Benzbuddy87

... it can be a case of organised chaos onboard. On my last cruise at the emergency drill, all staff stood around chatting, no one was listening to the information and a lot of people just left before it was finished!

I'm not sure that equates to chaos, but agree the crew should not have been chatting during the drill, unless assisting a guest. I am curious - which ship?

MSC seriously needs to update the content on its website to be consistent

I have been speaking with a Customer Service representative over the past few weeks. Yesterday, I asked about the stateroom floorplans. The CSR said she had detailed information as to the size of each stateroom and veranda, and also had a tickler file of other dates. She looked up my stateroom, and provided me with the square footage of the stateroom and veranda (which matched the information on MSC US website via a dummy / mock booking). Among the other information, she said MSC is expected to release detailed information (including images, etc) at approximately five to six months prior to the inaugural sailing. Granted, that's verbal information from one CSR, and there is no way to guarantee that the information is correct.

I just think it's funny MSC is calling these cabins suites. They are just a standard size cabin with a larger balcony. I think referring to them as suites is a stretch.

I booked an S2 Suite in December 2015. I would have expected a suite to include two separate rooms, or a fixed room divider. It does not appear as though that is the case with MSC, but apparently, some other cruise lines use "suite" vernacular for a larger balcony stateroom. Try looking up dummy bookings ... S2 (#15040) is listed as 215 square feet, while B2 (#15045) is listed as 177 square feet.

Which would you guys choose? A fantastica oceanview or a Bella balcony. For me an 8 year old and 2 teens? I can't decide.

We opted for Fantastica over Bella on the Divina and Seaside. First and foremost, the Fantastica staterooms are situated in better locations. The Fantastica drink package ($89 per adult value) is not available for those booking Bella staterooms (US bookings). There are a few other perks which make Fantastica a nicer choice for a minimal difference in price - including priority selection in Main Dining Room seating - assuming this is not being changed on the Seaside. In December, my head server told me that the Seaside was supposed to have separate dining rooms for each Experience level (not sure if that is accurate). Flex-dining is supposed to be available for Fantastica, but I am not sure if it will be available to Bella.

The package states "18 vouchers for the consumption of all cocktails with a price up to US$ 4.80, wine by the glass with a price up to US$ 4.00, draft and bottled beer, ciders and spirit coolers, spirits with a price up to US$ 3.90, all soft drinks including non-alcoholic cocktails, all coffee based drinks, take-away ice cream in a cone or cup.

Has anyone any drinks price lists for these cruises from SA , only reading other posts on other ships in other places standard cocktails would seem to be around 6$ Wine 5€ 33clHeineken 4.7€ (cheapest bottle) suggesting the drinks may be cheaper on SAGV.

 

As our cruise is 12 months off what might happen if the bar prices increased so that no drinks were below the "up to price"

Though I cannot be specific with specific drink pricing in SA, I believe the basic concept of the "per drink" prices is tied to include most non-premium drinks. In the Caribbean, bar menu drinks feature an asterisk (*) next to the beverage, which (I believe) indicates it is not available for use with vouchers, or non-premium drinks packages.

I think the extract from the brochure is just saying what is in the brochure can change and you have to see what is showing on line at the time you want to book. It doesnt say if they will honour a package that is booked then withdrawn - I almost had a problem with that on RCCL

 

I have seen where people book excursions then cancel and rebook should a "sale" be announced and I think also where people have booked drinks packages and then changed to a new one when it became available but have no experience of any of this with MSC .

 

I will contact MSC and ask them specifically if a vouchers drinks package can be cancelled by the passenger and a refund obtained. say up to a month before sailing.

Along the lines of the verbiage in the graphic posted by Pete, in the Caribbean market, I have seen drinks packages offered on the Divina and Seaside which were ultimately withdrawn. When withdrawn, the package was not removed from existing bookings, but understandably, the package is no longer offered to new bookings.

The Aida Prima bow looks like a WW1 battleship design.

I was thinking of the Titanic.

SD ... That upgrade has been going on since our first cruise with them in 2012 ! yes it has improved from what it was but they still have you going round in circles which appears to be the Italian way for some reason.

Travel websites surely see frequent changes and updates. I first logged on in December 2015, and have seen much improvement since then. It's still a moving target and goes down for maintenance or repair more than I would like to see. If I am on the phone with MSC, I tend to ask a lot of questions so I can understand things easier. I am still in a learning curve. :)

These things track your every movement. They can figure out traffic patterns, how to get us funneled to the casino more, etc... I'm ok with it as long as it isn't the only option.

The RFID cards used by Disney have a much shorter range, and cannot process video, whereas the Magic Bands have a much longer range, and can process video. I'm guessing the bands are more powerful and complex. I'd think a cruise key card used in lieu of the new MSC technology would likely also have its limitations.

We can only hope that it will be better than the website experience ...

The MSC website is supposedly in the midst of a two-year update / refurbishment.

Looks like it is a safety issue to do with the lifeboats and also being embraced by other cruise lines.

Seaside class ships will address this issue. :cool:

Buffet- I forgot to mention about busy days in the buffet.

