JAGR

Can't add much to the others. Your handle and state caught my attention. Can I hope Cedar Point Amusement Park is number one on you list of parks with coasters? To my mind, MSC of late is like Cedar Point. They may take away some perks or toys (like a true open bar in your cabin in YC), but they still seem to be adding a replacement (one full bottle of liquor instead of the minis). Change is a part of the operation. Goodbye Top Thrill Dragster, hello Wild Mouse!

This happened to DW. I called MSC, and they changed her to Diamond.

Possibly, but it shows as the second week of 14-day sailing on August 13th

Excellent observations and points of interest!. In particular, we have seen differences in the points I italicized above. In cruises since COVID, we received an email on pillow, liquor, and paper once, three times we had to ask the butler after getting on board, and in one case, the butler had no idea what we were asking for and we had to go to the concierge and then the YC director for resolution. On the food, you are spot on about the standardized menus but individual cooking and preparation methods. On Caribbean cruises the first day YC lunch has something I really like: hamachi and avocado starter. It was great, until one time on Meraviglia they snuck in jalapeno peppers as an "added" (but unwelcome!) extra. Same variation in French Onion Soup and the Escargot to mention a few. I do hope they fully standardize the dining presentation and preparation, and leave the variation to the maitre d's pasta/rissoto preparation or the specialty cooking demonstrations on the One Pool Deck. Not earthshaking problems, but it would be a nice step.

It's harder to do if you are not already in YC. Then, you would have to discuss an upgrade with Guest Services, and they would have to try and work it out with the YC concierge. The difficulty is that there is no incentive for guest services to really go the extra mile. In our case, in March we were booked in a YC interior. On boarding I asked the concierge to put us on the list for a paid upgrade. We were first on the list, and we changed rooms around 5:00 p.m. The cost was a little over $500 total for both of us for a seven-night cruise. Our butler told us that there is some sort of incentive for the concierge desk to do space-available upgrades.

This was a year or to ago, but the information is probably still correct:

Ours stacked. It didn't appear at first, but did show on our booking a month later.

That's Arnold Castro Jr.! We last saw him on a B2B on Seashore, where he was the YC Lounge Butler. He'd naturally know to carry your drinks! A very good person and personality. A well-deserved promotion!

Sorry! Commented about junior butler before fully reading the thread!

Similar situation, but as long as you had completed the Special Needs Form, they will find you a H/C room.

Yes, those of us who use a CPap need an extension cord or a machine with a battery storage (rare, but they are available at a cost).

Yes. As a B2B (Back to Back) customer, before you arrive in Miami at the end of the first week, you will receive notification about how the B2B will operate, and you will also get new cards for the next week. Your options will be to be one of the last off the ship, clear customs and immigration and be one of the first back on, or you can leave at your leisure and tour Miami. Be sure to be back on three hours before departure, and when you come back to the port, show your card to be able to bypass all of the pre-boarding paperwork that new cruisers will be going through.

Not likely to go down. If anything, it would likely rise.

I suppose it is one of the three I mentioned: "His true one, the one he tells a stranger he is not likely to see again (scratch or better!), and the one he tells his opponents while making bets on the first tee (usually 8 strokes or even higher than his real handicap)."

Well, then, your buyer's remorse matters not what others paid.

Since you talked about money matters, how were your talks on religion and politics? This is why I never ask a fellow airline passenger how much he paid for his ticket. It's the same as asking someone about their golf handicap. Every golfer I know has three handicaps" His true one, the one he tells a stranger he is not likely to see again (scratch or better!), and the one he tells his opponents while making bets on the first tee (usually 8 strokes or even higher than his real handicap). The real question is, were you satisfied with what you paid for your cruise before you stepped on board? Nothing else matters.

I believe the Panorama Restaurant is set aside for Aurea.

OP is on Seaside from Port Canaveral, not Seascape.

HI, Jamie: I don't want to hijack the thread, but wanted to giver you an update on Virgin Clubhouse at JFK. We flew out of there on May 31st, an flying Upper Class, we had no problem with entry that evening. We came back on the 15th, flying Delta One from Dublin. When we got to the clubhouse, a Delta rep was there (they've named the clubhouse as a temporary Crown Room alternative). We were there at noon, and told that we were welcome (along with Priority Pass members) to use the club until 1:30. At 1:30, the club was closed for a half-hour. At 2:00, it opened as Virgin Clubhouse only, but we were allowed back in since we had flown Delta business class that day. I wonder if that was the time you found it closed on your visit (1:30 to 2:00). Just an FYI. John

I was wondering why my Delta One seat from Dublin to JFK seemed uncomfortable! Should have looked under the blanket before sitting down!

No guarantees, but the menu posted by sbcs5390 is the same first day lunch menu we have had on our last three MSC sailings. The hamchi and avocado carpaccio is so good that I ask them to save some back so that I can have it as a dinner starter that night.

You can count on the Top Sail Lounge being open, as well the One Deck Bar and buffet/grill.

Or the villagers in the various Frankenstein movies!

Aaah, Hyacinth BU-kay! LOL

I would really doubt that security (ship or Mexican) would check your back pack. I think you'd be fine.