CruisingFox27

We've changed cabins after booking on previous cruises. I just called and asked for the cabin we wanted to move to. Although, it does seem to depend on your location as to how well calling goes. We're in the UK and nothing weird happens to your booking if you call to make changes. I understand from CC posters that's not the case for everyone.

I'm sure every couple of years an MSC rep mentions the possibility of another tier to pique everyone's interest and then it goes away again. It's been on repeat for a while and my hopes aren't high. Great to have you back Bea 😀 Hope you and Mr B are both well.

It's the Fantastica guests dining times which have now disappeared.

We were very happy in our Meraviglia YIN. Yes, the bathroom and shower are compact but it's just for a few minutes a day. Everything that comes with YC far outweighed the compact bathroom. You just need to be reasonably organised with your belongings and storage etc isn't an issue. We were on an 11 night cold climate itinerary, followed by 5 nights in NYC and a further 7 nights on another cruise. We had no issues with all of our belongings and we'd winter coats etc. I'd recommend a selection of magnetic hooks and we found a night light very useful. You'll have a great time.

We had exactly the same experience on Divina. Which took around an hour and a half. We were told to expect it to take an hour or two. You're at the mercy of the disembarking passengers, until they've cleared the ship you're waiting. If you're leaving the ship properly, to go on an excursion or visit the town, the process is slightly different as you'll clear immigration/border control with the new passengers on your return.

We sail in April and just recently noticed our dining has changed from late dining to 'dining preference not set'. We're on one of the smaller, older ships so doubt they're waiting to assign 3 dinner services. I've never seen this mentioned unless on the newer, large capacity ships. I've assumed it's a 'special' website update and will just keep checking our booking.

Absolutely. I've been using my own for a few years now. A small clip on parasol.

@yellow-submarineTA as in transatlantic/repositioning cruise. Our cruise was prior to December 2022 and from Hamrag's Post, a change has been implemented in Barbados. Additionally, we weren't leaving the island just waiting to check into a hotel.

We debarked in Barbados after a TA and were able to stay on the ship until around 1pm.

The deductions to the Aurea experience are very disappointing, especially with the price point remaining. We're trying fantastica on our upcoming cruise. I'm already not looking forward to fixed dining and table sharing but the cost difference didn't justify booking Aurea. I might change my mind once sailing 😂

OBC can be used for gratuities. We've certainly done so.

It would appear, as ever, each experience may vary. We were YC for our B2B but we didn't meet in the TSL and proceed directly to customs. We were taken from the TSL to meet other B2B passengers in another lounge, then we all proceeded down through C&I before returning aboard. It made little difference to the process really but just to manage expectations for others.

If you sail to and from the USA then yes, you'll need to disembark, proceed through immigration and re-embark. The ship has to have a zero count when returning to a US port. Usually all B2B passengers meet in a lounge area, once the disembarking passengers have departed, you proceed through immigration and return to the ship. All done separately to the new embarking passengers. The above assumes you're not going ashore on a trip, in which case you'd disembark, go on your trip and clear immigration on your return.

Poor Divina, I had a fleeting image of her docked at the corner of the port in a little dunce cap 😢 😂 Did I imagine it or were there originally discussions of retro fitting the smart technology to the divina class?

There's no self service laundry facilities and irons are a prohibited item to take on board. The only option is to send items to the ship laundry service for pressing.

There's a school half term week at the end of May, dates may vary across the county but will apply to all of England. And probably the rest of the UK.

Have a great cruise. Did your dining time reappear or did you need to wait and manage to resolve onboard?

Absolutely. All of the space under the bed is available for luggage storage.

The night before an excursion there is a list on the desk at customer services and/or the excursions desk. We've only ever seen the running of our excursions from this. We've never been able to check with anyone the timing prior to the previous evening. It would certainly be useful to know the timings as soon as you embark.

I have seen blankets used once, fleecy blue ones. I can't recall which ship we were on or where we were cruising. I do remember asking how you obtained one but needless to say I don't recall that either.

I was recently looking at our booking, we had late dining - 20:30 assigned but a couple of days ago it stated not assigned. Now being fully aware of MSC computer peculiarities, I thought I'd check back in a few days. We've never had assigned dining before and it's the only concern regarding this next cruise. The sudden adjustment didn't help my anxiety over it. I feel slightly reassured now I know it's not just us.

Yes. Most of the Mediterranean cruises have multiple boarding ports.

It's entirely possible to leave the ship earlier than your scheduled time. You need to complete paperwork onboard to do so and ensure your account is fully paid. Have you considered luggage storage options. We've been to a couple of cities with similar a similar scenario and have placed our luggage in a storage space for the day. Lots of hotels etc offer the service. Store my bag dot com or something like that.

Both are beautiful ships, you'll not go wrong with either. For us, Seaside YC edged Meraviglia YC because we loved the open plan top sail lounge and the outdoor seating of the TSL.

You can certainly advise them of a set time you'd like to dine, we've often been asked to indicate if we'll dine around a particular time to help with their planning. You'll generally have the same table, and it's very likely if you're arriving at the same time each evening, although it won't be shared with others. We love the flexibility and not sharing a table so never considered switching but you could ask once onboard if you'd prefer fixed. You'll definitely then have to queue each evening.