Megtheblackbelt

Strange. My cruise went from 6 nights to 7 nights and they did not request further compensation. Perhaps because the difference from 6 to 7 is smaller, or because the cruise is not over Christmas. Regardless - it's icky on their end to request more money when it is their own change. Boo.

A lot of people are experiencing the same/similar situation. Welcome to the boat, so to say. 🙂

I live in Barcelona. If you haven’t already been - you will love it! Hope ya have a blast on your cruise. 🙂

25 minutes ago, little britain said:

There is a very large on line agency in Germany which many use. A perk is final payment is only 30 days out.  You may need to scan the sea to find them x

Muchas gracias, Señorita 🙂 

2 minutes ago, dexddd said:

If you end up with your YC sailing still, tickets delivered to room and you meet in lounge for escort to excursion meeting point on dock.  They'll have bottles of water in lounge for you to take.

 

I'd wait too.  Much of our refund from 95 days ago is for excursions.  Did I say shame on them?

See, that is what I want with excursions. Stress-free, little to no cattle-herding, and good direction given. 

That stinks, I am super sorry. Ick.

2 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

Hi,

 

Because of EU law you can book with a TA anywhere in the EU. Booking with a TA on this side of the pond generally means you will not be able to take advantage of US perks such as re-pricing. On the other hand, you arguably have more consumer rights. Also, know that as far as payments are concerned, your payment is generally made to the TA, who settles up with the cruise line every so often depending on their mutual agreement, so you are not paying the cruise line directly, as I believe often happens with US TAs.

 

Under CC rules TA names can't be mentioned on the boards but in Spain there is a major department store (think "the English Court") which has its own travel agency chain that is generally highly regarded.They have several in Barcelona including one located in their big store in the Plaza de Cataluña.

 

Hope this helps. 

 

 

Ahhh, this was so helpful! Thank you so much. I live right outside of BCN, so this is fantastic. Thank you again! 🙂 

3 minutes ago, dexddd said:

I'd ask here directly or on shore excursion page.  TBH, I don't give much reliance on people's feedback on a cruise website.  As example, NCL added a 'ask and answer' section which is full of wrong info. At least if someone posts wrong or seemingly biased info, it gets called out here on CC.

 

We have done several MSC due to reasonable prices compared to other lines.  All have been as advertised and only had one altered due to rough seas.

That sounds promising! Thank you for your thoughts. The descriptions of MSC's excursions are nearly identical to ones we are looking at from a 3rd party, but their cost is much better (MSC's), so I think it would be good to try out MSC's this time around. That said, I won't book any excursions through MSC until we are much closer to sail date - who knows what will happen. 😮 

1 minute ago, dani negreanu said:

 

YES. I'm using one based in Florida, and I don't even live in the States.

Nice! Are you able to get EU rates with US-TA perks (OBC, etc.)?

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

It is rare that the booking terms or the prices are better than US in other market - stick with a US TA.

Interesting! All of the cruises I am looking at seem to be cheaper when booked on the Spanish platform as opposed to the US one. Perhaps it is a result of the times we are living in. I can't stick with the old US TA because said TA was a perk of using an organization in the US that I no longer have membership to. That said, it is time to find a new one. :,)

Hola -

I recently moved from Florida to Spain. In Florida, I used a "big box TA," and it was "okay" for us (nothing fantastic).

Here in Spain, though, I cannot seem to find any TAs - are they just not a thing (I can't seem to find any on Google)? Can I use a TA from another country in Europe? Can I still use a US-based TA?

I want to book a cruise for 2021 on the Odyssey here in Europe, but I figure before booking on my own, I should explore what options I have available with a TA.

Any advice is appreciated. 🙂 

Is that the listed excursions in their planner do not provide any rating/review/feedback system from those whom have taken the tours. I like the safety of booking ship tours in case something goes awry (to avoid missing the ship), but I certainly don't want to book a crappy tour, and would much prefer to book a third-party one with rave reviews as opposed to less-desirable reviews.

Can we please have ratings/reviews from passengers, MSC? 

That said - has anyone historically had good - reputable - experiences with booking MSC-sponsored excursions?

#rantover

Oof. That is definitely not an accurate/fair trade. Sounds like you will need to call MSC and discuss with them - I wouldn’t even waste time trying to resolve that one over email. 😬

21 minutes ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

 

I can't get on through "manage my booking" but I can get in via "web login". Like you, it shows Fantasia; the dates are the same, but, like you, no cabin number, just "G0000" which is slightly disturbing.

Everyone whose ship changed now shows the “G0000”. This is normal/to be expected. 🙂 

Hopefully they can assign new rooms soon!

Well, I guess my April 19th, 2021 Med sailing on Virtuosa will be cancelled.

