Nashna

Here is my tale of the MSC runaround... We booked the Marigivilia Canada/New England October 4th voyage in the Yacht Club. I typically make my reservation, then turn it over to a TA for additional benefits. Every detail was planned, and we were very excited to sail. In April, I was told that I need a replacement...first available time is September, so I have no choice but to cancel the cruise. Since the trip was exactly what we wanted and the plans were all figured out, we decided to rebook the same itinerary in September 2024. I contacted my TA and requested that he cancel and rebook the itinerary. He called back to say that the deposit was not transferrable. I quoted him the MSC one free change to a reservation in YC, and he called MSC back. They told him I had a particular deposit of $495.00 for two, which was non-refundable. I called MSC, spoke to an agent, then a supervisor, and the supervisor agreed that my deposit should be able to be transferred since I was a YC booking. I asked her to document the reservation, and she returned a few minutes later to say that she had done so and that my TA could make the change. My TA called MSC the next day and was told that he had to wait until June to make the change. We both know that MSC can have quirky rules, so we agreed to wait. Of course, he was told the deposit was non-refundable and could not be applied to the new booking. At this point, I called MSC and spoke to an amiable agent who said my TA was the only one who could change the record. I then requested my agent to release the booking back to me so I might contact someone higher up at MSC and fight on my behalf. Now, my TA is trying to arrange a conference call with MSC. I have been researching other cruise lines, but MSC's voyage is exactly what we want at the pricing we need. I am beyond frustrated. Does anyone know someone high up in MSC to contact regarding this?

One of our favorite vacations was chartering a trawler with two other couples for a week in the BVIs. What fun. We tried a HAL Panama sailing five years ago, and it caused us to take them off our wanna-go list. French Polynesia is a fabulous destination. We cruised there on Renaissance years ago and were blown away by the islands' beauty. I accompanied my husband while he scuba-dived, and the water was so clear that I could see the sea life from the boat. Congratulations on your pending retirement.

From my experiences sailing SB, AZ, and Regent. The packages they offer are preferable to us compared to O's. Unless the new pricing is much higher, we prefer O's simply more over their current packages. It would have been nice for O to include the gratuities in the new pricing instead of the shore excursions. However, our TA always includes the gratuities on our bookings so that is not a major issue. Hopefully, O will settle some past passengers' angst with the new program by modestly increasing their rates at the beginning of the simply more rollout.

Yes, they do run all day while cruise ships are in port. Our Jamaican shuttle driver mentioned that this was his only route from morning to evening. He said that not enough locals wanted this job, so they imported Jamaican workers.

Thanks, Margatekev. It certainly looks like those of us who booked with lower fares can stay with what we have or pay the higher fare to get the simplyMORE package. I'll let my TA figure out which option is better for us. TA's booking O must be upset about these changes...right before July 4th. They are going to be earning their commissions.

I understand that top travel agencies have been briefed on Simply More. Has anyone been told what will happen to previous reservations? We have sailed on Seabourn, Regency, and Azamara. One of the benefits of the all-inclusive options for the entire ship is seamless service. There is no need to produce your card when ordering drinks. If O doesn't offer Simply More to those with existing reservations, then the luxury element is gone during lunch and dinner. The price of our sailing has already increased since we gave our deposit. It will be interesting to see if we are offered a flat increase to our original fare or if we will be asked to pay the rate of a new booking. Of course, the best solution would be to give everyone already under-deposit the Simply More benefits. Realistically, that will never happen.

He is fortunate to have a friend like you who is concerned about his welfare and took the time out of your vacation to handle his minor issue. I hope he appreciates your efforts on his behalf. A piece of unasked-for advice...don't get yourself stuck on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic with a grumpster.

I have seen them here. However, it has been quite a while since I did. It would be great if you could post them after your cruise. Enjoy!

That's what I hoped would happen.

