Stockjock

I suspect we are on the same page. I would try YC under the right circumstances, but it doesn't seem to be a good value compared to my current aft-facing oversized balcony cabin, in my view.

I did win a bid on RCCL at or near the minimum. Different cruise line, but I think it's the same company that administers the upgrade program. But yes, of course it depends on how many cabins are available in that class, if any, and what bids are in place.

We paid roughly $1,100 per person net for 10 nights, wi-fi, double VC points, Easy Plus drink package and I think $100 OBC. Included in that was a customer care certificate for a prior problem which had knocked off something like 15% or 20% on top of the other offers. Aft-facing balcony (slightly oversized) on a top deck. We'd love to try YC, but don't think it's worth spending another $3,300 and while inside YC sounds enticing, I'd hate to give up an aft balcony. Plus, not sure how they handle double VC points. I'd guess they remain the same, but not sure. It probably doesn't matter anyway, in our case.

In a few months, we'll be doing a 10-night European cruise. We have a aft-facing, slightly oversized balcony on an upper deck along w/the usual drink package, wi-fi, double Voyagers Club points (on this one), etc. I think we got an excellent price. Here are their MSC Upgrade offers. They don't seem compelling to me, but what do you think? 1. Yacht Club Deluxe Suite minimum bid $1635 per person. 2. Yacht Club Interior Suite minimum bid $320 per person. 3. Aurea Suite w/Terrace and Whirlpool minimum bid $635 per person. 4. Aurea Premium Suite minimum bid $320 per person. While I don't think I'll bid, if one does bid and win, does one lose other perks (i.e. drink package or double VC points on our sailing)?

For anyone interested, we are doing a cruise out of Copenhagen and we will apparently need a negative test before boarding. I think the tests are free (could be wrong), but I also think you need to register in advance. Here's a link to do so. You will create an account and then confirm it. There is a link to show you where the testing locations are. The final result will apparently be sent to your account where you can use that as your proof of a negative covid test. Here's the link: https://sts.covidresults.dk

I've seen some interesting cruises on Infinity and Constellation, but I sense that they'd be a bit old, tired and non-upgraded, which isn't really what I'm after considering most of Celebrity's prices. Let me know if my concerns are misplaced.

Do you recall the cabin number?

Not only was the interior on the Summit nice looking, but we thought it was quite functional too given the relatively small interior space. But to each their own.

What exactly does "hoppenized" mean? We do like the design of the new Celebrity cabins, fwiw.

The staff was really impressive on Summit. Maybe the best service I've experienced on a cruise ship.

We don't care too much about the specialty restaurants as the MDR food seems quite good. We just got off of a short RCCL cruise and their food was vastly inferior. Maybe every now and then we'll do a specialty restaurant.

We did a NYE cruise on Summit and really enjoyed ourselves. We thought they did a great job revolutionizing the rooms and public space. I saw a similar sailing on Equinox and it's my understanding that it too was revolutionized. Based on the little bit I've seen, the rooms didn't seem as nice to me as the rooms on Summit. But all of that aside, if you had to sail on one or the other, which would you choose and why? We're looking at 2 similarly priced cruises, one on Summit and the other is on Equinox. Thank you in advance!

Since I'm with a "major Wall Street firm", I cannot comment on any specific stocks or securities. But I think I can say that the 12-month low for NCLH appears to be $10.31. So based upon what I see, it does not appear that the company reached the $9 level. You might be thinking about CCL, which has a 12-month low of $8.70 per share. Disclaimer: The preceding is not a recommendation for or against securities, an offer to buy or sell securities or a solicitation.

I think I'll try it, and I did very briefly meet her on the NYE cruise, so I'll mention that, lol.

I've sent several issues/concerns to that Celebrity Engagement Center address. I've not received any reply ever. Not a lot of "engagement" going on, imo.

I've booked with and without travel agents. Typically, it comes down to money. If they can do something for me, I'm all ears. I had a really great TA at one of the bigger agencies and she was so good that they promoted her and she trained the others but stopped working directly with clients. We book MSC probably more than we should and they are frequently such a nightmare to work with, I would never expect any travel agent to spend the time that I have, which is what it takes to correct their screw-ups. So with MSC in particular, I always book direct. Some would say that a TA would save me time, but they are unique in that so much has to go to Italy for approval, and I'm sure they wouldn't want to spend so much time dealing with all of that. For further on this, one can search for my prior threat MSC Comedy of Errors.

FWIW, I did hear back from the travel agent tonight and she supplied the invoice and wrote, "Thank you for your patience". Guess we're good for now, but still, when you have a new customer you want to give them stellar service, not service that's slow or lacking, imo.

