yellow-submarine

What is the busiest / most popular dining times on Caribbean cruises?

That was my exact thinking. And he went in August when the buses are twice as frequent. There is no point to have a stressed day. Which is a shame as the Pulpit is the most iconic place in Norway. That is helpful. Thank you. That would mean we can't take the 4PM return bus, the earlier return bus is at 13:40. (Which makes it impossible as the Stavanger-Preikestolen bus gets to Preikestolen base camp at 11:55.) Yes indeed, it looks like it. Although we been told the best way to see Norway is from a cruise but seems like if we want to touch and smell the nature probably we have to drop the idea of cruising and rent a car. Especially with the frequent port cancellation there is a likeliness that even Olden would be skipped and than goodbye nature all together. Norway is not famous for its architecture and food. Thank you all, it really helped.

Thank you all. Looks like this cruise is designed by and for early birds. To leave the ship by 8 would mean waking up at 7 and Norway is an hour ahead so that is 6AM Body Standard Time. Not on a holiday. Cruising is nice but the destination is still the main purpose of the trip. And when most of the days are cruising it makes it even more precious. The Preikestolen hike take 4-5 hours, bus is 2x1h + waiting time (there are 4 buses a day). It feels a bit stretched. Has anyone taken this as a P&O excursion? I would be curious on their timing. So 5PM is the boarding time not the actual departure time of the ship?

Hi fellow cruisers, Contemplating to go with my kids to a Norwegian cruise early summer. We don't have experience with P&O and could not find detailed info online so I was hoping the community can fill the gap. The 7day cruise has already have 2 sea day and 2 other cruise by day, so I guess it is reasonable expectation to get a decent on shore time/experience to explore, release our and the kids energy. So my questions: Is there a way to get details about P&O's arrival and departure times? The itinerary is vague: Departure: Afternoon. Why cruises leave most ports at the afternoon? (especially when sunset is at 11PM and the next destination is not far away). In Stavanger the most interesting thing would be the Preikestolen (The Pulpit Rock) but again the departure time is "Afternoon". Has anyone made it there and back without rush? Is this offered as an excursion?

Hello voyagers, If you are wondering what excursions MSC is offering and how much it cost than this should help (see the attachments). Sometimes even if you have a cruise booked you can't access these due to the ongoing issues with MSC's IT. For these destinations there were no excursions available at the time of this post: Grenada - Saint George St Kitts - Basseterre St. John's - Antigua Trinidad - Port of Spain.pdf Martinique - Fort de France.pdf St Maarten - Philipsburg.pdf Dominica - Roseau.pdf Guadeloupe - Pointe a Pitre.pdf St Lucia Castries.pdf Barbados - Bridgetown.pdf

@EssiesmomWhat was your winning bid vs pre-book price on MSC?

We could not figurate it out either. Here is the thread:

Yeah they could have changed the policy or as usual MSC customer service is a mess. And it is also a good question if you can do depositing in different currencies, what exchange rate they use, some companies love to milk their unsuspecting customers with ridiculous exchange rates. By the looks of I won't know the answer till on board. Will let the community know.

@clarky213 There is no "current pricing" as this cruise is fully booked for 5 months now. Sure you can compare it to current prices but if that is more expensive than what it could have been at the time of the booking you are still in loss. And of course on off-peak cruises it is easier to get a low bid accepted. But still comparing that to current prices is not a good base point.

