Dubbs

No doubt about it. MSC has the best deals at sea right now. Their marketing is to lure loyalists away from their preferred cruise line. Not only are the prices much cheaper, they will also honor your rewards program on your favorite line. So if you are platinum on NCL, they will honor it on their ships.

I was all prepared to book Seaside until I saw reviews. There are some things I am not crazy about with MSC ships. But you cant beat the price if you are cruising only for price.

I hope NCL drops the 5 *free* deals offer and goes back to bottom line pricing. But we know that will not happen soon. The bookings must be very strong otherwise they would have stopped it by now.

Don't trust the negative reviews about the Seaside. We did that ship May 26th and it was great. We stayed in the Yacht Club. I love NCL and my favorite cruise that I have done was in an aft penthouse on the Escape. However, with Haven being close to 2X the price of the Yacht Club I booked my next cruise on MSC. I'm sure they will raise prices too but for now its a great value.

 

- Gelato is wonderful! The gelato bars are supposed to be included in the YC package, but they would only give them to us at the Deck 16 gelato place. At the South Beach pool they argued with us and said they were a charge and it wasn't worth the fuss.

 

- Crepes are NOT included. They are also at the South Beach pool, where they wanted to charge me for everything except straight gelato.

 

 

 

Thats odd. I was YC on the 5/26/18 sailing. I ate tons of gelato and crepes from the south beach area. I just had them scan my wristband and I was never charged. I never asked if it was included or not. I just assumed it was and I never got charged.

For those who used the Thermal Spa facilities can you please tell me if wives and husbands are together or are all the facilities separate. Thank you for any info!

Everything is together except the changing rooms.

Thank you for this suggestion. I will keep an eye out for hopefully an upcoming live post.

I just boarded today and this can be done but it takes a bit of work. The remote won’t allow you to change input when you first turn the tv on. There is a cord that looks like a telephone cord from the wall that hooks into the tv. You must unplug this cord from the tv. Then power off the tv and turn back on. The remote will now allow you to change inputs. It’s tight behind the tv and the tv doesn’t move so you have to use some finesse to get the hdmi cord plugged in. I just did this to hook up my laptop. I keep movies on the laptop so I can watch while I go to bed. I was excited to get this working today and thought I would share with you.

Yes, if you book first class accommodations, otherwise known as Yacht Club or second class, otherwise known as Aurea, anytime is an option. It is not an option if you book third class, or Fantastica or fourth class known as Bella.

Thats not really true. There is now anytime dining in one of the MDRs on the Seaside. You don't have to be YC or Aurea to take advantage.

I'm in Roatan this morning. Booked a catamaran on the free radical. Very excited for this excursion! First day we had lunch at margaritaville. Free since we are haven guests. It was a very tasty lunch. In the afternoon we did the water slides and our son played in the splash zone for kids. He loved it. We had dinner in the haven restaurant and it was quite good. Son went to splash academy and we went to howl at the moon. Really fun time.

Next day we woke up kind of late and had breakfast in the haven. Son to splash academy. Wife and I to the thermal spa. Love the thermal spa! I'm a big New England patriots fan and luckily the game was on so I was able to watch that. In the evening we saw the show For the Record. It was a good show and we enjoyed it. After the show we had dinner at teppenyaki. Excellent dinner. After dinner wife and I headed to the haven lounge for a night cap.

More to follow after today 's adventure.

We were on the August 26 sailing. Make sure you go to Margaritaville for lunch. It's complimentary for Haven guest on Day 1! Question about the Aft suite: is that smaller bathroom a powder room only or does it have a shower also? You'll love, love, love the Haven. Adrian is top notch!

 

Happy cruising [emoji41]

 

 

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The smaller bathroom does have a shower too. It's a bit small but useable. Off to margaritaville shortly. Excited to get this vacation started!

