Nunagoras

Have your answers in Blue and have a nice day!...

Both Barcelona and Genoa have their cruise ports inside the city center. Marseilles is served by a huge cargo port with cruise facilities far out of the city center. That said, and as "defbref" said; it ultimately resumes to embark from where you have better chances on having direct flights or at least cheaper flights from the US. Barcelona is a major international European airport, both Marseilles and Genoa are not. So, count me on one more to the count of those supporting Barcelona as your best bet. And you gain one or 2 days to enjoy the wonderful city. Both Marseilles and Genoa for what tourism is about can easily to be done on a nice cruise day. Barcelona is larger and you'll need time to run between the main attractions, making a 2 days stop a far more desirable experience. Have a nice day and a nice sailing!...

Many thanks to the wonderful information Little Britain! It seems that the tea place will be among my favorite venues if I go on the ship!... And this "La Pescaderia" specialty restaurant concept is perhaps the most appealing on me. Realistically: Pan-Asian doesn't interest me. The Garden Kitchen or such, too expensive and not appealing as well, and I have tons of great steakhouses at walk distance from where I live. So now a place for fresh fish made to order is rare to find. Hope that the actual venue is really up to par with what's is expected!...

Wonderful review dear Little Britain! Have a wonderful cruise!... If it is not to ask too much: Can you know if "Coffee Emporium" or "Raj Polo Tea House" are, at least partially included in any of the drinks packages please? And can you provide their menus please? I'm mostly interesting on what can we have as a before dinner drink on Raj Polo as far as we listen to he nice piano music? Have a nice day!...

True! Those were great, especially those coffee ones they had back in the day. I'd just to purchase what I needed. Now, on the modern days the dedicated value bar bill would work better bundled to your cruise card.

True, to an extent. I understand drinks packages for those "little nothings" like the non alcoholic part of them or regular wine and beer at meal times. Then the other parts I don't care too much. I'm a non drinker for health reasons myself. I understand that it is great to have control on what your bill will be at the end. An intermediate term measure trying to please all would to be to do what Virgin is doing: To sell beforehand a certain bar bill on the likes of buy 100, receive 125 EUR/USD and then pay as you are till it lasts. And even on that model, only for the longer cruises.

No more, no less. And definitely to FINISH this unlimited alcoholic drinks packages thing on the short-term cruise market or say those below 5 nights ones. If that arguably small part of the cruisers, that may be 10-20% of them all don't know how to behave at the point of threatening the whole cruise community with their bad behavior, better for all of us to have the bars at a pay as you go!

Apart the obvious post covid supply challenges in certain areas and the obvious understaffed ships, yes, sometimes bar service may be hit or miss on a regular day to day operation. Pro tip: If you really want something else try a bar that is less stressed from where the main activities are leaning at that time. For example: Go to the reception bar during the day, or for an as far away as possible from the main theater bars at theater show end times. I know, it may seem to require some time from you, but it will ultimately save you time and effort and grant you a better service level. Have a nice day!...

...Really? I don't think so. MSC has "eaten" a good portion of the Costa market share elsewhere outside of the US... Then there was the Chinese long lock downs and the partnership for a new Carnival/China company with some new and way older ships... To refurbish a relatively new ships for Carnival to use as Carnival wouldn't to be cheap by any means. So, they decided to just brand them as "Carnival Fun Italian Style". They'll just to add the Carnival venue names on existing Costa ones and offer a somewhat Italian twisted experience on the US. It will just to be Carnival at a different way, but still Carnival. MSC offers an entirely different product. I also hope that MSC at least will retain most of its identity over the time there, while trying to solve some of the cultural challenges they are undergoing.

Read most of the reviews on every CC board. Most are cruisers whom have long ago planned these trips. It is also technically impossible to redeem all those cancelled cruises till at very least mid to end 2023 for the best of us.

