3Sisters

@Delmar Sam The itinerary sounds pretty fantastic, so I hope the line pulls through for you guys. You are very well-traveled having visited so many different areas in South America already! I believe you will find that NCL today is quite different that NCL 20 years ago! I'm hopeful that NCL will adhere to its stated itinerary but unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. You can always look up alternate ways to book excursions if the line doesn't pull through. The ship will surely be enjoyable, but I'm hearing many negatives about the customer service lately. The lack of excursion options is just one of those negatives. Ideally, you will be able to get off at all the listed ports of call and truly enjoy your vacation, even if you have to look for excursions outside of NCL's scope. 

@Delmar Sam That's not a lot to choose from! I too would be disappointed with that minimal amount of excursion options. Do you believe that the cruise line will open up more excursion options in the coming months? I don't see why this itinerary is so limited with excursion options. Post-pandemic many cruise lines, including NCL, have changed a lot of their ways and have made significant cutbacks. As much as guests have been complaining about the decline of service from NCL, people are still booking out itineraries and staying loyal to the line. I'm not sure if the line is doing so great financially. I really hope some of the recent changes with upper management turn things around, creating more positive guest feedback. I have heard more bad than good about the line lately. Your Panama Canal itinerary sounds pretty epic though! Have you toured this region before?

That actually sounds a bit frightening! Were you able to recognize what kind of shark it was? Hopefully, it was just a little guy. I remember as a kid snorkeling and seeing Baricudda in the reefs. I always wanted to go back ashore after that. Snorkeling is so fun and great until the fish and sea life start looking at you the wrong way! I'm not so sure that sharks come without teeth. Maybe they don't attack often, but I have only seen sharks with teeth. Whales on the other hand, those creatures are cute as a button and more like a grandparent than a shark!

@rindybar I appreciate the info. The NCL Haven experience does sound pretty amazing. I would love to be able to try both the MSC Yacht Club and NCL Haven to compare, but I will leave that to you! Embarkation and disembarkation should be a breeze with MSC Yacht Club's priority process. If you cruise to the private island, Ocean Cay, you will get a private golf cart shuttling you around the island and a private beach spot with cabanas. The line really outdid itself for the Yacht Club guests visiting Ocean Cay.

Vacationing on a private beach in the Dominican Republic must have been amazing! Yes, I would imagine after flying and spending so much time and energy to arrive, you must have wanted to explore the area. Was the beach water crystal clear? The area is expanding so much on the cruise front that two ports are being added to the DR. The Port Cabo Rojo and Semana Byport are being constructed as we speak. Both of these ports are set to open by the end of this year. 

@Chelle You really did your due diligence here! I'm actually impressed you made it as far as you did in terms of attaining a reply from the Vice President of guest services. I wasn't expecting you to reach the $300 credit opportunity. That just goes to show not giving up can certainly get you somewhere. I would imagine it took a very long time to receive any sort of response. Turnaround time must have been dragged out. I do agree that the line hasn't been keen on customer service lately. What's so wild is that people still book with NCL all the time. I guess you just have to learn the hard way. Once something like this happens to you; you can't go back to booking with the line again. 

@SpaceCowboy9 Thanks for all the insight on Mullet Beach! Do you enjoy any of the local artisan markets in St Martin? That would be another fun thing to do while there during your extended stay. 

@rindybar How very exciting you will be cruising with a new line. It's always nice to branch out and try new things. You never know when something will be better than expected! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I believe the MSC Yacht Club dining room will not only be smaller, but less crowded in terms of guests and more space between tables. The MSC Yacht Club pool will also have that same benefit. Does the NCL Haven stateroom experience come with its own separate pool for its guests? 

@SpaceCowboy9 Thanks for sharing! I do love a good snorkel spot, especially if it's close to some shady trees for a beachside picnic. I will have to try Mullet Bay Beach next time I visit St Martin. How far is this beach from the cruise port? If I were to cruise out of St Martin, I would likely get a hotel close to the cruise port! 

Freedom of the Seas is slated to undergo a dry dock at the end of 2024 into the beginning of 2025. Has anyone's cruise vacations been impacted by this news? The ship's 2024 Christmas sailing has unfortunately been canceled. On the bright side, Freedom of the Seas will be getting some seriously awesome enhancements from Playmakers Sports Bar to the ice rink that can become both a laser tag area and a nightclub! 

@Darrell Do you have any updates on the technical issues you experienced onboard this Princess Cruises itinerary? Hopefully, these issues have been resolved and didn't trickle down to the proceeding itineraries. I can't believe you felt the shake while onboard. That's sort of frightening!

@Tasselhoff Did you see that Carnival Cruise Line released info about its themed parties onboard? Carnival Dream will have the Mega Deck Party, 80's Rock and Glow Party, Motown Showdown, and 90's Party. Do you usually participate in the themed nights? 

I always enjoy doing my own thing and having the liberty to choose based on the itineraries released to the stateroom the evening before. I don't always stick to my initial plan of action, but I do like to pick and choose at my leisure. I do like to have the last-minute opportunity to view the theatre shows though. During the pandemic, everything was reservation-based and I'm hopeful cruising post-pandemic will feel much different. 

