alyssamma

Does anyone have feedback on these cabins? I understand the balcony doesn't open unless in port. But otherwise any comments? On the deck plans they seem slightly larger than other ocean views...is this true? And is it annoying looking at the long balcony instead of an unobstructed view from a window? Thanks in advance.

I don't think anyone doubts that. I think the OP is saying that he doesn't see any fine print that excludes YC...it may or may not be there...MSC is famous for hiding things. But if it isn't there, then why shouldn't it apply? Sure, a stretch at best, but it's certainly worth a try...

LMAO, this is their go to excuse. It will be handled on the boat or at the pier. It never is, as you suggest. Stick you your guns on this one. I actually got a refund on a non-refundable fare from them once. You have to call and call and call. Please let me know how it goes...

We were just on the Beyond (9 days) and I can tell you what you get and don't get can vary by restaurant. For example, we were on the classic drink package and there was a wine my wife wanted that was premium. At Cypress they would just give it to us - we didn't have assigned dining, ate at different tables, different times, etc., and each time they would just give it to us. In Normandie it was the same. In Cosmopolitan, they didn't. Obviously, YMMV, but my point here is you may receive something in one place that you can't in the others, so shop around. Similarly, when were asked at the door of Cosmopolitan about ordering specialties from a different venue, we were told no. However, our waiter told us this was not a problem and we could order whatever we wanted from anywhere. Indeed, we found regardless of the restaurant, we could order whatever we wanted. Lastly, we went to Normandie one night and it was a 45min wait. We just went to Cosmopolitan instead and were seated immediately. So, again, shop around.

OP booked a TA, westbound. So I assume the S2S will be prior to the TA and then they will get on the TA.

I will try to answer some of these questions, but first understand that MSC has perhaps the worst customer service of any cruise line. A very good strategy for dealing with them is HUCA - Hang Up Call Again. What one rep refuses to do, another will do easily. It's maddening. 1) Here is a link to gratuities: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/before-you-go/service-charges 2) Yes, but it is not uncommon for them to "forget" to add this. You'll have to call...and possibly HUCA. I currently have a booking I made and still don't have the $50. 2a) Any promos they add are unlikely to be applied to your current booking. You almost always have to cancel and rebook. That being said, HUCA can sometimes accomplish this. 3) Unsure about this...I would try calling. 4) I would call and ask to speak to a supervisor. It will be the person sitting next to the person you called, but hopefully they will be a little more knowledgeable and be able to help you. You can also try waiting a month and see what happens. 5a) Unsure about this 5b) There is a lot of confusion around the room service. I believe currently Fantastica waives the room service fee. You still have to pay for any items on the menu that aren't free, though. 6) It's a manual process. You need to fill out a form and send it to them. 7) Not sure 8) Don't know about side to side

Please report back if you get this upgrade... I've seen it where the price of the balcony is the same as ocean view during the booking process, not an actual "upgrade" after the fact (regardless of the class). But with MSC, who knows, so definitely interested in knowing if this works for you...

Well, an AI is on land and works the exact same way as a ship 🙂 The fact is that you do pay for it...you pay for it in the fare. That's just like going to an all-inclusive somewhere. Or going to an all you can eat buffet...you pay a price and eat what you want. That being said, I 100% agree with the general sentiment here about waste, etc. And I get the point you are making, and agree with it.

It's 100% true... First, you need to read *all* of the article you posted. It clearly states how lobster was super abundant back then. The "urban legend" part it refers to is talking about revolts and contracts about being fed too much...it says nothing about the poor or prisoners. LOL, oh wait, *IT DOES*...from *your* article: This abundance of the crustacean filled many bellies during these early times, giving a much needed fuel source for people to work, build and develop their hamlets. Certainly there were small communities that survived because of the lobster. It was used to feed prisoners, apprentices, servants, and the poor alike. Because of this lobster was initially associated with being a poor man’s food. At best it was eaten by the blue collar worker, for example peddlers had sold lobster from a wheelbarrow to the many Irish immigrants that came to Maine. Also, from history.com... https://www.history.com/news/a-taste-of-lobster-history Dirt-cheap because they were so copious, lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children during the colonial era and beyond. In Massachusetts, some servants allegedly sought to avoid lobster-heavy diets by including stipulations in their contracts that they would only be served the shellfish twice a week. And yet another article... https://gizmodo.com/lobsters-were-once-only-fed-to-poor-people-and-prisoner-1612356919

Funny, but true...

