slei15

3 minutes ago, Trixsea said:

Just remember this is for active, retired or veteran military only.

The only thing that applies to military only is an extra savings per person up to $100. The 4 perks + OBC applies to everyone. 

Checked out the sale pricing on the Apex for Thanksgiving 2020.  Great deal for 2 passengers, but when adding a 3rd and 4th for our kids, it is not so great.  Base price for 3 & 4 is higher than base for 1 & 2, granted it is 50% off the 3rd and 4th, but still over $1k each with port fees for third and 4th guest.

It will appear on your booking invoice under a Perk code, as well as it should be on your express pass (it will show either CALL or PALL under the barcode).

We made reservations in advance for all 7 nights.  Chose to double up on the 3 that the sample menus looked most appealing (the main rotating menu is the same in all 4, the only difference is the special items).  We tried to change times/restaurants on board a couple times, both day of and in advance, and were told there was no availability.  You always have the option to walk in, but you may be waiting a while unless someone doesn't show for their reservation.

For a single bottle on the ship is usually between $170-$180.  Last time I bought it I got 2 liters plus a bonus 375ml bottle for $320, as they offered a certain % off for 2 bottles plus the mini for free with it.

18 minutes ago, Alsmez said:

I saw the Drinks & More package listed on the website a couple of days ago, but I just went back and can't find it anywhere. Very weird. 

 

ETA: I signed out of my account and was able to see the Drinks & More package under the Onboard Packages section. However, when I am signed in it doesn't show up anywhere.

They are calling it a limited offering (certain capacity per sailing), and I have also heard that it is currently only offered on 2019 sailings as a test run.

12 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

Interesting thread. We have PBP as an included perk and the Premium + was on sale for less than the cost of the PBP we already had. I called to inquire (twice) and was told (both times) that I couldn't upgrade because we'd received the PBP as a perk and that the Premium + was only available to those who'd purchased the PBP. Maybe I'll have to make call #3!

That was the case when it was the Premium Plus, however; the Drinks and More (same thing, new name) specifically states that upgrade into is available.  They actually have a specific code for Upgrade in from Promo Premium Beverage Package. 

1 minute ago, killsport said:

What is in your minibar? Are snacks included? What was the wine tasting (was it different from the Elite one)?

Good question...We'll find out at Christmas!

If anyone who has sailed with it can answer @Criop? That would be great!

Just upgraded from the included premium package (sail all included) to drinks and more for $126 total for the two of us.  With the current pre-cruise sale, with the service charge it is $9/day/person for the upgrade.  After the $100 in casino credit which we would have spent anyway, that is $26 for the minibar, 4 bottles of wine, and the wine tasting.  Not too bad!

21 hours ago, sidari said:

Nikki ... Interested to hear also how you get on with the Deluxe, we have our last one in December.

Curious about the same thing.  We have our last Deluxe in March...Wondering how they accommodate.

We cruised on the Edge in January without the kids. It was a great adult experience as it always is on X, but we also kept saying he whole time that our kids would love this or that on the ship.  Our 7 and 10 year old boys have been on 8 cruises, and they both love them.  They love to order from the adult menu in the dining rooms and try new foods, and while they will have fun for an hour or two on the waterslides, it does not make or break the cruise for them. They had just as much fun on the Enchantment of the Seas as they did on the MSC Seaside. While we were on in January, we spent a good amount of time talking to the kids club manager. She had all of 20 children on that sailing, and most were not attending kids club. She went into depth with us about what the kids program offers, which is a STEM curriculum with a "journey" to complete during the cruise. The kids that do go absolutely love it and don't want to leave. After talking with her, we decided to book the Edge with the kids for Christmas to try it out. We know the kids will love the better food on X than the others, and the theater entertainment will also be right up their alley. With the way the kids program sounds and knowing my kids, I do not expect to see much of them during the day as they will love it. To each their own, but I think X does make the concerted effort to ensure the kids have a great time, even when the ships are not really designed for them.

My understanding was they stopped accepting them at the end of March 2019.  We had a truckload left over from prior cruises when we did our spring break cruise this year and gave them out to some very happy people as we did not need them.

