TnTom

Hi

Going on our first MSC cruise soon, hope you can help with some questions please.

How much do you get charged to use your mobile via the ships wifi.

Is it correct that no irons are allowed, if so tips for packing and keeping hubbies shirts crease free if possible.

I have posted this on a different page on here but told to move to this MSC page.

Any ideas as to what the weather might be, we are sailing from Venice then onto Crete, Corfu, Bali and Dubrovnik.

We are going 5th October.

Thank you if you can help

I can answer your last question...

I went to many of your stops on a different cruise line in October a few years ago. The weather was perfect! It wasn't terribly

hot, but never cold, either. If you read up on Venice, you will see folks posting about the stagnant water smelling bad, but that wasn't a problem in October. Plus, the crowds are not nearly as big.

I really appreciate you all trying to help, but I'll have to stay in the dark on this one, especially as I will never need the service anyway!

 

Now, if I understand correctly, the day before debarking, I need to find the means and a printer to check in and print my boarding pass. Then I give this to Guest Relations who will somehow produce the baggage tag with its unique barcode. It seems like a lot of hassle to me just to avoid checking your bag at the airport.

Actually, all you have to do is sign up for the service sometime during the cruise. On the day prior to disembarkation, the airline boarding pass(es) and ship baggage tags are delivered to your stateroom (no need to seek a printer). Via this process, you are also automatically check in for your flight(s). I don't believe the airline-supplied destination tags are affixed to the bags until they arrive at the airport, but my memory is a little fuzzy about that. I agree with you that it is a little mind boggling that it works, but then again, this process is being handled by a business that specializes in it... and performs the tasks hundreds of times a day.

I will shut up about it, now, too! :)

I have seem it done a couple of ways...

When you put your bags out the night before disembarking, it is the last time you see them until you arrive at your home airport.

I also used a service where you had to claim your luggage in the terminal and then hand it to the valet after customs.

Either way, is really simplifies the process.

I asked this question a few weeks ago and was told “no”. However, one time in Fort Lauderdale, I called the valet service directly, and we were able to hand the bags off to them after we claimed them and went through customs. In FLL, it is especially helpful on a busy port day (mainly weekends).

We had a Bella balcony, friend had fantastica experience. We paid service for breakfast in our room once (€3.50). Somewhat cheaper than the added cost of the fantastica experience. Not sure that it's worth paying the extra.

 

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Assuming you saw your friends' cabin, how did Fantastica compare with Bella? Was it bigger? Larger balcony? More furniture?

I have only been in B1 (Bella) staterooms on MSC, but it is my impression from reading other board posts that the difference is fairly substantial. Of course, that difference may not be worth the extra cost. Although they were the smallest cabins I have ever had, the B1s had everything I needed.

Bases5 and others,

Thanks for the ideas...may be the browser. But we do not even have a booking...cannot find info on cruises to even make one!

I was having a similar issue yesterday... and as others have said, the MSC site can be pretty "buggy".

If you are wanting to research MSC sailings, you could probably get that information through third party TA sites. They don't seem to have such issues.

The "Drinks on Us" is "free", although you do pay that 15% per drink. You can upgrade from the free package to either "Classic" or "Deluxe"... the Classic upgrade will cost $18 a day. The Deluxe upgrade would be $26 a day. Neither of those will incur the 15% charge, so you can use that difference to help see if it is worth upgrading for you. Also, consider whether you want specialty coffees or gelato- which are included in one or both of the upgrade packages. Also, the Deluxe option includes your in-room mini-bar, which for some of us would be a great option (do you like to spend a lot of time on your balcony?). There is also the difference in brands available under each package.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/All-Inclusive%20Drink%20Package%20Comparison%20Guide.pdf

For a lot of people, the free package is totally adequate. For others, the upgrades are a bargain.

We didn't needed our life wests for the muster drill on Meraviglia last summer.

All of the lines do it differently, and maybe it also varies by ship, but on the two MSC cruises I have taken previously the drill consisted of gathering in designated lounges. We didn't go out on the deck at all, and the presentation covered lots of topics- not just your normal "muster drill" information.

We stayed in Regency Hotel near MIA in May when we cruised with MSC Seaside. We left the hotel around 11am (maybe because there were other hotel patrons that planned to used the shuttle but didn't inform the front desk). We used a bigger shuttle bus instead of the smaller van. Cruisers were dropped-off at the Carnival terminal first before MSC. We were at the Terminal F around 11:30am. We were in the Pre-Boarding area of the terminal around 12 noon. Non-YC cruisers started boarding around 12:15pm. We were in the ship around 12:30pm and we hit the buffet in Deck 8 immediately.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

That sounds like a perfect schedule to me! THANKS!

I have vacillated on the idea, and I am now thinking I will fly into FLL the evening before. I have asked for a quote from QLS, and I am thinking I will use their service to get to the Regency Hotel near MIA. That hotel offers shuttle service to the port for a nominal fee, and I think I will be in better shape to hit the ground running on the cruise.

Thank you for the input!!

Thank you! I am glad I asked... I wasn't expecting it to be noon before the first bus filled up (figured it would actually be 10:00 or so).

I have trouble standing for very long lengths of time, so I am not hell bent on arriving at the cruise terminal during the rush (noonish). Waiting at FLL might not be so bad, if I just know what to expect.

I appreciate the feedback!

I am considering an early morning flight into FLL on the morning of embarkation. I feel pretty comfortable with doing that since there are a number of other Southwest flights that would get me there well before the 7:00pm sailing if something went wrong (such as a flight cancellation). The flight I am thinking of would arrive at FLL at 8:40am, and by the time I got through baggage claim, it would be after 9:00am.

