UPNYGuy

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

Knowing which elevators to commandeer is helpful. Some are more receptive than others (the butlers know which are the best ones). Meraviglia's aren't great but they work. 

it has usually been the most forward starbord one right off the theatre

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I looked up some photos and it seems that the hot tubs are different between the Seaside and the Seascape, so maybe our experience won't be as bad. I do agree that the layout of the rooms is a bit weird with how long and narrow they are.

I did notice that the tubs look a bit different.

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Not to hijack the thread, but what was wrong with the layout of the balcony? We are looking to maybe book a Whirlpool Suite on the Seascape in May.

If you are referring to “Aurea suite with whirlpool bath” on the exact corners where the ship narrows, this entire cabin set-up has flaws.
 

It is long and narrow, and reminds me of a hallway. The balcony is somewhat narrow to have a decent sized jacuzzi tub on it. The ones that are out there are not actual hot tubs, but bathtub types.

And, if you are in the aft facing cabins, the pool deck can look directly into your balcony. You get plenty of gawkers going “omg they have a hot tub” , and stuff like that. DW and I got “upgraded” into one shortly before the bid process started, and I would have rather had my aurea balcony. 

On 8/12/2023 at 6:22 PM, PAJunkie said:

Titanium is the highest level. I’m lifetime platinum. The spreadsheet noted that Titanium or Lifetime Platinum matched for gold, so I contacted them when I was matched silver. They changed their match and all levels at Marriott now match silver. I didn’t notice the match for Lifetime Titanium. 
 

When Marriott completed their merge with Sheraton, I remember Sheraton was happy with the changes and new level, Marriott members like me were disappointed (fewer benefits though the levels “sounded” higher).

So I am guessing once MSC realized, they changed their match. 

kind of like when NCL re-did the loyalty tiers back in the late 2010's. I have platinum, which (at the time) was the highest tier on the NCL loyalty totem. You could get 4x points per day by booking certain cabins, certain destination offers, enough time in advance, and something else I am forgetting. NCL ended up with a very top-heavy loyalty program, so they made platinum the mid point. I matched in (I think) 2017, and got black (now diamond).

Two years later, a woman next to me on seaside was being insistent about her match not being done properly while I was trying to book another sailing with the FCC. She was platinum on NCL and was matched to gold. I kept my mouth shut, but started wondering if MSC was doing the same thing and re-evaluating the matches. 

On 12/21/2021 at 7:55 PM, rkacruiser said:

As a YC guest on this ship, I found it most difficult to use any priority elevator service from the foyer outside the Main Theater.  

I myeslf have accidently stepped in the elevator with y/c guests when I havent been staying in, and I have also had the reverse happen. I have had people step in and disrupt the priority service for me as well. There have been times I have gone up the glass elevators midships and walked across the deck to avoid this. 

On 7/24/2023 at 4:19 PM, TravelandLeisure85 said:

Fellow Passengers:  I would say the majority of the people on this ship were generally well-behaved and respectable, however there were certain groups that left a lot to be desired. It was generally easy to avoid these groups, and we didn't let it interfere with our vacation. Also, we smelled weed in the hallways several times throughout the cruise. I even saw several people openly smoking it when we were on the beach in Ocean Cay. There was literally a guy in the ocean puffing a joint---I thought that was pretty bold. MSC definitely needs to get some drug dogs on board like Carnival is beginning to do.

avoid short cruises and you generally avoid undesirable clientele. 

DW and I were in a suite with a hot tub on Seaside some time ago. we honestly never used it. The layout of the balcony was terrible for the hot tub. 

On 7/23/2023 at 12:58 AM, CruiseTee said:

That's probably why I won't ever sail Princess either. I've been on 25 cruises with the following cruise lines and it's never been done to me: Carnival, Oceania, Holland America, Cunard, Celebrity, NCL, RCCL and Regent. Not once have they ever changed my cabin when I booked a specific cabin. 

Ive had Holland America do this to me twice, Oceania do this to me once, and NCL do this to me twice, as well as MSC 3 times before the bid process

-50 cruises here, this is common in the cruise industry

The promenade does not wrap. It is enclosed at the bow and stern.

hate to be "this person"   but.... COVID is *never* going to go away. 

i have done it over the phone. just make sure you have a confirmation email sent.

6 minutes ago, George C said:

By the way Monday is national martini day , my favorite restaurant has 3 dollar martinis all day , of course they will not be using good gin or vodka , all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

try Sobieski for an inexpensive, yet very good vodka. I actually prefer it to Belvedere. 

4 minutes ago, George C said:all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

I have found I can get a good martini on Royal Caribbean and MSC as well, and with minimum difficulty. 

