graphicguy

WHOA....I didn't see any "ha ha no alcohol" crowd. Easy there. No one's laughing at those who don't drink alcohol. Where did you get that from?

Maybe another explanation, spoke to my BIL over Thanksgiving. He and my sister own a wine store. He said from what he has seen, many liquors, like many wines, have gone up in price on the wholesale level. Could explain this!

I don't know if any dress better. Dress differently? For sure. Not necessarily better. Hot weather cruises lend themselves to casual dress.

I like Celebrity. Have sailed on the Solstice, Edge (2X) and Apex. Edge and Apex, I sailed in a Sky Suite in the Retreat. But, that was about a year and a half ago. At the time, Luminae was casual. I think I only saw one person wearing a sport coat, on one night in the Luminae. I don't care one way or the other, but found it pretty casual. And, their "treats" in Al Bacio are indeed wonderful. Loved having an afternoon coffee with a lemon tart. Yummmmmm!!!! Many mornings I would just get a coffee and a croissant or muffin and relax looking out the windows to the water go by. Very relaxing!

Am anxious to hear of your Princess experiences. You going to do a "live" thread? Never sailed them. I keep kicking the can down the road whether to book a Princess cruise.

This, more than anything, would explain not being able to get layered shots with Bailey's and Grand Marnier as components. I'm not a fan of either. So, the shots they made for me had "Irish Cream", so not sure the brand. But, I had shots. So, brand really didn't matter. As with most things, if you're ready to pay to get "EXACTLY" the liquor brand you want, they can probably make that happen. LOL!

I know some of the other cruise lines do a little “sleight of hand” with promos and pricing. But, it seems MSC doesn’t really know their own policies, nor will adhere to them even when they’re pointed out to them Fight the good fight. Said this in another thread, if you’re making policy, regardless of your intent, live up to what you post as promos and discounts. A good company is not one who’s always right. A good company admits they are fallible and does what’s right. Nice deal, by the way. Good job!

On the flip side, MSC is keeping up with social norms. Even the “formal” restaurants on land, aren’t formal anymore. I quit wearing a suit every day to work over a decade ago. It’s no longer required or desired…even for wedding attendees. Cruise lines recognize packing suits and formal dresses take up a lot of luggage space. That adds to more checked baggage, which in turn leads to more fees. I applaud all the cruise lines who no longer wallow in the past, and have a keen eye to current norms. I haven’t packed a suit, a sports coat, a tie, etc in a very long time. I’m thankful that I don’t have to. I always felt a bit disingenuous wearing a suite, jacket or tie on a cruise ship, anyway. Does that keep anyone else from dressing in a suit or sports coat? Absolutely not. If you feel the need, please do so. Just understand, that’s a small minority these days.

Well....that's pretty much mixed signals. First they can't, then they can. Sounds like none of them really know what's really going on. I can only go by my personal experience on the Breakaway when I sailed her from 10/30-11/6. Had the afore mentioned "bloody brains" and "sex on the beach" at the Syd Norman's bar. Had B-52s at the Atrium bar. I can kind of see the pool bar bartenders not being able to offer multi-shot drinks, given people are sometimes 3 deep waiting for drinks.

My theory, after having no issues with "layered" shots in the last month on NCL, is some bartenders are new. I think NCL (and probably other cruise lines) have had to hire many, many new crew. Many may not know how to make layered shots. Instead, instead of admitting to not knowing, they defer to the tried and true "we're not allowed". I'm leaning towards my theory given the responses from NCL personnel that layered shots are allowed, regardless of what the bartenders state.

Hey Jamie…..I could kind of tell you were ambivalent about the new gig. So, I’m sure you made the right choice. Wish I could join you, Ed and Ted on that 4/22 cruise. Just can’t rearrange some prearranged things. One would think the retirement piece would allow me to be more flexible, but not to be this go round. I’m still eyeballing some sailings on different lines for Feb. Haven’t found a good value, yet. Doesn’t mean they won’t present themselves, though. It’s been a while since I’ve sailed MSC. Looking forward to it. Love to hear your thoughts as the sail dates draw near, and you’re aboard.

Couldn’t quite wrap my mind around that post. Whenever I read such a negative post, I always ask myself “what’s the motivation to post something like that?”. Needless to say, I disagree with every bit of that post!

I know you can get a Bloody Mary without Vodka (Virgin Mary). But, a Gin and Tonic now becomes tonic over ice and a squeeze of lime. Jack and coke becomes.....well..... a coke. Vodka Martini becomes.....a......ummm.....a potato in a glass? (j/K)!

Always one on every cruise. Pulling for your Saints. I like Andy Dalton. I know he's taking a lot of heat. But, he's a good QB and an even better person. He will never lack any effort. Loved him when he was with my Bengals and he was torching teams heaving it to A.J. Green! We see the same with Steeler fans. All full of bluster, until their team is bringing up the rear (as they are right now) and stuck in rebuilding mode for the foreseeable future. Those same fans go silent when they are terrible, as they are now.

There's usually more than one Bartender at the Haven Bar.

Yeah...why do I get the feeling there's much more to this story. NCL says they weren't paid. TA says there's nothing they can do. Who did the guest book through....Bob's Bait, Tackle and Travel Agency? OP...only one real way to answer your question is to book an NCL cruise and make your own decisions. Personally, having sailed Carnival and NCL, I'd always sail NCL given fare similarities. My own personal reasons, but the only way I know this is by sailing both.