I'll do my best to post updates while on this cruise. Probably won't be everyday though. I'm traveling with my wife and 4 year old son. We are from Tampa FL. We drove down to Miami last night and stayed in a hotel. Got to the port around 10:15 this morning. We are doing haven for the first time. Aft penthouse room 15280. Currently waiting to be called for boarding at 11:15am. If people have questions along the way about the Escape feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. I don't care about vibe at all so I won't be able to answer any questions about those passes.

I have searched and could not find a response for my question so here it goes.

Are soft drinks included? Not fountain drinks bit cans of Coke or Ginger Ale etc? A bottle of water will cost me extra?

Will there be a tax added and I pay the tax? Or is it included in the $11 drink? What is considered "super premium"? I like to have a good Cognac nightcap, is that or a good scotch considered "super premium"? I am not sure what "Ultimate" means if there are restrictions on quality level and even if water is not included.

The website says: "The Ultimate Beverage Package does not include room service, package sales, ship specific promotions or beer buckets, designated Super Premium brands (subject to change), bottled wine, mini bar purchases, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices, select Lavazza coffee beverages, energy drinks, vending machines, wine stations or spirits, cocktails, draft or bottled beer and glasses of wine over $11. One (1) beverage per person per transaction. Package can be used in all restaurants, lounges, bars and Great Stirrup Cay. Any items over $11 will receive an $11 discount and the guest will be charged the difference to their account.

A 18% gratuity will be added to all package purchases; your check may reflect applicable VAT for certain ports or itineraries"

Soda from the fountain gun at a bar is free. If you want a full can of pepsi you would pay for it. Bottled water is not included. If you want a bottle of water you will pay for it. The tax is applicable if you are in a port. Say you leave from a port in Florida. You would pay sales tax if you were still docked. Once you are in international waters there is no tax. Search the threads for a current bar menu with prices and you can see which drinks are considered "super premium"

Do newborns and toddlers get charged cruise fare? Or do they go for free I'm talking like 1- 4 yr olds

 

 

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There is a charge for them. Unless you get the "third and fourth sail free promotion" in which case you only pay the port taxes.

Am I the only one that doesn't get the hype? I bought a Vibe pass on the Escape last November. I hardly used it. It was ferociously windy, and I wanted to spend time at the pool. I guess if I planned to be in a lounge chair all day it would be worth it, but I've never had an issue finding a chair, even if it's not directly next to the pool. I won't rush to buy passes next time I'm on a ship that offers Vibe (and I'll be platinum). Obviously, others feel differently, but it won't ruin your cruise if you aren't able to get Vibe passes [emoji4].

 

 

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Not at all. I have no desire to lay out all day. I'm in haven and won't even give vibe passes a thought. I have no interest. This will leave 2 more available for those that want them.

This is what I remember reading or watching here recently. I think they told them when they first walked into the Haven lounge right after boarding. I guess I'll find out in 30 days. I'm a planner so I was hoping to plan ahead, but I'll just have to get used to relaxing a little bit!

 

Thanks for the info!

 

 

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Please let me know when you get back. I'll be on the Escape (Haven) on 9/23. Thanks!

I saw someone's Esacpe Haven video and Margaritaville was free for lunch and Food Republic items were 50% off. This was first day only. Not sure if that's still the case.

We did the Epic over Christmas and my 3 year old son loved Splash Academy he wanted to be there all the time. They had a little talent show at the end of the week that was a lot of fun. Great activities for the kids.

It comes out of one of those soda guns that a bartender has. No way to tell. I would guess its not.

I was on the Epic over Christmas and didn't have much trouble getting Diet Sierra Mist. I know for sure they had it at the bar in the buffet and at least one other place. It does come out of a can and I was not charged for the drink.

On my future res using cruise next my Ncl shows a deposit due. Think pretty typical.

Thanks for the info!

Is it normal for your on-line account to show as still owing a deposit? I booked with a cruise next certificate but when I logon to my account I get hit with "your so close don't lose your reservation". Then it shows I still owe a deposit well in advance of final payment. Is this normal or did someone make an error. I called my PCC and he said it wasn't showing anything as being due on his end. Just wondering why it would be showing that online?

