perakcruiser

MSC used Terminal 6, the RCCL terminal? OMG. Was the main terminal closed?

There is no shuttle from MSC, their shuttle goes from Zeebrugge to Blankenberg. There is a public bus from the church in Zeebrugge almost directly opposite the port. But not many rides per day. Blankenberg has much more rides, you can take the tram to there.

Did you cruise any other European line except MSC? From the Europeans I sailed MSC had the best shows. And they definitely spent the most money on shows. Not to talk about the Asian lines where entertainment means just casino 😄

All tiers except Classic get the OBC, but it is 9 months, not 6.

I don´t think this is a holiday week anywhere in Europe as school holidays in Europe are usually connected to Easter (before that date) and Pentecost (after).

Lirica-class for example. The "Junior Suite" we had on the Armonia in 2011 is now Aurea.

They are not. Maybe sometimes and in your case, depends on the ship. On the older ships Aurea cabins are the cabins formerly known as Junior Suites. And there are so many factors, which ship and of cause which embarking port. Certainly all ports get their share of Aurea cabins, that can limit the available ones for a minor port to very few.

Don't forget, MSC is not doing this upgrade stuff, it is an external company. The one that also does the flight upgrade offers for many airlines. The offers are completely different as I know from family cruises with more cabins. Actually my three year old daughter got very attractive offers to upgrade from Oceanview to balcony or YIN, maybe because she was expected to consume much less alcohol compared to the other YC guests.

Preziosa ❤️

No, not have. I was making this point because of how much the market changed in the last 10 to 15 years. Before MSC was so small, not a relevant contender, Costa ruled the Med, on the US markets nobody expected that a foreigner can ever conquer a relevant share. Now MSC is not only number one in all European markets from Italy to Norway, but also in Asia, Africa, South America. And they build a terminal in Miami, set up Ocean Cay and so on. Anyway, I am looking forward to my first cruise with Celebrity since 2012, after that I jumped ship to MSC (and other European lines). By the way after my booking I was a little bit shocked about the MDR menu I saw in the app (that could not compete with MSC, certainly I expect X being a good step above MSC), but thankfully that has been changed meanwhile. By the way, I also don’t particularly enjoy clapping and sing at dinner every night, but with so many people on board there is always a table with a birthday "kid" 😉 But it is a 60 second thing and the big napkin waving is only happing one time with the Baked Alaska parade, just a tradition...

No, you are right, this you will not find on MSC anymore I guess. It disappeared with the newer ship generations as the full program with classical music disappeared and only a small fraction is left. If you ever consider a MSC cruise go for the classical ships like the Armonia (but no YC there). Uncrowded and relaxed cruising (OK, probably not in July and August), where only very high prices and full fare for kids can keep the crowds away😄

Sadly it was discontinued in 2019. Together with the coffee package, the wine package....

Impossible to say. And "June" is anyway complicated, early June cheap, late June expensive. Maybe. 2022 was very different compared to 2023 and 2024 certainly will be also. Best thing is to catch it when you like the price and just leave it when you never like the price. If you are very tight on the budget, look for another time of the year, November for example.

Yes, you can leave anytime after the ship is back in Dubai Saturday morning. Even Sunday at 3:00 am.

From my point of view this is totally wrong. It is like to take from a first class flyer report that econony or even business class should be avoided. The huge success of MSC is not based on the surely great YC product, it is based on what they offer for the other 95 percent on the ship.

When I first time cruised the Orchestra (Norwegian fjords) in 2011 it definitely was not an Italian business for the Italians. It was business for Europeans who love Italian culture and there were not too many Italians on board. I couldn´t agree more.

If not Disney would have already "stolen" it completely from Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen 😄 Legally stolen as he is already dead for 150 years. Great review, long time not enjoyed reading a review so much.

Yes. But some very expensive "special" things sometimes not make the numbers. At least on European cruises.

Careem (the Uber of the Middle East) is always much cheaper than a taxi. Download and set up the app before you leave. As said Al Ghubaiba station is quite close but with luggage not so nice. You also can access from the Gold Souq metro station. It looks not convincing in the map, but it is very easy thanks to the infinity bridge. Up with the elevator, walk over the creek, down with the elevator. We have chosen a hotel next to the bridge and even with luggage easily done.

Interesting, this is YC only then. I sailed the Virtuosa 2022 in UAE and then in Europe and the menus were pretty different in the MDR and buffet also. With the most obvious thing that no pork was served in UAE.

Virtuosa has no special menu for Aurea and it's basically just a section in the MDR. I guess on a ship which the "better" Aurea menus they would have been stricter. If MSC has not cancelled all special menus for Aurea meanwhile. Would not be surprised.

Don't stop here! Last time I had Bella and chose my dinner time 😄

So far there opera shorts are not missing. But all other opera. Regiment the good old times when top class performers went on the ship in Genoa, did one show and left the next day in Civita. And on some other nights the MSC entertainment also did great classical music performances. At the US departures they not even have the one night mini opera? What a letdown.

A couple of years before 2 hours where the minimum, usually it took longer. Then they made some changes in the process, now it is usually 90 minutes or even faster depending how many dishes you order.

After 12 years of cruising with MSC (all cabin types except YC): .) Price-performance ratio is in general unmatched by the other lines .) Mix of passengers and international vibe, I remember a cruise with guests from almost 50 (!) nationalities on board, all income levels and ages, not just rich old folks. .) International vibe, but also a holiday in Italy on the sea (which of cause has some downsides also, but I can easily accept) .) The opera nights, unfortunately almost disappeared, but still the one night with the short version of La Traviata is unique and unmatched by all other lines entertainment .) Friendliness towards kids on the whole ship and kids often really sail free or at least much cheaper .) Italian food and food quality and diversity, especially the improvements after Covid when others reduced .) No nickel and dime-ing. Almost everything is included .) Option to choose from many embarkation points and option to disembark at a different port .) The ships and the cabins are more beautiful .) Friendliness of the staff .) Voyagers Club .) The threadmills on the newer ships