hmwende

On 11/7/2021 at 8:36 AM, styles27 said:

Did you book direct or use a travel agent? 
I would call if you booked direct but wait til tomorrow.
I have noticed the reps on the weekends aren’t the greatest. 

 

Excellent News!  I can't thank you enough for your assistance.  I contacted MSC and spoke with Shakira (Shakira LOL) and she was amazing!  Our original booking was a port side Fantastica balcony without alcohol or wifi (free balcony upgrade).  Without question or penalty, she switched our booking to "all-in & wifi" Fantastica balcony on starboard side so that we can see the light show from our room.  What would have cost well over $1000 to include alcohol and wifi separately, now added a total of $563.  "But wait, there's more"! She offered an additional 15% discount because we had just joined the Voyager program.  Our original booking (two adults and one child) including taxes and fees was $482 pp and now we are paying $569 pp for a large Fantastica balcony room with All-In alcohol/soda package and Wifi.  I have to admit, I had little faith after reading all the negative reviews about the Customer Service on MSC.  Shakira stayed on the line until all my questions were answered.  I was skeptical and awaited email confirmation, but everything is in order!  I am THOROUGHLY impressed!  Can't wait to sail on MSC!

1 hour ago, Gatordad1967 said:

You have that many questions, and booked anyway?  What did your travel agent say?
 

We are avid travelers, pretty resourceful (i.e., members of sites like this), and as a result, rarely use an agent.  We also prefer to go with the flow as flexibility leads to the best travel experiences.  Our philosophy is that "if we don't have a good time, it's our own fault".  We wanted to try a different cruise line, but still have questions in preparation. Thankfully, there have been numerous folks on this thread willing to answer my many questions and I am grateful.

11 hours ago, styles27 said:

Did you book direct or use a travel agent? 
I would call if you booked direct but wait til tomorrow.
I have noticed the reps on the weekends aren’t the greatest. 

 

I booked direct. I will call tomorrow and see what happens. 

2 minutes ago, styles27 said:

That’s a great price too!
 I haven’t noticed the drink package prices changing for our booking next Sunday so no they haven’t increased since we booked in July. 
 

When you do a mock booking for your sailing you can slide the “scroll for more offers” feature (In the photo of my above post you’ll see it) until you see the “all in”

option. Click on that and see how much more it will be.  It was only $90 more pp when I looked at it for your sailing. You don’t necessarily have to buy the package outright they give a big discount on that “all in” promotion 

OH DAMN!  I just did a mock booking and see what I did. I selected balcony upgrade and didn’t even see I could scroll further to the right. The difference is $560 total with the fantastica experience for all three of us with the drink and WiFi package, which is quite a bit of savings if we purchased separately. The question is, with the horrors I hear about MSC customer service, I wonder if they will let me cancel my booking and start over. The balcony rooms available are still great. We are in 12191 - but there are other large balconies available. Do I dare call customer service?

On 11/5/2021 at 2:20 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you didn't choose to get the easy plus drink package and wifi included for about $90 pp?

I didn’t see that option when we booked. The difference between fantastica and aurea experience including drink package and WiFi was a difference of $500 pp. I thought it would be cheaper to get the drink package at $343 pp and $119 for our son. Did I miss something?

On 11/5/2021 at 8:23 AM, styles27 said:

I would wait to book your drink package if you plan to bid on the YC because you won’t get refunded if you get the upgrade to YC 
To be sure you receive your offer to bid sign into your MSC account and go to account settings then privacy settings and click on the following option (this is what my account looks like)

 

Thanks so much!  Great info. And yes those bids are much higher than I expected   We are in a large fantastica balcony including taxes at $482 pp. haven’t gotten the drink package yet. But I’ll wait just in case. Do you know if the prices increase for drink package closer to the sailing?  We are not leaving until March. 

Booked our first cruise on MSC Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral 3/6/22 (but experienced cruisers) in room 12191 balcony fantastical experience (hoping to get an opportunity to bid on YC). I’ve learned a lot from reading, but the answers to the following questions are eluding me. 

1. We enjoy old school cruising and being assigned to a large table at dinner so that we can meet other folks. Is this possible with MSC?
2. Does MSC refund cost paid for drink package if we get upgraded to YC?  If not, should we wait to purchase drink package?  Does the price go up the closet we get to the cruise?
3. Is there a cost to participate in the following:  gelato, fitness center, flight simulator, cirque de soliel?
4. Does anyone know the single day pass cost for the thermal suite?
5. Any theme parties we should be aware of?
6. Where are the more secluded private spots on the ship if you’re not in YC?  We love quiet relaxation. Also any secret tips about the ship to share?
7. Where are the best quiet secluded spots on the beach in Ocean Cay?
8. Can anyone confirm if the light show is on port or starboard side?  Our room is on port but afraid to request a change in response to terrible reviews of customer service and I don’t want my reservation screwed up. 
9. I thought I read somewhere that you can pay a day rate to use the Solarium pool - is that correct?  If so, what is the cost?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Heather

On 9/6/2021 at 5:37 PM, Tapi said:

 

 

We just returned from the Meraviglia this morning. The kids (elementary age) had an absolute blast! NO reservations for the water park or the ropes course. With the limited capacity, there were no lines and my kids went down the water slides over and over until they were exhausted. They also did the ropes course a few times with no lines either. 
 

About the kids club: my kids attended a few times for an hour or so at a time. It was pretty much the same as previous times we’ve sailed on MSC. The kids said it was OK to kill some time. They did have to wear masks, sanitize their hands, and have their shoes sprayed with disinfectant before going in. 

 

I also purchased a $50 entertainment card good for the F1simulator, flight simulator, 4D Cinema, bowling alley, and arcade (although some things were not operation all the time).  My older son did the F1 Simulator a couple of times. Never a line either, max one person ahead of him at a time. 

