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We have 2 nights for the first 2 passengers at a Specialty restaurant included with our April cruise on Pearl 

We are bringing our 9 yr old grandson with us and fully intend to pay the $70 for him to eat his meal. 
I wouldn’t expect him to order off the kid menu while we enjoy the “fruits of the grill” and honestly he can eat as much as me at those places.  
 

Expecting a 15 yr old to be able to order off the kid’s menu anywhere, on land or sea, is just setting yourselves up for disappointment. 
 

Being charged $70 for the burger is really the only issue I see and it sounds like you got the charge taken care of. 

1 hour ago, hamrag said:

Because the world extends extensively west, east, north and south of the USofA we do not routinely sail from a US port and have never done so on an MSC ship. Our most recent was from NYC on Oceanias' Insignia.

 

Is that relevant, as only a small minority of MSC ships sail from US ports?

I find it relevant because of my own personal experience with this.
Our MSC European cruise was very different from our 2 MSC US  departures. All 3 on the same ship. 

In Europe the ships are constantly loading and unloading passengers at every port…some have correctly called it a “ferry cruise ship”

That doesn’t happen on the cruises that depart from the US. So if you are unlucky as we were in January, and you have a few thousand less than stellar fellow passengers, that means you and the crew are stuck with them for 7-10 days until they get off. 

Also there is a very different passenger demographic on US departures especially from Miami, which negatively impacted us and the crew.

I can understand why the crew may not want to “engage” with some of the passengers on a negative level, ie enforcing company policies. 
 

56 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Possibly, but methinks the greater 'problem' on this thread is mots stirring the pot. As a reminder, the opening sentences from OP states as follows:

This is a problem. The staff in the Yacht Club are overwhelmed with all the NON Yacht Club class guests that are given "access" to the YC. Heard some of these "access" get up as early as 4 am and reserve for themselves the available cabanas (first come, first serve policy on the Seascape).

 

So, mots 'heard some of these... etc'. Now, I am not naieve enough to believe interloping does not happen but do not believe for one minute it is on the scale claimed on this thread.

 

To those whom mots has alarmed, do not fret....on 7 YC cruises we have NEVER been aware of anything like mots described. Once only, in the lounge area there were a couple we hadn't noticed before spoken to by the Head Waiter, quietly and discretely they disappeared never to be seen again...we assumed they were interlopers.

 

I’ve not known Morpheus to ever “stir the pot”, in fact just the opposite.  His posts always have a “glass half full” tone to them. 

Just curious, of your 7 YC cruises when was the last cruise you cruised in the YC from a US port?  

10 hours ago, Cruiser21 said:

Met Mr Sasso last year around this time on Seashore in the Yacht Club with his family. Really down to earth fella but not sure he is the one to contact as I witnessed him break the dining room rules. Up until that cruise it was forbidden for men to wear shorts to dinner accept for first night. Well Mr Sasso wore dress shorts every night and when I asked matre’d about no shorts rule he shrugged his shoulders. I guess rules are made to be broken, unfortunately.  

Our takeaway from 14 days on Divina was MSC seems to have a number of “policies” that they’re not enforcing.
Examples-adult aft pool one lifeguard was great at policing the chair hogs who put towels out and thought they could leave for 2 hrs and their towels would still be on their chairs when they returned. He took them off after 30 min. 
Same pool different lifeguard didn’t care and wouldn’t remove towels even when people pointed out chairs that were empty for hours. 
 

Main pool no policing of chair hogs at all 

Main pool hottubs on our first 10 days of the B2B absolutely no drinks in the hottubs. 
Second part of B2B youngins ordering drinks from the hottub before we even embarked. 
When waiter was questioned about that he shrugged his shoulders. 
 

MSC has a management problem. 
The guidance is in place but their management team isn’t always enforcing that guidance. 
 

That’s a problem outside of YC and it’s sadly made its way into the YC from what we’re reading on this thread. 

10 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

So I am confused as this will be my 1st experience with Yacht club and MSC.  There is no monitoring of people getting in and using the facilities?  So I could have booked a bella cabin and just walk up and plop on a cabana?  This is really troubling let alone a waste of money on my end.  Im booked on the Divinia and the Seascape and really not exactly thrilled reading this.  

It’s not easy to get into the YC you need a key card/bracelet to even access that area. 
I’m sure some people try to sneak in behind YC pax who swipe their key and hold the door for pax behind them. 

It never occurred to us when we were in the YC that folks we were holding the door for may not belong there. I guess I think everyone is as honest as we are. 
 

It appears that some crew members are getting their visiting family access to the YC. 
 

20 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

One poster mentioned 4 young men interlopers were found having a host of free drinks at the Top Sail Lounge bar before they were 'discovered' and the YC Director had to 'bribe' them with a complimentary bottle of Champagne to get them to leave.

Honestly that YC Director doesn’t sound qualified to handle his duties of managing the YC. 
 

Imagine getting on a flight and sitting in first class when you’ve paid for coach and refusing to move. Pretty sure you’d be escorted off that flight. 
 

