Tapi

Thank you. It seems like it’s towards shore excursions. But you’re correct that it’s per person, so we have 300 EUR towards excursions. 😀

Thanks! My TA just replied and what you said seems to be absolutely correct. 😃

We did one of those YC Duplex Suites (like a crown loft suite) in the Med for layout the same price as an oceanview balcony in the Caribbean on Royal. Granted, we went during the off season (November), but still, I kept double and triple checking the price after I booked it to make sure that it wasn’t a mistake. 😂

Hi: My apologies since I’m still learning this cruise line’s lingo. My confirmation shows “ensemble 150EUR journey experience credit”. Can someone tell me what this is? Is it onboard credit? Shore excursion credit? Etc. Thanks for your insight!

It seems to me like the hull isn’t fully painted yet. When you zoom in, it’s not a clean line. It looks unfinished. I personally like an entirely blue hull. It looks classier and more appropriate for a luxury cruise line.

Call it gratuities, tipping, service charge, or whatever the term “du jour” is. It’s always been standard practice in the cruise industry, since the days of leaving little envelopes in the cabin on the last day of the cruise, for passengers to compensate the service team for their services. If it were up to me, this charge would already be rolled into the cruise fare. One less thing to worry about and one less thing open for debate. But I know that a lot of people aren’t in agreement. I have two cruises coming up (P&O and Explora Journeys), and for both, gratuities are already built into the cruise fare. I couldn’t be happier about it.

Yes. That’s how I approached it. I was going to sail on them just once to give them a try because I came across a deal to good to pass up. I’m now booked on our 4th one. 😂

Some things are similar, some things are vastly different. One thing where I consider MSC and Royal to be similar is in the “wow” factor of their newest and largest ships. In fact, I had never sailed on any ship that came even close to Royal’s Oasis class until I sailed on MSC. Their new World class ships close the gap further in terms of size and amenities. They even have 2 deck loft suites, inside facing balconies and their version of The Abyss. In general, their ships are beautiful, tastefully appointed, with tons of activities, great program for kids and teens, specialty dining etc. The biggest difference you’ll find is in their service and fellow passengers. MSC caters heavily to an international clientele, more specifically European. You’ll still sail with a large percentage of Americans, but you’ll notice that announcements, activities, and some cuisine selections cater to a broader clientele. Don’t be surprised to hear important announcements made in 7 languages in rapid succession. Service tends to feel a bit more aloof (probably a cultural difference). They are there for whatever you may need, but they’re somewhat stoic, not in your face, happy, cheery like when you cruise on American lines, so some may come across as being uninterested. But it’s not the case. The more international vibe is actually one of the things that I love about MSC. Don’t forget to sign up for their loyalty match program. Whatever highest status you have on any cruise line or hotel chain, they’ll match it to their similar status level. This will give you an additional 5% discount off your cruise fare. Overall, it’s a great product. I’ve truly enjoyed sailing on them.

Research your ports of call, specially if you’re visiting a destination or region of the world for the first time. If I book a cruise way in advance, I spend an insane amount of time looking at various websites, checking for different points of interest and activities. I even pull up the ports of call I’m going to visit on Google maps and set it to street view so that I can “virtually walk” around. Best part about doing your research is that you can then ditch the canned and overpriced shore excursions sold through the cruise line. You’ll enjoy a much more authentic experience, tailored by you for you, and you’ll probably save a substantial amount of money by doing things this way.

Tipping is definitely a personal matter, and there’s no right or wrong way of doing it as long as you fairly compensate the people who work hard to take care of you all week. I personally like to prepay (get it over with; one less charge to worry about), and if someone goes way out of their way, I’ll give them a bit extra on the last day on top of the prepaid gratuity. The only people who royally suck are the ones who remove gratuities saying that they’ll pay “cash directly“, and then they walk off the ship on the last day after handing out $0.

In my very humble opinion, The Carnival Splendor (affectionately nicknamed the Carnival Pepto-Bismol) may be a great ship for many. But based on what you wrote, she may be even more of a letdown than the Panorama for you. Setting aside service and cuisine, Splendor is one of Carnival’s older ship, and it shows in her design and decor. After sailing on other cruise lines like Holland America, you’ve probably developed your own standards when you cruise. If you believe that your expectations will fall below your standards, then sailing on the Splendor may not be a good idea for you.

