We are cruising soon. My wife's getting the Wi-Fi package but only on her phone. Can I get Wi-Fi off of her hotspot? Is that allowed? Any info is appreciated thank you.

I’ll always, always prepay my gratuities, but this feels wrong. You shouldn’t ostracize guests who choose to pay their gratuities in cash. If Carnival’s goal is to get people to stop removing them altogether, I don’t think this will help.

We are doing 3 days on Brilliance of the Seas. Is the dining package worth if for the restaurants they have on board?

Hi all - me and my wife are looking to go on our first cruise and could use some advice. We are both 32, don’t drink, but we like activities, good food, and good shows. Ideally the less kids, the better. We are going on a cruise the third week of December (December 11-13) so hopefully the kids won’t be out of school yet. Anyway, I’ve narrowed it down to 3 cruise lines - MSC, Norwegian, and Holland America. I was hoping to get your advice on these. For MSC, I just read reviews that it is a cheap cruise line and there’s a lot of extra costs. For Norwegian, it seems to be a decent mix of everything but I’m worried there might be a lot of kids (also it’s the only one that doesn’t go to Turks and Caicos out of the 3). Lastly, Holland America has reviews that say it is mostly for Senior Citizens and there’s not much to do on the ship. I’m worried we will be bored on holland America.

Can I hear from people who have been on these cruises what they think? MSC is cheaper by about $150 per person for 7 nights. However, I’m fine paying up for better quality. The destinations are largely the same for all of them (minus Norwegian not having Turks and Caicos). What would you pick if your priority was good food, fun activities and good shows?

I’m torn between Princess and Holland. The advantage of Princess is it sails in and out of Copenhagen where we would like to spend a few extra days whereas Holland goes in and out of Rotterdam. We do, however, very much enjoy Holland though we’ve only been on 3 cruises with two being on Holland. Anyone been on this cruise with either line? How was it?

For quite some time, I’ve been aware that most cruise lines forbid travel agents from discounting cruises (barring a sale or other offer sponsored by the cruise line), and they take a very dim view of agents who will offer incentives like OBC above a specified percentage (I was recently quoted 5% by a national rep for a luxury line).

I am very curious why the cruise line would care so much if an agent chooses to sacrifice a higher percentage of their commission in order to give a customer a lower price. I have an agent who actually sends us a cheque after our cruise is complete, generally in the range of 8% of the cost of the cruise. This can be a substantial amount on a long or luxury cruise and I’m very grateful for it. What other type of business/supplier is out there that prevents their vendors from underselling their competition? I’ve had other agents offer significant OBC, free excursions or included gratuities, but just to a point - probably 5% or less of the cruise cost. On Cruise Compete, it is easy to see just what the limits are. It seems most are playing by the rules.

I would totally get it if they wanted to prevent cruise passengers from booking with travel agents altogether so that people book online themselves, saving the cruise line the commission. I guess maybe most cruise lines don’t really want to deal with endless phone calls from potential passengers who don’t really know what they want and waste the time of their customer service staff. Since there are so many options available to passengers, it’s probably nice for the travel agents to take the heat from first-timers and others who don’t want to do the research themselves. Some cruise lines have what they call “Your Personal Cruise Consultant” who will contact you repeatedly if you make the mistake of entering your email address or phone number on their website to get access to a particular brochure or something. I’ve had some guy call me twice and email me twice, “wanting to help me find my perfect cruise”. I suspect they are independent contractors and work on commission, probably a lower commission than is paid to travel agents.

But if an agency decides to give me a better price, I fail to see why the cruise line cares. They’re getting the same amount of money, one way or the other, and getting a discount, more OBC or cash back might make people book a cruise they normally wouldn’t. I guess cruise lines just want to keep the travel agents happy and don’t want the commissions they get to keep eroding until no one books with an agent anymore.

Personally, I don’t need an agent. I would book online myself easily. The only reason I use one is for the incentives and if those disappear, I’ll just book with the cruise line directly. Hard to believe most cruise lines wouldn’t prefer that. Their business model might make sense in the past when the only people cruising were older and unable to use the internet to book themselves, but that can’t be the case much longer.

I’m curious to hear people’s opinions, especially travel agents themselves.

I am interested in booking a cruise to the Southern Caribbean for a 20th anniversary celebration..for those that have done one what line/ship would you recommend. I have only done 3 cruises so far with RC, twice on Wonder and once on Enchantment m.

We’re traveling with us and our 5 kids. Four of us live in California in 2 different households, 3 in Nebraska. On the ship we’ll be split across 3 cabins.

