tonyfall1

It was a 7 night cruise on the Meraviglia out of Orlando. I thought being mid February, it would not have a lot of kids but it was packed using the pools was impossible. My wife works for the school and she typically has mid winter break the week of Presidents day. I found out that a lot of schools across the country are also off that week. Hallux also mentioned that. That's why I'm leaning towards Princess.

Thanks, I am heavily leaning towards Princess. I like to have internet when I need it and I believe NCL limits that to 150 minutes in their package. I'm also probably booking flights through the line and it looks like EZair gets much better reviews than NCL.

The Prima was my first choice but it leaves on a Friday the 17th. My wife is an educator and her break starts on the 18th. I asked her if she could take the Friday off and she said she doubts it.

My wife works for the school system in Michigan and it is midwinter break here for some schools. That's why we are going that week and will probably push me more towards Princess and hope for the best. We did an MSC cruise at the same time last year and it was packed with kids.

Princess leaves from Galveston, NCL from NOLA. Flights are basically the same.

Hello, My wife and I are in our late 50's and trying to decide between these 2 ships for a western Caribbean cruise in February. This will be our 3rd cruise and we have never cruised these lines. We like good food, a relaxed environment, the opportunity for lots of activities, so the freestyle cruising of NCL appeals to us. We would also prefer not having a ton of kids over running the ship and being able to occasional use the pools so Princess appeals to us there. We will be getting either the free at sea or plus package. The prices are the same. The itineraries are very similar. Princess making 3 stops with NCL making 4 stops one of which is Harvest Caye. We think we would really enjoy the private island. No private island for Princess. My concern with NCL is that it will be too packed with kids and we will never be able to enjoy the pools. Also, I've read that NCL has made a lot of cuts and may not be as nice as it was in the past. My concern with Princess is it may be too stodgy and lots of older people (people my age lol) and a little boring, plus no private island. I would like to just compare the base cruise so no Haven or Sanctuary, thanks. I have also posted this on the NCL forum.

Hello, My wife and I are in our late 50's and trying to decide between these 2 ships for a western Caribbean cruise in February. This will be our 3rd cruise and we have never cruised these lines. We like good food, a relaxed environment, the opportunity for lots of activities, so the freestyle cruising of NCL appeals to us. We would also prefer not having a ton of kids over running the ship and being able to occasional use the pools so Princess appeals to us there. We will be getting either the free at sea or plus package. The prices are the same. The itineraries are very similar. Princess making 3 stops with NCL making 4 stops one of which is Harvest Caye. We think we would really enjoy the private island. No private island for Princess. My concern with NCL is that it will be too packed with kids and we will never be able to enjoy the pools. Also, I've read that NCL has made a lot of cuts and may not be as nice as it was in the past. My concern with Princess is it may be too stodgy and lots of older people (people my age lol) and a little boring, plus no private island. I would like to just compare the base cruise so no Haven or Sanctuary, thanks. I've also posted this on the Princess forum.

It looks like they are giving me a non-stop Delta flight that is supposed to arrive at 10:44 a.m. the morning of the cruise. The price is the exact same as they quoted me.

I assume I would have to call them for the deviation? I don't see an option to select that.

Thanks, so if you miss the cruise cause of an issue with the air booked through them, do they take any accountability? Do you get a refund or credit, or is their no advantage at all with booking through them?

I was just getting ready to pull the trigger on an NCL cruise. NCL Breakaway out of NOLA. The deciding factor for NCL was the BOGO airfare from Detroit to NOLA. It saves me around $600, from any other cruise line. But now I have read the reviews, is it really that bad and unreliable?

I thought this video does a good job of explaining the math.

Thanks, do they send an email letting you know that it is about to expire?

Thanks.. It shows that no payment was made. I just repeated the process and prior to finalizing the booking it does say we will courtesy hold this booking for you until 9/7. So I assume that is what is happening that it is a hold until 9/7. It just doesn't show it anywhere and I didn't get any emails or anything.

Hello, I booked a Princess cruise over the weekend on a courtesy hold. I did not put any money down or give any payment information. I thought the hold was for only a day or two, but when I went in and looked at it, it said remaining balance was not due until 11/20/2023 or it will be cancelled. So now I am confused. I will probably call them tomorrow but just wondering if anyone else knows anything about this.

Yes we were on the same cruise. Bad planning on my part I assumed most kids would be in school but I found out, New York, Georgia, Michigan and others were off for the week.

Just got back.. LOL. it was 19th - 26th.

