Morgsmom

You *can* check your bags in at 10am at MIA but I would worry that the longer the time span between checking and your flight the greater opportunity for something to happen as the bags will be set aside all morning...

You have PLENTY of time to get your tickets and luggage tags from your TA. Alternately, it will just slow you down a bit. You will have to manually fill out tags with the porters and will have to show documentation that you are, indeed, on the cruise in order to get through the first layer of security. WORSE case scenario is to call MSC and have them issue you the documents directly to your email. (Yes, they will balk because you booked with a TA, but you might insist)

Yes, per the terms and conditions your membership would expire.

Ah, but NOT always with MSC. Often it's $40 to get $200 🙂 MSC math is not terribly good. As is their IT department

@amygutman You were able to order a movie in your YC room for no charge? Do tell... that's always been a beef of ours that we should have to pay for a movie in YC. (For those who say "why do you want to watch a movie in your cabin on a cruise.. blah... blah... we just enjoy sitting in bed at night and watching a movie!)

Not necessarily true. There are times when you can book with OBC for the same price as Escape to Sea or only a few dollars more. For example, for $40 more in total fare you could get $100 or $200 in OBC for the yacht club sailing. Other times due to pricing discrepancies, you can book for the exact same price as the Escape to Sea but get the OBC at the same price. It pays to look and which promo you choose.

If you only sail YC then there really is no reason to go to such lengths to keep Diamond, especially with it's diminished perks. The only thing of "value" you'd lose is a specialty dining for 2. Certainly not worth hopping across the States to take a cruise to keep your status, in my opinion.

Completely agree with @Nunagoras We sailed on the Grandiosa out of BCN in February but would have preferred to leave from Rome. HOWEVER, the YIN category was shown as sold out of Rome, but we could get it from Barcelona, so we went that route. If given a choice I'd rather have spent extra time in Rome as, it is true, you can easily get the feel of Barcelona in one cruise day.

The only real answer is "IT DEPENDS"...

Yes, just enter the DL. Make sure that the birth certificate has a raised seal. A photocopy will not suffice.

Not in the Caribbean unless you are in Yacht Club.

Do you think the Guests made up the sign themselves???

OMG, just spit out my coffee. YOU WIN THE DAY!

Really? I've never been able to find out in the past if there were large groups on my sailings. The only way is by googling the date and sailing to see if a group has it posted somewhere. We've inadvertently sailed on the annual Goth cruise (wonderful group who were dressed far more dapper than DH), a spring break cruise with 1000+ Canadian teens that were out of control, and a Swingers group 🍍🦩..... Didn't find out until we were onboard.

The reason one might book an official Rome tour is if they are concerned about making it back to the ship on time since Civitavecchia is a good hour from Rome itself. Otherwise there are other independent excursions that are less expensive and more intimate. Depends on your level of risk.

Are you flying in same day? To Venice? It's still quite far from the cruise terminal in Trieste. You can drop off your luggage around 10am. Can't say what there is to see there but if you are just arriving after travel I imagine you'd rather just get onboard the ship.

Lord have mercy. How about instead of all of those requested onboard donations to "save the oceans" (or whatever) we all chip in a few bucks to FIX MSC'S IT Department?? I'm in for a $20 😆

He's on the Seascape right now.

Read the part about the website allowing you to do something... then question it. The MSC website? WHAT? It's always perfect 😉

The do NOT do price adjustments. YC has non refundable deposits and you can make one change, but not on the same booking, per se. Given the $ of YC, I would absolutely use a TA as you can get 5-10% of the price (pre taxes) back in onboard credit.

Likely because you were "sat with" others. In the case where reservations are deliberately linked the official cruise policy is that all must have the drink package, otherwise there might be collusion ("oh, only half of us need the package and we will all just share")

You absolutely CAN link reservations ahead of time; you just can't do it by yourself. You need your TA to handle or to call MSC

The OP was reporting about Hola. The drink package is certainly covered in L'Atelier and Kaito.

Correct, No Covid testing to get on a the ship. As an aside, we now pack 4 "at home" Covid tests in our First Aid Kit. They take up little room and we figure that if we start feeling sick on a cruise we'd like to self-test FIRST before heading down to medical to report ourselves and be put in quarantine 😞

They won't replace the Pringles :(.... My guilt late night cruise pleasure