I think I found this particular agent in a similar way. Generally, their reviews were pretty good. I work for a big Wall Street firm and wouldn't think to leave clients' questions unanswered, unless I never saw them in the first place. I may just resend the questions/requests with a comment that I hadn't received a reply and see what happens. If I don't like the vibe, I suppose I could ask for someone else within the same company, or switch to a different TA.

As mentioned, booked my first Oceania cruise. While I sometimes book direct, I used a very experienced travel agent who I haven't used before, as there was an advantage to doing that and I'll leave it at that so as not to run afoul of the CC rules. Spoke w/her on the phone and she seemed nice, but I thought at one point she was a bit abrupt. Took about 3 days to apparently do the actual booking. I asked a question by e-mail, which was apparently ignored. Perhaps a week later, I asked for a confirmation with a booking number and that too was ignored. I understand that some of these agents are busy, but is it too much to expect a timely reply to a simple question? Have you ever experienced this? Would you not worry about it, or at some point pull the booking from that agent and ask for someone else?

It's not eSIM, but an actual SIM card. I typically swap it out at the embarkation port before boarding the ship. It's important to turn off auto updates (apps and OS), photo backups and such, as they can kill the data. To dial, I use either Skype, Google Voice, or Talkatone. Between those 3, I can usually dial out. I can also use my Verizon SIM for $10 per day in most places (airplane mode on the ship of course), but buying the data card is often cheaper, especially for longer trips. The data lasts forever, as long as you add some data once per year. I think the minimum is $3, and I just added that to my GF's card to kick expiration forward a year rather than let it expire. I think buying the physical World SIM card (which I've used in places like China, Thailand, Japan, Europe, etc) is about $49 and as of this writing, that includes 2 GB of data. That card doesn't work on every Caribbean island, however, but it works most places.

The KeepGo data card I use is not capable of making cellular calls. It is not linked to an account other than the data that remains associated with that SIM. So yes, I typically do have the phone in Airplane mode, but there have been times where I turn it off if my data only card is in place, as I can sometimes hit cell towers, which in my case, is okay so long as that data *only* SIM is running. Here's a link for the SIM that I use. https://www.keepgo.com

Still trying to decide whether or not to book, but I do own NCL stock, so apparently I'd be eligible for a shareholder credit if I do go. I did a search and found a 2020 post to the request form, but the link was bad. So here's a current link for anyone interested: Shareholder Request Form

Is their diversification of income/revenue sources. With respect to other cruise lines, when their travel and cruise business is off, they're pretty much cooked and have to hope they have enough cash and borrowing ability to ride out the storm, such as what we've seen during the coronavirus pandemic. But MSC is unusual in that they are the world's #2 shipping company, so when cruise revenues are soft, they can make it up on the shipping side, which could potentially give them greater financial stability.

At the time of booking, I was offered Trio at a supposedly discounted price for Trio of $99 USD per person, which I accepted. I believe this was said to be a 10% discount and offered me 3 specialty restaurants with only 1 of the 3 visits possible at the steak house. Later, I clicked on "plan my cruise" and "specialty dining" to see that I was offered the Three Specialty Dining Experiences, also at 10% off, but $71 USD rather than $99 USD. If they are the same, obviously $71 is cheaper than $99. But I'm wondering if there are differences that I'm not aware of. Anyone know? Here are the descriptions. Three Specialty Dining Experiences Book now three exclusive distinct exclusive meals at the delightful Speciality Restaurants of your choice and save up to 10% vs onboard price! Three deliciously different flavour profiles at a Speciality Restaurants of your choice Valid in all Speciality Restaurants at lunch and/or dinner Carousel Productions at Sea show and cocktail for only 5 Euro once on board A 50% discount is applied to packages for children up to 12 years old No payment for kids under 6 years Gratuity and speciality service charge is already included in the pre-sale price. Trio - Three Distinct Experiences Reserve at a very special price three dining experiences in three Thematic Restaurants on board and savor a memorable gastronomic experience while you cruise. A dining experience (lunch or dinner) menu will be offered to guests who purchase the package. The menu delivers the concepts experience. The packages includes food only. Day of booking to be confirmed on board. Specialty restaurants vary by ship and must be part of each ship's Trilogy Package selection.

As mentioned, we'll be in Southampton from 9 am to 9 pm on an MSC cruise stop. They have a fair number of excursions and most/all are apparently bus excursions, so we're talking about roughly 5 hours by bus roundtrip, which doesn't seem too exciting. The MSC excursion I'd consider is about 10 hours in length and stops at the Tower of London and Covent Garden. The price is about $132 USD per person. It seems like the train gets us to London faster and probably cheaper, although neither of us is familiar w/London, so certainly we would need some sort of tour once we get there. I'm open to your suggestions and recommendations. Thank you in advance!