MsTabbyKats

Is it one time per cruise....or a once in your life event?

I was on the Gem in November. We booked a guarantee OV 5 days before embarkation. Got the cabin immediately. It was OK....nothing great. Got the offer to bid for upgrade 2 days before embarkation. Bid for balcony...and got a great cabin. I was thinking at that time that the original occupant must have upgraded. So I'm with @BirdTravels....the later the better. Right now I'm waiting for a June 5th assignment......

@mking8288 I missed something. What was your hunch and why?

@njhorsemanI sent and paid for the application. I got back an "application pending review" where they said I'd receive another e-mail 4 days prior to embarkation. Is the "application pending review" the provisional approval or is that something else? There is an application number on what I received.

@cruiseny4lifeOn your next NCL cruise, if they have Mediterranean Night in the buffet.. .you need to try the spinach pie. I specialize (in eating) spinach pie, and NCL's is right up there . Plus, you can take as much as you want without waiting for a waiter. Anyway....there are more polite ways to say that you didn't care for the buffet than calling it "slop". Good luck with the new house!

So to confirm, I can play the slots with my $600 credit? I play a lot and I lose a lot....not looking to just get the cash!

@mking8288Was that little platter with the strawberry and 3 other things "the snack"?

@UKstagesYou somewhat disagree about the buffet being (in op's words) "slop". I completely disagree. I found that the NCL buffet has the best variety and healthiest food on the ship. But, OP (again in his words) is "almost 40 and fat" and unlikely into a healthy lifestyle. Me...I'll take "the slop" any day!

Will...do. And after Bermuda maybe we can catch a matinee...or meet up at Westway again. I had their carrot cake a few days ago...a giant piece for a modest price. Westway is the only restaurant in the city that kept their prices without lowering quality! (I should do their PR)

@The P Hi Sharon....a "last minute" decision? We're booked for 6/5.....I'm still recovering from the Getaway!

I think it was 2008....Mother's Day Cruise to Bermuda: It was so rough I vowed never to cruise again. I think it was my first post on this forum!

The problem with Bermuda "off season" is that it's not swimming weather and the seas go get there can be rough (take a look at the current sailing...barf bags are out). I'm not surprised at the "less than 50 per cent" of capacity. Thanks for your honesty. I'm always tempted to upgrade (Joy 6/5 is our next) but the more I read, the less I'm interested.

Never took it......never will. I don't drink,; DH rarely drinks.

I got married at 37; my husband was 50. Prior to that I traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle East and South America. That's besides the trips to the Caribbean, Florida and the West Coast. My husband, before coming to NYC lived in the Middle East, Europe and Canada...he was a permanent resident/citizen of 5 countries and is fluent in 3 languages. Our horizons are expanded a lot more than "getting off in a port for 6 hours". I am now a (breast) cancer survivor....2 advanced degrees....and 73 years of "life experience and research" behind me. All I want is an agent at a call center to do what he/she is being paid for....answer the phone and give correct information. NCL can do it; Carnival can do it. Why can't MSC. Just wondering....do you think anyone else went thru 25 pages to "Terms of Service"? Enuf said about "when will I get a refund?". I only wanted an estimate of the current refund timing (which I got from polite people)...not a lecture about my lack of research for an 8 day cruise.

The funny thing is "a cruise concierge" called today to ask if I had any questions about my cruise. I asked her "where was she yesterday?"....and of course she apologized etc...and reiterated that the refund could take up to 2 billing cycles. This was to be a Meraviglia cruise. We were on her Oct 2019 and we had such a good time that the day after we got home I booked the same trip/cabin for Oct 2020. We know how that went. In Mach 2022 I found out the ship was coming back to NY...I booked the same cabin for April 2023. But, honestly....should booking a cruise should require reading a 25 page document explaining the rules? Or dealing with agents that are clueless? I expect to make a call and have things done for me. I'm paying for it...their service is part of my expense (whether it's Carnival or Viking) and it's paying their salaries. MSC may not do things the American way now....but, if they want to be successful in the American market they should "Americanize". Anyway....I probably will hold off rebooking until a month before the cruise. If I can't get "that cabin" there's no point in booking earlier. That will be 10 billing cycles!

