WAAAYTOOO

+1 for non-stop flight

We are doing a Christmas + NY cruise on Grandeur this year but they don’t have a long one that covers both holidays next year so we’re going to give MSC a try next Christmas. I love the longer holiday cruises. Work is deadsville during the week between holidays so that is a great week to cruise.

When we cruised out of MIA on NAV in Dec. 16 we had a nightmare disembark. One of the causes was the fact that they did not have the Global Entry kiosk manned (the other had to do with poor Suite Concierge policy) . It kind of seems like, from yours and others' posts that I've read, maybe they NEVER man that kiosk.

For different reasons (having to do with AA itins) we almost always fly into MIA even if we are sailing out of FLL. We did a Christmas + NY cruise on NAV out of MIA in Dec. 16 and when I looked back at my old paperwork, we flew in on cruise day which is something we rarely do. So, it's been years since I've stayed in a hotel in MIA and I have no recommendations. I tend to agree with Tony and others. Stay in FLL and just drive over on boarding day but remember...it can be pricey and with 4 of you plus the chance of hitting traffic delays, it's not going to be cheap to get from FLL to MIA. We always take taxis (not part of the Uber/Lyft crowd) and it's generally close to $100 with tip, etc by the time we get there.

EXCELLENT choice ! Have a great time !

Isn't that funny. I have 4 blocks and none of them are from Grandeur !! We will get one finally though. Will go over 350 on Grandeur at Christmas. YIPPEE !! For those who are doing the math....yes, I have an extra block. No idea where it came from but we had one come in the mail 2 years ago out of the blue. I have never tried to figure out which one is "extra" so I just keep them all. One of them is bogus though...

No truer words....

To me, there is nothing more irritating than when Royal (and other Corps, to be fair) tells me that they are "enhancing" my experience with some new change to their policies that, invariably, do NOT enhance my experience. The casino is famous (especially recently) for this one. They proudly announce how much BETTER things are going to be for me when, in reality, they have made it harder for me in so many ways ! If you're changing your policy, just say so but don't try and convince me and everyone else that it's a change for my benefit. It almost NEVER is.

Very strange, indeed. I wonder what kind of "system maintenance" they would have knowledge of, this far in advance ? ...but I suspect you may be onto something. Perhaps there is a system requirement out of FLL that they don't have out of TPA. It is odd, though.

Of course, there is no way to know what is causing the JS to book so quickly but I have a hypothesis. We generally prefer to travel in suites. It's not an exclusive thing but we generally try and stay with suites. Until the non-refundable suites policy was implemented, we always booked a GS or better with the knowledge that we could change it if we had to. We can no longer do that. So now, I book JS with the hope that once we know our plans are firm, we can upgrade to a full suite AND oftentimes can add a casino coupon which now have a much narrower application span. I currently have 5 JS booked (all refundable) when I almost NEVER booked a JS in the past. I have no idea if this is the case, but it is my explanation of why the JS have suddenly become so popular when, just a year ago, they were the least booked suite category. I think it is due to the NRD policy and once they implement NRD fleet-wide, which is coming, without a doubt, the JS will go back to being the lower volume category that they used to be.

??

You're a slybot...

I just booked a Christmas 2019 cruise on MSC Seaside. I want to try their Yacht Club AND I cannot afford a holiday Star Class room on Royal. 2 birds. 1 stone !

I resemble that remark ! ?

WOW !! That is amazing. You are going to be so happy with the 2 BR ATS on 8. It is UUUUGGGGE ! PLEASE do a live blog so that we can see your reaction.

Refund ? Has your script gone completely bonkers ?

What are the ports for each of these sailings ? Without knowing specific ports, I would probably tend toward the Greek isle but I don't know what ports you are visiting for each of these options.

Nice itins, rjac ! I am envious. Wish we could come along !

Grandeur is a great option for us. It was our first Royal cruise ship and we enjoy sailing on her whenever we can. It is not, however, the same experience as any of the big ships. The crowd, in general, is older and the entertainment is not on par with the big ships. There is no ice skating rink or flow rider. In the spirit of the older, smaller ships, the rooms are older and smaller. The suites (including the JS) are very nice and roomy but the small rooms, particularly inside and OV, are small. If you are planning on taking the girls with you I absolutely recommend 2 separate rooms, whatever categories you choose. The Vision class ships are laid out differently from all of the later classes. The Windjammer is up front and the Solarium is aft. It takes some getting used to. There is a Park Cafe in the area with the Solarium which is a nice addition for Grandeur. I will say, however, that you will rarely find better service or staff than on the Grandeur. I absolutely love the staff and to be honest, that is probably (that, and the fact that I can get there in 2 hours !) what keeps us coming back. If your girls are independent, can entertain themselves and enjoy the pools and just being out on the deck, they will be fine. If they need a lot of external options for entertainment I think they may be bored.

When I first started booking cruises through the casino, I ALWAYS booked the cruise myself and then moved it over to MEI. Over the years, due to my constant changing (changing rooms, changing cabin category, changing dates, changing ships...you name it) (another reason I know that Michelle is a Saint), Michelle became extremely resourceful with the casino folks and it no longer made any sense for me to book direct and then switch the booking. Not only did I never see any downside to allowing Michelle to book the cruises, she almost always manages to get some extra discount that I would not have gotten, myself. Sometimes her magic is stunning as when she had to switch a number of bookings for me during the infamous Empressgate debacle. But to answer your question (which I have failed to do, thus far), there is no difference in the TA "perks" whether you book the cruise yourself and then transfer it or whether the TA books directly with the cruise line for you. What you get from the TA is based directly upon what the TA gets from the cruise line, and that is based on your cruise fare. It's that simple. While I have no direct knowledge of such things, I feel sure that frequent customers get the most generous perks. It just makes sense.

Because I have no discipline !!! LOL It's just that simple ! If this were 1987 and the interest rates on my checking and savings were 15% I could see holding onto that money but the interest on my accounts is not enough to influence my spending behavior and I would rather pay off the CC in smaller monthly increments rather than see a bill for a brazilian dollars. It's just a habit that I have developed over a number of years and it works well for me. I'm certain that it drives Michelle crazy but she never says a single word.

+1

I ALWAYS make monthly payments on all of my cruises booked through MEI. Granted, it is never less than $100 each but Michelle does this for me each and every month and there are generally 4-5 of them to do. I have always paid off my cruises in this manner. I divide the balance due by the number of months that I have left and that is my monthly payment. Kind of like installments ! While it all comes out the same in the end, I avoid the heart attack of owing thousands at final payment. I know it's just a way I'm fooling myself into thinking "I'm not really spending THAT much" but it works for me !

I guess this is what happens when you live in the swamp, like me. There is only ONE thing that comes to mind whenever someone mentions "agency" around here !

Ahhh...Travel Agency. I thought maybe you were booking something for the CIA.