korpo024

3 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Correct, which is why I said "small number" as does the article.

 

that is NOT an outbreak

3 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Yes,

Small numbers but yes they have.

https://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/391105/msc-cruises-deals-with-very-small-number-of-covid-19-cases

hardly an outbreak...an outbreak is when many people get the virus...

40 minutes ago, sidari said:

Korpo ... like you I cannot understand the thinking behind this, although even those who had the jab can still catch and pass on the virus! There are many reports and cases of it happening around the World with Eight members of a US Baseball team having caught it after having both jabs.

But are they sick? No..only very mild symptoms. Let's move on and let cruising be normal again. By the way...in three weeks I am fully vaccinated. But children won't be vaccinated in Europe for a long time and MSC is a family cruise line, so they will not have the policy that only fully vaccinated people can board.

On 5/22/2021 at 8:36 AM, crazyank said:

The problem will be getting into Italy without being fully vaccinated,  plan on a PCR test to get into the country and possibly another one to get on the ship.  Things are changing so rapidly it's really hard to predict what will be in effect in July.

You need an antigen test or PCR test to get in the country, but there is no border patrol if you go there by car...in Italy you can get tested at the pharmacy ( 40€) or free at the big train stations.

1 hour ago, neptuno said:

We are pre-booked for a December'21 cruise out of Miami.  Hopefully the vaccine will be mandated for all passengers.  We will cancel our booking if not.

Why? You are vaccinated so you are safe...it's the people who aren't vaccinated that will be in quarantine. Not you

In Europe there are no kids vaccinated, so they won't change the policy. At least children should always be welcome onboard. I guess they will work with the European green pass. 

On 5/3/2021 at 11:12 PM, sidari said:

Those who have had both jabs do not have to have a test before going to the port, those with Just one jab or no jab have to take a test prior to going to the port. 

on our MSC site in the Netherlands there is no mention of not being tested if you have both jabs...

1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

It depends a lot on when your embarkation is.

If your cruise isn't until next year, for example, certain functions aren't going to appear on your MSC account until you get closer to departure day.  Excursions, and specialty restaurant booking specifically come to mind.  And I don't think there's a particular "days-out" formula you can rely on.  It's just that their webmasters update personal accounts on a regular basis and when your cruise gets closer they will open up more options.

This will be my first (successful, hopefully) cruise with MSC but with the other cruiselines it's the same thing.  I didn't get all the booking options until I was inside of an approximate 90 days out window.

today 105 days to embark....lol

I am trying to book extras in my msc account. Spa treatments, parking, internet everything works fine, but not the specialty restaurants. I've mailed MSC and they are looking into it (that's Italian for doing nothing...lol). Does anybody have the same problems in their MSC account?

23 hours ago, Robkat said:

K024:  Thank you for your very interesting comments on the Mera.   When someone chooses a specific ship as their #1 favorite, I think that really says something!   

MIND YOU I was talking about the ship, not the service. The service on MSC is totally different from HAL and Celebrity...but the ship is better I think

Friends of mine are currently on the Seaside! Only about a 1000 travellers are onboard and they did get a very nice upgrade!

They were flying from the Netherlands to Genova. They had a PCR test from home, and they were tested at boarding the ship. Everything is fine for them....so jealous...

We've been on Seaview (sistership) and Meraviglia. We loved the Meraviglia. Seaview was good, but the layout was confusing and the specialty restaurants were all over the place. They didn't have a real main area where everything happened like the galleria in the Meraviglia. We loved that galleria and all restaurants and shops in it. The best bar must be the pub, with lost of special beers. Also the Cirque du Soleil is a plus on the Meraviglia (although normally I don't like these shows these were great!).

The waterpark on Seaview is in the middle of the ship, which is also very shady (so it was a little bit cold there) and there was nowhere to sit for the parents while their children were playing. On Meraviglia the waterpark is at the back, with a lounge area where the parents can sit or lay. 

But the best thing on Meraviglia were the specialty restaurants. Very accesible and very good. 

What we dislike on Seaview was the very big area at the front where the YC is. At Meraviglia YC is also big, but did not take such a huge part of the ship for some reason. At Seaview we always had the feeling we were not allowed on one third of the ship....I wish we would have YC money but with our rate of cruising 2 or 3 times a year YC is out of our league...lol

The pool is very open on Seaview and although we were in mid-July in the Med we found it always a little cold because of the winds that were there all the time. We prefered the beautiful partly roofed pool. There you had no winds and it was always a little more quiet. On Meraviglia all pools are great!

