chisoxfan

Don't be confused. I said E class and mentioned Ascent. My last cruises were on Ascent and Apex in balconies. So I have your blessing to sleep with the balcony open?

Infinite Veranda = Inflation Reduction Act or Patriot Act. 😉

Good point. It isn't a veranda and it isn't infinite. How about 'small sunroom with large window that opens'? I have to admit, the name initially got me excited as a dedicated S class X cruiser. Wow, 'an infinite veranda'.... sounded great until I learned what it really was. JMHO.

I will be sure to seek out the Environmental officer on my next cruise. He is the guy (on Ascent) who decided you cannot drink in the Retreat Pool because he was afraid pool water might be tainted when he does his testing. On E Class balconies I know the air is shut off when balcony is open. There is a prox switch at door. I am sure the temp of the room is higher and there is some very small air exchange to outside from cabin door. Our evening room temp on last cruise went up to maybe 70/71 F. So if this is causing a drastic temp situation with nearby rooms trying to stay at 67? then the air system is improperly sized, or air flow/insulation between rooms is a problem. Bottom line is I don't think I need to feel like a 'culprit' to have a drink in the pool (non glass container) or have my balcony open in the evening if I choose. JMHO

Just weighing in having sailed on all three ships. Caribbean Princess (10 nights balcony) was a negative for us. Reflection is a great ship (AQ) but Enchanted (aft balcony) is a newer ship and I would take the extra two days for sure.

I would be pretty upset after explaining clearly what you were after. I think that after spending that time I would try and speak to a supervisor. I applaud HAL for the CO concept but in a way they may have created a friendly 'monster'. Like you I would not book without it on a Pinnacle class ship.

Just sharing my recent experiences which do baffle me. We looked to book a two week Arctic circle cruise through HAL and initially was told flatly no Club Orange available. Called a few days later and was told I had to book the cruise before availability was determined.... OK I thought although a bit of a hassle. Somehow we were disconnected. When I phoned back a different agent said, no problem, it was definitely available and we booked. Yesterday, similar scenario on a Carib cruise. Agent said not available. Called back an hour later and no problem. This was done through random agents not PCC's. While I am enthusiastic about the CO program (especially on newer ships with dedicated dining) I am confused by the inconsistency of info. So if it was me I would make several calls depending how critical this is to you. Frankly for us it became a 'big deal' ......nobody likes knowing there is an offer out there and then being denied it. On our Carib cruise CO offered benefits and at the end of the day cost us about 800 bucks less than a 'straight' booking because of cabin upgrade. Good luck.

Thanks for the updated info! I booked a cruise yesterday through HAL and the agent could not give me any info on cabana pricing and said we needed to call special services. Maybe they could distribute this PDF to agents. We enjoyed our (ancient history) Lido cabanas on Eurodam but have opted for a cruise on Nieuw Statendam. We loved the cabana close to pool and feel the NA cabanas will be too much of a hike but will still investigate further.

Actually we are very active in the climate movement and try and do our small part by not using AC in the evening.

Not assigning fault just stating that some are unaware of the situation.

Non starter for us. We like a real balcony and typically keep doors open at night. Love balcony for morning coffee and allowing one to feel part of the ocean. Plus where are going to put your damp swim suits to dry on an IV. Have been on Apex and Ascent and they are attractive ships but we stayed in SS (maybe the diabolical X plan is to get balcony lovers to 'upgrade') because SV's weren't available. Our sweet spot for years on X was AQ on SClass. In part the IV has caused us to migrate to other lines (MSC, Holland, Princess). Beyond IV's the main issue for us is X pricing but as they say, that's a story for another day. ps. I do think many/most IV passengers know what they are getting but we have spoken to people prior to cruise who tell us they have balconies and clearly aren't aware of the different arrangement.

Room service was fine on Ascent and Apex (SSuites) for us but we really liked Princess Room Service (Enchanted Princess) aft balcony as you could order off tv and drinks were delivered as part of their drink packages.

As I ponder more on this I was initially thinking that the vouchers with their bar codes identified the user. Likely, this is not the case and my wife was locked out because her first slot machine played under the 50% threshold. If the bar code identifies you that would potentially follow through the chain of machines played. So tapping your card to machines appears to be the only way you can be identified as you suggest (and mentioned by the attendant during our cruise). Maybe big brother isn't so intrusive (but guessing they still have the eye in the sky?) The only possible issue of not tapping your card would then be receiving slot play 'credit' which some value. The take away seems to be that as long as you load up initially there is no play required and you can cash out (or play) the voucher at will. This is logical as there (currently) seems no way that you could load a machine and or voucher with NROBC (or reg OBC) and they could refuse to pay you. However, if you cashed out of a machine without playing as you did I still think your card would lock?The only problem with this (card locking) is inability to add more dollars (OBC) to your play. Ultimately I can't believe the attendants would not simply 'unlock' the card and allow more $$$ added if one asked. Also a couple has the option of using two cards. At the end of the day any confusion seems to be generated by the cruise line. They don't want NROBC cashed out quickly in the casino although within the guidelines discussed this is something any passenger can do. Sounds like the chip betting is different but my brain is taxed thinking about the slot side. I am sure experienced cruise gamblers are rolling their eyes at this discussion and this is 'old news'. Hopefully for those 'neophytes' that want to cash in NROBC this is of interest.