I had 3 experiences within the past 2 days: NCL...with PCC....e-mailed him, he called me back in less than 5 minutes. Booked a cruise for 6/5...took just a couple of minutes to complete MSC...I a cruise booked for a4/29/2023. There was a price drop, called to claim it. The rep was perplexed...her boss was going to put in a ticket for the adjustment (which would take 2 weeks)....so I canceled and will probably rebook close to sailing. They are i;mpossible. Carnival...with TA. Price dropped yesterday (only one cabin in that category available so the adjustment had to be done fast). Didn't hear back...called again. Didn't hear back...called today and got another agent. He did the adjustment without a problem. PCC wins!

I'm waiting for the Cliff Notes to come out.

@Homosassa I'll have my lawyer look over those terms and conditions. It's above my pay scale.🙂 But, to put it bluntly....I don't pay more for a product if I can get it for less. That's being an educated consumer....not nickel and diming.

@mking8288Just wondering....if you have a printout of a negative test, but don't get the approval prior to embarkation....and you don't have ship wifi to get the official e-mail....do you think that would be problematic? Since they dropped that "platinum perk" I'm not sure I'd get the wifi package just to get an official email from the Bermuda Tourism Board.

LOL...I should read 25 pages? A 30 minute...."hold on"...was too time consuming for me. I generally don't book so far in advance, but I wanted the same cabin I had in 2019. (I'm still waiting to book my June 2022 cruise!) IMHO...if they don't want churning....there should be a price....one price only...and not introduce "deals".

I must have spoken to the same woman. The website was showing $XXXX (about $60 less than what I booked) and she couldn't figure out how to adjust. Even her superior couldn't figure it out. She was going to "send in a ticket". I canceled and will rebook TBA.

@jcathers1 Thanks....I know about the price fluctuations. My issue is that dealing with MSC is impossible. With other cruise lines you see a price reduction...you call...you get the reduction. I don't think I set the bar high....or my expectations are above and beyond. Compared to my other booked cruises on other lines, this price right now is high. I wanted a specific cabin. But it's easier for me to deal with "wherever I land" than unhelpful helpers! I'll wait the 60 days....or more...to rebook.

How long are refunds taking if you cancel a cruise? The rep said "60 days". I canceled an April 2023 cruise because the rep (and her superior) could not figure out how to adjust my price so I'd get the same price the website is showing. After being on hold for about half an hour I decided it would be easier to cancel and rebook....but I'd like to wait for the refund first. If this is what I have to go thru after each price adjustment (it's a year out...probably many before final payment) maybe booking "right before the cruise" would be a better option.

I ask here only because I don't have confidence in the MSC reps! If I book a cruise with the "Free Drinks and Wifi" promo: The tips per drink are included with the daily service fee (unlike NCL where there's an additional charge for "free drinks" per day) The wifi would allow me and my husband to each have 24/7 wifi on our phones....... This is how I interpret it....this is what the rep confirmed....but, I'm looking for a catch....lol.

So, I am a native speaker of English....but I think there may be a communications problem. I want to book a cruise for April 2023. I asked the first rep...."until when is the deposit refundable?". She said I have 89 days after booking the cruise.....so I could get my depost back until June 2022 for April 2023. I repeated this many times...and she said that's their policy. Called back: Rep #2 said something like 90 days before sailing....so April 2023 cruise would be refundable until some point in Jan. Sounds better. Then I ask the price of the cruise........I get about $2000 on the website. She tells me $2500 because it's more expensive when they book it. And yes, she had my membership number. Could someone please clarify the "deposit issue" and the high cost to book thru on of their agents?