The_Sea_Batt

Hi Ryan You pose two very different questions. Let's start with the easy one. Yes, the status match gives you some additional perks and discounts. For more info see.... MSC Voyagers Club - Membership Benefits | MSC Cruises The second question is thornier as it depends on the ports in question. For example, Amsterdam cruise port is about 200 yards from the historic city making things a doddle to DIY. Paris from a port like Cherbourg or Le Havre is probably better via an excursion as if there is a delay the ship will wait not so if you are DIY. A good example was a visit to Mt Eta some years ago we decided that it was too complicated to DIY. There was a crash on the main road delaying our return by over an hour past the sailing time. As we were on an MSC excursion, the ship waited. I would therefore suggest some quick research on this site, TripAdvisor and a Google search. Then decide how happy you are with sorting things out yourself. All cruise line excursions are quite expensive for what they are. For what it is worth, in 10 years of cruising we have only booked a handful of MSC excursions. Enjoy your cruise. The Sea_Batt