So my wife and I ate at 4 specialty and I'll rank them in order from best to worst in our opinion. Keep in mind this was just our opinion.

1. Cagneys

2. Teppanyaki

3. La Cucina

4. Moderno (Others raved about this one. Maybe we just got bad cuts but the filet was chewy and so was the bacon wrapped chicken breast.)

$7.95 charge

Sorry your cruise didn't meet your expectations. I take these "everything was awful" reviews with a grain of salt, especially overblown crew interactions. In the many NCL cruises I've taken, including 3 on the Epic, I've had very few "moments" with crew where their behavior came out of left field. Nobody's perfect and we all have bad days but even the worst among them tend to grin and bear it. Your reference to the "drag show" must be to Priscilla. Too bad you couldn't pull up your big girl panties, sit back, and enjoy a fun production. And it's sad you were embarrassed on behalf of your 16 year old by exposing her to a "lifestyle" different from yours and, in doing so, reinforcing that people different from you are bad.

 

 

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Priscilla isn't for everyone. I had a great time on my Epic cruise but I didn't enjoy Priscilla at all. I have nothing against the LBGT community and I'm not offended or embarrassed by the languages or sexual themes. All that being said a 90 minute production show about 3 transsexuals traveling across Australia on a bus wasn't for me. That doesn't make one a bad person.

Did you go in the water at GSC? I have heard it is pretty cold this time of year. I'm from Florida so chilly water is not for me. We are leaving in 6 days and have the thermal spa pass. I'm thinking of just staying on board and hanging out at the spa instead of getting off at GSC. Thoughts??

@ Dubbs: Don't get me wrong. We loved our cruise and have another booked. I don't see how saying I was disappointed in the lack of lobster and the replacement of the mediocre shrimp dish is so, "weird" to you. We sailed in the one of Garden Villas on the Jade med for two weeks September/October and it was the best vacation I've ever had. The food in specialty dining was ok. It was not great and not worth the prices charged. We noted a definite decline in food quality. Service was excellent and we said we'd take bad food and good service any day over the reverse. That being said, food was certainly a downgrade compared to previous sailings and yes it was a little disappointing. We made up for it with some great food in Italy and it was nice to go on a cruise and lose weight. Most people expect a REALLY good meal in an up charge venue on a ship and a good meal in the main dining room. When they eat something like a 50 count shrimp pasta dish that costs an additional $24.95 upcharge - well I can certainly see how they'd be thinking, what a waste of my money. Who would want to go back and try other dishes and pay even more? Your suggestion to go back and order chicken and then vegetarian ? It's not worth it to me to keep throwing extra $ to see which specialty entrée is worth the charge. The MDR atmosphere is just fine for ok food included in cruise fare.

 

When you replace lobster with shrimp in a signature, extra fee, specialty fine dining venue, it's not about offering a better food choice.

I never said anything about a shrimp dish. I said its weird that people have somehow tied the availability of lobster to an enjoyable cruise.

It would be like if Bitter and Blanc was no longer available as a complimentary dessert. However, you could order Bitter and Blanc for an up charge of $7.95.

But I don't always sail Carnival simply because they serve my favorite desert. I sail other lines who don't have it. If Carnival started charging for it then I would have the Lava cake and if they started charging for that then I would have ice cream etc....

Baffled? Lobster is widely considered something you eat typically on a special occasion. It's advertised as a special occasion at the grocery stores and land based restaurants for special occasions such as new years, Valentines day... Costco even has their seafood extravaganzas and it's all the buzz when they get the lobsters in. Not sure how you could be baffled that one might gripe when an item typically well known as a treat and served in specialty venues on ships is replaced with shrimp yet the shrimp still costs the same as the lobster was.

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I don't care about what it was replaced with. My point still stands. One's enjoyment of a cruise shouldn't be based upon the availability of lobster. Its weird. Pick a different seafood dish, get a steak, have a piece of chicken, get a vegetarian dish. There is no food that any cruise line has or doesn't have that would increase or lessen my enjoyment.