ZoeyVictoria

I remember that! I missed that one, too, but I remember it. Most of the cruises with that deal were canceled due to Covid, but there were some that were enjoyed.

Royal Caribbean offered something for $89.99 a few months ago that doesn’t even exist and would have been impossible to produce anyway. I booked it for two cruises to see what happened. It was canceled and $50 OBC was given for each booking. Plus quick refunds of the $89.99.

I started out at the dining room, but there is no one there to assist during the first afternoon, unlike other cruise lines. The hidden spot was the only choice.

I just looked at the deck plans to refresh my memory. It was really confusing because of the different decks I searched and the convoluted route I was directed to. I am positive that it was on Deck 6, close to the Venchi chocolate bar. Not directly visible from there, but around a corner or in a cubbyhole. Looking at the deck plan, it is possible that it was in the Business Center. Two men were set up at tables with computers, and two female greeters prescreened guests. Some guests accepted what they were told and left, others were told to sit down while she took her notes to the men at the computers and they worked together to make changes. Then I was given a form that had my newly assigned table handwritten on it because my card was not changed. I had to show the form to the hostess at the dining room to be escorted to the table. The area was not marked or labeled in any way. I am assuming that it is designed to assist guests who were specifically sent there and prevent other guests from casually stopping there on impulse.

I wasn’t impressed when I received that BOGO offer, but I called anyway. It was not as much as I thought it should have been. We booked a 4-night Serenade in December for $395 total for two. It worked out to $89 plus port fees/taxes each. We added it to another, already booked cruise for a S2S.

Thank you! That would make a difference for us. The one-hour drive to Tampa is so easy, and we can even stop at Busch Gardens for a couple of hours on the way home.

I used the app for three cruises, shortly after it was made available and strongly encouraged. I hated it. I have a purse, a carryon, sunglasses, and (for those early cruises) vaccination cards and test results to handle. The most likely item to be dropped or lost was my phone. I find it much easier to use a printout. And, yes, I am anal about other things. I prefer to call it detail-oriented 😂

Our preparations for leaving on a cruise: Turn thermostat up to 80, unplug coffee pot and air fryer, remove a battery from the motion sensor kitchen faucet, drop trash bag down the trash chute, and lock the door behind us.

Fourth floor condo, so nothing I could have done if I stayed home. The power had even been restored by the time we got home. The perfect plan for us!

We live just an hour from Tampa and would like to cruise on the Elation’s sister, the Paradise, for easy, short cruises. The last time we were on that ship, though, we did not enjoy it as much as we hoped because the ship was so loud. The theater and especially the lido deck seemed to have the volume way up compared to other ships. We missed the outdoor promenade deck and could not find a place to get away from the noise and relax. Did you find anywhere to sit outside and relax that was not noisy?

We live three miles from the coastline on Florida’s west coast. Last September, Hurricane Ian was headed directly towards us, so we quickly booked a four-night cruise out of Port Canaveral. We missed one port due to high winds, then missed the two substitutes they planned, for the same reason. We did not get off the ship Nassau, so spent the entire cruise on the ship for the first time ever and enjoyed it. Port Canaveral was closed the day we were due to return, so the cruise line added a fifth day to our cruise, free of charge. The weather never had much effect on the ship and we were safer than we would have been at home. That is our evacuation plan for future hurricanes.

I think MSC’s pizza is a major improvement over all other cruise lines. I almost never eat pizza on other ships, but had pizza for lunch every day on the Seaside. It is also available at 10 p.m., when they put out the best cookies we have ever had on a ship - we stay out later than we would really prefer to wait for those cookies. There are two buffets on different decks, with one quite smaller than the other. Those are some of the tiny differences that make MSC enjoyable to us.

I am D+ on Royal and cruised on the Seaside in May and again in July. Although Royal is my favorite, I enjoy the differences between cruise lines. The Seaside lacks the Flowrider, skating rink, and carousel (there is a zip line). If those activities are important to you, you would be happier on the Allure. Those activities do attract a lot of children, so there are generally fewer kids on MSC. We find the food and service comparable, but we enjoy trying something different. MSC’s shows are fabulous, but so are those on the Allure. If I was in your situation, I would have a hard time making a decision and would be looking for a way to do both 😄

Surprisingly, I have received a credit card refund of $27.04.

Thank you so much! Now I know what to pack.

Is there only one formal night on the 6-night sailings?

We have our first cove balcony booked on the Celebration for October 1. I received the upgrade offer and immediately turned it down based on the rave reviews from so many people here on CC. That many people can’t be wrong! We also enjoy odd or unusual cabins over the standard cabins that can be booked on any ship.

I am sorry that happened to you. If the change is not reversed, the other two couples are bound to see the new cabin occupants going in and out of the cabin. I would be tempted to have short, casual conversations with them, eventually asking how they booked that cabin. It won’t change the situation, but would be advantageous in the event of escalating the issue with Celebrity.

Thank you! I saw this earlier at the 10% bonus and had decided not to bother with it, but the 20% bonus is enough to make it worthwhile. I also bought the max allowed. The pending charge on my credit card is “Celebrity Cruises Miami USA”, so I am hopeful that it will fall under the “travel” category with 5% cash rewards.

My PVP stated it could be used any time during the next 24 months.

How could you possibly resist this 😂. My favorite commercial of all time!

From what I have read about Virgin Voyages, it would be an excellent match for you.

I just requested mine from my PVP. He told me he would submit the request, but it won’t show until 1-2 days before the cruise.

We were also on that cruise, and agree with your opinions. I also was not happy to book Fantastica and be assigned to ATD. I waked all over the ship and asked four different employees for guidance before finally finding the mostly-hidden area to request a change to early dining. I explained what I wanted and gave a reason, and was told, “No problem! ATD starts at 5:15, just go then”. I told her I had been on the ship in May and had seen the ATD lines. She laughed and found a table for us in early dining. People watching was fantastic from that table. Several very large groups kept us well entertained. The only odd experience we had was at the time cabins became available on embarkation day. Several elevators stopped and doors opened to reveal not an inch of space. Finally one stopped that was only about two-thirds full. My SO stepped into the elevator and was told, “We are full. You have to get off the elevator.” That did not happen. We have sworn off three night cruises a few times, but every once in a while one fits into our schedule so perfectly that we go anyway. We go knowing that it will be a different experience from longer cruises, and with adjusted expectations This cruise was actually better than expected. My favorite memory of the cruise was early in the morning of the second day at Ocean Cay. I was off the ship within twenty minutes of the gangway opening, and walked to Lighthouse Bay. Very few people were on the beach, with only three of us in the water. I started my day floating in that gorgeous water with the ship on one side and the lighthouse on the other. Beautiful morning.

Yes, it was the only one that didn’t conflict with something we already had booked. Dates ranged from November 27 through mid-December. I believe there was a total of 6-8 choices. We realized quickly that there was only that one possibility and called immediately to make sure we got it. The rep said, “There is plenty of availability”. I didn’t keep the list, sorry.