monn_a

I don't know if this is the pattern (it's like this on other ships) every other cabin has bed by the balcony (they are modular drop ins of a sort). I had 8158A (Valiant Lady) which is pictured in the links above (by Gretchendz), I had 8146A (Scarlet Lady) bed was by the balcony and I had 8126A (Resilient Lady) bed was by the door. My next sailing I will be on deck 10 in 130A (Resilient Lady) by my figuring it should be by the balcony...time will tell...

I think people are misunderstanding what's happening.  This is a big scam right now. There are people with stolen credit cards booking trips for people (acting as "travel agents"), they advertise these really cheap rates. You give them ~$500, the use the stolen card to book it, they have your "legal" money and you get caught using a stolen card for the booking. The prey on the most vulnerable, untraveled people. They aren't asked to do anything for them (like the officers are trying to get her to admit) they are just laundering money so to speak.

Do the people booking it know that there's problem something illegal being done? Probably but they take the chance because if they can get away with it they get a cheap trip (something they will probably never get to do otherwise) I would put money on the fact that there are a few that actually believe they just got lucky and got a good deal. There really are gullible people in the world and people that don't weigh the risk or recognize they're being scammed.

It's perspective we don't always see how people can be taken like this if you've never lived in that environment or been exposed to these kind of cons.

For reference, I had an 1145 flight out of Athens after the Greek Glow cruise, I got off of Resilience Lady in Athens with the earliest group ~730 (easy peasy disembarkation) I booked the bus to the airport via Virgin (8AM) and made it to the airport and through customs with plenty of time to spare.  I was a bit stressed reading reviews prior to the trip that one should book later than 1PM or so but was very relieved that I made it. Definitely to save yourself some stress book it later but it's doable (as long as conditions are in your favor)

Ship: Scarlet Lady

Cabin#: 146A

Deck #: 8

Cabin Category: Central Sea view Terrace

Sleeps: 1, 2, 3  or 4

Cabin Location: (Port,  Starboard, Forward, Aft) - Port (A)- Mid Ship

Terrace/Window/Obstruction: No

Noise Issues?: No

Wind Issues?: No

Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?: No

Hammock: Yes /No

Metal/Glass Terrace: Glass

Advantages/Problems: Close to stairs and elevators (but not too close), convenient to everything.

Would You Book Again?: Definitely

Comments: For Reference the bed was near the balcony

8 hours ago, flamingos said:

Technically, yes - but they don't seem to have noticed that yet.  Why is he taking on cruise ships but not airlines?

 

Maybe because airlines are outside of his jurisdiction.  They are bound by Federal mandates.🤷‍♂️

On 7/6/2021 at 5:07 PM, BecciBoo said:

Same here, definitely not like the old and wonderful Portofino's which we used to love.

Portofino's was way better than both Jamie's and Giovannis. I think Jamie's disappointed me more than Giovanni's though.

3 hours ago, kearney said:

How about Malta instead...now that is a nice destination.... and where Celebrity ships are registered...

Malta is nice and Royal does go there on occasion, went there on Brilliance years ago. I think it was substituted for Tunisia during a time of unrest

I suppose everyone has a different experience. NCL is not my favorite line but as a solo cruiser I have had some of the best experiences with them, in as far as the cruise line was concerned.  I have not had situations where I didn't feel welcomed by other guest, but then again I don't put a lot into whether I am or not.  I know this was a Costa thread but I wasn't seeking a recommendation, just wanted to share my personal experience with MSC because it was mentioned that they just recently started opening up to solo travelers.  That's not the case I traveled with them solo 7 years ago when they were first entering the US market.  I chose the line and time I travel based on the itinerary and price (to a degree).  I too try to avoid high season. I do not, however, mind the newer ships because they offer more distractions and opportunities to entertain myself.

I'm 56 my first solo cruise I was 43

Old thread but I want to note something from experience.  First, I sailed MSC in 2013 as a solo with two other people who also booked as solo's. Separate bookings no problems.  Second, I have also tried to book as a solo on Royal and not been able to get a cabin and called and was told something similar...that capacity wouldn't allow for a solo cabin to be booked. It's an algorithm they use to determine capacity.  They will also block 3 or 4 people in cabins that allow it if it doesn't match the numbers they need or have.  Royal use to do single rates at time - 110-150% (I've been sailing solo for 14 years), but they rarely do that anymore because they can make as much money from a solo cruise as a double cabin without spending as much.  NCL is by far the best solo cruise line, the whole "freestyle" concept makes that so.  I am/was a big Royal cruiser but I've ventured out and am finding that cruising as a solo is way more mainstream than it was when I took my first solo cruise in 2006.  As for Costa I have not sailed them but I was booked last year as a solo I cancelled and changed line, strictly for destination reasons.

