Toddcan

Ah, ok, that makes some sense. The dates are correct. But, this morning, when I clicked on "Accept offer", it went to another page that confirmed - and I did this. But, it just put me back in the pool it looks like. - but the counter offer is the same price - nothing changed. oh well.

In case anyone else has these questions, I am providing updates Update: I pulled the trigger and accepted their counter offer. However, I was expecting that it was a given - that their counter offer would be accepted right away. But, this is not the case. All it did was to modify my Upgrade Bid to the amount in their counteroffer. Weird. They said they can accept the bid up to 2 days before sailing. I suppose I had a different view of what a counter-offer meant. So, here's the follow up question -If I am am accepted, I would cancel: Internet Specialty Restaurants 3-night package Cabana on Ocean Cay Can I cancel all of the above extras if I find out 48 hours before sailing that I got the YC upgrade?

If you drink soda anyways, and would be buying cans, or fountain pours at the bars - then 100% get the soda package. 2 or 3 sodas a day and it's paid for itself. The variety on the freestyle machines is amazing - but again, is only a factor if you are a soda drinker. For myself, I also factor in how many sea days vs port days there are - port days means I won't use the soda package near as much.

1. Freedom 2. Quantum 3. Voyager

Not yet. We got a really great deal on our Fantastica Balcony. $1,200 for 2 people for a week - taxes included. The balcony is on the back of the ship, top corner - our fav place to be - we love aft views, and book them when we can on Royal Caribbean. Anyway... YC is an EXTRA $1,700 on top of the $1,200. So, for sure $2,900 for 2 people on a 7 day cruise in a balcony cabin is "typical", but I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger. First time on MSC too - so there's the unknown..

Few more follow up questions. I have not yet pulled the trigger on this upgrade - it might not even be available still, but just in case it is... Looking for opinions for those who have experience. 1. I booked the 3 night specialty dining with the Fantastica experience. The thought was that it will be a little nicer than the MDR. But, it appears to me that the YC dining area will give me that same "less crowded" experience. So, I could book YC, and cancel my dining package. Does anyone have any cautions for me on this? 2. Internet. for sure, there is a savings here. I would be buying the 2 device per person package, so YC saves me $212 pp there. Only thing is - YC comes with the surf package only. It says "no video", but I suspect that it's just a speed limitation? Anyone have experience on the Meraviglia with just the basic internet? I suppose a good litmus test is - can you watch a youtube video? 3. Ocean Cay YC area. I have booked a cabana under our Fantastica booking - we like cabanas and the price was great ( $252). I think the standard YC area is going to be a "less" of an experience to our booked cabana. Looking for opinions here too. 4. Drinks - we don't drink alcohol. So the main benefit of the drink package included with YC is lost on us. At best I could equate this to the non-alcohol package which includes the virgin drinks, etc. But I see something about the drink package included soft serve ice cream - is there not a free soft serve ice cream for everyone? What about the gelato station? Is that an extra fee for YC? Looking for clarification here too. Thanks in advance for the help & opinions.

Arcades Specialty Restaurants Other pay food items (Bar food, Johnny Rockets, Ben & Jerry's, etc)

Ok, I was sent a link by my TA of the perks... sheesh. Please confirm is this is correct. YC comes with: Specialty Dining - is this true? No need to book the package(s) ? Access to special area at the Marine Reserve. I have booked a cabana with our fantastica experience - so would I need to cancel the cabana since it's in a different area? Is cabana pricing similar for the YC?

Ok, this is great news. Thanks for the reply. So, I purchased the 3 night specialty dining package - should I cancel that? Or will we be allowed to eat at the Butcher Block? DW and I don't drink - so that is a big miss - we would only use it for sodas and virgin drinks - maybe 1-2 per day 2 internet devices per person - that is a great money saver.

Yes, it's a 7 night out of Brooklyn - In March, so there are ~ 2-3 days of cold weather cruising time

Sailing on the Meraviglia in March. We booked the Fantastica experience Deluxe Balcony - Deck 10 on the aft corner - we consider is a nice cabin and location. We got the standard upgrade offer email, and we bid on the Suite Area Suite with Whirpool tub. We bid basically as much as our original cabin cost (so doubling the cost of the cruise). We just got an email saying they will not be accepting that offer, but countered with $840 pp ($1,680 total) to upgrade to MSC Yacht Club Deluxe Suite. So I looked at that cabin, and it's a little bigger than our current cabin, but the balcony looks to be the same size. There has to be a LOT more to it for them to suggest it's worth $840pp more than we paid. We paid $1,270 for 2, and this would bump our cost up to $2,950 for 2. I hear Yacht Club is a nice experience, but $1,270 vs $2,950 is quite the jump. We've never sailed MSC, so I wanted to understand if I am missing something. Any input is appreciated. I'm very much in the "not worth it" camp - but, again, I admit I do not fully understand the upgrade offer.

