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amygutman

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About Me

  • Location
    Orlando, Florida
  • Interests
    Travel!
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    NCL
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Any place the seas take me

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  1. Appreciate the insight, and it's a good point. Having been on the negative side of MSC's shore-side customer service department, I can definitely appreciate the differences between the in-person and online experiences. In-person has always been lovely, polite, professional and quite warm. The YC is an outstanding product and we love it. Online, however...oy. I almost gave up a 1.5K YC deposit vs dealing with an impossibly challenging customer snafu. Yet, I find it very hard to believe that the MSC head office will be so forgiving of what appears to be a very big publicity blunder. This has now made all of the major cruise news vlog channels and am curious on any repercussions on how vloggers act and work on ships in the future. Warmest Amy
  2. So, my habit is to find the 1 or 2 centers, then play "all of the lines", so that the spins are between $2.50 and $5.00. I find I can play for quite of bit of time winning some, losing some, and getting casino points. No particular favorites honestly - though the Buffalo game and one called "Queen's Gambit" were particularly nice to me 😇 I hope you have a wonderful time and are able to look beyond the rough edges. Such a great little ship with, and I cannot state this enough, one of the best crews we have ever had. Warmest Amy
  3. @morpheusofthesea I suspect based upon all of the negative publicity, you likely mean "the former" YC Director on the World Europa? Doesn't matter if the Director was right, wrong or somewhere in the middle ... the negative publicity resulting from the events on their watch, even if the intent was to protect their employer, will probably cost them their job. Warmest Amy
  4. @Stockjock Excellent assessment and an incredibly fair overview. We love Ben and David's channel - sometimes agree, sometimes disagree, but always entertained. Your succinct eval of the overall bigger issue of privacy rights and expectation was very interesting to read. Warmest Amy
  5. Thank you so much for this post. In an aqua class suite on a girl's getaway in July - got an amazing deal and could not say no. Have not been on Celebrity since the summit about 8 years ago but the Reflection looks lovely. Regarding the thermal spa access - it seems like you had a difficult time finding loungers? Is there the say "chair hog / towel reserving" issue there is on decks? If so, did you find that the spa manager was receptive to relocating the offenders belongings? Curious as to the "discounts" given to the aqua suites as well - considering the ridiculously high spa prices at sea, it would have to be a heck of a discount to book anything I could enjoy just as well at home (plus, no pressure to buy lotions, etc). Thank you again! Warmest Amy
  6. We loved our YC trips - and the service on board was beyond amazing. Really loved the rotating menus in the YC restaurant as well. The observation areas were outstanding and the crew divine. Entertainment...very odd. Like random velociraptor in a peter pan pirate show, and a man dressed in a giant nose walking across the stage in another production dance show (I kid you not). Not bad...just really, really strange. Plus, there are literally mirrored surfaces everywhere. I have not had a single cruise on MSC in which I didn't end up with at least one bruise from smacking my elbows (or face) into shiny wall or staircase. It's just their customer service - my TA, who has the patience of a saint, hates dealing with them despite their great prices. I agree - have never gotten a straight answer (or the same answer twice from different reps), challenges with response times, and a website that is so bad it makes you want to toss your laptop. However - get past that and I know you will LOVE the YC. ONly downside is no covered pools in the YC area which is a definite perk on NCL (except for Epic / Getaway). Warmest, Amy
  7. Great to know...though I have to admit, would love to see Portland again (oh...Gilbert's...I miss you so).
  8. @Laszlo I am curious though as when the itinerary change will be announced as we are on the June 14 2024 Boston - Bermuda sailing. Love Portland (used to live right on the Eastern Prom) and Newport...I suspect an additional day in Bermuda would be out of the question due to berth spaces. However, there would be the potential for docking at St George's for the day - it would be a tender, but still...an extra day in Bermuda! Bermuda was our home for over 2 years and 3.5 days is just not enough time to see friends and visit our favorite spots! Warmest, Amy
  9. @cruiseny4life I highly suggest Universal Studios > Disney. Way, way more affordable choices, and even the Fast Pass options are cheaper. Hotels - definitely cheaper (we love Cabana Bay...super Kitchy and right next to Volcano Bay). Plus...oh man, do we love the Harry Potter train. If you had told me 1 year ago that I would be considering Carnival > NCL I would have though you crazy. But I have to tell you, I cannot justify spending $$ on the ugly and ill-designed Prima-class ships. I will not give up hope for my Haven experiences though. It is an amazing product and such a divine treat. Gritting my teeth as I love MSC, but possibly the worst customer service of them all. So - with new Princess experiences coming to Ft Lauderdale that may be a viable option until my desire to cruise in Haven & the Yacht Club overwhelms my frustrations with NCL and MSC. Warmest Amy
