Zip Line Charge!

[asctony]

Hahahah- this is so ironic! For the last few decades I’ve been blaming the onset of additional charges on the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream stand introduced by NCL in the seaward. I absolutely could be wrong and perhaps it was rcl that started the slippery slope. I’m going to poke around in my travel chest. I have cruise travel magazines dating back to 1988. I might be able to determine who came first ncl or rcl, but I’m thrilled to learn at least one other person agrees that the culprit of the slippery slope is ice cream :)

 

 

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Sovereign OTS April 1988.

[deliver42]

To the poster who questioned my YC price for the seaside, the answer is yes, for a 7 night Western carib cruise on 12/01/2018.The actual total price with my 5% discount is $3954.36, including Grats, and we got the internet pkg and $150.00 per cabin as perks.This was booked 9/29/2017.

[LMaxwell]

I'll have to go through the advertising I've saved since learning about the ship. Should be noted that on the MSC website here is what is NOT included in your fare

Shore Excursions

MSC Aurea Spa massages, beauty and spa treatments

Internet Cafe

Beauty Salon

Personal Trainer

Exercise Classes

Shopping

Drinks (soda and alcohol)

[lovelights]

I know the feeling, but keep an open mind as much as possible until you sail. Hopefully it's awesome. MSC sure does make it hard though. This is just the kind of crap they pull that turns people off to them. They are just not as polished, organized, and professional as other lines. Some things just seem so arbitrary and they lose credibility. Still there is something about them I'm attracted to, and I still love the look and design of SEASIDE. All this commotion actually makes me a bit more excited to sail on her, just to see what all the fuss is about for myself ... and to see if things are really that bad or if people are just being dramatic or overly critical (which happens a lot on CC).

 

I'm on Seaside right now. We just left Grand Cayman and on our way to Costa Maya. I heard all of the commotion as well, and a few days before we left to go on this cruise, I actually told myself that if I could have canceled, I would have. Of course you can't, unless you're over 90 days out from your cruise, so we kept an open mind when we stepped foot on this ship on Jan. 6th.

 

Since you stated that people are just being dramatic possibly, or overly critical, then I'm only going to say this....... have fun. However, I would never sail on this ship again. If you're looking for a nice room, and to be sitting at dock on a beautiful ship, you could do that on about any ship we were next to in ports this week. To keep from being called overly dramatic, I'll just leave it at that.

Edited January 11, 2018 by lovelights
typo

[LMaxwell]

I'm on Seaside right now. We just left Grand Cayman and on our way to Costa Maya. I heard all of the commotion as well, and a few days before we left to go on this cruise, I actually told myself that if I could have canceled, I would have. Of course you can't, unless you're over 90 days out from your cruise, so we kept an open mind when we stepped foot on this ship on Jan. 6th.

 

Since you stated that people are just being dramatic possibly, or overly critical, then I'm only going to say this....... have fun. However, I would never sail on this ship again. If you're looking for a nice room, and to be sitting at dock on a beautiful ship, you could do that on about any ship we were next to in ports this week. To keep from being called overly dramatic, I'll just leave it at that.

 

When you return and can weigh out pro and con please do a review and let us know your experiences and how you felt at the end

[LMaxwell]

LOL, I literally just got an email from MSC advertising the ship and the lead off with try out the zip line in the first sentence (no mention of free OR a charge) Just worth a real life laugh

[dd likes to cruise]

. As far as itinerary changing, their Bahamas private stop won't be ready. Can't do anything about that. .

 

That change was announced very shortly after the first Seaside schedules went out. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to anything Seaside related.

[dd likes to cruise]

Yes, I have advertising touting free features

 

When I asked for $50 OBC to cover what was sold to me

 

1 - please send pictures, screen shots or something, so we can also see.

 

2 - what exactly were asking the $50 for? What was sold to you that you can prove is not being given now.

 

All we want is people to back up these claims with legitimate proof.

[dd likes to cruise]

I'm on Seaside right now. We just left Grand Cayman and on our way to Costa Maya. I heard all of the commotion as well, and a few days before we left to go on this cruise, I actually told myself that if I could have canceled, I would have. Of course you can't, unless you're over 90 days out from your cruise, so we kept an open mind when we stepped foot on this ship on Jan. 6th.

 

Since you stated that people are just being dramatic possibly, or overly critical, then I'm only going to say this....... have fun. However, I would never sail on this ship again. If you're looking for a nice room, and to be sitting at dock on a beautiful ship, you could do that on about any ship we were next to in ports this week. To keep from being called overly dramatic, I'll just leave it at that.

 

Please give a tad bit more info. Comments like these benefit no one. Not MSC and not even future passengers. Just feeding the fire.

[SNJCruisers]

That change was announced very shortly after the first Seaside schedules went out. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to anything Seaside related.