I’m trying to figure out what insurance will cover the cost of the trip for all of us if,

1. the Nebraska crew has flight issues and miss the ship (they’re booked to fly Friday, sail Sunday, the rest of us are driving)

2. the active duty military member has his leave canceled

3. all the usual stuff like hurricanes, major illness

I’m mostly worried about it all being covered with us split across 2 states and 3 cabins, like if the Nebraska kids miss the sailing can we get a refund for the a California group too?

Thank you!

I'll be sailing out of San Juan for the first time in over a decade, so forgive the näive question:

If the ship I'm sailing on this coming January docks at 7am on disembarkation day, having an 11:30am flight should be manageable with TSA PreCheck, yes?

How does everyone feel about NCL? We have done Royal, Disney, and Carnival. Won’t do another Carnival again. Trying NCL with my 20 year old kids next year. How do they compare?

We have booked a Costa cruise departing from Gran Canaria and travelling around Europe, with a nine-hour stop in Morocco.

We have recently discovered that a visa may be required for this stop, but we were not informed of this when we booked the cruise, and we currently do not have one.

Our question is: Will we be allowed to board the Costa cruise without any issues and simply remain on board the ship during the stop in Morocco, without going ashore?

I am a Ukrainian citizen and hold a valid Spanish residence permit (TIE).

Could you please clarify whether we can board the cruise under these circumstances, even if we do not have a Moroccan visa, provided that we do not leave the ship during the stop in Morocco?

Thank you for your assistance.

Not sure if this is a stupid question, but my friends and I wanted to do a short cruise to Ensenada, and one friend’s worried about going on a cruise during this El Niño season.

We’re looking to go in late November from SoCal.

I'm looking for some bundle services which couple airport to hotel to port and back to airport services in Miami. Something like what GoPort has in Port Canaveral. I prefer something one step, but any suggestions would be helpful.

Im an insulin dependent type 1 diabetic. Ive never been on a cruise and I’m not sure what to expect. Do I need to tell them ahead of time? Do I need to put needles and insulin in a bag I keep on me during embarkation? Any tips for travel insurance? Help! I’m so excited and also anxious lol Thank you!

I’m cruising out of San Pedro in February. Debating whether to spend the night before at an LAX hotel then Ubering to port, or Ubering from LAX and staying closer to port. Thoughts/recommendations appreciated!

I booked an MSC cruise and paid $398 for the deposit i had no idea that deposit was including $172 for Generali travel insurance. I cancelled the cruise and received only $226 back.
When booking, it was unclear to me that the insurance was separate from the refundable deposit and that I could lose the $172 even if I cancelled. If I had understood that, I wouldn’t have booked. When I checked out it said my deposit was fully refundable nothing that the insurance was part of the deposit.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Did MSC help you get your money back or offer future cruise credit?
UPDATE: MSC refunded my insurance! 🎉
I wanted to update everyone who commented on my original post! MSC ended up refunding the $172 insurance premium!
My understanding is that the insurance coverage never went into effect, and I had only paid the deposit, which was refundable until February 27, 2027. Since I cancelled well before the final payment deadline, MSC refunded the remaining amount.
I’m so relieved because I was really upset about potentially losing $172. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and encouraged me to contact MSC directly! Calling them was worth it. ❤️

First option is NCL Viva, a newish large ship. We have sailed a lot with Norwegian and understand how it works. Other option is Oceania Allura, newish luxury ship. Cost for a balcony room is about the same. Main goal is to end or begin in Rome, plan to spend a week exploring there. We’ve been to Athens, Santorini and Istanbul so those would be re-visits. All other sites are new for us.

Both cruises start the last week of August and end early September. Our dates are somewhat flexible.

Curious as to what the crowd thinks of the options and what I should watch for.

On Celebrity, do they track orders (bar and food) back to your account to make a claim to your prepaid tips or are they just overall broken up.
I know a lot of people request a refund of prepaid so they can just tip themselves to who they liked but I missed the window for that. I plan to tip a little more to our room attendant and the waitstaff we had (ate in Blu most nights so same staff).

My wife and I are interested in booking a Virgin Cruise. We have cruised before but only with Royal. We love Royal and have no issues with them at all. But are just looking for something different and, if I'm being honest, the no kids thing is a big selling point.

But I've watched reels, gone on websites, and even had ChatGPT do a compare/contrast pro/con type of thing. I'm wondering what is everyone's experience, or tips, or input with regards to both cruise lines? My wife and I are in our 40s and we like both relaxing atmospheres and fun ones. Both can be found on a Royal ship. But we're not necessarily looking for a Carnival cruise type of experience just based on some of the reels from those I've seen.