Frustrating that there is no simple answer to this question as it seems somewhat ship dependent based on age/ tech of slots? Here is what we found after posting for info on boards and being on Ascent a few weeks ago. My wife was (for some unknown reason) initially locked on her room key for slots. This was unlocked and she put in 100 dollars and played maybe 40 and cashed out. She was locked out again from adding more and we approached attendant/mgr. type. He gave us a voucher for 200 (charged to room) and said we could 'do anything' with it. In general, he said you needed to play 50% of NROBC on a slot or would be locked out from adding future money. He also stated (I think he was wrong) that this was 'per machine' and suggested that we play small amounts on each machine? He added that you needed to tap your card to receive credit on each slot which my wife did not do to that point. Having the 200 dollar voucher I said 'let's cash this out and see what happens'.... no problem cashing out but this locked out wife's card (so card info must have been on bar code). Interesting.... so my conclusion is that the voucher(s) from machine or cashier are coded with bar code to users room. In theory this should give your information to each machine for slot play credit. Understanding this not sure why attendant insisted that card needed to be tapped for each machine. With my wife's card blocked I was able to use mine and we(my wife) played with the 50% play rule in mind. Bottom line is we probably cashed out 500 on 600 non refundable OBC and my wife enjoyed playing so all good. So as I think about this there is nothing to stop one from loading the limit (500 I believe) of NROBC on card and cashing out after one play. They can't refuse to cash you out but can lock you out. So if your goal is to cash out NROBC you would be good. You could use each room key which should cover 1000. Ironically, at time of booking cruise I told my wife she could gamble all our NROBC which she wound up not doing since at different points she had cash in hand and did not want to gamble 'real money'.

We were midship/aft in SS and one night heard distinct 'banging'- very intermittent (maybe every 15 minutes) and initially thought it was a bathroom or patio door hitting (we were on deck 11). Then thought it could be some balcony furniture moving.... after checking, none of the above. Strangely I only noticed it one night and not during any weather event. My wife did not notice and it did not really keep me up. Like a hotel issue one wonders if is worth the hassle of reporting and/or moving to a different cabin. That said it is difficult to access and document (like my sudden Xfinity data overages). I agree that you should not be afraid to complain about anything that keeps you up. Best to complain early and often if it is so bothersome.

Hope everyone has a wonderful cruise! We elected not to do this itinerary and cancelled today. We had an aft VS balcony on 8 if anyone has an interest.

Thanks for your posting and comparison. It is pretty much inline with our experiences- Ascent 1/21, Apex 10/6/22 (SS's) and Seaside YC JAN 2020. For us X wins..... Food close but would nod to X Boarding..FLL is just easier and very civilized boarding process. FLL a simpler port to fly to. On board theatre, bars, music and specialty restaurants -on MSC we pretty much stayed within YC (not a bad thing)... really liked expanded Sunset Bar on Ascent MSC wins.... YC Lounge was expansive with great bow views and ability to step outside for a relaxing drink, live music every night was a big plus.. just an are you want to hang out at where Retreat lounge while nice was like a library with booze Access to a very cool and expansive spa area- never was a huge fan of X thermal spa and regardless not free for suite passengers Mini bar stocked with water beer and some wine Both had wonderful 'basic' suites (all we need) but did like the X bed facing forward and bathroom design Was a bit put off by Luminae on Ascent which seemed even 'tighter' than Apex. Not much opportunity for those of us who might appreciate a touch of room from our neighbors plus tables for 2 are really small and often require a food balancing act 'expanded' Retreat on Ascent was great but not much lounging area in shade and crowded on sea days....nice bar and dining options but MSC had an expanded cook to order area on YC pool deck which was perhaps better... Overall, 'what's not to like' paraphrasing the Mercedes driver in a favorite movie 'Lost in America'. So for us-maybe a tiny nod to X because of port, overall ship experience but being so close in 'value', would be a toss up determined by price with MSC winning every time by a large margin especially after cessation of included X tips and OBC. We are going to try the Princess Suite experience next Jan. on Sun Princess.... seems like every line is driving to the 'dedicated suite area' starting with NCL, then MSC, then X, and now Princess. Regardless the cruise lines have seemingly been successful in driving us from (all we need is a drink package and balcony on newer ship) to covet a suite and dedicated area. Our comments are based on the Caribbean cruises and for a port intensive or colder weather itinerary we would still gravitate towards a 'normal' balcony. Thanks for indulging our thoughts/opinions.

Yes the cruise that we looked at was Navigator. We never had an interest in the Royal Caribbean mega class ships and liked YC on MSC but rarely ventured outside. That was a nice thing on X that we could enjoy the entire ship and hope Princess may afford this.