Yes and no. Allergies obviously, but also other things like holding a specific item. I'm fine waiting a little longer to get exactly what I want.

This. I've often asked for *part* of a meal (usually the meat), but been served the entire thing. Or, when asking for a smaller potion (of like pasta for example), will just be brought the entire dish. I assume it's easier on the kitchen to just bring an entire order, but it definitely contributes to the problem of waste.

The July 2023 cruise is pretty inexpensive right now. With Voyager discount it's about $5700 for 2 for Fantasica + drinks + wifi.

Has anyone done this cruise? If so, how were the sea days? What types of things were offered during the day? TIA

This.

I second this (although I've never called...just downloaded the policy docs and read the fine print myself). I usually get Nationwide through them. I've had 2 claims (one cruise and one non-cruise) and both were handled quickly and painlessly.

Hmm...I saw the dogs several times and even though I am *not* an animal person, neither bothered me. Personally, I think some of the passengers had worse hygiene than the dogs, and they *touched* the food in the buffet. I even saw one guy scoop food onto his plate (pasta) and then shovel it back into the serving pan.

LMFAO...my wife and I are still saying that to each other... Clatterfart!

I agreed with you until a couple of weeks ago when I was on the Beyond with Dimitrios. He's basically a comedian. He performed in several shows and had me laughing out loud at each one of them. I actually found him *far* funnier than the ship's comedian (and they even performed together in a show).

I just used transfers from Flights by Celebrity for the first time and wanted to share my experience. TLDR I got to the ship and back to the airport fine, but the experience was horrible so not something I would repeat. This is for the 10/26 sailing of the Beyond, out of NJ and back into FLL. When we landed in Newark, we couldn't find anyone by the baggage claim. There were 3 other couples who were on our flight that were also looking for the rep. Eventually we found her, and I asked when we would leave. She said 10am, and I said, it was 9:55 already. She then said 10:30 and I said fine, where should I wait. She said wait anywhere and she would find us. This ended up being a slight problem because one of the couples from the plane had mobility problems. If the rep had told us where we would catch the shuttle, we could have all waited there, but instead we ended up at the other end of the airport and it took a while for all of us to walk there. Then, getting off the ship was a nightmare. A large clump of people, no one knew where to go, FLL and MIA mixed together with people also going on excursions. The people running the busses were pretty rude and just yelled at people to wait here or stand over there. Zero communication about when or how the busses would run. I left the ship at 7:20 (had my luggage) and got to MIA 4 hours later. Again, we ended up getting where we needed to go, but the level of stress was such that I'd just take an Uber the next time.

Oh yeah that makes perfect sense and I've done the same for a bartender I feel goes out of their way. But that's a completely different thing than X paying them for drinks they get no revenue on.

Lol, well, all I can say is if that is true then it's a pretty stupid move on celebrity's part. And also stupid on the bartenders' part because I've never seen them rushing to fill drink orders 😀

Lol, that is an excellent point. They don't seem to push drinks on you and it seems to be a wait often.

Don't doubt you were told that, just doesn't make sense from a corporate perspective. Without a drink package, they would want to sell as many as possible. But the exact reverse with a drink package. Perhaps they really meant sell as in CHARGE for a drink.

It has been all over the place for us. However, it seems that if one MDR is busy you can go to another without a wait. We've met others here that have done that. But if you want a specific place, you may have to wait. A few times we went at 530 and there was no wait. We are going tonight around 8 so hopefully no wait 😀