They have a system where you wait to be seated like in the MDR. The buffet his huge, very long with the food stations separated. On busy days a member of staff will greet you at the main entrance , ask how many in party and hold up a red reserved card and walk you through . There are crew members with headsets who see this and guide the member of staff to an empty table, puts your reserved sign on it and off you go to get your food knowing your table will still be there when you get back. They take the sign away once you are all back . There are wireless push buttons on some tables to request bar service, brilliant idea. This service is for bar drinks only.

May I ask which ship? This sounds great, but was not on the Divina in December.

I am assuming guests with all inclusive packages had some form of identification on their cruise cards.

On the Divina, your MSC cruise card has a three digit code imprinted at embarkation. It is supposed to reference any non-voucher beverage package so that a bartender or restaurant server can identify the package associated to your account. On my last cruise, the code printed on my card referenced a dining package, which confused the bartender. The bartender pointed out the situation, and I had the card corrected at Guest Services without issue.

That's another interesting point I had not been aware of. I wonder if it's a management rule that they not accept cash tips?

The suggested gratuities charged to your stateroom are shared with other crew members who are "behind the scenes." If someone gives cash to a specific crew member, there is no way to make sure it is shared with the other crew members who are behind the scenes. Should someone increase or decrease the gratuities on their account, it will be divided among the applicable crew members in the ratio prescribed to each crew member.

I am not used to crew members having to share their gratuities ... whether or not it is with anyone behind the scenes. Regardless, I leave the suggested gratuities on my account (as I normally do), and give extra cash to my stateroom host, server, assistant server and head server - discretely - and where applicable.

Hi , all you need to do is take a screen shot of your profile page showing your status on the RCI website. Fill in the registration form online with MSC and attach your screenshot. Very simple to do. We got replies very quickly

I will add that you should submit a JPG file, as PNG files do not work.

Pools- ... We found the loungers to be extremely uncomfortable and only had 2 settings , flat and not upright enough. ... There was a bizarre system MSC used, no pool towel station on deck anywhere, pool towels were provided in cabin on embarkation. Hubby asked a deck attendant what was a person to do when your towel was wet from swimming and you wanted a replacement. Apparently you were to go to your room , dial 99 and someone would bring you dry ones!! ... no one saving multiple beds with pool towels.

 

Our waiter told us that on second sitting a guest bought an expensive bottle of wine and even he wasn't allowed to take the last glass away with him and sat there til midnight in defiance drinking it.

(loungers) We sailed MSC Divina in December. My wife had no issues with the loungers as you noted. As for the pool towels, we found there we usually a deck attendant on the pool deck who was able to swap towels. When I sailed RCI in early 2014, the same system was in place. As for saving lounge chair, we saw a large number of guests laying claim to *their* chairs - some used clips to keep their towels on the chairs during high winds. This is despite MSC's claim that saving chairs is not permitted.

(alcohol leaving restaurant) We had the Mealtime Beverage Package, which, among other things, provides for unlimited wine by the glass, and draft beer. I ordered wine with dinner on the first two nights. Each glass of wine was acquired from the bar. On the third night, when I ordered my wine, the assistant server brought a full bottle, and filled my glass when appropriate. I had not finished the bottle by the end of the meal, so the server asked me if I wanted to take the bottle with me (I obliged). My receipt showed that the wait staff had processed the wine as six glasses, in lieu of one bottle (likely for bookkeeping purposes). I believe providing the bottle (versus individual glasses) was a convenience factor for me, and a time saving effort for them. Regardless, I was able to leave the restaurant with the partially filled bottle with no issue.

I'm also in a Fantastica cabin. In addition to the 12 drink vouchers pp, I purchased an 18 drink pkg for $84.00. That should do us very well. I don't know about the free coupons, but on the Divina, the 18 coupon package also gave us the specialty coffees and Gelatos.

Check the math on the 18 vouchers for $84 ... that would be $4.66 per voucher. If you are going to use those vouchers for specialty coffees, it would be better to opt for either the $29 Coffee Package (15 x $1.93), or the $49 Non-Alcoholic package (18 x $2.72).

They are totally different, Disney is great for kids not adults.

Totally incorrect! We have sailed DCL almost 20 times - only twice with children. There is a plethora of adults who sail without kids. That aside, many DCL Platinum Castaway Club members are leaving DCL for other options for reasons I previously noted. During the second Save Disney campaign (2003 - 2005), Roy E. Disney castigated Michael Eisner for turning the Walt Disney Company into a rapacious conglomerate. I believe Disney has once again positioned itself in the same situation.

User friendly comparison at Vacations To Go website

When did you book your Seaside cruise? We are sailing 4/28

Don't worry about the ice cream ... gelato is only $2 per cup. Log into your cruise account ... check the different beverage packages (the ones with vouchers) ... some include ice cream. In December, we opted for the Coffee Package, which provided 15 vouchers for $29. For less than $2 each, we used the vouchers for frozen coffee drinks, which were priced at $3.75 - $4.50 each (plus gratuity), though Cappuccino was only $2.25. If you pre-purchase a food or beverage package, the gratuity is already included. If you buy the same package on the ship, you pay extra for the gratuity. As a side note, some packages (including the Coffee Package) can ONLY be purchased prior to the cruise.