Here our top 7 of cruise ships we've been on in the last 4 years:

1-MSC Meraviglia

2-Celebrity Reflection

3-HAL Koningsdam

4-MSC Divina

5-MSC Seaview

6-MSC Fantasia

7-MSC Magnifica

On 5/3/2021 at 8:59 PM, Shippy said:

Shame you cannot get the vaccine.

My daughter (adult) did not want to get the vaccine. We are going to a resort this summer.

They gave us the same ultimatum. Vaccine or test.

  Then they warned...you know... those tests sometimes have a false positive. If so, you cannot come & will lose all your $$$....better to get the vaccine if you can.

So we both did !

Here in the Netherlands we are very slow on vaccinating. Maybe I get my first jab in June, but I won't be fully vaccinated by August, and my wife won't get hers until the beginning of July. And our daughter (8 years old) won't be vaccinated at all because the vaccine is still not approved for children in the EU.

On 5/3/2021 at 9:49 AM, portofrome said:

In Italy you can buy a selftest or have the test at the pharmacy. You have to give your email address at the pharmacist and the result will arrive by email in 20/30 minutes. You should ask to the b&b owner about Acqui.

thank you very much for this info

I know where to get selftests, I've got plenty myself. As a teacher you get two selftests per week, so I hace plenty. But you need to get a test with a certificate. Those tests costs more and they are not self tests! On the website of MSC it is said that you need a test that is proof for 48hrs! With a certificate in threefold!

So do you need to go to a labaratorium or to a professional testlocation?

On the MSC website it states that you need an antigen test (swab) or PCR test of 48hrs before boarding the ship. This summer we stay five days before the cruise in Acqui Terme (like always in a perfect B&B). Where can we get these tests? MSC gives no information on how to get these tests, only that you have the results with you in threefold! 

We are planning our next trip and we may choose the Aurea Suite (not Grand Suite) with whirlpool. Are there any cruisers that have pics, or video's? Or reviews of these cabins? We think of cruising the Grandiosa or Virtuosa. 

On 9/26/2020 at 4:52 AM, Até said:

MSC can be very misleading with the floor plan pictures which often are not accurate, hence the disclaimer "The image is representative only" .  The smaller Suite with Private Whirlpool does not have a separate bedroom and living area, the larger Grand Suite with Private Whirlpool does have a separate bedroom and living area with fold out couch that becomes the second bedroom.  Their sizes are Suite w/WP @ 290 sq ft, YC deluxe @ 312 sq ft, and Grand Suite w/WP @ 420 sq ft.  I really enjoyed the whirlpool tub on our sailing where we stayed on the ship for several days.  On a port intensive cruise where I planned on spending a lot of time off the ship I think both the YC deluxe and the Aurea WP cabins might equally not be fully utilized.  Both are an extravagance in different ways.

 

For most countries Aurea only gets Easy package.  If you are booking in the UK and getting the Premium drink package for Aurea that is comparable to the YC drink inclusions, the only significant difference is the mini bar and a Champagne available in YC. 

 

Half of my MSC cruises have been in the YC so I don't always feel the YC benefits are needed or worth the cost.  I've sailed Aurea and Fantastica a couple times each and enjoyed the experiences, although the Aurea experience for US bookings has diminished since my sailings.  I don't think I will book Aurea again but I'd perhaps consider it on Seashore.

 

I find little need for specialty restaurants when booked in YC, especially on a one week cruise.  Aurea guests on Grandiosa will be assigned the nicer aft facing restaurant on deck six, but they get the same food as all the MDR restaurants so a specialty meal or two might be wanted.  So for me the extra cost for YC can be subtracted from the cost of needing specialty meals in lower cabins.  YC cabins now include internet if that is something you planned on purchasing.  The other YC perks are much harder to put a price on.  I haven't sailed MSC in Europe yet.  I have two booked, one hectic itinerary and one where I'll stay on the ship more, but both are in the YC.  For me it has more to do with being on a large ship with so many people and crowds, that is where (in the past) the YC private areas and embarking/debarking the ship really paid off to me.