Did you by chance stay in an all-inclusive hotel? I have been interested to do something like that as an extended family vacation. I'm glad you felt safe while off on your own, touring the Dominican Republic. I'm sure most of the locals are kindhearted people. The area's culture seems very inviting and family oriented. I haven't ventured out on my own without a tour guide, but I remember feeling safe as well. I will be back in Puerto Plata soon, and I do intend to do some self-guided exploring. I will let you know how I feel once I'm there. 

@Woody14 Thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this valuable feedback! You have a very diverse cruising background. I really like the way you broke down your post; it was very easy to follow. I agree that food quality and portions have declined. In fact, I have read lately that some of the major cruise lines are cutting so much so, that they are no longer allowing guests to order more than one of each food category in the MDR. For instance, you can only order one app instead of two because you can't choose. From my most recent cruise experience with MSC Cruises, the line hasn't made this sort of cutback, but I do not like this sort of restrictive structure. I see the value in cutting food costs and waste, but it's one of the things I really enjoy about the MDR, having the ability to pick and choose through the menu at my leisure. 

Service is half of the experience! You are spot on. I love keeping the same waitstaff for the entirety of my cruise and getting to know them. Over the years the service has gone down; I really think this is because the overall crew morale post-pandemic has significantly declined. This is something that may entice me to try Celebrity Cruises. 

I also think not feeling rushed is a huge part of the dining experience. I'm actually surprised that you haven't felt rushed at all in the MDR with Celebrity Cruises. This says so much about the culture of the cruise line!

I do agree that it's time for you to try MSC Cruises again. I do notice in recent years, as the line makes a larger presence in the U.S., that the overall quality and culture of the line are changing. I'm not sure if this statement would be true for European-based ships. I enjoyed the larger diversity in the crowd, attracting guests from all over the world. I have noticed while cruising out of U.S. ports, that MSC Cruises has a more Americanized crowd and less of the cultural diversity I enjoyed on previous cruises.

@rindybar Will you be cruising out of New York on your MSC Meraviglia sailing? If so, I hope you are able to arrive a few days early to enjoy all of the local amenities. Here are some local hotels in New York if you need a place to stay before or after your cruise itinerary. 

@Stew This is very exciting! I do believe that the Cowboys game should be played on some of the onboard CCL screens such as at the sports bar. I highly doubt these football games will be displayed in the stateroom televisions but if you spend the time in the sports bar you should be able to watch it all live! Hopefully, another sports fan chimes in here because I don't usually pay much attention to sports on tv, or television in general for that matter. 

@rindybar NCL Haven's staterooms seem to have a separation via a door, which will likely be the biggest difference between the two staterooms. I'm not sure if MSC Yacht Club offers a stateroom style with this feature but you could always do a joining room if that's something you are interested in. Based on this stateroom video, I would imagine you are going to be spending loads of time on that private balcony in the whirlpool! You can't top a private amenity like that! Do you enjoy ordering room service? In this type of stateroom, you will have plenty of space to enjoy the unlimited perks of breakfast in bed! 

@SpaceCowboy9 What a nice plan! With that amount of extra time, you can surely explore more St Martin beaches. I haven't taken a cruise out of St Martin before, but I think it's very smart that you will be flying in early to enjoy all of the local amenities. For someone who hasn't cruised out of this area before, what are some of your favorite spots in the local area? 

@euroguy I'm intrigued by what prompted this question! Do you feel as though cruising is easier to plan for versus a land vacation? I find booking a cruise experience much simpler that coordinating all of the logistics behind making a land vacation to become just as relaxing and adventurous. 

@rindybar I think I noticed this post in another thread, but I'm very excited for you to experience cruising MSC Yacht Club style. I'm not sure if there is a better way to cruise, and the experience looks unbeatable. The stateroom has to be amazing, but more importantly to me, it's the butler service and private pools and dining rooms that will make this experience better than any other! 

@Woody14 From what you are describing, it sounds like Celebrity Cruise Line has a much more relaxing atmosphere than some of the other major cruise line competitors! I would likely prefer this type of non-chaotic atmosphere. Please expand more on the MDR experience, I have felt like many of the major cruise lines are diluting the MDR experience in recent years. Without those major thrilling attractions, I would imagine this ship does attract fewer children onboard. I would also assume that the crowd is less rowdy without some of these wild attractions and events. At least you still get some comedy onboard. One of my newer favorites, MSC Cruises, seems to offer no comedy onboard.

@SpaceCowboy9 I found this article that mentions Friar's Bay Beach. https://www.cruisehive.com/stunning-st-maarten-beaches-you-should-experience/26930

It seems like a very popular, off-the-beaten-path type of beach experience. I think it's worth a shot! The only thing is it's about a 45 min drive from the port, but that isn't too bad for a full-day affair. 

To be honest, I didn't know that there was a VAT in the UK. What is the VAT for and what percentage is it at? What does this taxation even go towards? 

@Kitty It's so stressful to be on hold for that long. I get so frustrated with airlines when they do that too. It just drives me nuts, and it feels like such a waste of time! On top of that, it feels like the cruise line doesn't even value your time. With the shortage of customer service agents, I have also found email to be a better form of communication. It does take time to get a response, but you usually get a real response and not some random excuse that doesn't equate or truly meet your need. I will anticipate your update here. It's tedious, but don't give up!