Yeah! But they're removing older, and sometimes not so older ships with no replacements for a reason, not? Pretty much every other cruise line is now reporting "best booking day ever"... But that will only to surprise the ones that make them to be surprised after this huge lock down of the last 2 years in raw. Truth is that, mostly, the current clients being served, even on MSC, are the ones with FCC's from the pandemic era and new money is scarcely incoming right now. No surprise, pretty much all cruise lines are making cutbacks and such. CCL is removing ships from Costa and AIDA in droves!... Obviously they won't to talk about that... Nor about the understaffed ships crisis. Costa and AIDA might to be better positioned right now as you note... But far from their glorious past. And I believe Costa will to be finished in next 2 years or so. P&O will have another chance, but me thinks the UK market as being more confident on cruising than elsewhere in the world right now. AIDA, only time will tell. Thanks!...

And then, there are the European specific dynamics: Aida is a German club holidays, and even considering German as an apart specific market, club holidays are all of them in decline these days, including in Germany, because people want more flexible holiday schemes. Also, both Costa and to an extent Aida were 3* like cruise lines till very recently. The transition to 4* like was starting by the pandemic, whereas MSC was 4* like from the beginning. Europeans in general are now ready to pay a little bit more to get a little bit more as well. And there are lots of Germans doing MSC cruises. Costa now builds their market on certain specialty cruises plus some really very young cruisers whom won't likely to spend more on their mostly ugly ships. European cruise market dynamic is turning very much toward the X/Princess cruise segment rather than the baseline one. This also helps to explain why Costa will be ditched out. There are no miracles.

That's it. Couldn't agree more!... CCL is closing down Costa for a reason. And they're becoming such an US+UK sort of thing quickly. RCL closed Pullmantur for a reason. NCL didn't even really ventured out to this side of the pond for a reason, despite redeploying a relatively new ship here from time to time. The luxury lines are another subject, of course. Time to talk on them at another thread and board, perhaps, but there is a common sense growing on me: The European cruisers are ready to pay more to get more, not to pay less to get less. And to be competitive the "US" cruise lines will need to just understand this. At least RCI do bring an Oasis class ship here annually, and a Quantum class to the northern Europe here and there. And MSC pricing at this side of the pond is becoming very similar to Oasis class in Europe, at least on the newer ships!... Sometimes to cruise MSC can be more expensive than to cruise RCI/NCL, and ships are mostly full... For a reason!... But budget Costa (CCL in Europe) is going down... For a reason!...

This exactly! They're doing for the mainstream cruising what Amazon has done to the book and other retailer stores worldwide!... My unique note would to be that if they really want to be the leader, or to grow for more than what they now have, on the US market, they should to have something that works on that specific market in partnership with a local hospitality business or by the way of purchasing one of the current competitors. Acquiring NCL group seems for me the easiest out of the box solution for their problem right now, with minimal to no problems with the EU competition authorities, but I don't believe them to go that way!... JIMHO, and once I have family in the US, I have cruised with RCI and gone on several US hotel chain venues in Europe, it is clear that the Europeans are surprisingly more demanding than the US residents... But, paradoxically, in some ways the US residents seem to be "creatures of habit", which I can translate to costumers whom will only to accept things as they really know them elsewhere. For most of those cruisers, the highest standards they already know is made of the CCL/RCL/NCL combo... So; if MSC wants a share on that market they need to have a division on that market that I'd to describe as being something like CCLRCLNCL with an Italian twist to cope with the segment. Or face reality and redeploy some of the current ships elsewhere: The US market won't accept the European healthier food, less salty and less sugary, as it is, it won't accept the European's "reserved professionalism" on where your server's goal is to serve you your drink or dinner and not to be your best friend for the day, and It will await those employees pestering for up-sell opportunities with open arms!... Why? Because this is the model they so well know from the past. No matter if on this side of the pond we think differently, or not. Oh: And the US market wants to go more digital and less dependent on TA's to solve the odds that may happen, and that requires a knowledgeable of the market and well fueled post-selling costumer service crowd in force. Only a well oiled venture in the US market will try to modify the current state of the art on that market on whether, at least out of the ones writing reviews here in CC, some 9 over 10 reviews state they won't cruise MSC again, apart perhaps the YC related ones. If MSC happens to be able to solve this challenge on the next 2 years nobody will stop them to become number one cruise group in the global cruise industry by 2030!... Explora will to be a success on the mid-to-full luxury market. They'll to add something for the adults oriented upper-mainstream market (X/Princess) before 2030 for certain as well. Other than on the US they're a success elsewhere, and they have it all to continue. Time will tell but if all goes as predictable my bet is for them to be largest cruise group by 2030!...