The suites with whirlpool all have seperate bedrooms, but the Grand suites are bigger. The grandsuites are on the 12th deck. De rest is on 9th, 10th, 11th and 13th deck...AND ALL HAVE SEPERATE BEDROOMS 

On 8/6/2020 at 8:09 PM, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

This current offer from MSC seems kinda good:

 

"

VOYAGES SELECTION DEPARTURES
5%+5% OFF PLUS AN ONBOARD CREDIT UP TO €/$100 PER PERSON
AND DOUBLE POINTS FOR MEMBERS-ONLY!
All departures* are now available as Voyages Selection departures, with an extra 5% discount combinable with your always-available 5% Club discount.

Book a Balcony, Suite, or the MSC Yacht Club to get up to €/$100 onboard credit per person or choose an Inside or Outside cabin to receive a up to €/$ 50 onboard credit**, to spend as you wish during the cruise. This offer is valid on all cruises and promotions until August 20th.

Prices shown below are not discounted yet: add your MSC Voyagers Club card number at the first step of the online booking process to apply the discount

Members who book a Voyages Selection departure will be credited double membership points for the type of Experience chosen. Points will be assigned at the end of the cruise.

 

**The onboard credit will be uploaded automatically to your reservation 24h after confirmation"

 

 

We did two bookings, and now get the message that my son dont get 100E since he is a child. 

 

Can you see the disclaimer in this text?

 

So, my son is not a person?

OMG...really????

On 8/7/2020 at 6:36 PM, cvg42 said:

But still: feel free to cancel your booking because your son who travels for free didn't get 100€ OBC to buy himself a nice bottle of Veuve Cliquot.

🤣

On 7/9/2020 at 6:25 PM, Stockjock said:

Seems likely that the stretch won't happen on Magnifica.  Like others, I'd booked GTY cabins, presumably due to the stretch and reassignment of cabin numbers once completed.  I initially booked inside GTY and later changed my mind and booked balcony GTY, but kept the inside GTY open for the hell of it.

Today, I got an e-mail with 2 cabin assignments.  The inside GTY got an inside assignment on the 11th deck.  The bella balcony GTY got an aft cabin on the 11th deck as well.  The balcony assignment looks pretty good to me, so I'll cancel the inside booking.

I do remain a bit concerned at the age and condition of Magnifica.  I'm used to MSC's newer ships, having sailed on Divina, Seaside and Bellissima.  One thing that appealed to me about the Magnifica sailing beyond a good price, was the fact that the ship was undergoing a stretch and refurbishment.  Now, we all but know the stretch won't happen, and given that and the state of things, I suspect the refurbishment won't occur either.

Has anyone sailed on Magnifica?  Would my concerns be reasonable ones?

I have sailed on her twice. Once in 2017 and once in october 2019. The ship is in perfect condition. The layout is good, but not as good as the newer ships. But everything is just fine. 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5334/

Virtuosa will NOT sail in 2020. Hopefully it wil sail early 2021.

And then you have the people....Never in the history of mankind the healthy are being quarantined. Normally you quarantine the sick....for now the people understand something has te be done...but if millions will lose their jobs and nations are going bankrupt, people will not gonna take it.....

In Sweden the government has done a very different job. No lockdown, cafe's and restaurants are open, as are all the shops...and the mortality rate is just the same as in a lot of other countries...but for now...they saved their economy a bit....

On 4/22/2020 at 11:32 PM, cruiser man 60 said:

If Italy & Spain don't reopen borders until March 2021 there won't be many tourist businesses left to open up again and their economies will have collapsed as they both rely greatly on tourism.

exactly. This would be ridiculous. The whole tourist industry is death by then, and I guess it's 13% of the GNP. So this would be very very supid. Let's not forget that only a very small portion of the people who will get Covid19 are dying (and those who do, are very very old). 

I am not agreeing a lot with the clown in the white house, but on this I do...sometimes the cure IS worse than the illness.

I am so sad, tomorrow we would've been going onboard the Navigator of the Seas. Our whole vacation to the US is cancelled ofcourse. We would've been going to friends in Texas, and after that to Miami, where we would have stayed a few days before going to the Bahama's. This was our first RCL cruise. Normally we sail with MSC, because we're from Europe, and we most sail in Europe. 

These are unfortunate times. But this is all a luxury problem. There are people dying everywhere. We are still healthy and we have solid jobs...I hope I will be back at this RCL forum someday, when I book another cruise with RCL. But for now I'll be visiting the MSC boards, because the next two cruises are with MSC in Europe.