Rou-Dyliq

I am also allergic to shellfish.  I never felt like there wasn't enough to choose from the things I could eat.  I loved the risottos, the unusual pasta dishes (I think the garganelli with broad bean sauce is in my top 10 favorite dishes I've ever had) and the lamb offerings.  I'm not really a dessert person,  so can't say much about that.  The only true disappointment for me was their eggs benedict.  Just not good.  

41 minutes ago, rattanchair said:

Dear Frank,   I was not paying attention. But DW told me that the crux of this particular tete-a-tete was this gentleman booked his cruise before a beverage package change that came about , all before final payment.

So he is not weaseling his way into anything, he's simply demanding that he receive what he paid for.  Those are two completely different things. 

If it weren't for the teenager I'd second the recommendation for Shing a ling.  There is a chocolate museum with a restaurant attached that was interesting and had great dessert and coffee offerings - Casa Cortes Chocobar.  They are open until 8pm every day.  There used to be a guided walking tour called Night Tales in Old San Juan that was really good - you might google that and see if it's still around.  There are many food tour companies and they may be able to design a custom tour for you.  The one I used was Spoon Food tours and they were amazing.  You could contact them and see if there is something they can offer you.  

I agree sverigecruiser.  At this point, the prices don't seem to be climbing to the stratosphere at the rate NCL's did and so far I am still OK with things.  I've been comparing 2020 cruises for our 20th anniversary to a potential extended land vacation in Portugal (which to be honest I would prefer to do, but hubby loves loves loves to cruise) so I'm watching those prices like a hawk.  They're more than I paid per night for our first YC cruise on Seaside but not excessively so.  I expected prices to rise once they got a firmer footing in the US market and I think they have accomplished that. 

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

The question is, does Seabourn give me enough value for my money? I have researched prices for MSC Meraviglia for summer 2021 and the prices on Yacht Club Deluxe Suites are around $5300, for two with 5% off. The price for the July 25 cruise 2020 in a Veranda Suite on Seabourn Encore is around $9000. I can pay it but do I want to? Is it really worth that more? I don't know.

See that's the thing.  I'm not reckless with my money and I refuse to go above my listed budget for vacations.  If this goes the way it's looking I'm just going to have to figure out a different way to vacation to get the level of relaxation, service and comfort  I'm looking for, or look for good bargains on the luxury lines. 

For all of you saying this is a fair and open market transaction, you need to read up on the psychology behind auctions and especially silent auctions where an inflated "retail value" is placed on an item.  Many people will bid more than they initially are willing to in order to obtain what they perceive to be a bargain (more than what they would pay for it if it were a traditional transaction), and you should never discount the appeal of winning something.  Cruise lines, charities and ebay know this well and don't think for one second they don't employ this to their advantage.  I do not gamble, I want to know what I'm purchasing and I am not willing to play this game that turns the entire process of cruising into a silent auction.  I still think we have to see how this plays out for MSC, but if this turns out how it's looking I'm out.  I think MSC knows what they are doing here and this will drive people like me onto their small luxury ships that are due out in a few years but I think by then they will find a lot of us have moved on to other luxury lines or doing land vacations.  I have a limit on how much I spend on a vacation - we are not wealthy - and I am not going to spend above it for the luxury of subsidizing other low bids. 

As far as the stroller issue - I remember there being a family with one on the tour with us, however I wasn't looking at it with those eyes.  I remember it being easy to get around, level walking areas, shady places to sit, etc.  I don't remember how stroller friendly it is to get up close to say, the masks.  You can look at the sites online - many many photos in google images - and see what you think.

In Costa Maya we did the Chacchoben and Kohunlich in a single tour - it was fascinating and I liked the masks especially with the original paint still evident.  There are also a tour I saw to two excavations I've never heard of, but sound like something I'd like to do - Dzibanche and Kinichna.  There's also a Spanish fort in the area, a butterfly farm, and you can do the usual things like ATV excursions, and catamaran sailing.  I could have sworn I saw one for visiting caves and swimming in a cenote last time we were there, but I can't find it now.  There's also Lake Bacalar, which is unbelievably beautiful (I've been there).  It's known as the Lake of Seven Colors and while the ocean beaches are dirty, this place is not and it has sandy beaches it's just on fresh water.  It ought to be close enough to visit while in port, but you might want to check with a tour guide to be positive.  There's a lot of fun stuff to do in the area.  I highly recommend the Chacchoben and Kohunlich sites.  I am somewhat challenged with mobility - I have a bad hip - and I was able to do everything except climb to the top of the temple for a photo.  They were just too high and shallow for me.  Although I heard they aren't letting people climb up there anymore.  

I haven't been to Key West in 35 years so can't help there. 

Based on what we saw in December on Seaside, yes on the dress jeans.  Everyone I saw had a button down shirt, some short sleeves, some long, some Tommy Bahama types.  I don't recall seeing a polo shirt.  

Also - with the way they've implemented other changes and the left hand never knowing what the right hand is doing, how do you think this will play out?  I would bet it is going to be an absolute nightmare.

This will likely drive me out of cruising completely except for very rare occasions to keep my husband happy, and then I would bet we'll do luxury.  I am not a gambler, and I especially don't want to gamble on the precious few days per year we can escape the real world.  The luxury prices may be at or slightly higher the artificially inflated prices of the rest of the US based cruise lines but I won't feel as if I have been manipulated into something I didn't really want to do in the first place, and that is worth a lot to me.  

