booked in advance?  My husband and I are surprising our 2 oldest kids, ages 10 and 11, with a cruise that docks overnight Bermuda and then a day in Grand Turk.  I'm hesitant to book anything because they may just be as happy walking along the coves and beaches or we may see something and make it up as we go.  Anyone else just go with the Bermuda flow?

On 3/12/2019 at 5:33 PM, ProfCruise said:

To avoid crowds, consider turning RIGHT at the end of the pier.  That beach area is much more private (although rockier).  I've written a review on my blog where I talk about the three areas easily accessible just off the ship, if you're interested:

 

https://profcruise.com/a-carnival-cruise-to-grand-turk-bringing-together-the-left-and-right/

 

It's a beautiful place.  Hard to go wrong, IMO.  Enjoy!!!

 

 

Loved your review!  I think we will turn right 😉