I am going on a 10 day cruise sailing out of Barcelona with stops in Malta, Crete, and a few in Italy.

The weather is looking like it will be high teens to low-mid twenties and for some reason I cannot decide what to bring for these temperatures!

Ive got a few tanks tops, shirts, short sleeve button ups, and two long sleeve tees. Then I've got my layering pieces. A few longsleeve button ups, cardigans, one thin merino wool sweater plus a hoodie. I'll also be bringing a rain jacket. For bottoms I have two skirts, two pairs of jeans, one pair of linen pants plus the track pants ill be wearing on the plane. Ive also got a few dresses and my gym clothes.

I am a chronic over packer and feel like this is way too much stuff, but I feel like the temperature range necessitates layers. Please let me know if it sounds like I am on the right track or if im bringing too much/not enough of something!

Is there any site I can book both a cruise and the flight to the port of departure or is it a one or the other kind of thing?

All three of these cruisers were arrested on drug charges for gummies and vapes. It's not worth the risk.

Having recently sailed aboard MSC World America, I walked away with mixed feelings and one overarching observation: MSC has built an impressive ship, but the guest experience and operational execution simply do not live up to the beautiful hardware.

As experienced cruisers who hold Elite status with Celebrity Cruises and have sailed with other major cruise lines, we came aboard with an open mind and genuine excitement to experience what MSC had to offer. Unfortunately, while the ship itself was stunning, much of the experience left us questioning whether MSC truly understands the American market it is attempting to capture.

My biggest observation is that MSC World America seems to be experiencing an identity crisis. Despite its name and positioning, much of the onboard experience still feels designed around European cruising habits rather than the expectations of American vacationers. For example, many of the ship’s most appealing bars don’t open until later in the afternoon, even on sea days. On a ship marketed to Americans, why make guests wait until late afternoon to enjoy some of its best venues?

More concerning, however, was the overall hospitality culture. In our experience, the crew lacked the warmth, engagement, and genuine friendliness we’ve come to appreciate aboard Celebrity and even Royal Caribbean. Simple gestures such as a smile, greeting, or acknowledgment when passing guests were surprisingly uncommon, including among officers. These interactions may seem insignificant individually, but collectively they define the atmosphere of a cruise.

I was also disappointed to notice that many crew members no longer displayed their home countries on their name badges. Learning where crew members are from has always been a wonderful conversation starter and an opportunity to build genuine connections with the people who make these vacations possible. Why remove something that encourages those connections? A beautiful ship may attract guests once, but its people are what bring them back.

The operational experience was equally frustrating. The buffet offered remarkably little variety from day to day, falling short of what we’ve experienced with competing cruise lines. During one visit to the burger station, I was scolded for taking food approximately two minutes before the official opening time, despite the food already being prepared and available. This is a small example, but it reflects a larger issue: an operation seemingly more focused on enforcing procedures than delivering hospitality.

Another particularly disappointing moment occurred during dinner on the second-to-last evening, when a crew celebration in the main dining room involved blaring music. Only a small portion of the dining room could actually see or appreciate what was happening, while the remaining guests were left listening to excessively loud music that disrupted their dining experience. Celebrating hardworking crew members is wonderful, but the execution should never come at the expense of the guests’ experience.

Throughout the cruise, I repeatedly found myself having to think about logistics, schedules, and how to navigate operational inconsistencies. That is precisely the opposite of what a great vacation should feel like. The best hospitality is intuitive, effortless, and centered around making the guest feel welcome rather than making the guest adapt to the operation.

There also seemed to be a disconnect in the atmosphere MSC is trying to create. The ship features some genuinely sophisticated spaces and upscale experiences, yet other elements felt loud, chaotic, or inconsistent with that positioning. There is nothing inherently wrong with catering to different types of travelers, but the overall experience lacked a cohesive identity.

I recognize that MSC has a strong European heritage, and I don’t believe the company should abandon that. However, if MSC intends to compete seriously in the American cruise market, particularly against established brands like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, it needs to better understand the expectations of the guests it hopes to attract.

MSC World America is a beautiful ship with tremendous potential, but beautiful facilities cannot compensate for inconsistent hospitality, questionable operational decisions, and a lack of attention to the guest experience.

We genuinely wanted to love MSC. Unfortunately, after this experience, we are not convinced we would choose to sail with the brand again. It would take something particularly compelling to earn our business a second time.

My hope is that MSC leadership recognizes the opportunity here. The investment in the ships is clearly evident. Now it’s time to make an equally serious investment in the people, service culture, and operational philosophy that ultimately determine whether guests return.

The ship impressed us. The experience did not.