Stinks. We got a bargain on the YC that I doubt we will ever see again. 🥺

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Personally, I would not spend the extra for the YC. In this case, when it is a better price, I would definitely jump on it. Maybe it's for you, maybe it isn't. What better time to try it than a price that is hard to beat?

Very true! Don’t think we’ll have the opportunity at this price again, which is why I booked it within minutes of seeing it (without much other consideration). 😂

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

You'll never have to convince me to travel in YC or Haven but in your case, something to consider is the fact that with such a port intensive itinerary, you will likely be off the ship more than you are on.  Therefore, perks like the drink package and even the special amenities offered in YC will be lost.  If I knew for sure I was going to be on the ship for a long enough period of time to take full advantage of the amenities, then it would be a no brainer for us to go with YC. 

Valid point! I will note, though, that one of the port stops in the itinerary IS Barcelona. So we will be staying on the ship during this stop... yay for what will hopefully be the YC to ourselves. 😛 

10 hours ago, Jasalth said:

So while the YC would be a once in a lifetime experience I understand your plight! I got a Haven Suite to Bermuda on NCL once for $2700 total for 3 before the changes so it included unlimited drinks package for everyone in the room with no extra instead of all the stuff they offer now. I don't regret doing it, but I get the thoughts that you might feel out of place. We did in the Haven with people talking about how they spent $5k in spa reservations/items the first day for the mom and 2 teenage girls. But having been a teenage mom, I learned a lot time ago how people act and nothing bothers me to much anymore 🙂

 

That being said, MSC in Europe (from reading these boards) isn't like the MSC US experience. I haven't sailed MSC US but have in Europe, it really is a lot different from a US based cruise.  

 

On a note, I would look into say the over-night ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia for getting there instead of flights. I don't know for sure, but I am sure there is a luggage storage there you plan to visit Rome before hand to leave most of your luggage and just take a bag for what you need in Rome. Round trip looks to be about 550 cost. Staying in Venice after you could always take a train back to the area as the outbound is over night also back. Or you could save a day and just book a flight back from Venice to Barcelona after. 

 

How I would personally do it is take the overnight ferry ($260) to arrive X days before the cruise as the ferry leaves at 10pm. Get a good nights rest and hit Rome running for  X days, train back to port, get on the cruise, Venice for X days at the end and fly back. Or alternatively ferry in the day of the cruise (ferry gets in about 7am so plenty of time), cruise,  Venice for X days after, train to Rome then X days, then overnight ferry back ($550ish round trip on ferry)  

Great tips! Thanks so much. I'll have to check out the ferry. That said, if it's not decent sized, it may not work for us because I am easily motion-sick. As in... still feel the waves when I am on Oasis. Is bad. 😛  We are pretty used to how Europeans act/interact, so I am hoping the atmosphere won't shock us too much! We will see, though. Thanks so much for the advice. 🙂 

7 hours ago, joeyancho said:

I would not base my decision for cruising on tacos. I have had Blue Iguana and it is not all that,  IMHO.  They only had flour tortillas,  which is not Mexican.  Based on your description of both cruises it is a no brainer. MSC is the way to go.

Haha, it is not 100% about the tacos. The main points for Carnival would be having a closed-loop trip out of our home-port 20 mins from where we live, and 2 extra days at sea. But since we have the ability to extend the trip with adding on land portions, I'm thinking it won't be too huge of a deal to lose 2 days at sea, and swap it with land. 🙂 

7 hours ago, eagletwo said:

Once you try the Yacht Club, you will be spoiled. After 6 cruises on Princess, 2 on Carnival and 1 on MSC, YC was over the top. If you are worried about it being too fancy, just ask for help. If you feel you might be intimidated in the YC, just do want you feel is right  Heck, you will never the 200+ people in the YC again, so have fun, treat the staff well and enjoy being pampered. 

Thanks so much - you are right! Even if it is a bit too posh for us, we can always check out the rest of the ship. That said, it's still totally worth it to have the assisted embark/debarkation, unlimited drinks, and priority getting ashore at ports. Super looking forward to it. And also hoping that MSC diverts some of their newer ships away from the Spain-France-Italy loop at some point, because all of the ships sailing Northern Europe, or Greece/Turkey itineraries are the much smaller, older ships (which I would have a rough time on due to getting sea sick easily). *fingers crossed*

1 hour ago, Scoreboard2017 said:

The tacos at the Blue Iguana are legit (and I'm a taco fanatic from Texas). However, that price for the YC on MSC sounds awesome. I would stick with MSC personally for that experience at that price.

