Beamafar

Duh - you’d know I don’t use taxis/Uber etc regularly. I have Uber downloaded and have used it once or twice (but quite some time ago). Gonna blame it on having a senior moment. 🙄 Had a similar experience in Miami when using Uber - both at the airport then at the port on disembarkation day. No wifi - aaagh. Cost me more than a regular taxi by having to use roaming. Thanks a mil for the great advice.

Hi LB ( @little britain)Thanks a mil for the great review. Hopefully we’ll be boarding in a little over 5 weeks’ time so the info here was very helpful. Do Uber or Careem accept credit cards? It’s unlikely we’ll have local currency on our arrival in Abu Dhabi (though I suppose there’s an ATM in the airport - just would rather not have to use it).

The best benefits were reduced the month before status match was introduced, which did leave a bad taste in the mouths of those of us who had built up points from MSC sailings. We received 20% discount (not 5+15) on ALL sailings - not just selective ones - and a bottle of Moët was awaiting you in your cabin on embarkation day. Us “regulars” had been hoping that MSC would introduce a new, higher tier, as an incentive to those who’d status-matched to Black to continue sailing MSC for even greater benefits and for us, who had felt hard-done by, especially those who had a lot more than the 10000 points. Couldn’t care less, now (I’ll have over 50000 after my upcoming cruise - 40000 of which have zero value!).

I would probably have received €/$200 OBC as I was planning to book YC. Anyway, I took onboard (no pun intended) what you said and booked direct. MSC has made it so much easier to apply the FCC than in other past experiences. It was automatically deducted from the cruise fare (after the 5+5% was applied). No filling out forms to claim or having to wait for it to be applied. One of the (few) positive experiences I’ve had of dealing with them. Now and again MSC does see sense and simplifies things. Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

I don’t want to use OBC for the deposit. I don’t even want to use the FCC as one (it can’t be used as a deposit). I just want to know if the FCC can be applied to an onboard booking afterwards.

Does anyone know if you can apply an FCC to a booking made onboard? Has anyone ever been able to do it? I’ve emailed MSC but am not confident I’ll get the correct answer, having had a lot of experience of misinformation over the years from them.

Dave, can you post a link, please? I can’t locate it (nor on the new Ireland site - though no surprise there 🙄).

Thanks a mil, G.

Hi Foxy. Cheers. 😘 Turns out Mr B had a blocked artery when we were on Mera that we didn’t know about which was why he wasn’t feeling great. Had a stent inserted the following March, then immediately diagnosed with cancer. The op had to be delayed due to the heart meds, but they managed to do him the following Christmas. So, for us, 2020 wasn’t about Covid. 🙄 Thankfully he’s right as rain, now, and in rude good health. Him getting ill on Seaview a few weeks before Mera turned out to be a blessing in disguise (cos he had to attend his GP). He’d given up smoking immediately after that, which helped!

Hi LB. Thanks a mil for doing this report. We’re in Aurea in March and looking forward to reading about your overall experience onboard (though, of course YC is a whole different level of fantasticness 😁). Hope you have a fantabulous cruise.

Yeah - info seems very thin on the ground. Will definitely be following LB’s thread - thanks for the heads-up.

I usually do ‘live’ reports as I can never remember anything once I’m home 🙄. It’s unlikely that I’ll have internet access for most of the trip, unless I buy a package onboard, but I’ll try and take some notes and post when I’m home. Anything specific you want me to check out?

After 23 MSC cruises we booked a fantastically priced last minute (9 days out) cruise on NCL. Loved the different vibe onboard with freestyle dining and laid-back entertainment and were sceptical about how we’d feel about being back onboard MSC 4 weeks later. Once we stepped onto the (MSC) ship, we automatically felt like we were “home”. Whole different atmosphere. What I’m trying to say is that NCL and MSC are totally different experiences. For us, NCL has a very relaxed approach and MSC is more structured (set dining times, etc with a more European bent).

The speciality restaurants will have your entitlement on their system. You just need to make a reservation when onboard.

Hi Cap’n. So good to see ‘round these parts. We’re doing Europa from Abu Dhabi to Genoa soon (in Aurea, with the original benefits included). Will be interesting to see how they deal with those of us with those vs the bookings with the reduced Aurea benefits.

We didn’t even know it was “a thing”. We were having dinner with our Norwegian friends when it was presented to us.

We got a “thank you” cake for having done 10 cruises with MSC. When I pointed out that we were on our 20th they asked if we’d like another. 🤣🤣

Hi NC. Just thinking this morning that it’s not too long for you, now. 🥳

Really sorry you had to cancel, Dave.

Thank you - it’s very nice of you to say. Doing Europa in March so need to get up to speed with what’s what with MSC and this is the best place to do it.

Cheers, G. For the first time in 11 years we didn’t sail with MSC last year, which is why I haven’t been around here. We did Az and X instead. On the subject of getting champagne - it also came with souvenir flutes.

Up until til the introduction of status match in 2015, those at Black level did receive a bottle of Moët, G - AND it was on ice in the cabin on arrival (unlike now when it is distributed sometime during the cruise).

They’ve been talking about introducing a new, higher tier for years, now. I’ve over 40000 points (others have many more) and have gone beyond caring at this stage. I don’t even track my points tally as any more earned have no value.

Will be interesting to see. 👍

I used a 30% discount voucher for a 28 night YC sailing. Also used another for a 23 night YC cruise. Saved $$$$ on those sailings as a result. 😁