FAQs: Q. What is MSC UpGrade? A. MSC UpGrade is a bid-based stateroom upgrade program where your clients can score fantastic upgrades on select cabins and voyages. Q. Is the MSC UpGrade offer amount per person per day or for the entire duration of the cruise? A. MSC UpGrade offer amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom – only the first and second guest will be charged. Q. Does the MSC UpGrade upgrade include any additional promotions? A. The MSC UpGrade upgrade does not include any additional promotions. However, you get to keep whichever promotions you already have. Q. How do MSC UpGrade offers work if I am part of a group or traveling with another reservation? A. Each MSC UpGrade offer is considered individually, MSC Cruises (MSC) cannot guarantee that all reservations traveling together will be upgraded. Under the circumstance that all reservations are upgraded, MSC cannot guarantee that all he upgraded cabins will be close together. Q. Can I reject the MSC UpGrade upgrade after it is accepted? A. No, once your bid is accepted, your card will be charged immediately, and the upgrade amount paid is final and non-refundable. Q. What happens with the promotions I already have if I am upgraded through MSC UpGrade? A. You get to keep the promotions you already have based on the stateroom category originally booked. However, no additional promotions will be added to your reservation. Q. Can I choose the location or specific features of the MSC UpGrade upgrade cabin? A. No, your cabin location and attributes will depend on availability. MSC cannot guarantee a specific cabin number assignment within the upgraded category. Q. How much do I bid through MSC UpGrade if my reservation includes more than 2 guests? A. If your reservation includes multiple guests, the offer amount submitted will be per guest but only for the first and second guest on the reservation. Q. Can I modify or cancel my MSC UpGrade offer after I submit it? A. You may modify or cancel your offer provided that it has not already been accepted by MSC and provided your credit card has not been charged. Q. When will I know if my MSC UpGrade offer got accepted? A. Your offer can be accepted anytime from the moment it is submitted up until 2 days prior to voyage departure. Q. If I have two reservations can I bid only once through MSC UpGrade and if accepted, cancel the second reservation and move the guests into the upgraded cabin? A. No, if you have two cabins you will need to submit two separate bids and they will be considered independently. MSC cannot guarantee that both reservations will be upgraded. In the case that one of the reservations gets upgraded, you cannot move the he other guests into the upgraded cabin. All reservations cancelled within the penalty period will be subject to cancellation fees. Q. Why did I or someone I’m traveling with not receive an invite to bid on a MSC UpGrade stateroom upgrade? A. To receive an email invitation to bid on a stateroom upgrade guest must be opted-in to MSC Marketing e-mails. To opt-in, to receive emails guests can sign up on our website, opt-in through the online check in process or within My Reservations section of website. Q. If my MSC UpGrade offer is accepted, will I earn MSC Club points at the rate associated with my upgraded stateroom category? A. No. Accepted offers will earn MSC Club points at the original stateroom category purchased, and not the category of the upgraded stateroom. The terms and conditions of your original cruise booking will remain in effect following the acceptance of an Offer, including MSC Club Terms and Conditions. The best way to earn points quickly is to purchase the upgraded cabin category in your original booking.

This is a recurring topic so I thought I will share this for those haven't yet got the email and they are wondering Received the upgrade bidding email 79 days before the sailing. Some says that if you are not signed up to 3rd party marketing, you don't get the email. Well I un-checked that and still got it. Not only the person who booked the cruise gets the email but all passengers including my kids. So watch out for this. The bidding is not managed by MSC it is outsourced to a 3rd party company PlusGrade As many on this and other forums mentioned before that communication between the two companies are poor. I can second that. My case proves that. They offered an upgrade on a Christmas sailing where there is not a single cabin available, not even a two bed cabin and we are a family and have a back to back itinerary These were the upgrade prices at booking (I am a nerd who makes and keeps excel tables) and minimum and maximum bidding prices per person (up to 2 person): Ocean View Upgrade price at booking: £240 Minimum bid: £120 Maximum bid: £305 Balcony Upgrade price at booking: £440 Minimum bid: £485 Maximum bid: £670 Balcony Aurea Upgrade price at booking: £750 Minimum bid: £730 Maximum bid: £910

Thank you all. I found so many contradicting information, many claims it is Euro which would make sense as two of the embarkation ports are in French territories using Euro. Also I just noticed that the MSC app says that the deposit is EUR. However all the images and youtube videos I could find on the Seaside from the period when it was sailing this itinerary they all show the prices in dollar. So I contacted MSC and they said that onboard prices of Caribbean cruises are in US dollar. Then @KINGBOBOFTHENORTH posted his/her comment so I went back to MSC asking if they are absolutely sure. This time an other agent replied and confirmed that all Caribbean cruises regardless of the homeports are in USD.

It is a South Caribbean cruise where both USD and EUR (French territories) are used. Has 3 embarkation port (Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe), it goes in a circle

When depositing money on board, can you select the currency; EUR or USD on the kiosk? Or does it have a default currency depending on the region of sailing?

@Host Carolyn Hi Carolyn, are you still moderating the MSC thread? I think this could be unpinned, Maybe it could be replaced by something like an FAQ thread, covering common questions: Upgrade bidding, bringing drinks on board, drink packages, MSC website and customer service, dining seating, disembarkation time..