jessabella

Yes the dates match up because when you dont match them up it will tell me ..but I was thinking that it was because im booking from a different country as well. Mine was issued in UK but now live in Italy so might be the problem ..however when I try to book with the UK website it keeps telling me that I must be a resident of the country to book on UK..uggggg:eek:

Here is another question for you all...would you cruise 2 weeks later in October just to save €300?:p Im thinking of changing dates as the cost is a €300 less however we are talking late October instead of early October..I know that this time of year in the Mediterranean is a bit hit or miss but was thinking at least very early October would be a better bet. any suggestions?

The problem is Im quoting mine and the website says that my number is invalid:confused:

Im not sure but I got my card in 2009 and it was for only 2 years..I have been cruising with RCI so paid no attention to it until now that we are revisiting MSC...

I did get a very quick email about the matter from MSC and they stated that my account has been updated and I can now book my cruise and get my discount however as I tried to do so the website still said that my number was invalid so of course could not book. Generally I wouldnt worry about it as I know I can get it sorted out at anytime and you dont loose your points however Id like to save the €300...its only a little but that little bit could be an excursion for our family.

Depends on your kids really. The Poesia has less bells and whistles than the larger Fantasia class ships. However as kategoesonholiday points on med cruises are very port intensive. MSC (and Costa for that matter too) will give your kids the opportunity to really experience med culture onboard as well as onshore. English speakers will be in the minority. Everything will not be geared towards how things are done at home in the US. If they go to kids or teen club, they will be mixing with many nationalities. It will be a good life learning experience for them early on, allowing to learn how diverse the world is. Only you know how your kids will deal with this. Will they find it exciting and different or will they be bored because there is not a skating rink and all the food they have at home?

Wow how sad would it be if a child could not enjoy one week or two weeks in diversity because there aren't the same activities or food at home..there is a much deeper problem here...

:confused:

Depends on your kids really. The Poesia has less bells and whistles than the larger Fantasia class ships. However as kategoesonholiday points on med cruises are very port intensive. MSC (and Costa for that matter too) will give your kids the opportunity to really experience med culture onboard as well as onshore. English speakers will be in the minority. Everything will not be geared towards how things are done at home in the US. If they go to kids or teen club, they will be mixing with many nationalities. It will be a good life learning experience for them early on, allowing to learn how diverse the world is. Only you know how your kids will deal with this. Will they find it exciting and different or will they be bored because there is not a skating rink and all the food they have at home?

Wow how sad would it be if a child could not enjoy one week or two weeks in diversity because it doesn't have the same activities at home..there is a much deeper problem here...

:confused:

I have just tried to book my next cruise and was delighted to get my discount but as I went to book and pay was told that my club number is invalid. Of course I went digging for my little card only to see that the letter stated that it was only valid for two years and sure enough the date on the card said 2011. How can I fix this asap so that I can book the particular suite that we want before someone else takes it:p. There is a number to the UK that we can ring who issued the card so I will try and ring them but has anyone else dealt with this? I will still have my points from my last cruise in 2009 right?

Wow, does look tempting...until you read some MSC reviews. (I think you get what you pay for.)

I think it depends on what reviews, from where and from what sort of people are reviewing. The worst of the reviews I've heard is that the food is not like what most Americans are looking for...I'm not looking for American style food, another negative is that it is European style and speak various languages (I live in Italy and speak Italian and have lived in 4 other countries so its all interesting to me), the customer service was not like the American style of service..no problem for me. I think the only thing I was worried about was the lack of luxury as we are used to having luxurious holidays but seems to me that I can get it for a lower price with Yacht club..hey I will see after I try..either Ill be back on another cruise before the year is out or will be booking a RCI from then on. ;)

Oh thanks cruiser girl...

ooooh and where in Georgia are you...I was born and spent my childhood in Atlanta.

oh dont feel bad as I have a tiny pot of Vegemite in my bag..hahaha us Aussies are the same!:p

oh 18-26 degress sound good to me..

ooo thats a good point... 1530 is one of the larger ones right?? :eek:

thanks..good info...what am I waiting for..suppose I should press the book and pay button..hahaha

We always travel,just the 2 of us, but request a large table,early dining. Just for the reason you said......we like to converse with others.