I realize I will probably have to wait somewhere at some point, but I am trying to figure out where and how long. Does anyone know how early the MSC transfers begin arriving and leaving FLL (I am guessing they pick up arriving passengers after dropping off departures)? Knowing what a madhouse FLL can be, I think I would rather not do the waiting there.

Quick question, we have not yet used NCL but can see you have had the odd cruise with them. How do NCL deal with these 3 issues?

Regarding NCL, with their Anytime Dining option, the dress code is pretty relaxed, anyway. Last January on the Dawn, I was surprised to see folks in short and T-shirts at dinner, but if that is what made them happy, it didn't bother me.

They had sanitizer dispensers at entrances to the dining areas, but I don't believe they were ever "manned". I don't remember which line I was on, but I have seen them post someone at each entrance whose sole purpose was to squirt sanitizer into your hands. I also think it depends on whether there has been a recent norovirus issue on the ship- they have different levels of precaution.

As for smoking on balconies... I think we ex-smokers are less tolerant of smoke around us. On my last NCL cruise, there was someone on the nextdoor balcony who smoked. I didn't really smell it that much (they were aft from me, so downwind), but at night you could see the flashes of their lighter, and there was the faint smell. I mentioned it at the customer service desk, and they took down the information. I think they instructed the room steward to look for signs, and they actually called me a day or two later to let me know they had found no evidence. I was satisfied with that, but if the smoke had been strong enough to affect my balcony time, I might have pushed it a little harder.

I just ran across the discount on the MSC website this week. I am a retired State civil servant, and I provided my TA with a photo of my ID. She said I had already received a 5% discount (I think as a prior MSC cruiser), but this should net me another 5%.

On sea days, I like to hang out on my balcony- away from the madding crowds. My preference would be not to have to leave the cabin every time I want a drink refill... instead ordering three or four beers to stick in the mini-fridge for consumption during the afternoon.

I have sailed several lines, and there is usually a "one drink at a time" rule when using a package. However, I saw the following in the Drinks on Us description:

Can I order multiple drinks at a time with the drink packages?

You can order unlimited drinks for personal consumption only.

I think it is saying "yes", but I don't want to take it for granted.

This question is for anyone who has recently cruised on MSC using any of the drinks packages. Were you able to order multiple drinks at one time (and which package were you on)?

I did one Costa cruise (Greek Isles) and two MSC voyages (both Caribbean), and I have an MSC trip planned this Fall.

As a previous poster says, it has a lot to do with where you are cruising, but I really didn't care for the Costa experience (age and condition of the ship- Victoria, and the food).

One thing that drove me crazy on the Costa cruise was how many smoking areas there were. They divided the lounges into smoking and non-smoking areas, but no effort was made to contain the smoke to the smoking areas. Quite often, there were no seats available in non-smoking so you either sat with the smokers (and there were lots of them on the Med cruise), or you went elsewhere. Being an ex-smoker, maybe that bothers me more than it would you.

But, OP, you have been on 2 Costa voyages, so I am sure you are already aware of those points.

To me, what sets MSC apart is how gorgeous the public areas of their ships are. Their food is wonderful, too!

I just have to say how much I like their approach to internet packages. In the past, on most lines (including MSC) you signed up for "minutes" and logging in and out each time. If you didn't get logged out, you could accidentally burn through all of your minutes. Also, low bandwidth or slow connections negatively impacted the value of your investment.

By purchasing chunks (gigabits), you won't have to worry about logging out (although it would still be a good idea). Although a slow connection will still be annoying, it won't cost you money.

I hope all of the cruise ships/lines adopt this approach!

Yes it is but it is $18 a day for the up grade

Most drink packages start around $45 a day. The free drink package on NCL does not include bottle water or specialty coffees. Each cruise line has a glitch in their packages

 

 

 

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Not to mention the NCL "Free at Sea" drink package comes with a hefty gratuity charge. I had it on my last 10-day cruise with them and it was $178.

It has been several years since my last MSC cruise, but I think they announced a lunch gathering for solos in the MDR on more than one occasion.

I have been on a number of cruise lines and I can't remember exactly which ones offer baggage express.

I am referring to the option where (for a fee) you put special tags on your bags when you set them in the hall the night before disembarkation. They are taken directly to the airport and checked for your flight, and the next time you see them is at the carousel of your home airport. It usually costs $20-30.

This is different from luggage shipping, which is very expensive.

I have always taken advantage of it when it is available, and it is great! I know I have used it in Fort Lauderdale and San Juan, but it is available at other ports, too.It is especially nice if you want to do some sightseeing before heading to the airport.

So my question....

Does MSC Offer Baggage Express at Disembarkation? If so, which ports?

In re-reading your OP, I get the impression you want your luggage transferred to the ship, but not you and your husband. If that is the case, please ignore my response! ;p

If you are getting the transfers through the cruise line, the driver will load and unload the luggage from the bus. You will need to get them to the bus from the baggage claim area, but there are carts or skycaps to help with that. At the cruise terminal, they are usually unloaded where the ship's porters will pick them up (and deliver them to your room). Your husband's lifting should be minimal.

Ah YES! Thanks! (I am "Pending", too)

I am curious... where are you seeing the status? (I haven't heard from my upgrade bid, either)

I have the 250 minute internet package for an upcoming cruise, and I noticed it says "250 minutes or 1gb data". The 1gb limit is something to watch out for... that isn't a lot of data.