I’m so tired of the leniency given to people who break the rules. 
We’re so afraid of offending someone even when they are in the wrong. That’s disgusting and unacceptable.  That director should be reported. 

Sorry wonky quote didn’t work 

27 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

No. Got off Sunday. DW still works to keep me in a manner to which I have become accustomed.

😂 I’m in a similar situation except I’m the one that’s retired!

*Planning vacations is a full time job! 😬

This is a shame. The one chance I have of getting my husband on another MSC ship in the future is to book the YC. 
I hope this isn’t going to be the norm going forward. 
 

@morpheusoftheseaare you still on board?
 

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I'd rather they just go up on your cabin rates. I may or may not be in the minority here.    🙂

I’m sure that’s next. Now that they’re filling their ships there’s no reason to charge hundreds of dollars less than their competition. 
I have no problem with that if it makes for a better cruising environment. 

15 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

No large cruise ships will be stopping in Bar Harbor this fall, but NCL is still selling Canadian itineraries with it on there. 

I found the reason but it doesn’t state that large ships won’t go to BH, they’re just limiting them to allowing only 1000 pax to disembark. 
 

I see a major problem, especially if the cruise lines decide to keep BH on their itineraries (which it still is listed on their sites) and only hand out 1000 tender tickets. 
 

This will result in a lot of angry people. Especially if they’re not made aware of this before they cruise. 
 

https://maritime-executive.com/article/bar-harbor-votes-to-dramatically-limit-cruise-passenger-arrivals

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Best Advice: Don't believe everything you read on the internet. 

 

Better Advice: If you truly believe "[NCL is] advertising and selling cruises to ports/countries they have no intention of going to.", then don't cruise on NCL and don't ask this question. 

It’s not a matter of “if you truly believe” NCL is doing it?
They are doing it.

Whether or not you want to believe the truth is up to you personally. 
 

Most of us seasoned cruisers know ports can be missed, changed or entirely cancelled…although on 40 cruises I can count on one hand how many times it’s happened to us.

I have zero problem with that. 

What’s wrong is when they continue to sell a sailing without placing an asterisk near the port they’ve already cancelled. That is misleading and shows a lack of integrity. 

It’s okay to be loyal to a company but it’s also okay to admit they are being sneaky when it comes to this specific issue. 

13 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

No large cruise ships will be stopping in Bar Harbor this fall, but NCL is still selling Canadian itineraries with it on there. 

Not only the Canada New England itineraries include BH but also the Bermuda itineraries go to BH starting late April. 
 

Where did you see this announcement that no large ships are going to BH this year?

16 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Here is the link to the previous discussion of this happening across other cruises:

 

 

There is absolutely no question that for safety reasons all cruise lines need to have the right to cancel ports due to weather, safety or other emergency conditions.  However, on my January 8th Getaway cruise, they cancelled the DR and morning in Antigua for environmental reasons after final payment and continued to advertise and sell that cruise on their website for weeks as visiting the cancelled ports.  People who called to book directly with NCL after the ports were cancelled were not told the ports were cancelled and none of us were allowed to reschedule.  

 

As someone noted above, using other cruise lines is the only solution to this problem (after researching those cruise lines aren't routinely cancelling itineraries unless necessary).  I've sailed Princess, RC, HAL, Cunard, Carnival and NCL and found the mainstream lines more similar than different.  Because NCL seems to be consistently doing this, I am very hesitant to book with them again.   Ironically, this is the only line I have any status with.  

 

However, there were passengers on my cruise who were just happy to be out of the cold in NY, and weren't upset by the lost port.  If enough of those passengers exist, NCL will be able to continue to cancel itineraries for nonemergency reasons after final payment.  I really hope they aren't doing this on cruises in which most people are traveling for itineraries (on a Panama Canal cruise they removed the overnight in Panama and replaced it with a late night visit that didn't give people a chance to see the locks in action, which seems like a huge loss on that cruise, plus took away Costa Rica and Nicaragua and replaced them with Aculpulco and Jamaica for safety reasons).  Alaska also strikes me as a place where people should be booking for itineraries (and the inside passage is really special) so that is really concerning.

That is sneaky business practice. To know they’ve already cancelled the port for a specific sailing but continue to sell that sailing without updating the itinerary tells me they really don’t care. They could easily add an *to that sailing noting DR has been removed. Very simple. 

29 minutes ago, sealynx said:

I don't really mind either. I hope this helps to prevent excessive drinking, when fewer people take a drinking package (and less waste of half-emptied cocktails). Although, the people who are most likely to drink more than they should, will probably still take one, so it might not help at all.

I really think it will help. I’ve cruised the other lines that do charge the service charge and it’s a noticeable difference.

It’s a baby step in the right direction for MSC. Of course this is just my opinion. 

30 minutes ago, Eliminator55 said:

 

I didn't know that. I guess I understand why it's like that though. Many people would just be making recommendations based off their own experiences. But there would invariably also be individuals pumping up certain agencies with ulterior motives in mind. 