Our last MSC cruise was in January 2020. We loved the cruise and booked a B2B for January 2021. Covid hit and MSC cancelled that cruise. We booked another one for late 2021 and that too was cancelled. We booked a /New England cruise for this fall. Unfortunately, my husband will be having surgery and we need to cancel the 2023 booking. However, we will be booking the exact same cruise for the Fall of 2024. When I check my Voyager status, it shows valid until January 2024. We sail in YC, so the extra benefits don't matter, but the 10 Percent discount does. Does anyone know if we book a cruise before the Voyager expiration date, will we still be eligible for the 10 percent discount?

I totally agree that it's the same old, same old ports. I would love to see an 11-day once in a while. When booking a new cruise, I always check out MSC first but rarely book the cruise because of the boring, repetitive ports. We are thrilled to be going on the Canada/New England cruise as the itinerary is new to us.

We truly want to sail on X in the future and sincerely hope their food selection improves. Meanwhile, I'll continue to check out CC and the X board. I hope you enjoy your October cruise.

I get that there were supply chain issues. However, enough time has gone since the pandemic that those issues have been addressed. When we paid $50.00 per person, plus a 20 percent tip for prime rib, it should be at least a choice piece of meat. Food costs are decreasing in our area. Eggs are down to $1.61 per dozen. X has been getting top dollar for their cruises. It will be interesting to see if Celebrity realizes they are losing some of its top customer bases and adjusts its food policy to a good quality product.

I visited the X Board today to ask if Celebrity had made any improvements to enhance the poor choices and food quality they served. I have read every single post. The post that caught my eye was Host Ann's. Her comments were identical to mine. Having enjoyed my experience onboard Apex in January 2022, we booked Apex and Edge in January 2023. We were shocked at the poor food options as well as the quality of the meat. We rarely dine in Speciality restaurants, but I paid the $50.00 per person to eat in Fine Cut as I wanted an excellent prime rib. The prime rib was perfectly done but tough. The quality of the meat was poor. I didn't realize that food choices and quality were that important. Our first 2023 cruise was a 7-day on Apex with friends. We enjoyed their company and laughed about the thin steaks. When we boarded Edge and saw the same menus with the thin steaks and limited options, we realized that food does matter. We had a fantastic time on our Edge 11-day cruise. The entertainment was excellent, our room steward was attentive, and we loved the ship. That is why I checked back on the X Board today to see if there had been improvements after so many complaints. Sadly, nothing has changed., We are sailing on Oceania in January 2024. Until I hear that X has returned to their pre-January 2023 standards, we will look at other cruise lines. ( BTW...the Oceania board is filled with first-time O, elite former X cruisers.)

I have been following other boards, and many complain about Brooklyn disembarkation. I wonder what MSC does with YC guests when embarkation is delayed.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all of our questions. How was the embarkation in Brooklyn? I have read that the disembarkation in Brooklyn can be chaotic if you are looking for private taxis or Uber.

That is a fascinating question. I would have reported it to the tour guide and let them handle it. That way, the monkey is off my back. However, I can imagine being shocked at the audacity of the thief and his reaction to being caught, which might cause me to be unsure how to act.

You can have your passport expedited. Even if O approved your sailing with a berth certificate, you don't want to be in a position where you might be stuck (illness happens, people miss the ship) in a foreign country without a passport.

I'm curious...my husband will be bringing a selection of non-alcoholic wines with him on O. Will he be charged a corkage fee when he brings the wine to dinner?

That closet doesn't seem adequate for a standard verandah stateroom.

Ok...Let me rephrase my statement. I'm confident I will not have swingers chasing me on O.

That is too much! Although we have never sailed on O., I'm quite confident that we will not encounter swingers on their sailings.

I had heard Virgin was on the wild side. The Ice Cream shop name indeed confirms it. A friend of mine sailed them recently and had your reaction as well. Richard Branson is not known for being subtle. On our Celebrity roll call in January, one poster suggested we play a "key" game onboard one night. The poster was asked to explain the game. Crickets. The only response a few days later was, "Celebrity is not Virgin."

The photos look amazing. The side mirrored storage area will work well with all of our stuff.

I have enjoyed the all-inclusive concept on other cruise lines such as Azamara, Regent & Seabourn. Hopefully, if O Life does expand, O will allow previous bookings to take advantage of the new program.