*heavy sigh* I will make it to the Blue Iguana one day! My one gripe about Spain is that there are far fewer Mexican/faux-Mexican restaurants to satiate my addiction. 🥺

Thank you everyone for your thoughts! I think we will end up trading the comfort/ease of embarking/disembarking from BCN for the comfort of the YC. It just seems like a once in a lifetime experience, so might as well take it.

Another day, hopefully I will get to eat tacos at the Blue Iguana. 🙂 

Alright friends, I'm in a little bit of a situation here, and I am hoping that you can provide some great opinions.

My husband and I recently re-located from Florida to Barcelona, Spain (permanently) for our jobs. Due to the lockdown, we have been living in Europe since January 2020, but have not been able to do much traveling. We are planning our first ever European cruise (though certainly not the last) for early 2021.

I have booked the MSC Virtuosa (their newest ship, which fingers crossed will be done by April 2021 when we have booked to sail). I got a FANTASTIC deal for a Deluxe Suite within the Yacht Club for roughly 2,500 euros (for those unfamiliar with the Yacht Club - this includes the unlimited beverage package, wifi, special dining within the Yacht Club, etc. within the price). The downside is that it is only a 6-day cruise, I'm a little nervous the ship will not be completed by April 2021, the embarkation and debarkation ports are different so I can't book a round-trip flight, and I wonder if MSC YC will be too "posh" for what will then be my 25 year old self, and 26 year old husband. Note: Even though the MSC cruise is only 6 days, we would add a land-trip on to the beginning, probably in Venice and Rome, as this cruise ports out of Civitavecchia. 

That leads me to the situation. I found that - also in April 2021 - the Carnival Magic will be in Barcelona, and offers an 8 day round-trip cruise from Barcelona which includes ALL of the same ports of the already scheduled MSC cruise, plus Pisa. The benefits of the Carnival cruise would be that we would simply take a 20 minute taxi to the Barcelona port there and back, which eliminated the cost of AIRBNB/flights (albeit I will be honest, inter-Europe flights are not too expensive in the first place). 

That said, the Magic cruise costs roughly 3,000 euros, and that is 1. Only in a balcony (not a suite/YC, such as on MSC), and 2. Does NOT include the unlimited beverage package or wifi, which we would end up paying for.

What would you do? The Magic has Blue Iguana which I want to try SO BADLY (in love with tacos, hello), and the ease of porting out of BCN would make things less stressful. Also, 8 days would be nice. But the price I grabbed the MSC YC for will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime type ordeal. The current prices for YC on MSC are roughly double what we paid, if not more. 

Thoughts?

1 hour ago, JP82 said:

Rumours are swirling that the Virtuosa completion/launch will be delayed now to early '21. Hopefully with your date. You should be okay!!

Thanks!! Not worrying about it though. Won't be a big deal if we have to postpone (even though we probably won't be able to find the YC rate the same again). 

5 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

As far as we are concerned, MSC Seaside, in the Yacht Club, is the only way we would even consider cruising. In our humble opinion it blows the socks off doing the Sky Suite on Celebrity or even the Grand Suite on the Allure. The food is a little bit better on Celebrity, and the Allure’s entertainment is the best, but the Yacht Club experience blows the other twos suite experiences out of the water, not even close. The only problem is that word has gotten out and the pricing went through the roof, even too expensive for us as it’s up almost 50% from what we paid last October.

Well this is promising to hear. We are YC bound on the Virtuosa (April, 2021 hopefully). Fingers crossed our experience is akin to yours. We paid a roughly half of what the going rate currently is for YC, so I doubt unless we see these similar prices again there will be a second experience of it. 😛 

7 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Would really enjoy reading what you liked about MSC.

I second this.

7 hours ago, JP82 said:

I have cruised just twice, DCL and then last Summer a Med on Oasis. I plan on cruising RCI again, but the only rough plan so far is a westbound Transatlantic towards the end of '21.

 

Meanwhile I have turned my attentions to MSC, living in Europe I think (although different and less American) they are the only fleet that can compete with the big lines and offer the same level of options and activities on board. I have very little interest in England's own P&O as their vibe/aesthetic is a bit pedestrian for me, and the ships seem a bit past it, although might sail Britannia or Iona.

 

MSC meanwhile have such a large fleet all year round in Europe, and some great deals and itineraries, including a lot of Mini-breaks that excite me. I was to have been on our first one on Preziosa last week, but that obviously didn't happen, but we do have a Grandiosa four night in November on the cards.

 

Will deffo get around to NCL at some point too. Like I say it's still early days for my Cruising adventure, and I'm not committing to any particular brand yet. I think they all have merit.

Wooohooo, EU buddies! *high-5’s*

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We have a Celebrity cruise booked for October.  

