Lupush

Thank You @Two Wheels Only!

I've enjoyed following along. Thank You for sharing.

I have a YC Owner's Suite booked on Seascape and wanted to make a partial payment towards the final balance.  The website says payment must be in full, however final payment date is not until December.  Is this normal for MSC?  I am used to NCL/Royal where you can make partial payments in advance of final payment date.  Does this policy change if I call reservations?

If you need to do anything outside of non-VPN related emails or web surfing, don't rely on the ship's internet.  I've tried to get on video conferences while at sea and it just doesn't work.  

Greg, this may have been answered but curious as to your reasoning moving to NCL and other cruise lines?  What were the primary drivers behind your decision?

Nice!  Welcome to the NCL board, Greg.  I've followed and enjoyed your Carnival live reviews.

Prima was awful, we hated it.  Can't imagine doing a TA on that ship, would be bored after 2 days.

Get the Vibe.  Prima public areas (especially pool and hot tubs) are so cramped that Vibe is almost a must.

On 7/8/2023 at 10:55 PM, Mr305 said:

I was on Conquest last weekend on a 3 Day Cruise.  Carnival’s clientele has definitely changed.  A lot of the folks on board were first timers.  Our biggest issue was weed, even with dogs at the terminal, they were lighting it up on the balcony day and night.  I’ve done about three of these cruises over the years, never seen anything like it.  Let’s just say, that was my last 3 Day Cruise, at least on Carnival.

 

I’ve also done 7 & 8 Day Cruises on Carnival, everyone is well behaved and the folks are a bit more upscale.  Lots of Gold and Platinum cruisers.  It’s a shame, all this does is destroy the product/brand.  Hopefully the upcoming price increase will eliminate some of these issues.

I've done 3 and 4 night cruises on all the major cruise lines and never seen or heard of issues on any line other than Carnival. It has nothing to do with the length of the cruise, it is entirely due to the quality of clientele.

Are there any noticeable differences between Viva and Prima?  Have any improvements been made?

I was on the Encore in Alaska the first week of October last year. It was the best cruise we've ever been on.  Absolutely amazing in every way.  Highly recommend it.

I was on a 7 night Prima cruise to the Caribbean this past March.  I did not find that there was much to do/see on this ship as compared to others in the fleet.  Getting a drink at the bars on sea days was difficult at times, can't imagine doing a TA on that ship.  To each his/her own, but for me and my family it was the worst ship we've ever been on.

Amazing looking suite, however it looks like it's in dire need of a renovation IMO.

Rented a lagoon villa the last time we were in GSC and it was incredible.  Water was beautiful, service was excellent.  The only issue we had was that my son got stung by a jellyfish.  Other than that, it was amazing.

Yes, they do.

I've never seen a situation where thermal passes have been sold out.  My wife and I have been on 15 Breakaway/Plus class cruises and have never had a problem getting them on embarkation day.

You've pretty much nailed my thoughts on Prima as well.  Overall I really disliked the ship and still feel disappointed in my experience.

25 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

The problems were all resolved quickly. You have no reason to worry.

I went ahead and cancelled.  I'm sure that they were resolved, but the failing inspection was all my wife needed to hear.  Hopefully she will want to go ahead with the Seascape YC we have booked for March.  

My wife and I have Seaside YC booked in August.  This would be our 1st experience on MSC and I'm very concerned after reading this report.  I work in hospitality and see these types of inspections often, however rarely do you see one that is among the lowest ever recorded.  Seriously considering cancelling.

We've been on both.  Absolutely hated Prima and will never consider sailing a Prima class ship again.  Breakaway all the way.

If you can't book tours via NCL, I would suggest using Viator.  I've used that service many times when excursions have not been available in advance or onboard.

Never did a Miami sailaway at night, looks beautiful.

Miami is the most beautiful port to cruise out of and it's not even close.  Even though I live here now, I'm always impressed by the beauty when coming off of 95 and getting onto the causeway.

It was available as of last week.

Blue Label, Hennesy XO, Macallan Terra.