Thanks! I’ve been pricing out ALL the categories since the announcement was made that bookings had opened up, 😂. Very good pricing in my humble opinion, specially for a brand new ship of this size and caliber. Obviously competing head on with Royal’s Icon, which will also be departing from Miami on Saturdays as well. I wonder if that will bring the prices on the Icon down a bit. We did the duplex suite on the Meraviglia and we loved the lofty style layout; perfect for our family. The ones on the World America look amazing too.

Obviously, there’s more to cleaning a hot tub than just emptying and refilling it, and no matter where I go, I’m never under the illusion that everything gets cleaned properly. 😂 But looking at the condition of the hot tub in our stateroom, it definitely received much better treatment than the ones on the public decks. The entire suite was impeccably clean.

On MSC, you may be pleasantly surprised. They have a category of entry level suites that have their own whirlpool tubs. Between MSC’s loyalty match program (where they match your loyalty status on a any other cruise line for an additional discount), and other promotions they offer like “kids sail free”, having your own whirlpool tub may be more affordable than you think. To give you an idea, here’s some sample pricing straight from their website for a cruise we have booked on the MSC Seashore (one of their newest ships) for June 2024:

When first arrived in our stateroom, the hot tub was empty. Our cabin steward asked if we wanted it set up. By the time we returned from dinner, it was filled and running. It did look impeccably clean and sparkly, with zero grime. It looked much cleaner than the way some people keep their hot tubs back home. I cant imagine it being any dirtier than the public hot tubs on the ship 😂

I started taking Uber to/from the port about 7 years ago. I haven’t booked cruise line transfers since. - cheap - reliable - ready to go - no need to wait for anybody

We booked a 1:55pm flight per the cruise line’s recommendation. We also booked a private car to take us back to LHR. More expensive, but I’m not taking any chances for the sake of saving a few bucks.

The earliest flight I’ve ever made arriving at the port of Miami and departing from the FLL airport was 8:35am. For the record, we did NOT book that early flight originally. We were planning on a later flight, but once we realized that we’d be at the airport that early, we got on the standby list for that earlier flight. It worked out great! We were back home before our original flight was even scheduled to depart FLL. Key things to make it happen: - do self assist (have all your carry in luggage with you). - be ready to disembark as soon as they announce that the ship has been cleared. - have transportation ready to go (we did Uber. I literally requested it as we were exiting the cruise terminal and it showed up in 60 seconds. - check in for your flights online and have your mobile boarding passes ready. - don’t check any luggage. Go straight to the gate.

What could possibly go wrong? 😂 (photo taken on my last Carnival cruise)

Yes. MSC in particular makes it very affordable to have your own hot tub in your balcony.

Get a stateroom with your own hot tub. We did! It was absolutely awesome! Not only did we have the hot tub all to ourselves, but we could sit there and watch as the ship arrived and departed at each port. It was also pretty awesome to use it late at night.

That stinks. The chairs were nice. We didn’t know that some cabins didn’t convert until we asked our cabin steward to separate the beds.

Yes. You get a key card, like on other cruise lines, which you can use to board the ship, open your stateroom door, and charge things to your onboard account. Only thing that was a bit different was that it was a generic, plain white card (with information printed on it). Not a branded card like on other cruise lines.

Just my humble opinion. Cruise lines are always changing and evolving, but we also change and evolve as we age. If what you’ve been doing is no longer satisfying you, you may have “outgrown” them. Definitely try something else, not only cruise lines, but also itineraries, ports of embarkation, etc. The stuff that I put up with (and many times didn’t even notice) when I cruised in my 20’s is very different than what I put up with now in my 40’s. Carnival was awesome at one point in time in my life. Then Royal Caribbean was great, etc, Now I’ve reached a point where I have zero desire to be loyal to a single cruise line and my goal is to try as many cruise lines as I possibly can. The result is that I’m always excited about trying something new rather than looking back at “the way things used to be”. In the last decade, I’ve introduce myself to several cruise lines. In addition to Carnival and Royal, I’ve also sailed on Holland America, Princess, Disney, MSC, Celebrity, and in a few months, P&O. Next year I’m looking at the brand new Explora Journeys. Every new cruise line I try has provided a wonderful, fresh, new experience. I humbly suggest that maybe you try this approach.

We were originally booked on a Haven Forward Penthouse Suite on the Norwegian Joy. Then I realized that Explora Journeys’ prices for a similar itinerary are only about $500 more per person, but they include gratuities and access to the Spa thermal area. So when you take that into account, prices are basically even. So I’m taking a chance, canceling my original reservation, and booking with Explora Journeys instead. Looking forward to trying a brand new cruise line.