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DH and I had aa corner aft Neptune Suite on the Oosterdam as a  result of a guarantee booking (had to do a guarantee to get the deep casino discount). It was much smaller than the regular Neptune Suites on previous cruises and we disliked it a lot. Same amount of furniture and we were always bumping into something. Also disliked the way aft location and prefer a mid-ship location close to the Neptune Lounge. For us it was the unfortunate location of having to book a guarantee.

We had a guaranteed Vista Suite on a March Rotterdam cruise and received our Vista cabin assignment about 10 days before we sailed. A few days before sailing I received an upsell email for a Neptune Suite and we grabbed it - was a few doors down from the Neptune Lounge so a perfect location.

 Thanks for the Inventory Dept. phone numbers - I didn't know we could call them.

While I would like to have the pre-cruise Covid testing dropped, we live in Florida where hospitals are once again being innudated with Covid cases. Our next cruise isn't until late October (HAL) and I hope by then FL cases drop significantly and the cruise lines drop the pre-cruise testing. We only do Caribbean cruises and do not fly anywhere.

DH and I were on the Rotterdam in March in a Neptune Suite. Our TV remote stopped working and DH called Guest Services. Then he called Guest Services again the second day. Then he went down to Guest Services the third day and was told to contact our room steward. He came right away and fixed the remote problem. We realized we should have contacfed one of the concierges in the Neptune Lounge the first day and it probably would have been fixed right away. I don't know why we didn't think of them first as we have always had good service from the NL concierges in past cruises.

DH and I are 4 Star Mariners on Holland and Diamonds on Carnival. We love Holland the most because of the elegant ships, superior food, wonderful suites, and a fabulous crew. Our last two Carnival cruises (this month) were less than stellar experiences because of mediocre food, very loud and drunken passengers - things you won't find on the Westerdam. We have never sailed on MSC, but did have one booked recently and then cancelled it. Decided it wouldn't be for us after talking to good friends who have sailed on MSC. We have 4 Holland cruises booked and no Carnival - I think our last Carnival cruises have sailed.

DH and I just returned from a 5-day Paradise cruise. While onboard, we received a letter that there would be no special Diamond event and no Platinum/Diamond cocktail party. Their reason was that while trying to get all the Carnival ships back sailing there is a shortage of crew members due to some Visa issues. They did give us $50 pp onboard credit so at least we received something for our disappointment.

The ship sailed at full capacity and no masks, although recommended. Crew was wonderful, food was okay not great, entertainment was so-so. There are no specialty restaurants on the Paradise, but we did have Steakhouse Selections in the Main Dining Room for 3 of the 5 nights on board and they were good. I had the Surf and Turf the 3 nights and DH had that 2 times, the 3rd time he had the NY Strip Steak and it was full of grizzle.

Probably our last Carnival cruise for a long while as we have 4 Holland America cruises booked, our favorite cruise line. Food is far superior, ships are elegant, fantastic crew, and we receive many perks for being 4 Star Mariners (same as Diamond level) - double sailing days for suites, extra days for every $300 spent onboard, 50% discount on specialty restaurant dining, 50% discount on wine packages.  Being Diamonds on Carnival pales in comparison.

I appreciate the two reviews. DH and I cruise on the Paradise tomorrow. We are Diamonds,  but I think this will probably be our last Carnival cruise. We have 4 Holland America cruises booked and are 4 Star Mariners. Our last 3 Carnival cruises have been less than satisfactory, although free for the most part.

We cruised twice on Carnival in February,  Liberty and Elation, and had a horrible encounter with a drunk man who threatened to throw my DH overboard on the Liberty! He wouldn't leave us alone and DH was starting to look for Security when the drunk left and we didn't see him again. We sailed on the Magic 2 weeks ago and discovered Carnival just isn't for us anymore. Passengers were loud, drunk, constantly using crude language, and rude to me when I was using my rollator to get around.  Food was marginal at best. The crew, however, was fantastic.