I explained this to MSC and they said ...no problem..your butler can accommodate any requests like that. You just tell him in the morning & he will arrange it.

I do not know how that could be since tables are assigned but was assured it could be done.

We are going to try that every other night.

We heard that the food is superior in the YC dining room so want to try that.

I realize that wine would not be covered in the main dining room. when we sailed MSC before, they offered carafes of house wine very reasonable.

Also, remember that the main dining room also serves breakfast and lunch every day and you can do a shared table then. I figured top sail lounge for a Bloody Mary before heading to breakfast there.

I just would hate to pay all that money and not meet anyone..I suppose its what you are looking for on a specific cruise..also the gala night.is always great to see everyone all dressed up and run into people you have met.it at the table you have been eating with the last few days and see them dressed up. Like someone said ..hey we cant have it all..price of luxury! :D

Thanks for the tips...looks like the 18th October is when we will be sailing as it is the only sailing that has the larger Yacht club cabins that we are hoping for ..and is a bit cheaper too....will have to start praying now that the rain stays away...but only for the vain reason of not waiting bad hair days..hahahaha:p

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

It sounds like a comparison between Yacht club and a junior suite.

 

Regardless of the ship (which is a valid statement anyway), the extras in Yacht club far surpass a junior suite. There's no need to worry about a drinks package either due to the drinks being included in YC areas, which doesn't apply to JS. And as a JS, you don't get access to any of the suite lounges either.

 

Hands down win to MSC in this comparison.

To be honest this is what I had been thinking before..but you know when you are loyal to one product its hard to see outside of it sometimes..but now having a small child ..my priorities have shifted and if I can have a bit more luxury I'm going to take it..hahaha Also when you compare it to a JS I agree it does not compare to the service unless we were going into the Owners suite again but with our daughter it is a bit costly for us at this moment.....I guess my question I was asking myself is if switching lines just for more luxury was worth it ..when it comes to taking a gamble with food and activities..but from what I've read over the last two days is that by staying in the Yahct club we are going to have a completely different experience than our first time with MSC on an older ship in a balcony room...with its drinks package, special lounges and dinning room in itself makes the choice for me. Ill be sure to do real-time comparison with my review.

We will be sailing the Mediterranean route ( italy, Greece, turkey, instabal) in October but not sure what to expect. There are three sailings available to us but we assumed that the early October would be better for warmest weather although it's about €120 more. Any tips and suggestions?

thanks

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I agree that the cost is what makes you think twice. We live royal but since living in Italy we have come to grips with learning how to save when can. I'm intrigued to try out the yacht club and see how we like it.. thanks for all of your comments which really helped.

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Any rooms we should avoid.we are three and definantly want a balcony. We are looking at yacht club deluxe suite on 15th floor

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Thanks for your responses. It is always good to here from people with both exsperiences. We have decided to give the yacht club a try.

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I posted the same question in the RCI page so thought Id ask it here just to get different sides of opinions.:o

We are loyal to Royal..we did try MSC once and it was okay, the major problem we had is that we were a bit bored with not much to do as we had experienced on Royal Carribean...however now we are cruising with our 3 year old daughter so things would be different I know...The food was decent and the drinks were decent..the ship was very beautiful and we loved being able to practice our italian at the time, the entertainment is good but listening to 5 different languages was cool until the last day when all we wanted to hear was either Italian or English...but we did miss the luxuries that we had when on Royal in a owners suite...from reading many posts we have learned that going from an owners suite to a balcony on MSC will defiantly disappoint anyone...But what about the Yacht club...the reviews of this area seem to be good....sooo with that said....anyone have an opinion against the two.

We would be looking at cruise both Mediterranean cruise with RCI on the Splendour of the Seas or MSC Preziosa. Both would depart from Venice with similar itineraries however very different at the same time (we would love the RCI more I do believe)

However this is where we keep going back in forth...each cruise cost almost exactly the same (about €50 difference).