For our upcoming cruise this summer, we have the included Fantastica Beverage package (for those booking Fantastica Experience). We are opting for the Coffee Package again, but will be adding the All Inclusive Non-Alcoholic Package (18 vouchers, $49 (@ $2.72 each)). I am not sure if the All-Inclusive Non-Alcoholic Packages include a small or large gelato. If it only includes the small gelato, it would be cheaper to charge it to your room versus using a voucher.

Here's how we will be splitting our beverage packages (2 adults in stateroom):

- Fantastica Beverage Package: I will use most (if not all) of the vouchers allotted to both of us, for either beer, wine, or a cocktail.

- Coffee Package: We will split these on an even basis

- All-Inclusive Non-Alcoholic Drink Pass: My wife will use most (if not all) of the vouchers for either smoothies or milkshakes, and will likely utilize them during lunch on the ship, upon returning from shore, and again at dinner (2nd seating).

ALL-INCLUSIVE NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINK PASS - $49 ($2.72 each)

18 non-alcoholic drink vouchers; bars and restaurants: non-alcoholic cocktails, smoothies, milk shakes, fruit juices, premium mineral water, coffee and chocolate based drinks, takeaway ice cream in a cone or cup.

We have sailed DCL 7 times all from Port Canveral. I have been reading about the MSC Seaside from Miami starting next december. I have been so hesitant to leave DCL, but know there must be other experiences that make a fun vacation. We typically cruise for the ship and not necessarily the ports. What we like about DCL, is the Disney theme, but that's not the be all end all! My kids really like pools and water slides, so DCL is not really a great experiences for that anyway. We could book our NH april vacation next year on MSC for under $5000 in Yacht club cabin which i think is great. Anyone offer thoughts for MSC travelling with families?

We have been sailing DCL since 1999, but have given up on DCL as of 2015. Their prices are sky-rocketing, while their customer service and perks are plunging. We opted for MSC's Loyalty Match, which provided us with their highest loyalty - based upon my loyalty with DCL. MSC will match loyalty status with most cruise lines, and many hotels.

Why not sail both? The Divina will be lower cost, and I believe the Seaside will be a destination ship. We sailed the Divina in December, and will sail her again this summer. We are booked on the Seaside for Spring 2018, and will book her again, as I want to visit their private island - Ocean Cay.

MSC offers a loyalty match program, based upon your status with most cruise lines, or some hotels

A link to an article on the Seaside (page 50 - 51) is pasted below.

http://www.lehtiluukku.fi/lehti/cruise-business-review/_read/1-2017/141362.html

A link to an article on the Seaside (page 50 - 51) is pasted below.

http://www.lehtiluukku.fi/lehti/cruise-business-review/_read/1-2017/141362.html

I'm Emerald on Royal, and sailed on the Divina last May. They are different, but we totally enjoyed MSC. Great cruise prices compared to Royal, and good drink packages available. The ship itself is amazingly luxurious in the public areas, and there is live music in the lounges every night. I believe the food is comparable. They don't have a whole lot of games poolside as does Royal, but they have theme nights 3 nights poolside. They don't have a Royal Promenade (who else does?), but they make good use of the Atrium. We've booked a 2nd MSC cruise for April, 2018 on the new Seaside. I hope this helps somewhat.

When in April are you sailing? We are part of a group of 350+/- sailing on the Seaside on April 28th.

I guess it depends what you really like with RC and what keeps you going with them?

 

I think the key differences you'll note with MSC are that the food is different - expect 6 or 7 courses. Lobster and steak don't really feature on the menu. The current fleet don't have loads of speciality restaurants like you get on RC

 

The entertainment is different - owing to the multi-lingual passengers it's more about dance and music than singing / comedy - where RC and NCL have shows like Grease and Priscilla, MSC don't.

The main dining rooms on the Divina do not have 6 - 7 courses, though you can opt for a tasting menu in Galaxy Restaurant (one of three specialty dining on the ship). Galaxy Restaurant also offers an a-la-carte menu. Whole lobster dinners are available in all specialty dining restaurants for about $20. I believe it is offered in the main dining rooms as well, though there is a surcharge. Based upon the low cruise fare, I have no objections to the surcharge.

I liked all of the shows on the Divina, except for one - which was okay. Divina has two Vegas style shows - StarWalker (Michael Jackson) and The Mask - which I believe are top notch. The entertainment is non-stop, high energy ... not something which I experienced on Freedom of the Seas. Personally, I have found that comedians and jugglers (etc) on many cruise lines are lacking in entertainment value. That aside, MSC Seaside will feature a comedy lounge when it debuts in Miami (December 2017), and will also have nine restaurants. A link to an article on the Seaside (page 50 - 51) is pasted below.

MSC offers a loyalty match program, based upon your status with most cruise lines, or some hotels

http://www.lehtiluukku.fi/lehti/cruise-business-review/_read/1-2017/141362.html