Morgsmom

We leave in two weeks on 13 September 

Sorry, we are on the Joy. First NCL cruise for us.  

Newbie here, please no flames.  Hubby and I do not eat dessert/sweets.  Like at all.  On other lines with a 3 course menu we can sub out an additional soup or side.  Is this possible on NCL?  To note, we have reservations at Cagney's and Le Bistro if that helps. TIA.

We had that issue in the bathroom on the Divina (in YC).  The ole water down the hole thing worked!

Did the Meraviglia in early December and it was decked out --- trees and decorations everywhere.  It was charming.

Much too risky a proposition.  If you both want YC and there are cabins available then you should pay to move; otherwise no saying what will happen.

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

As long as you're back to the airport in good time, I don't see why not. My recollection from some years back is that it's not that long of a trip from Vieux Québec to Jean Lesage airport.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  We were scheduled to depart Quebec (port) at 5pm; this has been pushed to 8pm.  Since we are getting onboard that day at 11am my thought was to check into the ship, eat lunch, put bags away and THEN head out again to meander around Quebec, vs the ship.  

We've been notified that our 5pm departure from Quebec City is now an 8pm one (due to "flight arrangements").  Would it be ok if we checked in at our appointed time (11am), had lunch, and then went back out into Quebec to explore?  I'm assuming it's ok, but I've learned to not assume 🙂

13 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Oh, I'm so sorry. We were on Divina and Mauricio was the manager of Le Muse there for our two recent sailings. We had servers Edgar and Onel for the two cruises and they both told us that they were looking forward to having our "leftover" lamb. We were happy to help them out.

 

OH, Mauricio is the best!  Such a hoot.  He loves to bend the rules 🙂

1 minute ago, Best Cat Mom said:

Try it. They are very accommodating!

Nope.  Tried it. Denied. Was on the Grandiosa in Feb on my actual birthday. Boarded on my b'day and hubs asked if I could have a lobster tail w/ dinner in YC.  Was denied.  No special treatment for us 🙂  As with EVERYTHING MSC, your experience may vary... 

9 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Was looking at the Euribia April 5, 2025 16 night Dubai to Rome.  Only lists Bella guarantee balconies.  Does this mean the ship's other balconies are already all booked up this far in advance?  I do not want to pay $1500 pp and wind up with an obstructed balcony.

$1500 for a 16 night cruise in a balcony (even if obstructed) sounds like a great deal to me. 

WOW! Fantastic!  I've never seen it in use so happy that the crew now knows how to properly use the lift.  Happy Cruising!

On 8/26/2023 at 1:45 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

We've pre-ordered off menu entrees in YC and they always come from BC. I especially love the BC lamb. The staff in the YC restaurant love when we special order the lamb too. Apparently, they ask BC for a large amount and then have a special meal themselves with whatever is left from cooking ours.

Never, ever heard of this.  

4 hours ago, lindyf said:

If it can be confirmed that it is pumped through the AC vent, I am calling to upgrade to YC.  

And I'll be kicking and screaming asking for a refund... Oh, wait, I was asked to move my cabin so that the Rastas next to me could light up at will.... ugh..... 

@wgeddings so depending on your itinerary if you are on a 7 nighter with a stop in Cozumel you literally will dock right across the street from the Mega supermarket. There you can pick up a six pack of soda and bring it back to the ship with you.  (No, they will not stop you, they only will at original embarkation.) So if you are a light soda drinker you could purchase as needed for a few days and buy some mid way at a port of call.

MSC is flush with cash from their shipping operations; as such they do not need to offer discounted gifts cards.  In addition, they tend to "sit" on money in terms of not issuing refunds for an extended period, thus capturing even more interest on the $$.... So, no, they don't have discounted gift cards.

3 hours ago, devolve said:

Can equipment be hired on board ie steriliser, can baby go into bars, theatre etc. is there a baby room in kids club

No sterilisers onboard.  While a baby CAN go into a bar and theater.... why would you unless they were sleeping?  (Which they won't be in the theater with all of the noise). 

Best bet is to let him be a no show.

1 hour ago, Travelbugs2.2 said:

Hi

we haven’t sailed with MSC before, so we’re just trying to understand the differences between the different ‘experiences’ to choose from.

 

The fantastica experience says it includes speciality restaurants package - but I’m not sure what that means exactly?

Does it include free speciality dining, or just a discount ?

Also - is the Aurea experience the only one that allows anytime dining

Fantastica includes the ability to "request" your preferred dining slot - early or late.

It does not include any specialty restaurants.

20 hours ago, B_A_H said:

I booked two Bella guarantee balconies on the Seaside for October a couple of months ago.  It was two separate reservations and I was assigned two Fantastica balconies near each other within 24 hours.  

 

If you booked directly with MSC, every time there's a change to your booking, whether you do it or they do it, it'll automatically send you an e-mail.  If you booked via a travel agency they'll receive the e-mail and hopefully forward it to you. Mine didn't and I found out by seeing the cabins on the reservations on the website. 

Keep in mind that while your cabins might be "fantastica" your experience will still be Bella.

Yes, there is a kids menu (same every night) with suggestions by ages.

1 hour ago, peder said:

RE: charters. Is there a way to know if your cruise has a chartered group aboard? Seems like something that could be nice to avoid, assuming that areas of the boat would be reserved for guests of the charter.

The cruiseline will not tell you. The best way I've found is to google the date and name of ship and add "charter" or the like.  (Ditto with looking for a "book of the faces" group using that date and ship)  If it's a charter they most likely have a webpage or FB group.  

In the past I've found myself inadvertently on a Swinger's Cruise, on a ship with 2000+ High School graduating seniors from Canada (no thank you!), and twice on a "Goth" cruise (the Divina) which was great fun. The biggest issue is that these groups tend to overrun the place and close down venues that you would otherwise have access to.

50 minutes ago, tampadee said:

We rented a scooter that is supposed to be delivered to our cabin on embarkation day.

 

I was told by MSC that we will have a wide door because we booked in the Yacht club.  

 

Thanks for all you replies.

Someone correct this old gal's memory, but the YC doors are the same size as regular doors (??) unless you are in a Handicapped Cabin in the yacht club.

It's very common with MSC; normally it takes 2 months for a refund. Yes, that's why they have lots of $$$$$$

1 hour ago, cbfb said:

Celebrity has Anytime Dining and you don’t have to pay an additional $400/per person to get it. I really don’t understand why that wouldn’t be available to everyone or at the very least be able to choose your dining time when you book. But that’s just me. 

Well Celebrity's prices are MUCH, MUCH higher than MSC.  You are paying for it in the base fare.

If you book Fantastica level on MSC you can indicate if you want early or late dining.  If you mean you'd like to indicate that you want a table every night at 7:30, that's a logistical nightmare that MSC would not be able to accomodate.