With RCI we would get double points I believe for a Jr Suite :confused:.. We have never been in a Jr Suite on Royal only a large Balcony and in the Owners Suite. But we would be cruising with just myself, hubby and our 3 year old so I believe we would be okay. We are drinkers so I'm sure we would be needing to buy a drinks package but not sure how those go as we always just buy the drinks on-board. We are hoping to have some sort of babysitting at night to enjoy a little bit of alone time out at the casino or a show..not sure how that will work as havent cruised since having our daughter:eek:

Now on to the option with MSC. For the same price we would be in a Yacht Club deluxe suite. Now we do have an MSC card but not sure on how those points work as we don't really follow them. But if I'm correct the Yacht club comes with unlimited drinks on the 15th floor so will not need a drinks plan??

We live in Italy and speak Italian for the most part so we are fully use to the food and culture here however we do like both cultures of american style as well as European style...but think the food on RCI is better as well as the entertainment of the American style......but recent reviews of the preziosa have better reviews on its dinning experience.

Anyway ..what would you do in this circumstance. Thanks for all opinions from those who have cruised both lines and have an opinion.

We are loyal to Royal..we did try MSC once and it was okay...The food was decent and the drinks were decent..the ship was beautiful and we loved being able to practice our italian at the time, the entertainment is good but listening to 5 different languages was cool until the last day when all we wanted to hear was either Italian or English...but we did miss the luxuries that we had when on Royal in a owners suite...from reading many posts we have learned that going from an owners suite to a balcony on MSC will defiantly disappoint anyone...But what about the Yacht club...the reviews of this area seem to be good....sooo with that said...would you try MSC again if your circumstances were as ours...

We would be looking at cruise both Mediterranean cruise with RCI on the Splendour of the Seas or MSC Preziosa. Both would depart from Venice with similar itineraries however very different at the same time (we would love the RCI more I do believe)

However this is where we keep going back in forth...each cruise cost almost exactly the same (about €50 difference).

With RCI we would get double points I believe for a Jr Suite :confused:...then we would finally be Platnum (yes we are newbies :)) We have never been in a Jr Suite on Royal only a large Balcony and in the Owners Suite. But we would be cruising with just myself, hubby and our 3 year old so I believe we would be okay. We are drinkers so I'm sure we would be needing to buy a drinks package but not sure how those go as we always just buy the drinks on-board. We are hoping to have some sort of babysitting at night to enjoy a little bit of alone time out at the casino or a show..not sure how that will work as havent cruised since having our daughter:eek:

Now on to the option with MSC. For the same price we would be in a Yacht Club deluxe suite. Now we do have an MSC card but not sure on how those points work as we don't really follow them. But if I'm correct the Yacht club comes with unlimited drinks on the 15th floor so will not need a drinks plan??

We live in Italy and speak Italian for the most part so we are fullly use to the food and culture here however we do like both cultures of american style as well as European style...but think the food on RCI is better as well as the entertainment of the American style......

Anyway ..what would you do in this circumstance. Thanks for all opinions from those who have cruised both lines and have an opinion.

I dont post on this forum very much..just lurk around and read mostly...but I had to stop and say that this is by far the best review ever. After moving to Italy we have seriously considered taking a few cruises on MSC and you have answered alot of questions. We did try out one MSC and while we loved it it was very very different than our usual RCI ships..but I will say that from what you are saying in your review (and a few others Ive read) that the newer ships with MSC are very different than the older ones. Anyway thanks so much for the detail and photos..love love love it all and now Im off to find myself a sailing! :D

What a great review..and defiantly appreciated..as we will take our daughter on her first cruise in September..she will be 2yr and 10m so will be interesting to see how she will do with the babysitting service. We would like to try two of the speciality restaurants whilst she is there and maybe a show on our own too:p

But like you said its all about the maturity level...At the moment it takes a long time for our daughter to warm up to groups of people ..so we are expecting that she will want to be with us..but we will try dropping her off and see how it goes ..hopefully she doenst scream the place down.:eek: