gimletgal

On 12/7/2021 at 10:58 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

Have cruise planned for MSC Seashore Terminal F Port of Miami. Want to park at port. Is Parking Garage G open across the street from Terminal F.

Garage G is open but it's not exactly "across the street from Terminal F". Somewhat of a hike!

Love how judgmental people get whenever another smoking thread is started!  😁

On 10/15/2021 at 3:00 PM, catbro said:

There interface is the worst I've ever experienced. They are going to have to really wow us on this trip which I don't expect and I think we won't sail on the line again. They are so completely lacking in customer service.

 

You need to ask your TA for a copy of the “Booking Confirmation” that Celebrity sent to them. That should show everything. Many TA’s conveniently “forget” to share this very important piece of the booking process. 

On 10/15/2021 at 1:47 PM, catbro said:

This is my first Celebrity cruise and I have to say I really hate that customer service cannot discuss your own booking information and you are FORCED to go throught the booking agent, who I have not be very happy with. Departing in 75 days. My TA invoice included the additional fee to upgrade fom classic beverage package to upgraded beverage package. When I log into my Celebrity account it does not show I have the upgraded package and even offers it as a possible upgrade. So when does this happen, shouldn't it have been recorded with my originial booking. I don't think I will sail Celebrity again, I don't appreciate the lack of transparency. Thanks.

All the cruise lines I deal with are the same. If you have an issue with your booking and went through a TA, you need to run everything through the TA. 

They are all over the ship. Not YC only.

16 minutes ago, ocdb8r said:

Giuseppe Galano is currently captain.

 

As for staff - make friends with Arnold from the Philippines at the YC Pool Bar.  Super friendly, full of drink suggestions and by the second day was greeting us by name and bringing us our favorite drinks.  He's new to the YC area and super excited to be there.

 

Other memorable staff were Illona (sp?) from Ukraine in the YC dining room who had the section to the right up against the windows (facing forward as you enter).  We didn't even sit in her section every night and she always came by to greet us.  We also got to know the sommelier (Alessandro) well, but he finished his current contract the last day of our cruise.

Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I don’t recognize any of the names from my past MSC cruises. I am sure the staff will be excellent, as always!

Can you tell us who the captain of the Seashore is? Also, do you have any names of the YC staff? It's always fun to see some familiar faces! Thanks.

11 hours ago, bikerunner said:

The Cards I hope not are what will be used, I have 3 of them by the way and access to them, work in Health care.  To easy to get and copy. 

That's an interesting comment. The cards we have received have our name and D.O.B. on them. Wouldn't that be a problem for someone who had gotten a copy of someone elses?

21 hours ago, Zigster said:

Does the OBC credit that you receive when booking onboard transfer over when you cancel a reservation and have deposit charged to another booking?

Thank you for any information!

 

Just remember that OBC received from booking on board differs depending on cabin categories. So if you change your category to a lesser or greater category, the OBC can/will change in $$ amount.

7 hours ago, Argo. said:

Despite announcements that certain ports are closed, itineraries on sale are now posted for April and May sailings:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Exciting_Deals/XcitingDeals_cel_tues.pdf

 

Also interesting to see that there are no single supplements shown on the Xciting deals! 

18 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

Are you allowed to bring guests in to the Yacht Club area?

With permission, you can bring them in to see your cabin. As far as just "hanging around" in the YC area, the answer is no. You can also pay to have someone join you in the YC restaurant for dinner (believe it is $50/pp w/permission) or sometimes you can buy day passes for friends @ $100/pp+ - limited availability.

Small tours are given on almost every cruise, but they are very short and the number of people is usually quite small.

It is a well known fact. Use a credit card that does not charge FTFs! The title of your thread is pretty unfair to MSC.