VISA is required, either by MSC and/or France. Regardless, MSC won't allow boarding without the VISA As far as the flights are concerned, which is the original question, the reservations will remain. Reservations have to be made in the passengers' names, regardless of who made the reservation. So, if or until they are changed or cancelled (maybe requiring a fee, depending on the airline's policies), the reservations remain the same as booked. I'm not even sure insurance would cover someone not adhering to MSC's requirements. I suppose that depends on the insurance (if they booked "cancel for any reason" type of insurance). If it's not an illness, or something the cruise line did wrong, or a flight being delayed/cancelled, it may not be covered. If MSC has already stated that not having a VISA isn't a reason to cancel the cruise, and boarding is not allowed, maybe they can offer a Future Cruise Credit? Just throwing ideas out there for the OP to ask MSC.

I would apply for the visa now since it is required by MSC!

OK….so, why not get a Visa from the consulate?

Has been dependent on if the ship is docked or at sea. But, I’ve always been able to check my vid captures at least once/day.

Have sailed YC, Haven and Celebrity’s Retreat. All are good. All are unique in their own sometimes subtle, ways. Have tried several times to sail in Royal’s Star Suites, which is their equivalent to the YC. They have ALWAYS been the priciest (and not by a little) of all the full Suite categories on any of the cruise lines, even on their older ships. As such, I’ve never booked them. For a while, MSC had the least expensive suites (YC) on any of the major lines. As they became more established in North America, their suites were priced on par with the likes of NCL Haven. They’ve dropped in price again since the restart. But have noticed they’re creeeping up again price wise. Celebrity’s Retreat was a great bargain upon the start up….even on their new ships. That’s when I booked them. Now, they’re back to “normal” (meaning priced higher than the rest). Haven is the granddaddy of them all for this category. I’ve been able to find great deals and I’ve been shocked by how expensive they are some times. Do I like one over the other? Again, they’re all unique in their own way. All offer some form of Butler and Concierge service. Personally, I like the way Celebrity handles the Retreat guests. Each cabin has a Personal Retreat Concierge, who doubles as a Butler, and comes to your cabin. There are other Concierges in the Retreat Lounge, but there is one who is assigned to your cabin who I interfaced with the most. She did everything for me. Billing issues? She took care of it. REservations? Laundry? Stocking the mini-fridge? She handled all of it. When I was in the Retreat Lounge, I utilized the concierges who happened to be there at the time, also. Kind of double/triple coverage for Concierge/Butler service. I like the Haven Bar area best in NCL’s Haven. Met many cruise friends there and seemed to be the central gathering place for like minded cruisers to meet and mingle. Plus, their bartenders there re 2nd to none. Their Butlers are OK. It’s been hit and miss on whether they were useful. Some ignored my requests until the last day of the cruise when they hovered around my cabin (seeking a tip?). The Haven concierges have all been excellent, though. Anoop, Adrian, and Virginia stand out. I know that Annop and Adrian have moved on, which is a shame, as they were at the pinnacle of Concierges with NCL. Need a reservation at a restaurant that’s sold out? No worries. They would get me in. Found an excursion that was full? No problem in making room via the concierge. Billing snafus? No issues…they even interfaced with my 3rd party TA to get them resolved. YC….Butlers are best it’s MSC. They carry your luggage to check in and on board as soon as you are dropped off curb side. I had one track down a lost piece of luggage (that almost didn’t make it to my cabin as the baggage people lost it). The YC Lounges were gorgeous on the two ships I was sailing in the YC. The wait staff tended to be the Butlers, doing double duty. They were always attentive, but less so than the bartenders either in the Retreat or Haven. They were just more laid back. Same with the Concierges. Attentive, but not “over the top” like with Celebrity and/or NCL. Not a negative, just a difference. Private spaces? Celebrity’s Retreat felt much more like a lux resort than the other two….although I liked them just as much. NCL’s dinner under the stars with the Captain in the Haven courtyard was particularly nice. Private Restaurants? Haven, Luminae, YC….all quite good. I wished the Haven Restaurant would change their menu daily, but they were always quite willing to get me anything I wanted if I asked. YC Restaurant was pretty rigid with not allowing substitutions (although the food on the menus was quite good). Celebrity’s Luminae Restaurant was also good. Menus changed, but had the smallest amount of choices and appealed more to an adventurous palate (which was fine by me…others, not so much). Although, they too would do their best to get whatever you wanted. So, it’s kind of like ice cream. Some like different flavors. Some like Chocolate, some like Vanilla, some like Strawberry. But, everyone likes ice cream.

Yeah…maybe different working with U.S based cruise line support personnel. When I traveled to Barcelona with the MSC Meriviglia, they were very helpful. So, MSC stated you have to get a VISA from the Embassy or Consulate? Is there a reason you can’t do this? What does the airline say?

Boy…if ever there was advice I would get from calling the cruise lines vs seeking advice here, it’s this post. Call MSC!

My experience? Bartenders and wait staff are very hard working, as are all crew. More often than not, their knowledge of policy and terms are lacking. I’ve often had them offer explanations for different policies as incorrect. Not sure if they’re trying to placate the guests, or if they want to deflect discussion for something they don’t know how to provide. Either way, I’ve personally experienced these errors, only to find them corrected if I pose the questions to their managers. It happens. Now corrected. So, no harm…no foul!

Just had my memory jogged….had a “Bloody Brains” shooter on the Breakaway a month ago. Did it on a dare (which is never a good reason). It had multiple ingredients, mostly to make it look terrible. Had a terrible texture, too. But, the bartender made it and I drank it. Not sure what that proves other than I’m not the sharpest knife in the kitchen.