Totally off base....bookings opened up in December of 2015. I contemplated booking in January and pulled the trigger in March of 2016 for my January 2018 sailing. At the time of my booking, the Seaside was still going to be in Ocean cay till midnight on the last full day of the cruise. Never received any email, phone call or letter from MSC stating that the construction of Ocean Cay was going to be delayed. A quick google search confirmed that on September 14, 2016, MSC made the announcement regarding the delayed opening. NINE months is not "very shortly after the Seaside schedules went out."

[L454S]

Totally off base....bookings opened up in December of 2015. I contemplated booking in January and pulled the trigger in March of 2016 for my January 2018 sailing. At the time of my booking, the Seaside was still going to be in Ocean cay till midnight on the last full day of the cruise. Never received any email, phone call or letter from MSC stating that the construction of Ocean Cay was going to be delayed. A quick google search confirmed that on September 14, 2016, MSC made the announcement regarding the delayed opening. NINE months is not "very shortly after the Seaside schedules went out."

 

Agree SNJ, when we booked it was a months later before I read about Ocean Cay being canceled. It was a bit of a "WTH" moment, as the info related at the time sounded like a great addition. I understand being a few weeks or even a couple months off, but this is way off base.

 

Still looking forward to Jan. 27 though, am sure we will enjoy it very much. Seems things are still evolving on the ship in many categories.

[LMaxwell]

That change was announced very shortly after the first Seaside schedules went out. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to anything Seaside related.

 

1 - please send pictures, screen shots or something, so we can also see.

 

2 - what exactly were asking the $50 for? What was sold to you that you can prove is not being given now.

 

All we want is people to back up these claims with legitimate proof.

 

Whoa, relax CSI. I wanted $50 for the Zipline because there was no charge prior to this weeks cruise. And I booked direct with MSC when Ocean Cay was on the itinerary. Booked on 5/20/17. This was after date for Ocean Cay changed from 12/17 to 11/18. I have NEVER received any communication from MSC of an itinerary change after that by the way, it's only through participation here that I know. MSC still has not communicated my itinerary change and all docs I have still say Ocean Cay

 

Frankly, it's a little insulting your tone and putting me on trial for MSC's shortcomings. Do you work for them?

[JAGR]

FWIW, A poster on a F-Book site for YC patrons is on board the Seaside this week reports that the Zip Line is free for YC passengers. On small giveback.

[lifeasme123]

I booked our cabins in Dec 2016. When I found out that Ocean Cay not being ready, it was well outside the final payment and I had the option to cancel my cruise. I did not. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was it the sole reason for going on the cruise? No. I said if we end of liking Seaside, we will be back when Ocean Cay is ready.

 

Point is, we all were able to cancel our cruise but we chose not to.

[voyager89]

Anybody knows why was Ocean Cay delayed?

 

I am thinking, and this is solely my personal opinion, but could it possible be that they are waiting to see how their US ships do? I know MSC has a contract with PortMiami for several years, and then the new ship going to NY and all but that doesn´t mean people will actually go th MSC over other established lines. A lot of us are willing to try, but I think this will be 50/50. Half will return, half will not repeat. I somehow have that feeling.

 

I was looking forward to it. It was not a deal breaker however it was definetly an added value to the cruise. I booked my Jan 27, 2018 cruise in May, and I know it was still on the itinerary, and there was no notification.

[jamesboat]

Cruiselines do these types of things not for revenue but for crowd control. You can't compare the two lines as that isn't a major attraction on Oasis Class.

 

You can do crowd control with reservations or tickets.

 

Seaside: 5,179 passengers

RC Anthem: 4,905 passengers

 

Skydiving: Free (reserve time slot before cruise, can repeat if available)

Flowrider: Free (stand in line)

Bumper Cars: Free (stand in line)

Trapeze School: Free (stand in line)

Roller skating: Free (stand in line)

Rock climbing: Free (stand in line)

Escape Room: Free (reserve slot before cruise)

Billiards: Free (wait your turn)

[lifeasme123]

You can do crowd control with reservations or tickets.

 

Seaside: 5,179 passengers

RC Anthem: 4,905 passengers

 

Skydiving: Free (reserve time slot before cruise, can repeat if available)

Flowrider: Free (stand in line)

Bumper Cars: Free (stand in line)

Trapeze School: Free (stand in line)

Roller skating: Free (stand in line)

Rock climbing: Free (stand in line)

Escape Room: Free (reserve slot before cruise)

Billiards: Free (wait your turn)

 

We were on Anthem last Jan (2017) for 12 days. Agree these are free BUT we paid a lot more $ for the same Seaside cabins to get these "free" items. In case someone points out that it is 12 day vs 7-day cruise, just want to let you know for comparison I divided the 12 days cruise by 12 and multiply by 7 to get an apples to apples comparison.

 

I guess what I do not understand is, for those who are outside of the penalty, if these "fee based" activities bother you, why not cancel your Seaside booking and go to another cruise line?