We are much more suited to Holland America with its elegant ships, superior cuisine, friendly and disability aware passegers, and wonderful crew. We are looking forward to our free Holland cruises in our lovely suites with the many perks that Carnival does not provide.

As far as our Paradise cruise that sails tomorrow, we'll just have to hope for the best.

DH and I love, love the Cuchina and eat there at least 3 times on every cruise that has it. We also loved our Chef's Table experience on the Legend a few years ago. I do hope the closings are temporary as Carnival as said.

Guy's Burgers? Just a hamburger, nothing special.

I guess a morning drink and appetizer gathering is better than nothing. Thanks so much for the info.

For any Diamonds who have sailed on a 5-day Paradise cruise lately, is there a special luncheon just for Diamond members? We sailed on the Magic last week and there was a wonderful luncheon for Diamond members in one of the main dining rooms.  There were about 170 of us there. We are sailing on the Paradise next week and hope there is one on that cruise also.

We also attended the Platinum/Diamond cocktail party on the Magic and it was nice....free drinks but no food. Will there be one on the Paradise next week?? There were over 600 in attendance.

Thanks in advance.

DH and I ate at the Steakhouse on the Magic last week and he wore long pants. I honestly don't recall what other men were wearing. He is used to having to wear long pants for dinner on our Holland America cruises (except shorts are fine in the Lido Buffet for dinner) so it's no big deal.

We have sailed on 64 cruises, mostly on Holland America and Carnival, and decided to try a short 4-day MSC on the Meraviglia in Oct. 2022. DH and I have a few questions as MSC newbies:

1) The editor's review of this ship on Cruise Critic said no tees or shorts in public areas in the evening. Is that true and if so, is it strictly enforced?

2) The ship arrives on Ocean Cay at 8am on day 3 and leaves at 12pm on day 4. Is the casino open while the ship is at Ocean Cay?

3) Any recommendations for great specialty restaurants (no sushi)?

Thanks in advance for your help!

We also tip the room steward to keep the ice bucket filled. Bostwick Girl is correct that the ice buckets are very small and the ice melts quickly.

We have sailed on the Rotterdam 3 times since Dec. and loved every minute of those sailings. We had a Vista Suite twice and a Neptune Suite once. Crew was wonderful and food was superior. I wrote a review after the first one so you should take a look at it. Loved the Tamarind and Cannelleto specialty restaurants.

Observations: the Vista Suites are smaller than they look in the photos and the bathrooms and balconies are tiny. We have had Neptune Suites many times and the Rotterdam Neptunes on Deck 7 are much smaller than on previous ships. No separate vanity area. Bathroom was quite roomy. We didn't eat in the MDR but once and had awful service, so didn't return, preferred the specialty restaurants and Lido buffet for dinners.

I won two jackpots in the casino on the same day and I'm a smoker. The casino is small like on its sister ships. Great smoking area on Lido Deck by the Sea View Bar - covered, plenty of tables and comfy lounge furniture.

Wonderful library on board.

We are booked on the Rotterdam again for an 11-day Caribbean cruise sailing on Nov. 30th. It's the $50,000 slot tournament cruise and have a Vista Suite booked. Looking forward to it.

What's the big deal? We've been on 7 cruises since the start up (4 on Carnival and 3 on Holland) and the two week (16 days as we are Diamond and 2 weeks being 4* Mariners) has been fine. We leave on our 8th cruise in one week and did the check in on Carnival last week without any hiccups. No worries.

We have been on 3 Rotterdam cruises since Dec. and I have received free ocean view and balcony cruises on each. Have taken advantage of all three and upgraded to Vista Suite s on each offer. The last one in March, we were upgraded to a Neptune Suite (for a small fee) a week before the cruise. The offer we received on the last one we upgraded to a Vista Suite for a Feb. 2023 N. Statendam cruise.

