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I have neither the time, nor the will, to digest any of that. What I have pasted at post #389 is taken directly from the excursions list for a cruise which we have a hold on currently and demonstrates for every excursion that the amount you can take from your excursion pot is either 0% for the very high end tours or 25% for the regular and smaller guest numbers tours.

Evidence?

This is what I see for the port of Aqaba, and all other ports are similar: Magnificent Petra (AQJ-001) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 9 hours) Tour Price £340.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £255.00 Unlimited £183.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Tour the spectacular Nabataean city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved out of red sandstone hills. Access Petra through a breathtaking narrow gorge with walls towering over 650 feet. Gaze in awe at the magnificent Treasury, whose ornate façade was fashioned from a mountain face. Thrill to the fabulous rock-hewn Roman amphitheater, where 8,000 Nabataeans were once entertained. Survey Petra’s Royal Tombs, including the beguiling three-story Palace Tomb. Savor a satisfying buffet lunch at a thoughtfully selected hotel. More Magnificent Petra & Wadi Rum Adventure (AQJ-004) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 13 hours) Tour Price £489.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £366.75 Unlimited £314.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Half Day Van (AQJ-V04) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours) Tour Price £873.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £873.00 Unlimited £873.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Van (AQJ-V10) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours) Tour Price £1,135.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,135.00 Unlimited £1,135.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Half Day Car (AQJ-C04) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours) Tour Price £663.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £663.00 Unlimited £663.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Seaside Cooking Experience (AQB-007) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 hours) Tour Price £270.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £202.50 Unlimited £139.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Wadi Rum Off-Road Adventure (AQJ-003) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 hours) Tour Price £174.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £130.50 Unlimited N/A Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Panoramic Aqaba (AQJ-005) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 2 1/4 hours) Tour Price £87.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £65.25 Unlimited N/A Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Oceania Exclusive - Magnificent Petra (AQJ-001OE) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 9 hours) Tour Price £550.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £412.50 Unlimited £401.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Tour the spectacular Nabataean city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved out of red sandstone hills. Access Petra through a breathtaking narrow gorge with walls towering over 650 feet. Gaze in awe at the magnificent Treasury, whose ornate façade was fashioned from a mountain face. Thrill to the fabulous rock-hewn Roman amphitheater, where 8,000 Nabataeans were once entertained. Survey Petra’s Royal Tombs, including the beguiling three-story Palace Tomb. Savor a satisfying buffet lunch at a thoughtfully selected hotel. Enjoy a higher level of personal attention and flexibility on this Oceania Exclusive small group tour. More Oceania Exclusive - Magnificent Petra & Wadi Rum Adventure (AQJ-004OE) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 13 hours) Tour Price £655.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £491.25 Unlimited £489.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Van (AQJ-V08) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours) Tour Price £1,048.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,048.00 Unlimited £1,048.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Every Dog Has Its Day (AQJ-GG1) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 3 hours) Tour Price £227.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £170.25 Unlimited £96.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Car (AQJ-C08) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours) Tour Price £786.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £786.00 Unlimited £786.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Aqaba Beach Resort Getaway (AQJ-006) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours) Tour Price £227.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £170.25 Unlimited £96.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Aqaba & Lunch in Wadi Rum (AQB-008) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 1/2 hours) Tour Price £279.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £209.25 Unlimited £148.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Aqaba & Sunset Experince in Wadi Rum (AQB-009) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 5 1/2 hours) Tour Price £340.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £255.00 Unlimited £209.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M10) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours) Tour Price £1,397.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,397.00 Unlimited £1,397.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M10A) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours) Tour Price £1,659.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,659.00 Unlimited £1,659.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M08A) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours) Tour Price £1,484.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,484.00 Unlimited £1,484.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Car (AQJ-C10) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 10 hours) Tour Price £873.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £873.00 Unlimited £873.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port Executive Collection Full Day Minibus (AQJ-M08) November 29, 2023 Port: Aqaba Tour Length: Full-Day (Approximately 8 hours) Tour Price £1,275.00 Simply More Shore Excursion Package £1,275.00 Unlimited £1,275.00 Tour Description Cruises Visiting This Port

Unfortunately this is not how it works. Firstly, none of the credit can be used for the high end excursions! For the other general excursions you can utilise only 25% of the excursion cost from your cabin excursion pot! This is clearly designed to force you to take an excursion in each port, utilising only a small amount from your available pot, and increase their excursions revenue and profit. Only time will tell what percentage of cruisers will fall for that particular line.

Thank you, this caused me to do a search for NCL middle east cruises so there are some in the late spring of 2024 which may interest us!

Is there a broad timeline for when such late deals kick in?

