ElizaSTN

Actually, look into Newark. The port is on the west side of Manhattan, which is easier to get to from New Jersey. Second choice would be LGA. Avoid JFK if at all possible, it is at the ass end of Queens and nightmare to get to and from.

Does the preexisting condition exclusion apply to traveling companions or immediate family? For example, if a traveling companion (who also happens to be an immediate family member) has cancer and and is too ill to travel, will a claim be denied because it was diagnosed before purchasing travel insurance? TIA

I agree that different people can have different experiences on the same cruise, but many of the complaints on here are so over the top that there is literally a subreddit dedicated to making fun of it.

I reached out this AM to the CAS agent I’ve worked w before to see if I had any offers applicable to a cruise I’m planning to take in June. I didn’t (no surprise, my last NCL cruise was in Feb ‘21 and before that it was many years ago.) However, we are sailing in January and have no doubt I will rack up at least 5,000 points (probably more 🤷🏼‍♀️) She suggested booking through her now and then taking another look after January and rebooking if something comes up. The cruise in January is through CAS and I did get a discount equivalent to an inside cabin. We’d be booking a Penthouse suite (non-Haven) for June and we’re doing so regardless of whether we get anything from CAS but wondering if anyone had been able to apply an offer/comp to something already booked after new play.

Hello! We're new to MSC and are thinking of booking the Yacht Club on the Meraviglia in May or June. One of the members of our group is suffering from gastric cancer and is on a limited diet. He does best with plain meat, fish and vegetables without any sauces. Can the Yacht Club restaurant accommodate requests like this? Just a plain protein? We've sailed in the Haven and it wasn't an issue - there's always steak on the menu and they go above and beyond to accommodate any dietary restrictions. I've been looking at the Yacht Club menus and there isn't always something plain (or something that could be made plain) on the menu. Thanks for the info!

I’m so glad I ran across this review! We’re currently trying to decide between a regular veranda cabin on the Apex and a YC suite in the MSC Virtuosa for a Norwegian Fjords sailing next year. We’ve never sailed MSC and were put off by so many bad reviews. I sailed Celebrity decades ago and always had a good impression of the product, but again got nervous reading some recent reviews. We’ve sailed the NCL Haven and absolutely loved it, so after reading your review I’m leaning heavily towards MSC YC and will be looking at other sailings with them as well. Thank you so much for your well-thought out and comprehensive POV. In addition to being fun to read, it provided a ton of specific, substantive information that really helps in making decisions on where to spend our hard earned vacation dollars. happy sailing!!

Thank you!! I'm seeing now that there is a June sailing on the Virtuosa that stops in Olden, Flaam, Haugesund, and Stavanger. Miss Bergen, but would that be preferable to sail in June?

Hi All -- We are looking at a Norwegian Fjords cruise in summer of 2024. I've read through all of this thread and the information has been very helpful in narrowing down our choices. I think we've settled between two itineraries and would love opinions to help make a final decision: Celebrity Apex out of Southhampton, visting Bruges, Flam, Geiranger, Bergen (July 20.) We'd been in a standard balcony cabin (or perhaps an aft balcony.) MSC Virtuosa out of Southhamption, visiting Haugesund, Alesund, Flaam, Stavanger (August 31.) We'd be in a balcony cabin in the Yacht Club. We've never sailed MSC, but the Yacht Club looks appealing. (We have sailed in the NCL Haven and enjoyed it very much.) However, that itinerary doesn't include Geiranger, which I understand to be one of the more scenic fjords. The Celebrity sailing includes Bruges, which is obviously not Norway. Looks charming, but not something that is a must do. Overall we're looking for a blend of scenic cruising and towns, particularly with a good hike or two. Appreciate any and all thoughts! TIA!

I have to disagree with this. I would be just as annoyed if I found out that a large group of Irish stepdancers and musicians were planning takeovers of public venues like the pool and other areas. And I love Irish music and dancing. But not all the time and not when I’m trying to relax on the pool deck. It’s a very specific genre of music that is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea and IMO Norwegian should be upfront about how, where and when public venues will be taken over. That’s the issue here - the lack of transparency about disruptions to parts of the ship that regular cruisers would expect to have normal access to.

