RosieCanberra

@CruiseCruiseAndMoreCruise thanks so much for posting all this useful information. I'm cruising on Meraviglia 4 October, my first time on MSC.

I board today, after reading your thread on and off the past two weeks I'm dreading it. 

Thanks, I'm new to MSC too and cruising on Meraviglia in October, finding this very interesting. 

I love the new system, and some cocktails are included. Just ask the barman, is a mojito included as my Diamond drink? They will soon tell you. 

Oh my goodness!

I have found clothing in the backs of drawers on cruise ships twice before. 

We have, albeit pre-covid. Very easy, buses clearly marked, left from Eddy Avenue Central Station. 

I see 'Diamond' level mentioned in this thread, is that the same as Black?

I have been matched to Black (due to Princess Elite status).

I was on Pacific Encounter late January and the P&O branded Pacific Ale was $8.75

The prices are generally the same on all ships. 

We skipped a port on Quantum in December, no refund of port fees.

Oh thanks for posting, I LOVED sailing on Spectrum, such a beautiful ship. We had a Silver Junior Suite in 2019, the rooms were immaculate. From memory the solarium area was for Silver and Gold cruisers only (and maybe Diamond and above?), is that still the case?

We love NCL, have sailed three times with another four booked. Great itineraries, great service, fabulous entertainment. That issue with the cancelled cruise seems really over the top, I doubt it's the whole story. 

Espresso Martini was $22.50 I think, they charge the excess. 

But the vast majority of cocktails were included.

We had both face washers and tissues provided on Encounter in January. 

The speciality dining on NCL Star in November was very good. Way too much food in the steakhouse so choose wisely, delicious filet mignon. Also ate at the French, Italian, and Teppanyaki which was a lot of fun.

The steakhouse bill was USD182 excluding drinks, so very expensive. We had a voucher. 

20 hours ago, rnr4thatsme said:

Were you notified your bid was unsuccessful?  I’m just wondering how it works?

Yes, I received an email stating I was unsuccessful. I wasn't confident as the ship was pretty much sold out, someone would have to cancel last minute. 

We board tomorrow, Coral Princess. 

We bid around $340 each to go from Balcony to Minisuite, and are unsuccessful. Coral Princess 6 March 2023. Missing out is a good thing because we assumed we could apply some FCC to it. 😀

It's a good overall cruise line. Good food, events, entertainment, service. I like the Elite perks. But I primarily chose Princess for their great itineraries. 

I don't think they will, but I have been wrong before!

I think Royal Caribbean have gone to one bottle per adult, rather than two bottles per cabin, because so many couples boast about bringing on two bottles per person. They stand in the security line, separately, and if asked say "one for me, one for my husband"

I board Monday, same issue. Blue lane!

OMG I've never seen anything like that on any cruise. Yikes!

@jota  I can't see it cheaper on a couple of the big sites I sometimes use. You could try contacting an online agency though, tell them what you can get direct with RCCL and see if they will sweeten the pot with some OBC or a cheaper price. 

On 2/27/2023 at 9:56 AM, Chiliburn said:

I think it’s $14 per drink  but I haven’t heard of anyone paying extra.

I was getting double gentleman jacks with coke and didn’t get charged.
A tip goes a long way.

I had a double scotch and dry on Quantum in December and the barman charged me two of my Diamond vouchers. 

We sailed Qantum from Brisbane in December to Noumea, Vila and was not asked to show insurance papers. But on P&O Pacific Encounter from Brisbane to Singapore in January we had to show our insurance documents and verify that we had covid insurance cover on check in. 

1 hour ago, onlyslightlymad said:

Pictures from RNZ this morning showing some of the damage from the flooding.  It will take years to recover from this.

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/484213/widespread-damage-cyclone-gabrielle-in-pictures

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/weather-news/300806341/in-pictures-cyclone-gabrielle-cuts-path-of-destruction

OMG! What a bloody shame it all is. Those poor people.