smokey0202

hanging in there here too and still working on the front line each day doing best can for employees and customers. have to stay strong to get thru such a trying time for all of us whether we are home bound working or not. at least for me these extra hours and incentives are paying for more cruises to be booked so thats a perk for sure in my book. lets hope we all wont be in dry dock too long or will be diagnosed with dry dock syndrome.................. when is your next cruise scheduled???

hmmm hypothetically means something brewing to do a group cruise. no way on Carnival that is for sure. maybe go outside of the box and choose a MSC cruise as group cruise. its a cruise line many of us havent sailed but wanted so what a better way with friends to all take the plunge.................. group cruises are great ways to meet people but events create a different type of vibe too. the ship has its own vibe but a group cruise carries its own tune. everyone can pick and choose what they want to do among events offered. sure Billy can be creative and think of some unique different activities that are not boring besides the same things offered on other group cruises. only time will tell.

i also saw same review and little hesitant myself. since no option to pick cabin location, it wouldnt be nice to be stuck with cabin if only a few days in a undesirable location for the price. waiting to hear from those "seasoned" cruisers review of their input after doing sailing of overall experience. only time will tell but let the countdown begin until it debuts.

with me cruising since 1990 seeing all the changes in the cruise industry among cruise lines its truly about new experiences capturing memories meeting more new people, whats the ship offers, destination and those little extras. one can go over and over to the same destination; however, each ship has its own vibe sailing to sailing and with some of the big ships you honestly cant do nor see it all on just one sailing anyway of what the ship offers. other times we need that quaint chilling ship just to relax or a group cruise to catch up with friends. reality is we all have our own favorite ship and prefer cruise line but nice to have other options out there when it comes to cruising even if there might be those few ships we cringe at seeing their exterior rusty conditions in port and go NEVER sailing that ship. we all have that favorite cruise line but its nice to venture outside the box to others because in the end other cruise lines also do offer some great prices, perks, speciality dining venues(instead of same venues over and over on one cruise line), status match and loyality programs while still capturing some great memories and experiences. its nice just to have options to change it up from time to time.

congratulations Kathy on the new job and the upcoming college graduation. seems 2020 is going to be a great year for you and your family. time to YOLO book some cruises for 2021............maybe a MSC or Celebrity sailing is in your future or both...................

it seems MSC is still trying to work out some glitches within the american market. they do definitely try to overwhelm us with their complicating packages on which experience and drink package or if you want to do their all in one option which includes easy drink package. looking at the easy package drink list there is quite a variety of options of wines and spirits for price and even for frozen cocktails although non alcoholic, order the rum on side and mix it in to cocktail to have a nice lava flow or pina colada. another thing is having to set up your onboard account at the kiosk and register for shows onboard. comparing it to Royal or Celebrity its a totally different perspective when it comes to pre planning onboard experiences. MSC has the app which is helpful while on board. plus remember passengers are embarking and disembarking at ports so flow of suitcases in hallway. very diversified array of passengers so announcements in many languages just like on European sailings. MSC does offer some great rates and itineraries for the price compared to Royal/Celebrity. heck at times can find cruises so reasonable for MSC that could book many more cruises on them for what other cruise lines charge for ONE sailing. fortunately for me, my travel agent did a sailing for "research" purposes on the Meraviglia so that gave me the information and insight if MSC was a good fit for me. their new private island is up and coming but compared to Coco Cay is very nice with more of a laid back vibe having more cultural experiences where Coco Cay has waterpark etc. plus you are more luckily docked there up til late at night so can experience night on the beach with so many activities going on from parade, music, star gazing,etc. Plus remember Kathy they match status from Royal so that is another perk. sometimes its hard for us being loyal to one cruise line to sway over to others but its all about what the ship offers and itineraries. for me Meraviglia offered so much to do on the ship comparing it to Royal Oasis class that felt it was best option for me to YOLO book it.