Never too young to cruise

Hi, I cruised with MSC 3 years ago and stopped in Genoa with then 6 year old daughter. There's a fantastic aquarium that is a short stroll along the promenade that is well worth a visit. I remember it being dearer than others I have been to, but its the best I've been to too.

Definitely safe for a 13 year old. I'm 40 and slept in one very comfortably when my daughter wanted to sleep in 'mummy's bed' when sailing on Royal Carribbean ship last year. There's a little ladder up to the Pullman bed, but I just climbed up from the double bed below and a 13 year old could do it easy.

16 hours ago, Brum84 said:

One thing I’m wondering about with 2 footy mad kids is whether the sports pitch is open? Are there set times for the kids to play football and if so do you know how regular the slots are?

 

thanks 

As i understand it, the sports pitch is closed off until such the as the kids club use it for organised activities. This is the information being dished out on a MSC Facebook group anyway. How accurate it is I do not know.

But I would not be surprised if facilities / activities change from week to week. I think MSC is still finding its feet and adapting to the new way of cruising and passenger make up.

There'll be loads to do elsewhere. If if your kids are footy mad, they timed it just right with Premiership kicking off that weekend!

Im on this cruise too with wife and 6 year old daughter and we're really looking forward to it.

I take the negative reviews with a pinch of salt; some people just can't be pleased.

We sailed on the MSC Seaview a couple of years ago and enjoyed the MSC experience. I know this cruise will be different and it's a shame that passengers can only get off the ship on a MSC excursion (which are very limited in number and appear  predominantly coach-based), but a holiday is what you make of it. Focus on the positive and try to forgive and forget the negative. 

See you on board!

4 minutes ago, Malibustacey79 said:

Ahh I see, that makes sense. We returned from the Virtuosa today (also NHS rates) and spent our OBC on the Mexican restaurant, some gifts (mainly perfumes), a couple of photos and the casino. At the moment we only have a £1k deposit paid so might be a bigger difference once the balance is paid…But! The casino cashes out in ££ so you don’t need to be stuck with any.

 

Can I just check; did you have to rebook onto a later cruise or were you allowed to bring it forward at all?

Both sailings were the same date (14 August). I would expect to be able to bring the date forward though to be honest

On 6/16/2021 at 5:35 PM, dritan said:

Thanks I think I'll wait for the announcement then.  I did get a response back which use the term "we have not cancelled the August cruise yet" - which makes me think only bad news is coming the UK's way for Med cruises this summer.  

I crumbled and cancelled my Med cruise a couple of days ago, and swapped it for the Virtuoso sailing out of Southampton instead.

Not all bad though - I only got 10% NHS discount on the Orchestra, but MSC were offering 30% NHS discount on the Virtuoso - I'm about £700 up!

23 minutes ago, Malibustacey79 said:

Thanks for all replies. Sidari - totally agree, so frustrating. As far as I can see, there are still no flight times assigned to our Fly Cruise in August…arghhh I just don’t know what to do!!

 

If I was to pay the balance (approx £4K) then cancel under flexible booking policy, would I get the difference refunded if I changed to a cheaper cruise? I’m thinking would be more likely to swap for one for just two of us rather than with the kids. 

Just 2 days ago, I cancelled my Orchestra cruise out of Venice on 14 August 2021, and swapped it for the Virtuoso from Southampton.

I was amazed that there was a 30% reduction on the fare with the NHS discount, so I had a surplus of £700.

The money is not refunded, but will be changed to on-board credit instead.

Now I've got to think of what to spend £700 on when we're already on a Premium Drinks package?! I'm sure my better half will think of something 

On a similar theme, I noticed that the itinerary for MSC Orchestra changed in the website and I did not hear from MSC until about a month later by email. 

MSC informed me that the itinerary had changed, and that I could either 1. get a refund or 2. stay on the cruise and have €200 OBC as compensation.

Well, I took the €200 because I was content with the change anyway!

Well I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I can head from the UK and sail on the Orchestra from Venice on 14 August.

I've made the final payment so will be gutted if MSC cancel it to UK passengers.

It is my understanding that if MSC cancel it then they will offer me 125% FCC of the money I have paid (which is just shy of £3000). 

If I had only paid my deposit of £300 when MSC cancel, would they still give 125% FCC of £3000, or would it only be 125% of the deposit amount of £300 (an extra £75)?

In September 2020 I booked the Orchestra out of Venice in August 2021. I booked directly with MSC.

I got a NHS discount but it was only 10%, which was all priced-up in advance. I was told that the bigger discounts were for the off-peak sailings. I got an extra 5% as sailed MSC before, and the price I got was still great because it included all gratuities and the Premium Drinks package. 

On 4/23/2021 at 12:37 AM, dritan said:

Nice!  I'm going ahead and booking the Seaside.  Just want to have something to look forward to, which might not actually get cancelled 😉

I really like the look of the Seaside itinerary. If it wasn't for the hassle of changing flights I would join you on the Seaside!

Well I hope they do open up to the UK, because I'm booked on the Orchestra out of Venice on 14 August and am desperate to get away! Funnily enough I got an email from MSC UK today slightly changing my intinerary, and giving me €200 onboard spend for the inconvenience.

9 hours ago, dexddd said:

MSC trying hard in Europe to get going but typically last to notify or cancel.  My understanding is you are basically under their lift and shift rules.  Us who booked early only option is to cancel before final.

 

 

 

 

Does anyone know the likelihood of MSC cancelling any of the Med itineraries this season, or is there literally no point in second guessing?  