On 5/24/2023 at 1:18 AM, notscb said:

 

The key is also versatility, IMHO. Alaska, for example, will never see an Oasis class ship for example, which makes those ships less competitive overall in terms of itineraries and positioning.

this is exactly why MSC rolled out the Meravigila the way they did. The hull is 'short and fat' so to speak, relative to the pax load it carries. It was deliberately designed so it could fit in ports that ships that had a similar capacity could not go. MSC explicitly mentioned Alaska several times during the build-out, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Carnival take a similar approach to this. 

On 6/8/2023 at 7:28 PM, George C said:

It much safer to specify a certain brand , we like vodka martinis, dirty with Tito’s , if gin I would order Bombay sapphire, that goes for anything other than that you can’t be sure what you will get.n

this is the other reason why I find it tough to get a good martini on carnival. I prefer a classic, london style dry gin. I ask what type of gin they are using before I order, and more often than not it is a new-world style. Some are ok, but bulldog (all over the carnival ships) is horrible. I'll take bombay original if I can find it.   

On 6/2/2023 at 12:23 PM, klfrodo said:

I've always wondered why people think a drink would be made the same way all over the world. Every culture is going to put their own spin on a recipe. Heck, people don't even make basic foods the same way across the street, let alone around the world.

You want a drink made a certain way, then call it.

I can go to Brazil and order a caipirinha and it is made with cachaca, as it is on MSC and Royal Caribbean, and IMO the proper way. However, I can go to the D.R or Jamaica, and have it made with rum, which would be a local interpretation. Cachaca is a type of rum made from the sugarcane itself, whereas what most people know as rum is actually made from molasses. 

DW and I have run into this exact thing repeatedly. We have been told by bartenders (and observed firsthand) it has to do with people not knowing what they are ordering. Someone orders a tom collins and (correctly) wants it made with gin, and the next person comes up and orders it because they saw it on TikTok, but assumes it has vodka in it because it was in a trendy video.

and what they are seeing is a vodka sour, not a tom collins. 

I almost always have an issue when I request a dry gin martini, up with a twist. I always get asked if I want vodka or gin, and then I repeat myself. I dont blame them for going on autipilot, especially when you are serving a large population that *thinks* that knows what they are ordering, but in actuality is getting the drink order incorrect. 

I have also witnessed someone trying to order a 'tequila sour', and confusing the bartender. They were next to me, so I went 'that's more commonly known as a margarita".

On 1/5/2023 at 1:26 AM, tidecat said:

August 12, 2045, however, will be a much better time to be cruising to catch an eclipse, as the path of totality will include Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Freeport (Bahamas), the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos.

lolll... I'll be 62, so hope I'm still here.

...now if we post this in the HAL and Cunard forum...

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I guess how "mega" is your definition of mega? Over 200k tons? Sure I agree. Because by other definitions (say anything bigger than Conquest class) all the mainstream lines are all-in on mega ships.

Hell, there were people on the HAL forums that were ranting about the 'mega ship' size of the HAL vistas and Signatures when those first came out. 

FWIW, those are the same size as a Spirit class.

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Why couldn't they do that? As long as they visit a foreign port during the voyage then it's fine right?

That's what they did on Freedom on the 3 and 4 day cruises when the ships first started sailing again

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

She lied to you. MSC works perfectly with many agents. But your TA seems to be not qualified for the "special" phone line for preferred MSC agents, understandably that makes her not happy. And she has probably a fine status with other lines, so she directs her clients to these lines. Always keep this system in mind when booking a cruise with a TA. 

correct. My agent has never had an issue with booking me on MSC. 

20 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Wait.  I didn't know that with the Bella package you don't get to pick your cabin.  I was always was selecting the Fantastica level since its not much more and you get the dining time you want.  That means that even if you select the fare that includes the drink package for $220pp more, you still can't pick your cabin unless you upgrade again for another $20pp.  

You can also select your dining time with Bella. Fantastica just gets priority 

35 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm sorry, I can't get past this. MSC actually charges people money to select the time they can eat? I assume you can just go with whatever time MSC gives you instead of paying the money. Wow, talk about nickel and diming you! 

MSC considers flexible dining a perk of higher end cabins. They do NOT charge a fee to let you select your dining time. They simply do not permit you to select flexible dining unless you are in an Aurea level (or Yacht Club). They assign an early or late seating. 

DW and I cruise on MSC, and quite enjoy them. 
 

If those in this thread are new to them, PLEASE pay attention to the Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, and Yacht Club levels. Bella is guaranteed only, and (interestingly enough) only the Aurea and Y/C permit flexible dining. 
 

MSC is good about laying out the inclusion levels. 

Off of goccl.