haha.. that's awesome! Others-I'll spell them phonetically (roughly): Mare-si (thank you) Sack-Passay - "What's happening" - very informal - they love this one Map Buy Ou Sank Doo-laar - I'll give you $5

To be honest, even if the food offerings were pre-packaged or otherwise less prone to waste, I would not mind. Part of the draw would be a quiet place to sit with a group and catch up. So, sipping on ice water, while munching on an apple, or bag of chips while sitting around a much less crowded WJ sounds pretty cool to me, and would be one in the "win" column in my books that might affect the bigger cruise decision for our next sailing.

Having NEVER driven anywhere near NYC , I'd love to take a bridge in rather than the tunnels, but we're coming from The Poconos area, so that might not be the natural route over the GWB. I'll see if I can coax the GPS to take me that way just to get a little better view of "NYC". Mind you, the views from the ship should be good.

We're earlier in March

Curious... do you what time the Celebrity buffet closed?

Kinda... but that's not exactly what I meant. I'm sure we all pick a cruise line, or a cruise ship for a combination of different reasons. While I don't believe that the buffet open after 9pm is a deal breaker, it might be enough of a factor (in combination with the other reasons you use to pick your cruieline) to be a contributor.

That is (part of) my original intent of this post. Other lines do it. Why? Is it a draw for their pax? Are there people who specifically choose, say Princess over Royal (partly) because of their buffet area being open late? Maybe. Hence, this post. Yup - not a direct correlation to profit, but to customer experience. Just like one of the other posts in this thread - 70's dance party - all goes to customer experience. Options on board are nice, and a later WJ would/could be one of those options. Me? I might use it, but typically, I eat early, watch the show, walk the promenade, and head to bed by 9:30-10:00pm most nights. But, in contrast, our kids and grandkids loved to walk around the ship at night, and were disappointed that the WJ was closed at 9pm - sure they went to Sorrentos and got their fix, but they were looking for a quieter area to chill and grab a bite. They have been on Princess before, and enjoyed the later evening buffet. Does this mean they will choose Princess over Royal for that reason alone? -Shrug-

Ok, great everyone, thank you - It's quite clear now. Weird, but clear 🙂

Oh boy.

Love the tone of your posts... 😉 Sounds like you might be a right-fighter, so we'll let sleeping dogs lay, other than to point out one comments in your original post... "If it doesn't generate a further profit, they're not going to do it. And it takes a lot of hubris to believe you're just going to "think" of something their entire department of money extractors working full time year round haven't already thoroughly vetted". (Btw... "hubris, and "pure ignorance" comments are what make your posts golden). I'll offer an alternative viewpoint on this... not every change is directly attributed to profit. And yes, I would propose that there are a LOT of ideas that will be on future ships that have not yet been vetted. Anyways... A lot of changes speak to the user experience, which may encourage the customer to sail again (which is an indirect link to profit). This was my original point/ question (I am the OP)... would/could a late hour WJ be a draw for you (and result in a heightened cruising experience)?

Going on our first MSC cruise in March from Brooklyn (Meraviglia). I've been watching tons of You-Tube videos and reading reviews. I *think* I have an idea of how muster works, but I am not 100% certain. I know it's "different" and that this is one of the areas where MSC could improve on. But can someone please give me an "idiot's guide to MSC Muster"? Something about watching a video in our cabin (at a specific time? Or any time?), and THEN you have to leave your room and go down to the muster station to check in with a staff member. But, I hear everyone has to go to the same deck or the same area or something? And it's all at the same time? So it's a zoo? Anyway, I would very much appreciate a step-by-step walk through of what Muster looks like on MSC. And if you have any tips to make it less of a pain - I am grateful for that too! Thanks in advance!

Well, isn't this grand!! We are witnessing the pinnacle of cruise profit calculations and evaluations. What we have in front of us now is the best of the best of the best since everything else has been thoroughly vetted. No more changes coming - ever - we have arrived! Whew... thank goodness they snuck in the changes to the muster drill -I'd hate to be stuck with the old way. I feel like I should make mention of this in my journal tonight.

When I said "Try relaxing in Sorrentos after 10pm", I meant that it's impossible, so having the WJ at least partially open later in the evening would give me a place to sit and relax and chat/visit while grabbing a bite.

I think the draw for me would be 50% for another venue for some food that would be less crowded, but the other 50% is a nice large area to sit, relax and visit -perhaps a card game, etc. Try sitting and relaxing in Sorrentos at 10pm.