I freaking hate this.  I cannot stand "bidding".  It's a large part of why I don't sail NCL anymore.  That coupled with poor customer service and one extremely bad experience on board I just won't use them anymore.  I book months if not years in advance, and we sail suites only.  We can only take time off one time a year, and usually only in early December due to our business so we like a bit of pampering and luxury.  Now I feel if I just book a suite I'll be wasting money and if I have to bid I might not get it.  Not a happy girl over this.  

I forgot about Raices - very good.  I too have spent a lot of time in San Juan 🙂

Marmalade is fantastic.  You might see if the Bacardi distillery has any evening tours or events.  Sometimes they do.  There is a really cool bar called La Factoria which has different rooms for "ambience".  There's a jazz room, a piano room, a speakeasy type room, etc.  There are evening food tours available from a couple different vendors which are always fun and interesting.  If you're looking for pizza, Pirilo pizza is awesome.  Edited to add:  I would advise against the bio bay tours unless you're doing them on a ship excursion.  Most are on the other side of the island, don't start until dark, and I would very concerned about getting back in time.  But if they're offered through the ship and it's something you are interested in, look at a moon chart first.  You ideally want to go with as little moonlight as possible.  And it's not really as bright as all the photos make it out to be.  Still very neat to see, but not quite like pictured.  

On 5/19/2019 at 6:12 AM, Beamafar said:

Well ... I'm prepared to take the blame for you enjoying your cruise (despite the fact that it was wholly and totally up to you whether you did or not - just like it'd be your own fault if you didn't enjoy it ... and not because people on here didn't prevent you from "getting sucked in").

You and sidari can take the blame for me too.  It was because of your fair reviews that we chose to book (Yacht Club, can't speak to the other experiences) and we knew what we were in store for, good and bad, and how to deal with any problems that may occur.  None did, thankfully, but we were prepared.  I do think MSC has issues needing to be resolved, but my own on board experience was very good.  We are booked again this year, and I'm very much looking forward to it.  I thought I was finished with cruising altogether due to poor experiences combined with extremely high prices for the categories we like book.

I don't always want the same thing on each cruise vacation.  So for me there's an appeal for both options within the same line, especially one whose product I already know I like, to maximize loyalty programs. 

I read on a facebook group that MSC has commissioned some ships that are to be entirely Yacht Club experience.  Does anyone know if this is true, and maybe when they are expected to be delivered if true?

I did - and was awarded points appropriately.  My husband was awarded NO points at all and he should have had 1500.  It has been corrected now though!  

I just wanted to report that the email included in this thread is the correct email for US Voyager's Club, and they have resolved our problems.  Thank you all so much!

Is there a daily tea service in the Yacht Club on the Divina?  

I get that not everyone cruises in a suite, I wanted to give you the only comparison I am able to give.  

Given that you asked this in the NCL forum and not in MSC forum, tells me where you want to be.  People on the NCL forum are probably not going to steer you to MSC, and vice versa.  I, personally, will not be sailing NCL again.  The horrendous customer service I've encountered with cruise lines is pretty much restricted to NCL.  MSC has been disorganized, and I've had to chase things down, but they've always done exactly what they promised or advertised.  The only onboard experience I can relay to you is how the MSC Yacht Club product stands up to NCL's suite and Haven experience.  I have no idea if that's what you booked, but the MSC Yacht Club experience blew the NCL's product out of the water for me.  The only area NCL has on MSC in that category is the various cabin sizes.  But everything else, including value for dollar for me, far outshone NCL.  In addition, I noticed the alcohol prices (should I want to pay for some drink not included) was considerably less expensive than NCL.  As far as the experience outside of the Yacht Club, I don't know.  I didn't do much outside of it except go the chocolate bar and the shops and the shows. 

I think you know what you want to do, and you should do that.  If the customer service problems you've experienced bother you this much, I think you're going to go into it with a negative mindset and if anything goes wrong during the cruise it will be magnified.  

Edited to add - I saw people in jeans in T shirts every night in the dining room of the Yacht Club, even formal night. No one was turned away, no one was belittled, and no one looked askance at anyone else.  

Thanks for your reply!  It gives me encouragement that you were able to get it sorted out, even if you used a contact I can't.  I will try again tomorrow and see what I can get done.  

My husband I cruised for the first time with MSC last November.  We both at separate Voyager's Club numbers that appeared on our confirmations.  We loved the cruise, and are getting to book another but we have discovered that while I was awarded the appropriate number of points for me, my husband's account was awarded no points at all.  Called MSC customer service to find out what happened, and were told they have no idea how to fix it.  Have any of you run into this, and if so were you able to get it corrected?  

On 4/17/2019 at 12:07 PM, NLH Arizona said:

Are the snacks individually wrapped or does the person just take out of a large bowl/container.  If not wrapped, how does one know that people aren't putting their hands on the food when they get theres?  

The snacks are in individual bowls/plates.  I never saw one person manhandling any of the food in the Yacht Club Top Sail Lounge, and there was always a butler or bartender keeping an eye on that area.  I did not go up to the buffet on the pool deck so can't speak to that.  

As far as cleaning them, I use a little wire brush that came with the pack I purchased on Amazon and use hot soapy water.  It's fine.  The thing I'd worry about the collapsible one is what are they using for the string that snaps it back together.  To me, because it's porous and would absorb, you'd have to sanitize it or it would be a mold and bacteria incubator.