Elkins45

Since I’m solo on this cruise it’s not BOGO. If NCL doesn’t provide travel assistance with their air then there’s really no advantage to book with them.

No, I still have the option of changing my flights to arrive the day before. I just wanted to know if there was some sort of backstop if I gambled on arriving on the day of departure.

I’ve booked an Alaskan cruise from Seward to Vancouver. I did my flights through NCL and their vacation planner insists that I will be fine flying in the day of the cruise, and that they can’t book transfer for people coming in the day before unless they also book their (very expensive) hotel. If I elect to fly in day-of and book a transfer thru NCL does that offer any sort of protection? I know with Princess if you book air thru them and miss the cruise they say they will get you to the next port so you can board there. I have no idea (thankfully) how that works in practice, but at least they say they will. If I’m left sitting in an airport because my connecting flight was cancelled will NCL do anything, or am I just screwed in every possible way and on my own to get back home after wasting all that money?

I’m not sure the MSC executives back in the home office really understand the US cruise market just yet.

I'm surprised not to see this port here in Departures (instead of Ports of Call) since there are several cruises that depart from either Seward or Whittier. I'm looking at one of the NCL cruises from Seward to Vancouver and am trying to get info on how it works to board at Seward. It appears you fly into Anchorage and then take a 2+ hour bus ride to the port, correct? It would seem to be almost a give that you would come in the day before, especially if traveling from the east coast. Does anyone have hotel recommendations that are close to the airport but also convenient to port transportation? Are there any particular transport options to the port you would recommend? In doing some searching it looks like there's a train as well as a bus.

“Such a low score is virtually unheard of.” That’s not a phrase you like to read about your upcoming cruise.

My wife and I are scheduled to cruise on this ship in October. It’s her first MSC cruise. I suppose I’d better stock up on Imodium. https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2023/05/articles/disease/msc-seaside-flunks-usph-health-inspection-with-score-of-67/

Can you see the cost of flights before you book or does this option only appear after you have a reservation? I’ve been trying to find info but it seems to be well-hidden on the NCL website. We’ve never sailed with them before.

I looked back at the cost of my two sailings in 2021, both four days cruises from Port Canaveral. The first was an interior room on the Divina with drinks and wifi for $269. The second was a balcony on Miraviglia for $160, no other perks. In May of 2022 I did a seven day interior (drinks and wifi) on Divina for $480. I can't imagine ever getting prices like those again.

It won't let me send you a DM.

I’ve only sailed MSC as a solo cruiser and have paid my fare just like a normal person. My wife is a big slot machine player and so we almost always sail for free on all the lines where we’ve been together. All those companies send her brochures with great offers like free suites, casino free play, free drinks, etc. Usually there are tons of different ships, dates and destinations to choose from. Since we started cruising she’s never paid a cruise fare. They’ve all been comped. We’ve been considering booking an MSC cruise together with the idea that after the first one she will be on MSC’s casino comp list and will get free offers, but that’s an assumption. How does MSC reward their casino big spenders? Is it similar to Princess or Celebrity or do they do their own thing?

Thank you for this, and thanks to everyone else for their input.

I’m considering a Divina cruise from Miami that goes to Colon, Panama and then on to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. The MSC USA website has almost no detail on what’s available to do. For those of you who have done this cruise, is it possible to take an excursion to the canal? I would hate to be that close and not see, and preferable go through, the Panama Canal.

For a while they were regularly offering truly free balcony upgrades in the US. I prefer that over the not-actually free drinks package. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen one of those in a while. I used the balcony upgrade on Meraviglia in late 2021 and it was nice.

Food and fuel prices are up everywhere, so cruise prices will have to reflect this. In the US market they are still a better deal for solo cruisers but not by as much of a margin as they once were. My first sailing with MSC was on Divina in September 2021. It was only the second or third sailing since the shutdown. I think I paid $350 including port fees for a four night with drinks and wi-fi, and there were only about 800 people on board. I think that spoiled me for any future solo cruises with any cruise line.

Http://www.msccruisesusa.com is where I have booked all my cruises, but of course I live in the USA so I have no idea how things are for you in England.

Maybe it’s only for cruises sailing from the US? Booking on the MSC USA site shows a significant cost reduction for a one person booking.

Same here. We’ve used them three times now with no complaints.

I’ve only had the Guy’s burger post-shutdown, but I don’t think they are anything special. It just seems like your average cheeseburger you can get in almost any restaurant. I’m not sayin they’re bad, just that they’re not particularly magical.

I can’t vouch for any of these but I’m planning to try one of them. https://www.charlestonvoyage.com/park-cruise-hotels.html

I’ve sailed MSC from there three times in the last year. Boarding was fast and efficient. I used an offsite parking company so I can’t speak to parking at the port.

Our July Alaska cruise was a Blue Chip offer. We cruised on X the first time last summer. My wife loves the casino so I wasn’t surprised that she received the offer. We’ve only paid the booking fee for two cruises ever. Our first Carnival Alaska cruise and first X. All the others have been casino offers. Some of them have been really amazing, including one Princess cruise last fall that came with free drinks and WiFi for both of us and $1k free play for her. I don’t gamble but I get to tag along with her for free.

Celebrity has the best food, cabins and crew are about the same across all of them. Celebrity and Princess for entertainment. None were what I would call a bad experience.

LOL the cheap rate I was looking at vanished after midnight. Bad timing I guess.

We enjoyed them all. Celebrity probably the most because the food and entertainment were both so good. We have been on a couple of Carnival cruises where the unruly kids and drunks detracted from the experience, but not to the point we wouldn’t go again. Princess is sort of our go-to because they’re a bit more upscale but not excessively so.