Thanks for your thoughts, appreciated. For us, it's more about food quality rather than quantity, and yes to eat full whack for 14 nights would be exhausting. What we tend to do, unless ravenous is eat less of what is available to us and sometimes in the Brazilian place we focus totally on their fabulous salad table and very, very small amounts of main. We just find the MDR on Norwegian to be at best very average and unappetising.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. Recently, our cruise line of choice has been MSC Yacht Club, similar to the Haven. We have a deposit on MSC Virtuosa Yacht Club for a repositioning cruise, 18 nights Barcelona to Dubai, in November but have seen the Dawn variant of same (albeit embarking in Istanbul) for 19 nights with a few high hitter additional ports. Our problem is that you have to pay for the specialty restaurants, and you highlight that cost clearly. We get 3 of them on the all inclusive package, and an additional 2 as Platinum status and would wish to spend probably 14 of our nights at the specialties. It just seems ridiculous, when the Sx grades are so expensive, not to have evening dining included. So, with a fabulous itinerary, we need to decide whether to splurge or go with a non-suite cabin given the suite benefits only cover brunch meals! Or, hold off for a late booking hoping for lower pricing.....We moved on from NCl, never had Haven, back in 2017 before the offer bid system was initiated so realising price reductions for suites on Dawn will be unlikely. TBH, with such a fab itinerary, we could just go with a much lower cost cabin and still do the specialties.

Can suite guests dine in the Specialty Dining venues for dinner each night, at no extra charge? TIA.

Can you elaborate on the suite perks please? Specifically do suite guests have the option for evening meal in the specialty restaurants without additional charge? Would be great if someone could list the perks please. TIA

We agree entirely, but there are pluses and minuses for both although we would definitely choose Oceania if itinerary and pricing was like for like.

This has been our experience too, both a few months pre-Covid and also a month ago on Onward. As you say, it's fine but certainly not memorable or even at the premium level in which Az market themselves alongside Oceania which provides a superior culinary experience overall..

How was the cruise?

The website is not the cruise! 😉

But, you have a cruise booked....right? Turn up at the port, you will embark in no time and have a very good cruise experience. None of the stuff you mention is going to affect that! We did so in May, never batted an eyelid pre-cruise and would you believe it....the ship was there waiting for us and all passengers. Chill, you'll feel much better for it! 😉

If you mean Venice, an hours drive, then no. Shuttle buses are not provided, and Chioggia itself is a short comfortable walk from the cruise terminal.

Why not have a look at airfares as if you were going this winter, to give you an idea of what the cost may be in future years?

MSC Seaside from Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe or Fort-De-France, Martinique offers two different itineraries for 7 night cruises. If you do a B2B you have 14 nights, albeit you repeat both of these boarding points. Fortnightly, Barbados is used as a boarding point but this is extremely popular with Brits and all are sold out. The 2 itineraries are: Saturday, Fort-de-France, Martinique Sunday, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe Monday, Roseau, Dominica Tuesday, St. Maarten Wednesday,Antigua Thursday, St. Kitts Friday, At Sea Saturday, Fort-de-France, Martinique Sunday, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe Monday, St. Lucia Tuesday, Barbados Wednesday, At Sea Thursday, St. Vincent Friday, Grenada Saturday, Fort-de-France, Martinique From FdF, the ship sails at 11pm and from PaP at 7pm so there's plenty leeway timewise particularly at Martinique. Cannot comment on airfare, as we've always done this one from Barbados! Also YC cabins are difficult to find on these sailings! This ship is based in Port Canaveral mostly, and repositions from there on November 19th 2023 with a 9 night cruise ending Barbados or 13 nights ending in FdF. We highly recommend Barbados for a few days post cruise if doing the 9 night reposition.

I think you might find that most European guests prefer the Antilles Caribbean cruises, which do not touch the USofA. These cruises commence and end in the Caribbean, no need for the sea days to get there from Florida or Texas or anywhere else USofA! 😉

Have you considered the Antilles Caribbean, doesn't touch the USof A, nice itineraries?

That was certainly our experience on the Onward in May, no issues at all with the onboard charges etc.

You can do that, and also use a la carte at a 50% discount in lieu of the fixed menu. For us, the fixed menu meets our needs more than adequately!

Thanks, most helpful. And also for the PE flights recommendation, will have a look because that's our Virgin Atlantic choice when we long haul west. Your responses are much appreciated. 🙂

Thank you. Was that to fit with flight timings i.e. could you have stayed later than that?

Do MSC allow 'floating' disembarkation times in Dubai? Our (independent) flight is in the early hours of the day following disembark, and the ship leaves at 22.00 for Abu Dhabi. Ideally we would stay on board for as long as possible, even as late as 19.00 before decanting to the airport. We are booked YC, and have done a very late embark a couple of times in the Med and are looking for others experience in Dubai. TIA.