Yes I read the topic Flexible Cruise Programme and the link in the thread; it seems that my booking would qualify.  But it doesn't say how long I would have to re-book, or how long I could delay sailing.

I booked a Med cruise on 16 September 2020 to sail on MSC Orchestra for 7 nights on 14 August 2021 from Venice.

The booking is for me, my wife, and our 6 year old daughter. 

Naively, when I booked it I thought that Covid may have died down a bit by August 2021 and things may have returned to a degree of normality. But I fear I am wrong about that.

Firstly, what are the chances of the cruise simply being cancelled by MSC?

Secondly, I do not mind wearing a mask on the ship but it's the excursion arrangements that I don't like. As I understand it, passengers will not be permitted to wonder off the ship to explore on their own, and must book an MSC excursion.

Having looked at the available excursions recently published, there are very few that would be suitable for a 6 year old.

We cruised on the Seaview in 2019 when our daughter was 4 and we had a great time exploring the local towns and cities, doing our own thing (and booking a couple of excursions too); what are the chances of being able to do that in August 2021?

Thirdly, how does the flexible cruise program work? Can I just cancel it and get a refund because I don't like the arrangements, or can I cancel and get FCC? And if so, when must an alternative cruise be booked by, and when must the sailing be?

Thanks

Didn't use them anywhere else tone honest. Enjoy!

2 hours ago, pjfnme said:

Did you have any free time at all during the tour to grab a bite to eat for lunch or purchase a souvenir or is everything really regimented? I know that it has to be to some extent due to the sheer volume of things to see vs available time, but I hate feeling overly rushed.  

Hi, I agree with the previous comment. It was a busy day but I didn't feel rushed at all. The guide will drop you off at each location and say 'right, meet back here in 25 minutes'. At the Trevi fountain, we had 45 minutes to have a walk round, get some lunch etc. Plenty of time to be honest.  

I was moved back to my original allocated 'Fantastica' room (at my request) so didn't find out whether I was eligible for any extra perks.

By the sound of other threads, the answer would have been 'no'.

I had a good cruise though all the same.

27 minutes ago, ls51096 said:

we r going with my 6year old.daughter 🙂 any tips on and off the ship? did u take any excursions? did you go the cinque terre villages?

In Genoa we went to the aquarium. It's massive and very good, albeit quite expensive. Two adults and child over 4 is about €80 (we booked on the acquarium website and got tickets online) but worth it in my opinion. It's a 15 minute walk from the ship and easy to find with other amenities around. We didn't walk into the centre of Genoa; bit too far and 4 year old isn't interested in impressive architecture to be honest!

12 minutes ago, ls51096 said:

we r going with my 6year old.daughter 🙂 any tips on and off the ship? did u take any excursions? did you go the cinque terre villages?

La Spezia is a lovely port. There is a very short shuttle from the ship to the cruise terminal, and then you can walk along the promenade. Adjacent to the promenade is a park with a decent play area too, so nice to walk through.

We did not visit the cinque terra villages, but we did get the public ferry that goes from La Spezia to Porto Venere first (about 35 minutes) and then onto the five villages of cinque terra if you wanted to stay on. We got off at Porto Venere and it's a lovely harbour, with an old church and lovely views out across the Mediterranean. 

Porto Venere is a UNESCO world heritage site. 

A return ticket is €13 per adults and I think €8 for 5 and over. The small ferry dock is only 10 minutes walk from the cruise terminal, turning left and walking along the promenade.

This is Porto Venere

I got off the Seaview last week, and did not have a drinks package.

The Easy drinks package is any drink up to €6. It will get you draft Heineken lager (€5.50 for 40cl), glasses of red and white wine (I think there are two of each at that price point), prosecco, and then spirit + mixer drinks like rum and coke etc. Any other lager/beer is bottled and over the €6 Easy limit.

Any 'cocktail' (as opposed to spirit and mixer) is €8 to €12, so would not be covered by the Easy package. And you don't pay the difference, you pay the full amount + 15% service charge.

It depends what and how much you drink. The Wine and Cocktails bar always did an hour of 2 for 1 cocktails normally from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, and this included the €12 'smoking' cocktails. Something to bare in mind, especially considering what dinner siting you have.

I got off the Seaview last week. You could be at the airport by 9.30am no worries, but the delay will be at the airport checking in bags, going through security etc.

Take a later flight if you can get one to lesson any risk.

I went with my wife and 4 year old daughter. Let me know if you want any ideas of things to do whilst your with your little one. Or any information about the ports (presume Barcelona, Ajaccio, Genoa, La Spezia, Civitiveccia, Cannes and Palma) 

I have just come off the Seaview, so can answer your questions no bother.

You can get off the ship about 15 to 20 minutes after it has docked.

With regards to disembarkation, you can either take your own luggage off from anytime disembarkation opens.

If you want the cruiseline to take off your big bags, you have to leave them outside your cabin by 1am, and collect them in the cruise terminal just like collecting bags at the airport.

You will be given a time to disembark (mine was 8.45am) and be told to wait in the theatre 15 minutes beforehand.

I have to say that enforcement of the disembarkation time is non existent - the cruiseline only does it to try and stagger people and avoid a mass exodus.

I got off at the appointed time, but on reflection could/should have stayed on until around midday and used the ships amenities for longer (although everyone had to vacate their cabin by 8.30am if I remember rightly) 

I should have added that my daughter is 4, and she was made very welcome in the Pan Asian restaurant.