Some situations may apply, either way: 1. Itinerary changes, including less time in certain ports. 2. Less ships or less passengers per ship in certain ports may command for certain port authorities a tax lowering scheme. In most ports those taxes are dynamic these days. 2. Certain jurisdictions may have added some extra taxes in lieu of additional Covid related services, like the testing tents among others. At least here in Lisbon that has been the case. Gone the Covid restrictions, jurisdictions are coming to normal operations, then eliminating those taxes. Whatever the case... Enjoy till it stays as that and have a nice day!... 🙂

And you can just to pick one of the "biggies" on the TA industry that works well with MSC on your home market. Sometimes there are some interesting deals there...

As said above: Their website is as bad as it can be. Their costumer services seems to have its challenges too. Pro tip: Use a reliable TA whom deals with them. The onboard experience is generally good. I have 7 cruises with them on belt. If you know RCI, and removing the extra wow factor of the Oasis class, then I'd to say that MSC is at least on par, if not a slightly superior product on areas. Now the World Europa is just an MSC's "Oasis class". I believe it will be good, even though the first year bugs will still be sorted out as time goes. If you go, and from the Youtube videos out there, it seems they have a specialty restaurant that seems great for at least a day: "La Pescaderia", which is a fish market grill sort of thing. Interesting! Have a nice day!...

It will likely to be like on the other mid-to-full luxury lines: The higher your suite category, the earlier you'll be able to book online. On top of that they'll have some open times for onboard bookings. Curiously their website talks on recommended but not mandatory reservations. Time will tell...

Congrats to this so well written thought-provoking post. Have my notes in blue, and have a nice day!...

This, exactly, many thanks!... Curiously: The OP states that this was his worst cruise ever, but he actually praises or at least doesn't give a bad rate on whatever else is really MSC service specific, so what's the point?... Maybe; culturally speaking MSC is not for the OP! As some of the others say: MSC is more relaxed cruise line than the likes of CCL/RCI (at least on the Oasis class). Never gone myself on CCL, gone on Oasis class RCI, went for work purposes aboard a Costa ship (which is European CCL) for a day, but there is a thing I know: Want a relaxed cruise to know new destinations? Take MSC. Want a party or special life event celebration? Take at least Oasis class RCI. Want pampering? Oh, well: Take X/Princess or any other upper market line for a longer cruise or the MSC's YC for a shorter one!... My pro tip here? Try to understand the product before booking is key. Booked in knowledge it will be as great as it can be!...

They only stopped to sell drinks packages for less than 5 nights cruises in US by mid December onward after they had what might have been a brawl on one of the ships due to a severely drunken crowd. They'll honor whatever else one may have booked online though till they exist in inventory. No onboard upgrades though.

Christmas, NYE, Easter and any other big Italian or ports of call public holiday days will have a special menu where they might to shine on some more "exotic" items. In general it's easy to ask for a 2nd, and or, to ask a main partitioned as a starter plus the main, if none of the starters really interest you. Sometimes I ask the vegetarian main as a starter, then my main, then dessert. Lovely!

This, exactly!... May I add: A cruise is mostly what one makes of it. Is MSC perfect? No. Nothing is perfect in this world... But for the price tag, they used to be a great value. Oh, well, at least for us at this European side of the pond, not so much these days where mainstream prices are pretty much all on the high... But sometimes, even us here can to snag that lovely deal... My pro tip here would be really to research a bit the product one is purchasing. For example: Yes; typically an MSC cruise will have less included or paid food venues than an RCI's Oasis class... But MSC's ships are mostly smaller, the larger ones on the RCI's Freedom class size, I believe, and MSC will offer such a 20 hours a day buffet opening time. MSC is promoting by wonderful fares on the US because want to become well known, preparing for the day they can be profitable there, so, yeah, the day they have some of the specific problems ironed out, I believe they'll be a strong competitor. They're currently the 3rd largest cruise line on earth for a reason!...