Sportsplex was off limits to unvaccinated guests unless they wey were hosting a Kids Club sponsored activity there.

 

We also had a great time at Ocean Cay. We  did a waverunner excursion which was the absolute highlight of the cruise for the entire family. Overall, a great time for them. 

 

Th and you so much for the information!  Did you observe any safety protocols in place?
 

Thanks is in advance!

Best cruise director we have ever had!  

On 6/7/2017 at 6:32 PM, sandycruzr said:

We have had great luck with a taxi driver inside the cruise terminal at amber cove. Our group of 6 used Rafael Diaz eight times and highly recommend him. He is a licensed taxi driver. His van is new, clean and great air conditioning. He speaks conversational English and was very informative and fun! He taught the kids a song in Spanish, and had us entertained the entire days we spent with him. The taxi stand manager knows him by "Diaz" just request him and you will have fun. I felt so comfortable with Diaz that I sent my 2 teenagers to the falls alone with him one day.....for one entire day for 6 people I paid $100 and he took us to the cable car and then to the falls. He waited while the kids climbed the falls and watched their cell phones and backpacks. He is a nice man, proud father and loves to share his country with travelers. If you want his direct phone number let me know

I know this post is old, but would you please send a message to me with Diaz’s phone number?

The good news is that this "excellent information" is only 11 years old.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention on both this and my other post as well. Yes, I’m aware. Was there something current you’d like to add? (I appreciate your response may be an attempt at humor, but it’s hard to perceived it that way). :confused:

I hope you noticed that the "great info" is 12 years old and pre-Irma.

Yes, I’m aware. I am reading info on several sources. I’m aware there has been a hurricane with I frastructure however there’s stil helpful information here.

Following...thank you for the great info!

Following...excellent information, thank you!

Greetings!

Our day in port of Labadee is on my anniversary. We have been to Labadee and we are not impressed with the beaches available in walking distance to the ship. There are too many people and I'm not a fan of the ship being my view from the beach, or hearing screaming zip liners above my head. That's pretty much all that's available in Labadee (unless someone can correct me).. We want a quiet more secluded beach and therefore was looking at the Amiga Island or Private Cove excursion (

. My concern is that they are only 2-3 hours long and I want to spend every moment in port basking in the sun on the beach. Will they let you stay there if you pay double the price? We also typically do not do excursions through the cruise line, generally booking privately. Does anyone know if there are any other options for us? Or, should we simply stay on the ship and get massages that day?

Thanks in advance!

Excellent! Very helpful - it is the Boardwalk balconies I'm trying to avoid. Thank you

Greetings!

When travelling, we seek spots away from the crowds and tourists. We are looking for a relaxing day on the beach without many people. No need for facilities, although a street stand for lunch would be welcomed! We live in Florida so we prefer unspoiled beaches. We have transportation and have reviewed concerns of safety. I've seen some older posts pre-hurricane, but not sure if those recommendations still stand. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Greetings!

I've been on many cruses and all of the ocean view balconies were on the external perimeter of the ship. On this cruise we are booking Oasis of the Seas and it appears there are Interior balcony rooms with an ocean view towards the aft of the ship. I DO NOT WANT this type of room. I'm assuming its possible if I book a guaranteed oceanview balcony that I could be assigned one of these rooms. Is that correct?

I've also noticed that there are several categories of guaranteed rooms for ocean view balconies. Is there a way to book a guaranteed category to avoid one of these rooms and assure I get an external perimeter balcony room?

I hope I'm articulating my question clearly.

Thanks!

Recieved an alert today. Prices went down

I think the price went down for junior suites. I just checked and there are still two balconies available, at the same orice I paid. I'm so glad I booked when I did because I got a good mid ship cabin. The two now available are all the way forward and all the way aft.

That's not that many for a ship the size of Indy and if I were betting, I'd wager that prices are not going much lower than now. The current D3 price of $375pp is pretty good.;)

Thank you so much everyone! By the end of the night, there were only 7 balconies left, I went ahead and booked and got a great cabin without prices going up any more. I suspect prices will likely go up instead of down from this point.

Balcony is now $110 less than when we booked! Almost want to see about an upgrade.

 

I would do it. I'll never go back from balconies lol.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There are 10 junior suites and 1 owner suite left!

No one can say for sure what will happen. If you aren't willing to get stuck with your heli pad view, I'd upgrade now. If you wait, the price could go down or it could go up.

Thanks everyone! I'm certainly not looking for guarantee, just seeking a sense on the trends from those of you experienced cruising on RCCL.

The inventory will be the major factor - look on the RCI UK site and see how many cabins are available. You are within 30 days of sailing and usually there's not many drops that close in. If this is for the Serenade, that sailing is not on the GGG flier next week- one place to look for drops.

This is very helpful, thank you. I went to the RCI UK website and learned there are 158 cabins left on the ship, of which 29 are balconies and 11 are suites. This is for the Independence of the seas

When we booked our Dec 12 cruise two weeks ago, we were torn between ocean view and balcony cabin. The price only differed by $120, but to save $$ booked the guaranteed ocean view cabin. The exact same day, we were assigned a cabin all the way forward with a view of the helipad - not too happy. The very next day, we realized our blunder and called to upgrade to the balcony cabin, but the price increased by $400. I've been checking every few days to see if the price has dropped, but it continued to increase. Today, the price to upgrade to a balcony cabin dropped and now will cost $160 more than our current cabin. Should I bite the bullet and upgrade now, or wait until after Thanksgiving? There are many balcony cabins left on the ship and I'm hoping that we might be able to upgrade to a balcony for free or little money if the price continues to decrease. Anyone have any thoughts about whether we should upgrade now or hold out a little longer?