 

BTW - we never got to do the IFly because the weather was too windy on all of the 3 bookings we had. Not RCCL's fault.

 

Escape Room was a blast! However, there are not enough slots if everyone on the ship wanted to do it. If I remember correctly, there were 12 per group for an hour...and that is not every hour of the day.

 

Bumper cars were fun. We had to stand in line 2 hours prior to get to ride within the first hour.

 

Rock CLimibing and Flowrider, been on too many RCCL cruises and bored of them. They are fun though.

 

North Star was cool as well...but hit and miss with the weather.

 

Escape, North Star and IFly were the only ones that we had to make reservations...and the good time slots fills up quickly!

[BestNC Cruiser]

You can do crowd control with reservations or tickets.

 

Seaside: 5,179 passengers

RC Anthem: 4,905 passengers

 

Skydiving: Free (reserve time slot before cruise, can repeat if available)

Flowrider: Free (stand in line)

Bumper Cars: Free (stand in line)

Trapeze School: Free (stand in line)

Roller skating: Free (stand in line)

Rock climbing: Free (stand in line)

Escape Room: Free (reserve slot before cruise)

Billiards: Free (wait your turn)

 

 

I completely agree with the power of perception when it comes to "free". But, in my humble opinion and when I do research on vacations I quickly find out that NOTHING is free.

 

The RC Anthem for the same week that I am on the seaside is 5950$ for a comparable set up. Without getting into the merits of ship quality/reviews, that is a huge $$$ difference. Its a 2600$ difference. Why? Because every single person on that ship, whether they use those "free" activities are paying their share.

 

Again, just my opinion, but at least MSC lets me get on the ship for a very reasonable price and lets me choose if I want to spend extra on things.

 

It reminds me on Universal studios in Florida. When we stay at the Hard Rock hotel, we get "free" express passes to skip the ride lines. That's awesome. I just have to forget that I paid 400$ a night for the hotel room.

[jamesboat]

I completely agree with the power of perception when it comes to "free". But, in my humble opinion and when I do research on vacations I quickly find out that NOTHING is free.

 

The RC Anthem for the same week that I am on the seaside is 5950$ for a comparable set up. Without getting into the merits of ship quality/reviews, that is a huge $$$ difference. Its a 2600$ difference. Why? Because every single person on that ship, whether they use those "free" activities are paying their share.

 

Again, just my opinion, but at least MSC lets me get on the ship for a very reasonable price and lets me choose if I want to spend extra on things.

 

My fare was $1258 (per person) for a 12 day sailing on a balcony cabin on the Anthem (after all taxes) and received a $175 cabin credit. This was for last January.

 

 

That's about $100 a day. Isn't that about what MSC is charging? Im seeing $889 for the 3rd class balcony experience on Seaside for 7 days. That's $127 a day, before the final taxes and fees.

 

 

It seems like MSC is attempting to charge more for less.

[BestNC Cruiser]

My fare was $1258 (per person) for a 12 day sailing on a balcony cabin on the Anthem (after all taxes) and received a $175 cabin credit. This was for last January.

 

 

That's about $100 a day. Isn't that about what MSC is charging? Im seeing $889 for the 3rd class balcony experience on Seaside for 7 days. That's $127 a day, before the final taxes and fees.

 

 

It seems like MSC is attempting to charge more for less.

 

My price quotes are based on specific sailing dates (school age kids) and I am matching all inclusions.

 

Seaside- Aurea Balcony includes 2 massages + deluxe drink package for 4 people = 3300$

Anthem - Balcony + 2 massages + drink packages for 4 people = 5950$

[BestNC Cruiser]

My price quotes are based on specific sailing dates (school age kids) and I am matching all inclusions.

 

Seaside- Aurea Balcony includes 2 massages + deluxe drink package for 4 people = 3300$

Anthem - Balcony + 2 massages + drink packages for 4 people = 5950$

 

 

All that being said, if the Anthem was closer to only maybe 600-800$ more, I would have strongly considered that cruise.

[asctony]

My price quotes are based on specific sailing dates (school age kids) and I am matching all inclusions.

 

Seaside- Aurea Balcony includes 2 massages + deluxe drink package for 4 people = 3300$

Anthem - Balcony + 2 massages + drink packages for 4 people = 5950$

What is price per person and date? No way 4 adults going for $825 each. Kids may be free.

Thanks!

[BestNC Cruiser]

What is price per person and date? No way 4 adults going for $825 each. Kids may be free.

Thanks!

You got it. two teenage girls were 100$ each. That was the deal when we booked about 6 months age.

[asctony]

You got it. two teenage girls were 100$ each. That was the deal when we booked about 6 months age.

Thanks for clarification. Big difference of $825/person compared to $1,550/adult. What is date of cruise?

[Fostelo]

Ifly on anthem is only free the first go and $25 a minute there after. Just saying [emoji4]

 

 

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