I also think they don’t want the boards taken over by TA’s ads. 

18 minutes ago, Eliminator55 said:

 

What agent did or site did you use to make your booking? Sometimes it becomes a hassle to even deal with a travel agent. I've booked cruises with and without utilizing a travel agent. I've never seen TAs offer the level of perks that you mentioned. Normally they'll offer a mere $50 or something small like that. But maybe I'm just going to the wrong agencies. 

Unfortunately we can’t make TA recommendations here on Cruise Critic   
I’ve always booked direct with the cruise lines because I like having control but some CC veterans swayed me to start looking at some of the large TA’s and I couldn’t believe what I’d been losing by not using one of them. 

I can still go on line and book my specialty dining and things like that so I still have some control. I was also able to bid on an upgrade without having to engage the agent. 
 

My advice is to look at the large companies they seem to offer the best perks. I had a small TA offer us $50 OBC and when I showed them the quote I had in writing with those perks I mentioned above they said, and I quote “we can’t match that it would come out of our pocket” 

The large companies sell thousands of cruises so they get better perks from the cruise lines. 

4 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

I've often wondered about this myself.  I have seen at times where it'd be cheaper to book on the Italian website HOWEVER it defaults to Italy as a country of origin and you cannot change.  I really did not want to risk showing up and being denied boarding because of some weird mis match on addresses.

Exactly. Not worth the stress in my opinion. 
I’ve found booking with a TA makes up the price difference with the perks they give. 
Just received $300 OBC, paid gratuities and 2 nights in a specialty restaurant by using a TA. Adds up to over $700 of perks. 

I’ll probably be in the minority here when I say I’m happy to see this price increase.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@morpheusoftheseathanks for the great report! I always enjoy your live reviews and somehow missed this one until today! 

Last year I recommended MSC to my brother, SIL and adult niece and they were also on this sailing but in two adjoining balconies on 13. 

I’m so happy (and relieved) to report that they had a fantastic cruise!
 

They had only been on 1 cruise 20 yrs ago and that was Disney so they really had no idea what to expect. 
 

Needless to say they loved the ship. They loved the food and drink and of course OC. 

That makes me very happy! ☺️0

Can’t wait to read your next review on the HAL boards! 
 

1 hour ago, tartarea said:

Hi Folks - hubby and i booked on Meraviglia (Apr 29 out of NY) for an interior room for $1600. I am now seeing that the same interior room has dropped considerably to $898 - same experience. Rep says I can cancel my current cruise for $398 fee and then rebook, but I am hesitant to trust that cancelling and rebooking will get me a cheaper price. Even with the $398 fee, I'd still be saving $300 so seems like a project I should undertake but I am unsure. (So far everything about MSC has me saying to myself - I'm sticking with RCC - who does price match when a cheaper fare is found.)
Anyone have any experience with canceling and rebooking to obtain a cheaper fare? Or any guidance as to how they handled this situation?
Thanks!

 

I assume you’re paid in full at this point? 
If you cancel you cannot automatically apply the funds you’ve already paid them to your new booking. 
You would have to wait for MSC to refund that money meaning you have to put out the entire amount again for the new booking.
 

Personally I wouldn’t do it just to save a few hundred dollars. It can take months to get a refund from this company and it sounds like it’ll be a good chunk of money that they owe you. 
 

Just now, jimsig said:

You will receive iMessages but not regular SMS text messages. With iMessage through the ships free wifi however you will not be able to send or receive photos.  

 

Basically iMessages are web based and SMS text messages need a cell signal. 

 

I don't use it but I think WhatsApp might also work like iMessage in that you don't need cell service.  So if not everyone at home has a iPhone you could all use WhatsAPP to communicate.  

Exactly…and to add to this we used WhatsAPP and were able to send and receive texts to and from non iPhone people. 

Depending on the ship’s signal of course but we’ve never had a problem staying in touch while at sea. 

This is what we do on Divina  the two on the left are European converter outlets so it gives us more outlets and they have USB ports. 

Wondering what the current schedule is for Splash Academy on both sea days and while in port? 

Yes unfortunately we’ve had itinerary changes on cruises in the past with sometimes no notice.

The cruise lines are very good about putting things like changes to the itinerary in the small print when we receive our cruise contracts. 
 

Last year a week before our cruise to Bermuda on Pearl we received notice that we would leave Bermuda early and instead of 2 sea days back to Boston we had a day in Bar Harbor then a day at sea to Boston. 
Wasn’t a great time to go to Maine as it was 40 degrees in April lol. 
 

We've been cruising for about 40 yrs so we expect the unexpected. 
 

Our grandson is coming with us again this year. He’s 9 and one

of the easiest going kids I know and he’ll eat anything so running out of stuff won’t be a problem for him but I can understand some kids not liking that. 
 

Our cruise is so unique I don’t think any other NCL itinerary spends 3 nights at the same port so I guess we will have to wait and see what the folks on the first sailing before ours say about Splash Academy. I’m thinking it will be open at night only while in port.