MandyMooToo

I think the only consistent thing about Royal (TA booking or not) is that they are completely inconsistent!

We booked with a TA and got the notice directly from Royal. Have yet to hear from the TA on this matter.

Booking Original Tax Amount Adjusted Tax Amount Currency XXXXXX 229.28 354.76 USD This is for our Icon sailing, August 2024, two people. Fairly big increase IMO. Obviously it will not keep us from cruising but still, that's a jump for just two of us.

No, many countries have oddly or different sized mattresses (when compared to each other) and it is more based upon furniture/bed sizing than anything else. In Europe the bed sizes are different, Ireland has different sizes, etc. Actually the US and UK are not too far apart in obesity rates, but neither fall within the top 10 most obese countries in the world.

We prefer inside cabins on decks 2-6 but will book higher decks. So many people feel like inside cabins are steerage class like we are still sailing on the Titanic but that really isn't the case. My husband and I are both prone to motion sickness so low and midship is what we shoot for. The darkened cabin due to no windows or balcony helps with sleep also. We do try to take the stairs often but if going to the pool deck from our cabin we will take the elevators as I do not have the desire to climb 10+/- decks, ha ha! That would be the biggest con for us with a low deck but the tradeoff is worth it.

This is obviously an old thread but if you are still present on CC, how did you like the Desire cruise?

What ship are you on? Maybe we can direct you to the appropriate roll call.

Unfortunately no one can tell me what that is. Celebrity’s charter site shows cabin perks are given as part of their package but I guess we will see when we board.

To piggyback on this question, if you book Aqua Class or Concierge Class on a charter, do you get those perks? Not concerned with the points or status but wondering about cabin perks.

I did the same as the above poster. I went to my C&A page and took a screenshot and sent it in. Granted the next day.

Interested in what the final disposition was here. I tried to transfer a booking (first MSC cruise) to my TA and she won't accept it. Apparently MSC is a line she won't book with. Curious if that is a common thing or not...

I booked us in YC on MSC for January 2024 (first cruise with MSC) and tried to transfer the booking to my agent. She wouldn't take it! She said MSC is the only line she won't book. I should have asked first but I never imagined she wouldn't take a booking transfer...

We have started to just place cash on our accounts to avoid any prolonged holds. All in all a hold is not a huge issue if you use a credit card and not a debit card but I hate to have to remember to check for it to drop off. Last cruise with RCCL there were multiple holds and they did not fall off for 30 days. We booked our first MSC cruise for January 2024 and plan to just bring cash for the account there also.

We booked direct, interestingly enough our TA doesn’t book with MSC, so it could be a YC perk as we are in a YC cabin. But with this being our first cruise on MSC I have no idea. Caribbean itinerary.

We are booking from the US and are being given the premium + package and Wi-Fi. Not sure if that differs between US sailings or not but I we do not have the easy+ package.

Ugh. Thanks for the responses. I hate that it sounds like we can’t bring a fan since we can on other cruise lines but I guess we can try to find a smaller one/battery powered one.

Surprised it took this long for a rude comment. I worded my question just fine as some people did actually answer it. Some people also tend to read a title and not pay attention to the details in the question before they respond. Re: me asking a specific question and getting mainly responses that pertain to general tipping. But thanks for the attitude and response.

Thank you for your personal experience, I just don’t want to stiff anyone!

It matters not to me how they distribute the tips. That is the company’s business. Again, I was asking if I needed to make up the difference in the drink package tips we were not charged when given a “free” drink package or if tips would just be added to each drink as though we didn’t have it. I am not asking who they tips to or how much they give out.

This is interesting! I wish all cruise lines would handle grats this way. We are sailing out of a US port so tips are something to consider. I didn’t want to not tip enough or go overboard, hence my question. Thanks for the response.

Thank you for this information, we are obviously first time MSC cruisers and I was not aware of this.

I feel like no one really read my question or comments. I read the website. I understand the tipping guidelines and do not plan to tip as we would on RCCL. My question was referring to the drink package and the grats that the website says are to be paid with the package, which we are getting “free” and the per drink gratuities the website says are added without the package. Since ours is not being paid for individually I didn’t know if I should tip per drink or what. I only planned to add the drinks tips and tip the butler/concierge/any staff that goes above and beyond, nothing extravagant.

I fully understand MSC is a European cruise line. I do not plan to run around dropping tips everywhere behind me. I asked about tips specifically for the drink package because, European or not, they do say on the website that tips are added to the drink package. Our drink package is part of the cruise fare in YC so I didn’t know if tips were “included” in that or if I should tip per drink since we didn’t pay for the package. I also saw on the website that grats are added per drink without the package so my question remained. In my initial post I mentioned paying the daily service charge and tipping the butler/concierge/anyone who does extra. I do think that’s appropriate on any line, if someone goes above and beyond. I obviously will not be insulting anyone.

Is it possible to bring a fan onboard? An actual square, box fan? We do this on our RCCL and Carnival cruises but I was not sure if MSC would allow it. We have a fan we use only for travel so it stays in its original box and it is UL certified so Royal and Carnival have always allowed it...

Yes, it seems tipping threads can become quite contentious (on all lines' forums). My concern was not paying the gratuities for the free or included drink package. I just wasn't sure if I was to tip per drink or if the grats were included in the free YC drink package and the daily grats would suffice. Thanks for the response!