I still don’t understand why the OP is upset that his 15 yo daughter was not allowed to order off the children’s menu that is clearly labeled as 12 and under, whether or not those clear rules were bent in other instances. I’m equally as confused as to what kind of cheapo forces his 15 yo daughter to order off a children’s menu on a cruise because she wouldn’t be able to eat all the food served to her. And causes such embarrassment that she’s in tears. This entire thread is ridiculous.

Now that makes much more sense. Do you remember if it was open for lunch any days or just dinner. Thanks!!!

Although it’s against the rules, I know someone who has brought her own electric tea kettle on every NCL cruise she’s been on, and that’s a lot. Neve hid it from the room steward/butler either. Not endorsing, just reporting. It’s against the rules because of fire hazard.

From what I've read, a SDC can be used for 4 items in certain restaurants - including the Raw Bar on Breakaway. And at the Raw Bar, a single oyster is considered 1 item. My question is this: can 1 person use more than 1 SDC at a 4 item restaurant? So use 2 SDC to get 8 oysters (or prawns or what have you)? I realize this is not getting the most "value" out of these credits. But we love the Haven restaurant and we'll have 4 SDC's per person with FAS+ and not sure we'll want to eat 4 dinners in specialty restaurants. So a nice lunch at the Raw Bar sounds great - some lobster, some charcuterie, some oysters etc. Not sure we WILL do this, but just wondering if it's possible if we weren't going to use those extra SDC on a dinner. TIA!

well, called and answered my own question. Yes it DOES apply - in case anyone else is wondering.

Does anyone know if you can use the 10% Veterans discount when upgrading a Casino at Sea offer? We have an offer for a “free” ocean view but would like to upgrade and wondering if that 10% discount would apply. I’ll ask when I call but wondering if anyone has insight. TIA!

When we did it last year, we did need to show proof of funds. We don’t keep a lot of cash in our daily checking account either, we keep some in an account in our local bank. I think because it’s a smaller institution, they weren’t familiar with the process (or maybe just aren’t set up to do it electronically) so we actually had to do a conference call with CAS and the manager of the bank to verify the funds. It was a hassle but eventually got approved. However, getting the money at the casino was also a little bit of a hassle...the cage didn’t seem to know exactly how to do it. It ended up taking about an hour and then they couldn’t verify our check so that took a day or two to sort out (although they did front the funds in the meantime so at least we could play.) Overall, I’m not sure if we’ll do it again or just bring cash. It was nice not to have to carry cash, but it was stressful in other ways.

Another question - what if someone has paid for a beverage package? Is that refunded in the case of a no show?

Is anyone familiar with the Key embarkation process in Baltimore? It’s currently discounted for our cruise and just a bit more than internet alone. I’m interested because we’re trying to avoid running into family in the terminal who we’re trying to surprise. Figured we could get on the boat early and hang out at the lunch until it’s time to surprise them. They’re arrival time is 11:30. Other option is to make our arrival time 1 or later but that’s a bummer.

Yes! Good luck to us both!

Thanks for your response! Yes, we’re part of a larger group (13 total.) DH and I booked late and we’re surprising the rest of the group. I *believe* that traditional dining was unavailable when the group originally booked. The problem is that I’m usually the one doing the obsessive researching/planning for family vacations so being out of the loop is killing me 😁. I understand that all sitting together probably won’t be possible. Just hoping to avoid super long waits. We’ll investigate onboard and make the best of it!

Now I’m confused. I thought there was a specific dining room on the Enchantment just for My Time. So you can’t be seated for MTD until early dining is done, or you just can’t book reservations? Thanks for the help - first time on Royal, it’s last minute and I didn’t do any of the planning. 😂

Sorry, Enchantment.

Hi all - we chose My Time Dining for our upcoming cruise on EoS. While it says MTD is open 5:30-9:30, reservations are only available starting at 7:45. Does this mean earlier time slots are all taken? How long is the wait likely to be without reservations at 5:30 or 6:00? TIA!

Hi all - new to Royal. we just booked a last minute cruise on EoS in February to join a larger family group…hadn’t planned on going but changed our mind. We got the last cabin available - an inside. Even though the sailing is no longer available to book on the website I just got a Royal Up email to bid on a number of different cabin classes. Is this something they do in case there are last minute cancellations or is there a chance some upgrades could be available? I dread the inside cabin but don’t want to have false hope. thanks!!