Check out the Cozumel Chef and do one privately.  A quick google search will bring you to their website.  The cooking class with Josefina at $80 per person is awesome, as are their local food tours with Jerry or Emily.

We have been on the Divina, the Seaside 3 times, and are booked on the Meraviglia for March 2020.  I would avoid the older ships and stick to the Seaside or Meraviglia class (or the Divina) if you plan to go.  We did the Seaside in November 2018 and March 2019, with the Edge sandwiched between in January 2019.  They are completely different experiences.  On MSC, if you really want to enjoy it, book at least an Aurea Suite, if not Yacht Club, and go in remembering that you are paying as much for this experience as you would for an inside cabin on Celebrity.  The food is decent, the service has gotten better, but obviously Celebrity is superior in both areas.  

I am still seeing the perks options available for both refundable and non-refundable for 2020 sailings when I do a few mock bookings for different times in 2020 on the TA site...

They are two different types of pricing promotions based on the original brochure prices.  The pricing does not always make sense. I have seen Aurea pricing on these two rates be hundreds of dollars of difference, even though the only added perk for Aurea on the All In is the internet since the easy drink package is already included.  Not everyone always does the math, so they sometimes get away with charging more for the All In than the items would cost ala carte with the Escape.  The two discount deals are not connected though, so the all in will not necessarily be x dollars more than the escape.

1 hour ago, Ocean Cat said:

We were assigned a cabin with two dots. The key indicates bunk beds. I like the location ok. Is there any negative for two ppl to have this cabin?

No negative for two.  The bunk beds are a special type of couch, where it raises up to become a bunk bed.  With two of you in the room, it will just be left down as a regular couch.

The only cabins with difficulty watching TV from the bed are the Aurea Whirlpool Suites.  With these cabins being extra long and the way they are laid out, the TV being in front of the couch makes it very difficult to see from the far side of the bed.  I was able to see it better from the close side, but it was not comfortable viewing.

My wife and I loved the Edge.  We are in our mid-30s and like you are not the out all night party animals.  The average age on our sailing was probably late 60's (we went in January).  We had a blast at the martini bar every night, and the party there went until you wanted it to. Definitely did not shut down at 10.  We are going again over Xmas with our kids this time...

I had already booked the jet ski tour for March 2020, and then received an e-mail from MSC that it was no longer going to be offered. I read somewhere else that they decided not to have motorized watersports there due to the environmental impact they have.

2 hours ago, mickey89 said:

That would apply to refundable obc only.   MSC will not allow you to cash in Non-Refundable obc into cash, they will only give you special chips to use in the casino.  All winnings are cashable chips, slightly different colour.

Not if you do it through a slot machine...then it just shows up as a room charge against your OBC. 

28 minutes ago, thetaro said:

 

I don't care about the OBC. I am just not interested in subsidizing middle-man. If you need middle-man to help you, pay for it yourself.

Using a travel agent costs you nothing. You get the same rates and deals that the cruise line offers, plus usually more perks and the expertise of someone who deals with the cruise lines day in and day out. You aren’t subsidizing anything by using an agent, and most cruise lines encourage it. 

48 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

This is not true. If agents get caught discounting the actual cost via the lines that prohibit it, there may be an issue. Agents offering OBC/perks is 100% legit. No issues will ever come to an agent who participates in this widely used practice.

That was what I was trying to say. OBC/perks are 100% legit, which is why many agents have gone to this model over discounting/rebating. I was in no way trying to imply that perks are not ok. 

53 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

That's why I request a rebate check rather than OBC.  I don't want to have to buy something I didn't want to use up my 'bargain.'

Certain cruise lines prohibit travel agents from rebating/discounting the actual cost of the cruise. That is why most agents have gone to the OBC/perks model. While the cruise line will likely never know about this outside arrangement, if the agent gets caught they can be banned from selling that cruise line. 

Sounds like this TA is trying to keep more of their commissions from MSC. Sometimes they will offer an extra $50-100 OBC as a tool for certain large agencies and conglomerate agencies, but the majority of any perk you get from an agent is straight out of the commission the cruise line pays them. Could be that MSC lowered their contracted commission rate due to lower volume from that agency and now they don’t have what to give you.