 

Royal is value for entertainment and the the Caribbean.  However when we talk about Alaska I look at Holland for its 2 week itinerary.  We’ve been on a Viking River Cruise which was awesome.  For itinerary beyond US ports I want to try Oceania and Viking. Although they are more expensive the itinerary is much better and port intensive.  For us the Caribbean is all about relaxation but when we travel across oceans we want to see as much as possible and it’s more about traveling then vacation.

 

3 more years until we retire and then we will branch out as much as monetarily possible.

 

 

 

I have 40+ more years until retirement, so I think 3 will pass incredibly quickly for the both of us! 😂 Yay for retirement! Will you take a long-anticipated celebratory retirement cruise once you do?

6 minutes ago, mk-ultra said:

This year was going to be my year for trying some other lines beyond Royal.  I did a 5 night Mexico cruise on the Grand Princess in January.  Not so much for the itinerary or the ship, but because it's a round-trip from my home port (SF) and a shorter cruise like that makes sense since their are no flights or hotels involved.  Staff & food were really good; ship layout was pretty funky and hamstrung by useless (out of service, slow) elevators.  Older ship but still in good shape other than the elevators.  Won't be repeating a cruise on that class of ship again though.  I had a 2020 10 night Alaska cruise on her sister ship was cancelled when Princess waved off all SF sailings for the remainer of this year.

 

My next trip was to be a 6 night R/T Mexico trip on the Carnival Miracle (also out of SF).  Would have departed yesterday, but natch it was cancelled due to COVID.  Fully paid -- we'll see how long it takes to see the refund.  Carnival cancelled on Apr 14, if I recall correctly.

 

Last trip for 2020 is a 10 night ABC cruise on Celebrity Edge in November booked last year.  That's still booked, though I've done nothing but put down my deposit and use up my OBC for booze, internet and shore excursions.  Magic 8-ball hasn't a clue whether or not this one will actually sail, or if I'm willing to sail on it if it does.  Short of having a vaccination or effective treatment for COVID-19, I'm still noodling the risks.  I'm not particularly high-risk, but meh...

 

Considering trying Silversea or Cunard in 2021.  Booked a bunch of Royal cruises for 2022 when they were released in Dec 2019 and had crazy good pricing.

I just want to say that my favorite part of this entire post was my newfound education on the word “noodling”. I will use it often going forward. Thank you. 🙃

1 hour ago, Newleno said:

Oh we just go with the best deal,  cruising is pretty much the same generally speaking.  Of course some are a little better than others.  Disney has been our best overall experience.   So if money matters just pick the best deal.  Our cruises  - Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland (downtown ports in Tokyo and Shanghai Bund), NCL, Royal, Windstar - we even took a small tub (no stabilizers) across the drake passage to Antarctica.

Antarctica is a DREAM cruise. But that will have to wait 20-40 years, because I feel like Antarctica is a destination you have to go ALL out on. Once in a lifetime, all or nothing kinda’ thing, so do it right type. AKA big euros. How was your experience? 

1 hour ago, Erik101 said:

Virgin Voyages: The Scarlet Lady. Reasons: 

 

1. No children 

2. No buffets 

3. No dress codes for dinner 

4. Fares include just about everything except alcohol. No such thing as specialty restaurants or fees for soda or bottled water. 
5. Unique restaurants. I read about their Test Kitchen and how it’s half restaurant / half cooking classes. 👍

The idea seems on point to me, but from what I have read of the reviews, the execution is off. Perhaps Scarlett Lady 2.0 will improve with more pools, activities, storage, etc. 

10 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

 

Royal Suite doesn’t provide a private pool or spa. Top Sail pool also has a grill where your food is made to order & the butler brings food & drinks to you. Beautiful private lounge with piano player & violinist in evenings, order any cocktails there or any bar on ship any time. I could go on & on. 

I think RC implementing a similar option to YC or Haven would be a huge success for them. People are already paying the big bucks for their top of the line suites, so imagine if they added the exclusivity of having their own area within the ship? WoOoooOoOw.

I will say that the one thing I don’t like about MSC so far - and this is very nit picky, especially since I have only had my first cruise with them booked for 2 days - is that their MSC excursions in the online planner don’t have any guest/participant ratings. If I’m going to book an excursion/tour, I want to KNOW what I’m getting myself in to, and how others who have done the tour perceive the value (or lack thereof) to be.

Definitely not a deal breaker obviously, but something I would like to have (after experiencing/finding value in it with RC).

50 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Wait

 

Probably where they call you back if you leave a number

Ahhh, sorry. With my cellular company in Spain - not sure if this is every company in Spain - when you dial out, you hear these weird waiting dials/noises while waiting for the line to connect/the person you’re calling to pick up. I don’t get these for MSC, which indicates I am not connecting to them at all. Yay. 🙂