On 11/13/2019 at 5:57 PM, BoundForSea said:

I truly don’t believe anyone knowingly gave a false answer. I’ve learned over the past couple years that MSC doesn’t do well with consistent messaging among its various departments and even out in the field among ships. I can see a bunch if people on the 8th floor in a conference room discussing a November opening while another group in some cubicles on the 5th floor are discussing a December 5th launch, and they don’t communicate and thus speak with one consistent message. Heck I can call and speak to 3 reservationists in the same building in Ft Lauderdale and get three completely different answers on any given issue or topic. They are improving on these things I and others have noticed, which is good. 

I love it! Celebrity has been operating this way for years and years and years!!  Miami usually has no clue as to what is going on on the ships. Communication is horrid, and not just in the cruise industry.

Deleted

Yes they offer reduced deposits every now and then. 2 of my 4 cruises with MSC in the last 3 years have had the $99/pp deposit.

Not offered  in YC either.

2 minutes ago, Nymich said:

MSC will get slammed in a very bad way if they do not offer something if they do not open OC.   

Well, I have my 4th MSC cruise coming up the end of this month........the first one on Seaside in 2018 had the itinerary changed when they pushed back the opening of OC. Guess I am used to delays. I hope you are right if OC is not open.

1 hour ago, Nymich said:

Yep sorry to hear that but I am sure it will open VERY soon.  MSC is not looking to hand out goodies like this for an extended period of time.

I'm sure the reason they are offering "goodies" is because the cruise is already in progress. My guess for future cruises - they will just change the itineraries at the last minute and offer zero. Hope I'm wrong! (They are still showing the countdown clock on the website - 3 days, 22 hours, etc.)

14 hours ago, mmbcater said:

I figured it out as we changed booking date to two weeks later but they never changed the final payment date on the reservation... Calling in the morning

Even if booking is changed, the final payment date remains the same as when originally booked.

20 hours ago, greaseslapper said:

What are the amounts for Butlers and staff?

 

The current charge is $12.50 per person, per day.

The $14.00 charge does not go into effect until Summer, 2021.

Tips: MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individual members of staff. 

WINTER 2019 - 2020 (new rates apply starting Summer 2021 for Caribbean, USA & Canada. Please review the new costs in the below chart listed for Summer 2021 & Winter 2021-2022). 

On 10/7/2019 at 6:52 AM, hcat said:

OMG...that space looks too dark,  high and scary ...so many stairs!

Actually, that space is gorgeous! And the elevators are certainly available for those who don't like the Swarovski crystal staircases.

Congratulations on your 50th anniversary! You should be well taken care of on the Grandiosa. Capt. Massa is extremely personable! If you happen to encounter Onil Jay Pedernal in the YC you will absolutely love him! He will either be a butler or assistant butler as he was just recently promoted and also a brand new father. He is an amazing young man! Enjoy your cruise!

30 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

If everyone in the crowd is expecting to buy chocolate ice cream and you show up with vanilla, don't be surprised if your business fails.

 

Because the bulk of passengers will be American with typical American expectations.  Wonderman's reaction to all of the issues has been great,  the typical American passenger won't be as tolerant.

My experience sailing Divina and Seaside out of Miami (since 2016) has been that the "bulk of passengers" have been European - not American.  

Great post, glittergal1. I totally agree with you. I first sailed w/MSC in 2016 after 10 years and many, many sailings with Celebrity. Friends of mine invited me to join them on the Divina then and I went along with some trepidation. It was a great cruise (albeit, different from X) and I thoroughly enjoyed the European flavor. I have since been on the Seaside twice and will be going again in November. Celebrity has priced themselves to the point that I really don't even consider them anymore. Are there some things I miss? Sure - especially the perks I received because of my loyalty, and the great crew. But then there is more to a cruise than the perks, and MSC has some great crew also. MSC has taken good care of me and has earned my business now. All of the cruise lines have their "flaws" and as you say, none are perfect. Just choose the one you are most comfortable with. 

You do not need a PIN # when registering your credit card at one of the kiosks on MSC - at least not for the U.S. sailings - i. e. Seaside and Divina. I have sailed on both - no pin required!