DH and I often receive the same casino offers but we take mine because they are always better. I receive better discounted rates and more Fun Play - I play in the casino more than he does and spend more money there than he does, so I rack up thousands more points than he does on our cruises.

Moviela, what does gender have to do with anything?

Sorry the OP didn't enjoy the Rotterdam cruise. DH and I sailed on the Rotterdam twice in March and disagree with most of the OP's negatives. We found the service to be stellar, including wait staff, room stewards, Lido-Tamarind-Cannelleto staff, Sea View Bar staff, Neptne Lounge concierges, etc. The food was exceptional in all venues (we did not eat in the Main Dining Room). This was our third Rotterdam cruise since Dec. and we are also 4*.

The casino offers are pretty speciic about the person receiving the offer has to make the booking. The Player's Club has the information for the person who booked which is sent to the ship. The casino host will have a list of those who are eligible for the perks listed in the offer. Your spouse's name is what the Players Club will send to the ship. If the person who booked isn't on the ship and the spouse goes to the casino host,  she won't receive the perks - Fun Play, free drinks in the casino while playing, etc. - because she's not on the list.

We sailed on the Rotterdam earlier this month in a Neptune Suite and it had a no host mini bar. All it means is that in the mini fridge there are sodas, beer, wine, etc. that you can purchase. The room steward checks the fridge daily and you are charged for whatever is missing.

Congratulations on becoming 4* Mariners on your cruise! We made 4* on our Rotterdam cruise this month.

We were on two Rotterdam cruises this month and no Mariner luncheon (very disappointing), but they did have the recognition ceremonies for 5* and above in the BB King venue. We made 4* on the last day of the second Rotterdam cruise - woo hoo!

Masks were required in the casino, but I don't know about the gym as I never went there.

I didn't notice any Texas Hold 'Em tournaments. There were Free Play giveaways every half hour during the day and I won $200 one time. Snowball Raffles were held, too. The casino was open while we were in Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.

Congratulations Obnxshs on reaching 5 Star Mariner!! DH was above the venue where the special ceremony for the 5* and above and there was a passenger there with 3000 actual sea days being honored. Wow!

It all depends on whether you want to be on a mega size ship like the Mardi Gras or a mid size ship like the Magic. DH and I will not book the Mardi Gras just because of its size due to some mobility issues I have. We have sailed on the Magic twice since last August and will sail on her again this May - really loved the ship and the size was right for us. No kids, so not interested in anything the Mardi Gras has to offer kids. Since you do have kids the Mardi Gras might be the choice for your family.

Our third Rotterdam cruise since Dec. was just as memorable as the first two. About 1700 passengers with lots of kids, but we really only noticed them at the Sail Away party and only saw a few each day after that. We had a Neptune Suite a few doors down from the Neptune Lounge and it was wonderful. We did feel, however, it and the verandah were a bit smaller than all the other Neptune Suites we've had on other Holland ships. We made 4 Star Mariners on the 6th day of the cruise!

Never ate in the Main Dining Room, but did have one dinner at the Canelletto and two at the Tamarind. Both were excellent as always. Had breakfasts in suite with room service, lunches and other dinners in the Lido. Food was superior at all locations.

Played slots a lot in the casino and won two big jackpots on the same day at two slots next to each other. Received an offer from the Player's Club on the last day for a free cruise and $500 in Free Play. Returned home yesterday and booked a 7-day on the N. Statendam for next Feb.

Masks were recommended not mandated in most venues, but most people wore masks inside the ship. Probably because of many unvaccinated kids running around...that was our reason and just because we are so used to it.

Our next Rotterdam cruise is in late November for 11 days - looking foward to it.

We sailed on the Rotterdam last week with about 50% capacity - it was great. No lines, only a few kids. However, we are sailing on her again next week and someone on the roll call said it will be sailing almost at 100% capacity with 130 kids. Said parents were on the ship and asked the Captain. Could be BS - hope it is.