I'm not addressing each post individually, but this was my experience. You go and have yours. Thank you to those who understood this. If something in particular was unclear or confusing ask. I will not go anywhere and tolerate the service and attitude we received. I don't expect to be treated like royalty or anything else, but I do expect to be treated with courtesy because that's how I try to treat others. That alone was enough to sour the experience.

As for the low maintenance issue I cancelled because I couldn't take another week on the ship...that has nothing to do with my maintenance. Different strokes and all...it wasn't for me and I'm done but for those of you that are happy with MSC help yourselves. I will continue to cruise and I will cruise the lines that I chose.

I do agree that if anyone wants to go don't base it on the reviews of others. We went even after reading all the reviews we could because everyone's viewpoint and expectations are different. I can't emphasize enough that these were my experiences.

I stand corrected on the moonwalking issue, perhaps my vantage point was not as clear. I still wasn't impressed with the show.

Happy Sailing!

I would have responded earlier but I didn't get any subscription emails (for some reason) and I just don't visit the site that much anymore.

Hi monn_a,

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and for share your candid comments. At MSC Cruises, we always hope to exceed your expectations and it appears that we did not accomplish that goal. If you'd like to share more feedback about your experience, please feel free to email our Customer Service Department at customer-srvc@msccruisesusa.com with more details.

 

Regards,

Thank you for responding I did contact them directly after the cruise...I never heard anything back. But I'm good. I just wanted to post MY experience.

I do want to add that when we went to cancel the second voyage they asked us the reason why and had us fill out a form. I explained about the rudeness of the Maitre 'D and the waiter. The woman at guest relations took their names and offered to have our service charges removed which we did (thinking I would just give my room attendant his in cash, but the asst. waiter I liked so this caused conflict with me. I did notice a difference in the dining room after that. I went back to guest relations and had my service charges reapplied. I wanted to note this because nothing was done when I initially complained about this.

This review is a bit late, a lot of life got in the way post cruise. It won’t be a day by day review with pictures just some information for those thinking about cruising with MSC.

I cruised with 2 other friends, that I met on a previous cruises. We are all veteran cruisers, I have cruised with several lines for a total of 35 cruises. We booked this cruise because MSC was running a super sale and the prices were too good to pass up and since it was an unknown line and ship it was a perfect time to try it out. We booked a back to back for the March 15th and March 22nd sailings. However we disembarked on the 22nd and didn’t return for the second half of the trip. These are my opinions and observations only.

Pre cruise planning is not MSC’s strong point the website is not very intuitive, but it can be done. Everything you sign up for is charged to your onboard account so nothing is prepaid. Not a deal breaker but I like to get a lot of that out of the way ahead of time so I don’t have a big bill getting off the ship.

I will address the things that MSC did well first, as they weren’t many. Their drink packages are a good value. They offer several options, from all inclusive to very tailored, in the form of coupons and on your card. All depending on the package you chose.

The cabins were nice nothing exceptional but roomy with plenty of storage. I had a decent size balcony. My couch had a nasty rip in it that never got fixed, though I was told it was going to be fixed. My room attendant was the only stand out on the ship. He was awesome and went way above what was expected on a couple of occasions.

The ship itself was well maintained, the staff was constantly cleaning and wiping. Aesthetically the ship was nice, not over the top gorgeous as I was led to believe but nice. The Solstice class ships are nicer in my opinion.

There were some hidden jewels…the gelato is delicious and the sports bar had really good fare. It’s worth an afternoon trip. The pizza in the buffet was pretty good, certainly worth a late night trip and the make your own sandwiches (in the buffet) were decent.

We did the winemaking class, which was a treat. It’s a outside program, but you do get to mix wine and take the bottle(s) home with your own label.

The rest.

