Tom-n-Cheryl

On our recent (Christmas) Liberty sailing we were offered either AM or PM service. By the second evening, I mentioned to him that a bulb was out (bedside lamp), that another one was flashing/strobing at the make up area, and that the bathroom door was extremely noisy/clunky (could not discretely go in there in the middle of the night without waking Cheryl up). Well, it took about 24 hours, but all of those things were eventually remedied - though the door still needs some type of major overhaul. I commented to Cheryl that there's no way that he was not aware of these things - unless he's just so focused on getting in/out of there and on to the next cabin. I still tipped over the top, he was a nice and friendly fellow and did keep the room clean and our ice chest full. Tom

LOL - I'm not sure how, but I think KFC gets 10 pieces out of a whole chicken. I've looked in more than one bucket and pulled out pieces which I could not figure out where they were cut from !! 😄 Tom

Absolutely ! It was the first one I ever tried - and it was VERY good. So good, that I found a local place that was known for them after I arrived home. Turns out, it was nothing like the one onboard - what I received here was almost inedible, it was smothered in olives. I like olives, but not THIS many, and barely any meat/cheese! Then, I thought I'd give "the original" a try, and ordered one through Goldbelly from Central Grocery in New Orleans. Well, guess what? I STILL preferred the one on the Mardi Gras. Perhaps it's like St. Pauli Girl beer - "You never forget your first Girl"! Can't wait to get back onboard and see if I've been deluding myself!! Tom

It's a better deal to pay the 5% ! Tom

Yeppers !! Tom

On Celebrity, if you're in a RS or higher category cabin, they waive the 5% fee. Tom

On Carnival, we'll always go with the evening cabin service. There's sometimes we (well, at least one of us) don't get out of the cabin until nearly noon anyway. It's nice coming back from a show in the evening and finding everything all tidied up. I'll usually at least get fresh ice for our Yeti in the late morning/early afternoon. I find the ice buckets they offer basically useless. They were small enough before, and now they're laughable ! 🙂 Tom

Alright, so not necessarily a set period of days prior to sailing. You'll get an email I suppose? THANKS Tom

I don't get that... is it because they feel that you're more likely to lose it at slots than on a table? Heck, they should encourage people even more by offering a bonus when you charge (and actually use) money, lol... Tom

Yum - FOOD ! Two trips on the MG already, and heading back again next month. I'll try a few of the items listed here (that I have not already enjoyed)!! I'll second the MDE at Big Chicken and the Muffuletta at Emeril's 🙂 Here's my first sighting of SeaDogs (Breeze '13)... you'd have thought I yelled out something (I didn't)! Tom

Oh - when is the check-in time first assigned (when can I request/print my boarding docs)? Tom

Perfect 🙂 Tom

I still have to squeeze in just a little bit of work ! Tom

I had contemplated booking a YC cabin, and also a suite. Both show priority boarding. I'm guessing YC first? With Carnival, suites have priority, as do Diamond and Platinum guests - though it's not always implemented correctly. I know that, being Diamond, I have a two day head start with regard to choosing my boarding window. Tom

That's the good (and possibly BAD) thing about living in central Florida ! ! Tom

So, on Tuesday I was able to successfully enter our info into the Status Match form page. I had not heard anything back, but was going in to check my booking this morning and saw that they now have a Voyagers Club # for Cheryl listed, but nothing for me. I checked Cheryl's SPAM folder and, sure enough, a confirmation email from them arrived two days ago. I'll give it a couple more days for mine, and then follow-up/resubmit. Tom

Is that first come/first served (assigning the first ones to check in online the earlier times) and, in general, how particular are they with regard to arriving within your window (or early/late)? Some lines try to start boarding by 10:30-11, is that an "average" start time assuming no issues? Tom

I still have a few I have not used, and probably won't (have to use them by 2/28). I've already cherry picked a couple of the better offers which, in addition to the suite, included $1,000 and $2,000 OBC. It's not all really "FREE" though, as in each case I upgraded from the base Ocean Suite --- still, a fantastic deal. (Sorry Blerk.... they offered, and I graciously accepted). 🙂 Tom

Is there some fixed % discount? And, is it combinable with other discounts? Tom

First sailing with MSC, and I'm curious about the check-in process. We'll be on the Seaside (3-nt) out of Pt Canaveral in April. How many days prior to sailing can I complete/receive my boarding documents - and do they allow you to pick an arrival window (as we typically do with other lines)? Any idea at what time boarding typically begins for those with priority, and those without (us) ? THANKS, Tom

Yep - take solace that change is the only constant. You can't step into the same river twice, etc... 🙂 Tom

Not sure why they wasted the postage on this (received yesterday). Obviously, there's nothing in it for them (but they need to check their records and see how many times I've sailed in an Oceanview cabin)... But... that does catch your eye...... FREE + DRINKS !! 🙂 Tom

It may well be more hassle than it's worth, but I wanted to give it a go. Easy is often better, but I like to tempt fate from time to time. Tom

Interesting - yep, it seems like they're all set up differently. I just learned, after booking my first MSC sailing a couple of days ago, that when they say 1 device, they mean just that. You can't switch one off and another on. Tom

Yep - thanks. I learned that was the trick, fill the zip then select "Get It". Then it auto-filled. Strange phrase. English is not their first language I'd guess, lol. Tom