UPNYGuy

that’s why I didn’t mention what the type of school was at first. I didn’t want to make it seem like I was singling them out just because they were a private religious school. To me, that part is irrelevant. The fact they were poorly behaved is the relevant part.

two private Jewish schools. One in Brooklyn, the other in Miami. Both were *very* poorly behaved, and many of the adults were abhorrent as well.

DW and I prefer MSC all around to NCL. Our last experience on NCL was 6-7 years ago, and wasn’t a pleasurable one. We were on Getaway, and two private school groups had chartered out 3/4 of the cabins. One of the largest specialty restaurants was closed to cater to dietary restrictions, and it was never used. The children ran amuck through the ship, and I have never witnessed lines around the ship just to b!tch at guest services as much as on that cruise.

There is truth to this. We were in Haven on BA out of NYC, and a woman was making a point to harass guests that were in The Haven complex. She was making obscene comments to people as they entered the door. I told her to be thankful my Deluxe Owners Suite was subsidizing her inside cabin and making it less expensive to be on board 🤣.

we really like the vision class ships. They (and the Radiance class) are the only midsize ships RC has left in the fleet. They (the visions) have a wide teak covered outdoor promenade deck. The ships are very laid back and low-key. More akin to what you'd expect on Holland America than Royal Caribbean. IMO the poor reviews on the visions are from people not knowing what they are getting, and thinking all RC ships are like Voyager/Freedom/Oasis/Anthem and have lots of activities. and you really should go down there some time. It is only a 6 hour drive, or 1 hour flight. Southwest goes nonstop from ALB to BWI, and you can catch a hotel in Linthicum Heights right by the airport for not a lot of $$$. We always take a Lyft to the pier and park at the hotel. YMMV, but we never advise going down the day of the sailing. you never know what will pop up and potentially make you miss the ship.

Is this still the case? Havent been on a Vision class in about 4 years, but have 2 sailings coming up on them.

DW and I live 2.5 hours from Boston, Bayonne, or the 2 NYC ports, and about 6 hours from Baltimore. We make frequent use of all of them 🤣.

we were booked on Mereviglia on the 2/11 sailing. I forgot we were also booked on vision on 2/8 (thought I changed it). I kept the VOTS out of Baltimore and dumped the MSC booking.

100%. In fact, I just realized I was double booked in Feb (MSC Meraviglia Y/C and Royal Caribbean the the same week). I switched it for Royal because the ship was half the size.

spend a week on a BA class NCL ship not being in the Haven. IMO no different experience than being on Meraviglia in a non Yacht Club cabin. The reason why this topic comes up frequently is people that cruise frequently tend to prefer the elevated guest experience of a smaller to midsize ship, but like the activities on a larger ship. That was why this concept came into existence.

So have I . I have sailed on Carnival (Havana and non-Havana), Norwegian (Haven and Non-Haven), Royal Caribbean (one was in a the Royal suite on a Freedom class) HAL, MSC (Y/C and non Y/C), and Oceania (concierge level verendah), and roughly 50 cruises between them all. Your experience imo is an anomaly and not comparable to mine.

Correct. DW and I cruise in and outside YC. This is a generalization, and one I find to be inaccurate.

It will be business as usual. COVID is here and never going away.

Oh-she-aye-knee-ah or Oh-she-annie-ah are the two I have heard as proper.

I haven’t worn a jacket on a cruise in years. Slacks and a polo, and I’m all set.

that’s exactly why I’d rather a Musica class there. IMO would give a more upscale interior. Granted, DW and I do sail on Carnival. But the decor on the ships with the exception going to the vista class and Excel class leaves much to be desired. Carnival has been trying to de-gaudify the ships in the conversions (triumph to sunrise, victory to radiance). But there is only just so much they can do all at once.

explains why I thought it was Magnifica. Same class of ship.

IMO a musica class would be a bit better there (Poeisa, Magnifica, Musica, Orchestra). They are about the same size as the Radiance and Spirit class, but imo have a nicer interior.

you do not get wifi with Aurea cabins. You need to book the promotion that includes the beverage package and wifi to get it (at least in the U.S.)

the other thing to keep in mind is that you can upgrade the beverage package on MSC right through the website. you can go from Easy Plus (which is included in the promo) to the premium one and just pay the difference.

these elevators are NOT that complicated to use. I do not understand why people moan about them. It simply assigns you the elevator that is most direct to your deck. Carnival has these installed on the Horizon and Panorama, and I vastly prefer them. I also had *zero* issues with them on the Seaside. It is when you get hordes of people that dont follow the directions that get impatient.

Divina did as well? I seem to recall Magnifica also did, but I may be mistaken.

hmm. That’s interesting.

that makes sense. That’s really no different than what other cruise lines are doing now anyway. I’m assuming suite/Haven still get 2x service if requested?

I did see that most of the broadway type shows seem to be axed.