  10. Late to the thread, but you asked a question I have been pondering for a number of months. Our family loves NCL, specifically the Haven. Had the best "bucket list" cruises on old / smal and new / large ships, wonderful service, outstanding itineraries. Like your family, we have a child - and sailing without our soon-to-be 15 yo is a non-starter. Our current home port is Port Canaveral but anywhere is Florida is "train-able" and we are happy to fly if the itinerary is right. But we have become somewhat disillusioned with NCL of late - still have two Havens booked and 4 FCCs, but 2 NCL-initiated cancellations repositioning / repurposing (Spirit TP, Epic TA), and instant dislike we took to the Prima class ships (not our style, Haven looks awful, and the design is just...lord, like Ikea vomited in a tiny, cramped space) have made it hard to find another NCL cruise we are excited about outside of our current bookings. NCL prices have also skyrocketed (even booking 2 years out), and recent horror tales of customer service are concerning. We had our own negative interaction when we were assured that a 12 night Middle Eastern itinerary was "still going ahead" when clearly there is a war on. We were told that "itinerary may change but only if necessary, and shortly before the cruise leaves port". Um, that port was Haifa, so yeah...i'm not dropping 18K not having any idea about potential ports so that gave us a great excuse to run away from the Viva (we had only booked for the itinerary). You'll see from our profile that although we love NCL (especially our Sapphire perks), we have dipped our toes into other lines with very positive experiences. Interestingly, looking at many cruise website recent readers' polls, NCL seems to have taken a precipitous drop off of cruisers' favorites so am not sure if that plays a part in your booking decisions. Like you, we have a child so Virgin and Viking are out. Carnival: I freely admit that I changed my opinion of this line 180 degrees when we took a 3 night "Super Bowl Booze Cruise" last month on a tiny, old ship out of Canaveral. Oh lord it was fun for the whole family. Now - the kids clubs literally had no kids (there were <25 children under 16 on the cruise total), but despite their small size, the clubs were well-staffed (by very cheerful, but bored-looking attendants). The arcade was amazing, and although there was only 1 slide, it was never busy and the pools / hot tubs were plentiful. Food...amazing. Service...top notch. Friendliest crew we have ever had. We loved it so much we just booked a 7 night Caribbean and upgraded our Mardi Gras TA to an excel aft corner suite (with hot tub!). The price for this suite which includes tons of perks and access to the Loft 19 suite area was A THIRD of what our cancelled Epic Haven TA cost. ). Celebrity: loved our Summit suite, and i'm excited to try a ship with a true "suite retreat" as we feel the very high prices do not justify a room + perks but no suite deck nor pool. We thought the dining and amenities were lovely, and our neighbors have had 3 Celebrity balcony cruises this year they loved (though they did grumble about pricing). They said Celebrity is both LBGTQ+ and family friendly (they are a gay couple and went with their kids and grandkids). I just snagged a deal on an AquaSpa Suite for a last-minute girls long weekend (about a third off of the regular price) so steals can be found (maybe even for Christmas) Disney: ung-dly expensive, and kiddo not currently into Disney, Star Wars or Marvel. Plus, so... many... children. Service was wonderful on on prior cruises, food great, shows outstanding. But kids everywhere (and worse, their pushy demanding parents you can't escape even in the adults-only areas). No deals for Christmas traditionally (prices actually go WAY up) Royal Caribbean: Deals can be found!. We booked a Allure Star Class 2 bedroom AquaSuite for a 3 night Bahamas (kiddo's April birthday) for about 200$/day less than what a Haven 2 bedroom villa would have been for an equivalent # of days. Our travel agent actually recommends the smaller / older ships with fewer bells and whistles; that means fewer kids overall so your child may actually be able to really enjoy use the child-specific activities without over-crowding. The older ships are much cheaper as well (vs the 70k+ Icon of the Seas Family Suite 🫣). Yes...there are holiday deals (we recently looked at an early January / late Dec non-holiday cruise for S&Gs) Oceania: trying NCL's sister line June 2025 to return to Alaska. The smaller size and much better itinerary (long port stops) really appealed to us. Agent says not a ton of children, but very "child-friendly and accommodating" (not sure what that means, but hey, Alaska). There are threads detailing the holiday spirit on this line, and prices are similar to the Haven / suites (not cheap, but the inclusions are impressive and <900 cruisers vs 5000 on big ships) MSC: love the Yacht Club and our kiddo says the food is "way better" than in the Haven (he likes the rotating menus, plus they really cater to the kids). Pricing almost always better than NCL, and tons of holiday deals to be had. We have spoken to cruisers staying outside the YC though and they nearly universally state that embarkation / debarkation are chaotic, lines are long, and the kids club activities are "crowded" and super weird". It could be a matter of taste though. We had a recent bad experience with customer service so not returning to MSC for a while (a shame, and the prices are so, so good for families). We love our NCL Sapphire perks but looks like we will be Loyal to Royal, Treated Like A Celebrity, and Joining the Fun Squad in the near future. I wish you good luck and hope you had as interesting of a time reading this thread as I did...good seeing familiar names after lurking on Carnival and Royal boards for the past few months. Warmest Amy
  11. Had so much fun that we didn't want to wait for our Mardi Gras TA next year to have another Carnival experience - Booked the Celebration for December in an Excel Forward Corner Suite for a 7 night Caribbean cruise our of Miami. Yeah - we went back to the suite life to get the corner balcony, but also loved the idea of the Loft 19 perk. That being said, I just found out I spent enough time in the casino to have a free balcony room on a 3-5 nighter, so keeping my eyes peeled for another bargain out of Canaveral. Warmest Amy
  12. Cannot wait! Honestly, we were pretty bummed that our NCL epic transatlantic was canceled for November and the rescheduled date in October just doesn't work with our schedule. The thrill of a completely new ship for an extended sea voyage is amazing. After the hospitality on our Liberty cruise, we're hoping to see the same happy spirit on the Mardi Gras but with a few more bells and whistles for the 6 or 7 sea days. I've been converted... happily happily!! Warmest Amy
  13. Millie was just so lovely - "I now present to you....a solid gold, made of plastic, ship-on-a-stick" 😁 Kiddo has been to 23 countries so far...we love exposing him to different cultures and people, if only for a day. He loves cruising (as long as he has his wifi, of course). Next up for him: Allure of the Seas for his birthday. He's never been to CocoCay - I worked there as a doc when I worked for Royal and I know he will love it! Warmest Amy
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