Hello, This is only my second cruise and first in 20 years, but I just wanted to share my perspective on my cruise on the Meraviglia and with MSC. I kind of had certain expectations and perceptions about how this cruise would be and compare them to how it actually was. Embarkation: My perception from doing research was this was going to be a nightmare. The reality was it was very smooth. I arrived around 1:00 pm for a 2:30pm embarkation time it took 25 minutes perhaps before I was on the ship. I would give this a 8 out of 10. The Ship: It's beautiful 8.5 out of 10. Service: Again I had read a lot about service lacking, being short handed, rude employees etc. I really did not experience any of that. For the most part service was very good, everyone helpful and polite. My cabin steward and waiter were both exceptional. The only area where I would knock this down is bar service, overall I would give it a 7.5 our of 10. Bar Service: I figured I would make this a separate thread since there were a lot of complaints about this. Yes the bar service at the atmosphere bar was slow. They were constantly overwhelmed with people but I had no problem going to other bars that were not overwhelmed and getting a drink in timely manner. The Atmosphere Bar and Ocean Cay were the only places I experienced slow bar service, and these bars were packed. I would give bar service a 6 out of 10. Ocean Cay: The island is beautiful, the buffet was good overall a great experience other than the bar service. 8.5 out of 10. Buffet: It started out strong especially the ethnic section, they had some good curry dishes. Breakfast generally had a large selection, can't think of anything else I would want for breakfast, lunch was generally pretty good and same with dinner. Pizza was good, fries were really good, burgers were average. Pastries and desserts pretty good. I would give it a 6.5 out of 10. MDR: We had an 8:30 seating in Panorama. We also had a few lunches in Waves. We had a few really good meals a few average meals. Service was generally exceptional. I would give it a 6.5 out of 10. Entertainment: I thought the entertainment was really good. We saw several good shows and lots of entertainment around the ship. I would say a 7 out of 10. Overall I think MSC did a very good job. My biggest complaints really have nothing to do with them. This particular cruise had over 4300 people on it and many of them were teens and kids. It was not really the vibe I was looking for, again not MSC's fault. I think they did a fine job. If you are looking for a mainstream cruise that offers great value that's what they are. I think I am probably more of a HAL type of a person and would prefer a smaller ship with fewer teens and kids. I would book them again but probably only with yacht club, unless we plan on doing a family trip and bring our 3 twenty something kids with us.

Ok that's what I was afraid of. The only reason I booked through MSC was the security of knowing they would wait for me if something happened, but now it looks like I will be on my own and the wording is very shady, AI is typically food and drink. The references to transportation and AI should be removed, it seems like others have also fallen for this. I assume I can't cancel.

I did.. I pasted it in my question. In the port forums someone from Carnival posted a very similar description. It said "a short drive" but that short drive was not included. It also said "use all inclusive facilities" but that did not include food or drink, only the facilities. They were mad cause they felt it was misleading. That is why I am wondering if anyone has done this one with MSC because it is worded very similarly. From the verbiage which is in my initial post, I assumed the ride and since it is an AI the drinks and food were included.

Hello, I booked the Chankanaab excursion from MSC as one of my excursions on my cruise with them. I assumed transport, food and drink was included. I was reading through the excursion threads on the forum and it seems like depending on the line, some did not include transport, some did not include food and drink. Has anyone booked this excursion and can you tell me if transport, food and drink is included? Description from MSC site that I booked: Spend a few relaxing hours off the ship in one of Cozumel's most beautiful locations, the Chankonabe National Park, an enchanting beachfront area and protected marine reserve. With only a short drive from the cruise terminal to begin your tour, you can then enjoy the all-inclusive facilities and attractions of the park, among which snorkelling in the shallow beachside waters is one of the most popular. Gear up and indulge in an adventurous swim through the shoals of multi-coloured fish that call the reef their home, but also look out for various underwater statues that form part of the marine reserve. Further attractions in the park included free sea lion shows, the Blue Lagoon inland coral reef to visit, and a lush botanical garden with replicas of Mayan archaeological finds, a reproduction Mayan village and the Hacienda Antigua, the perfect spot to sample different kinds of tequila. While at the park, you'll be free to use the beachfront Palapas (a kind of thatched gazebo), showers, changing rooms, beach chairs and hammocks.

I booked direct. It looks like everything is ok since I received all of my boarding docs. just looks like a glitch in their app. I'll probably call them just to make sure everything is ok

Feb 19th. It looks like I have received all of my edocs. When I try to do the final check in step it says it failed but then it emails me all of my edocs so it seems like it actually succeeded but my status still shows not checked in.

So I am checking in for my cruise, and I can't fully finish the check in process. I have completed everything but it will not let me do the final submit. It states that I am not checked in but essentially when I try to complete the process it emails me my boarding tickets, health questionnaire etc. So it looks like I have everything I need but my status is still showing that I am not checked in. Do I need to be concerned??? By the way, I work in IT and this is an issue with their website.

My embarkation time is at 2:30pm. I need to be out of my hotel by 11am. I don't have a car, I will be taking a shuttle to the port. I know the Meraviglia embarking process can be a mess. I really have no other options but to show up at 11. What happens if I show up that early?