Appreciate the comments here that are dwelling down to the 'value equation'. Maybe a new player not high end but promising is Princess. Their new Sun Princess has a dedicated suite area (pool, lounge, restaurant) and looking at options for our next Jan 'getaway' this may work for us. Hate to cite pricing that always changes but for us Ascent SS(same cabin we had last week) was over 10k with non refundable deposit, MSC YC 6k with non refundable deposit and Princess 6k fully refundable. Princess is new 175k ton ship. Everything is included (grats, 4 device wi-fi, drinks to 20, unlimited spa access, some specialty dining, mini bar set up). Anyway maybe a new player in 'suites' and we are willing to try it. I understand the focus on luxury lines and understand value vs. X Retreat but as I looked at Regent in Jan. ship was 25k tons. My wife and I enjoy the options of a larger ship and in place of smaller ship probably would look more at All Inclusives which are a great option but sometimes don't have the 'energy' of a cruise. My opinion for what it is worth.

Great point. Inconsistency is a major issue at X. Without dwelling on 'minor points' on Apex last year no head butler ever introduced himself (not sure there was one) and contact with room attendant was happenstance. On Ascent head butler and attendant introduced themselves on boarding and presented cards which was a nice touch. Either way our room was immaculate and we were fine. On Apex drinks on Retreat pool flowed freely and glass bottles were served at pool which surprised me. Sometimes in the hot tub I was told that I was welcome to have drinks in hand but they could not serve me there (well some did and some didn't). On Ascent the Retreat pool game was really interesting. A sign said no glass or food.... perfect and sensible. On first day after drinking all day (not referring to being hammered just that there was no comment made) at the pool an attendant told me alcohol was prohibited? OK I thought. The next day drinks were everywhere. One lady drinking was told no alcohol at pool while myself and others were not harassed sipping our drinks nearby (oh no maybe a X profit center.....drinking around pool is only for more premium packages 🙄). This became a bit of a running joke. On the last day I overheard (directly behind my lounger and difficult to ignore) a heated argument with a passenger and officer. He was told he could not drink at pool (at least 1000 drinks had been enjoyed there during the week) and stormed off. Returning to the bar he said he had had it with X and the reason he was told no drinks were allowed was because the environmental officer did not want any alcohol tainting his 'testing'. I know this may sound like much ado about nothing but it shows me management has no control over the situation and in some half hearted attempt to inconsistently please one 'department' they were happy to infuriate their (supposedly) most valued guests.

Will certainly check it out.

Looking forward to more comments. So far am in agreement on room etc. based on previous YC on MSC experience. Contrary to post from Billc23 we actually felt service on Apex was 'friendlier' and more polished. In Retreat and Luminae on APEX we had servers bringing us drinks upon seating. The Luminae hostess on Apex was particularly helpful in sorting out our simple (hopefully) table preferences. We don't expect a four top at the window but would like a little privacy. Seating and tables at Luminae were tight on Apex but seemed worse on Ascent. The APEX Hostess noted our preferences and it was always a positive experience. On Ascent I felt our simple request was always a burden to hostess and there was no consistency where the attention on APEX was amazing. The level of service on APEX was not something we expected or demanded but it set a high bar compared to what we experienced on Ascent which was certainly acceptable. JMHO

Please post your thoughts. We were in Retreat on this 1/21 Ascent cruise and on Apex in October 2022. After a very favorable MSC YC cruise in 2019 are looking to do this again and am most interested in your recent comparisons.

On Ascent return Sunday1/28 and ship disembarkation could not have been easier. Sat in Retreat until walk off at 7:15 and luggage was waiting for us. Customs was a walk through with facial recognition. Lyft was a bit frustrating. Initially 8 minutes quoted, then after booking turned to 14 and then different cars assigned. We probably waited 30 minutes before pick up and the driver was across the terminal (said he was directed there). Frustration for us was being out so early when everything was wide open but by the time our car arrived traffic and passenger numbers were increased. Anyway we were at our gate around 9:15 for a 10:40 flight so ultimately no issue. For an early flight next time might arrange a car for less hassle. I also believe that Saturday AM would be busier based on our previous negative experiences.

Thanks for the great review. When looking at ratings, etc. (best food I ever had vs. I would not feed to my dog) one can only try to evaluate how similar the poster's views are to one's own. We just cruised Retreat on Apex and Ascent and your sentiments/highlights struck a chord. Your review seemed fair minded and brought up FOR US too many potential negatives. (We also love the E Class SS bed layout bathrooms, NEED bottled water, want many choices for entertainment bars, a casino, etc.). We had looked at Oceania as an alternative but sensed it would strike us similarly (I was only surprised by food quality comments, totally subjective, of course, but would have expected a superior level to X). Like many posters we will continue to look beyond X (no pun intended) primarily because of price but so far aren't seeing the smaller 'luxury lines' as a good fit. Thanks and happy future cruising.