CruizinSusan70

Well, you can set a clock alarm on your cell phone for a specific time that would correlate with the time you wrote on the hang tag. If you're against this, then pay the $15.00 to activate Ocean Now and have it delivered to your cabin. Either way, if you think your coffee will not be hot whenever they deliver it to you, you can always get dressed and walk to the buffet and get it nice and hot.

If someone booked standard fare they are receiving the same no matter when they booked. If someone booked recently, they paid the 60 per day to get plus. If someone booked plus at 40 or 50, they would need to pay the extra 10 or 20 per day to get the same benefits. So no matter when you book, the costs would be the same.

It won't if you order it via the paper hang tag. If you decide to order during the remainder of the day, that cost is eliminated if you pay the 15.00 charge for Ocean Now. So you will not have the 5.00 RS charge if you order something later in the day.

No, the items are a la carte. The pizzas are 12.00. If you split one for lunch that is all you pay. So it's 6.00 pp. The 15.00 charge is for an app, a pizza, calzone or agnolotti and a dessert.

Each of you will receive two visits for the 14.99 prix fix menu at Alfredo's (which used to be free) or another possible casual option which varies by ship. Since you have the Plus package you get room service or ocean now included.

No, there is no cover charge. There are a la carte options. At worst, one person orders the 14.99 prix fix and the other person orders a $3.00 dessert. At best, one person is charged for the prix fix, the second person orders nothing but a drink and they share the meal.

Or one can get the 3 course meal for free and the other can order nothing and pay nothing. Saw nothing on the new menu about a sharing charge. This way you could go four times over the course of the cruise. If still hungry 2 hours later, go to IC.

No, you would be able to split a salad or bowl of soup, a pizza and either tiramisu or apple torte. This way you would get four visits over the course of your cruise with each of you presenting your medallion for payment twice. Our predicament is my DH loves their calzone and I don't.

In order for less people to go to Alfredo's at lunchtime, the two options would be to open up the MDR on port days or improve what is offered in the buffet. Port days for lunch is when we would go to Alfredo's. Sea days and embarkation day we went to the MDR. Was not impressed at all with the majority of the lunch offerings on the Discovery and the Majestic at the buffet.

The cost on a MSC does not include gratuities. We have sailed in the YC as well as Fantastica. The package included drinks and wifi. Premium drinks in YC and Easy Plus with Fantastica.

That's why there is vanilla and chocolate. We primarily cruise for the ship these days. Have 16 cruises booked for the next 2 years on Celebrity, RCI, Princess & Carnival and the oldest ship was built in 2019.

You're 100% correct when you say that MSC is a family owned cruise line and they do it their way. But, it's human nature to compare the product that they offer on this side of the pond versus the product that is offered by their main stream competition, which is RCI, NCL and Carnival. Many that have cruised on MSC like the fact that they have a European flair and they are different and they consider this a plus. But you also have to take into account all of their minuses and even though they have deep pockets from the shipping division, they still have a long way to go to gain ground on the big three. They have their foothold in FLA, and now in NYC with the Meraviglia. Galveston is next on their radar and eventually they'll do the west coast and Alaska. MSC is an acquired taste. We sampled them twice, once in 2018 in the Yacht Club on the Seaside and two weeks ago in a Fantastica cabin on the Meraviglia. After our second sailing, we decided to spit out that acquired taste.

👍👍👍

Out of curiosity, the points that you accumulated to fly international first class from the west coast and stay at Hiltons for three weeks and have a comped car from Hertz....were these points all accumulated by your own personal vacationing or were they accumulated on your companies dime and you benefited by having the job you have. Most "normal" people are not able to accumulate enough points for the airline, hotel & car rental perks that you got because of the traveling associated with your job.

So, what you're saying is that the people most up in arms come from those that sail in Suites losing Butlers on X, versus standard fare passengers on Princess upset over paying 14.95 for Ocean Now and having to pay for Alfredo's coupled with those that also have Plus being relegated to only two included visits. Either way, first world problems.

There is nothing good about RCI's Dynamic Pricing. No other cruise line bases supplemental spending on specialty venues, drink packages and excursions based upon when you cruise and which ship you cruise on. You need to sail on NCL for 700 points to reach Ambassador.

Enjoy your land vacation. Pick a hotel, get your car rental, pay for your 2-3 meals a day. Pay for your entertainment. Pay for your adult beverages if you indulge. Go to an all inclusive. Everything is included except you're only going to be in one place. The entertainment is usually a joke and if you don't drink, you're paying for something that you will not utilize. If either of these scenarios is a much better way for you to spend your vacation dollars, go for it. Personally, after 55 past cruises and 16 future cruises booked, we know where we're spending our vacation dollars.

The grats must be the "early booking bonus". We've never sailed on HAL since their largest ships are only 99.5K tons. Including future booked cruises, it would have been about 35-40 cruises since we've cruised on a ship that small. But it's nice to know about that promotion in case they happen to get on our radar.

Spunks, I was answering a post from another cruiser, which I attached above. I have never and will never remove gratuities. Haven't done it over 55 cruises and will never consider it.

On HAL you now get a benefit if you're an AARP member. Anywhere from 50-200 per cabin in OBC.

??? DH had two entrees on multiple occasions on our Majestic cruise for 14 days in May/June. Were not charged extra.

This year we have or will cruise on Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, Royal, NCL and MSC. We have cruised on Carnival the most and like their new Excel Class ships. (Celebration & Mardi Gras) With Princess we have only sailed twice, 14 days each on Discovery and Majestic. Currently have two 14 day sailings booked on both the Enchanted and the Sun, all within the next 25 months. After adding Cheers and gratuities to our Carnival sailings, it's not much more to cruise on Princess. The fact that there are substantially less cruisers as well as kids on Princess versus Carnival causes us to put Princess at the top of the food chain when it comes to future sailings. We have recent first hand experience comparing Princess to their competition, so we're happy with our decision.

Whew. Since we always pay for the Plus package, we'd be covered. But, are there scanners on the lifeboats to verify and confirm via our medallions that we have the package?

Both of the FAS or FAS plus packages do not include gratuities. Those range from 20-25 pppd depending upon your cabin. So that's 90-95 per day when compared to Princess and on Princess the wifi is unlimited for everyone. On NCL only for those with the Plus package. If you only have FAS, you only get 150 minutes. So, what Princess offers is a much better value as I have mentioned in other posts.

You've cruised on NCL a half dozen times so just go back to them. But, be forewarned, all of the main stream cruise lines are going through post Covid growing pains so changes are being made across the board and loyal cruisers of Celebrity, RCI, Carnival and NCL are all complaining. Those that cruise on multiple cruise lines and keep up with the scuttlebutt on the various boards on Cruise Critic know that cruisers across various lines are upset about changes.