My first disappointment of the cruise happened only 10 minutes after embarking. We were placed on late dining but had requested early. So when I boarded I went straight to the Maître ‘d to see if we could have it changed. When I got to the front of the line I explained my issue to the Maitre ‘d (who looked totally disinterested) and his first response was “Did you really expect to get your choice in seating when you booked the cruise so late?” I was flabbergasted. Never in all of my cruises had I experienced such rudeness. I am a pretty low maintenance cruiser, I don’t complain unless it’s a severe infraction. So we continued I explained to him that my cruise ticket had early dining on it but my card said late and then I politely asked him if there were any seats left in early for us. Again a rude response, instead of just saying not at the moment, he said “I already explained this to you”, which he hadn’t so at this point I’m losing my patience. He finally puts us on a waiting list. Before I stepped away I asked him about my drink vouchers (because my instructions said to retrieve them from the maitre ‘d). Again rude, he said they would be at our table that evening. It’s early afternoon at this point, so I said I have to pay for any drinks I want until 8:45 tonight even though I purchased a drink package? His response was “What you can’t wait until tonight to drink?” at this point the gentleman sitting next to him piped up and said I will help you with that. He directed me to the casino bar to pick up my vouchers, how simple was that? Nothing was easy on this trip..a lot of misinformation and misdirection. I initially blew this off as the only glitch in the trip. How wrong I was. We did get moved to early seating on the second night of the cruise.

Food is always a matter of opinion I have not been on any cruise line where I think the food is exceptional. I have had some really good meals but nothing super special. With that being said the food was on par with most lines, the biggest issue is lack of choices in the MDR. The few pasta dishes I tried were pretty good, but most nights just about everyone at our table ordered from the alternative menu (the steak). The biggest problem we had a dinner was the rude staff (new table-early seating). Our waiter was not personable at all. On the first night he wanted us to order our dessert with dinner, some at the table did some did not. I did not, so when dessert time came around he stuck the menu in my face and said “order something”, I hadn’t even had a chance to look at the menu, since he only brought one menu back to the table other people wanted to look at the menu to change their orders. He informed them that they couldn’t do that. What a joke, he then snatched the menu from them and put it back in my face and said order again…for that very act I took my sweet time and some of the others changed their orders, which in no way made him happy. This happened again on the second night, even after we went to guest relations

Entertainment. Everyone raved about the entertainment on the ship. It was a bit disappointing. The first night the show was Alice (in wonderland- of sorts). It was a cirque style show. It was a good show, but every show after was pretty much the same routines with some added stunts here and there just different costumes. If it wasn’t cirque style it was opera. I don’t have a problem with opera or classical music but it gets repetitive and boring. They did a Michael Jackson show which was laughable at best. It was all lip synced and the even the “moonwalking” was faked by a sliding stage. When they actually sung a song it was with an Italian accent. After the main shows there was very little to do on the ship in the evenings. There was a piano bar but it was small and always packed. Not much to do on sea days either.

On the third day of the cruise we had made a decision that we couldn’t do another week on this ship. We went to guest relations and cancelled our next voyage. The cruise was cheap enough that we weren’t going to lose much and we’d get our taxes back (which were more than the cost of the cruise). All said my cruise motto has been even the worse cruise is better than being at work, but this one proved to be the exception.

Final notes, the ship is difficult to navigate, lots of dead ends and up and downs to move forward. The photo place is right in the middle of the only thoroughfare on the ship that goes from bow to stern without a detour…so it is always congested and hard to move through.

The MDR is table on top of table, literally no room to move around. Several times we would have to get out of our seats for waiters to move around the table or for others to get to their tables. I know ships tend to pack them in but I have never seen a dining room as tight as this.

I think I have said all I need to say, again these are my observations.

You have to go the Already Booked link and select Find your Excursions. From there you'll have to click the link Reserve your Excursions (or something similar), you'll see it, it's bright red. You'll have to enter your booking number and other info. Once on the excursion sight you'll see drink package options and excursions for your cruise (by port)

I hope this helps!

Desmond is the best...he use to be in the Viking Crown on Sovereign and Monarch...I just got of on Monday (3/3) and he was in the Schooner Bar. This was the first time in years I've seen him out of the Viking. I was expecting to see him in the DL but he said he was placed there (SB) for this rotation. New bar manager...

In another thread MSC_USA states that this has been withdrawn for the Carribbean cruise dates. Has anyone successfully booked and received the Allegrissimo Escape carnets on a Divina cruise out of Miami?

I was able to book it online (as were my traveling companions) for my upcoming March 15th cruise.

Just FYI,there is another thread that list the "new" packages for US sailings...and none of those were available for my sailing...

The other thing we found out about is that none of the people can have a Captain's Club or Azamara loyalty membership. It doesn't matter if they're "new" to Royal Caribbean; if they've sailed with any of the cruise lines under the Royal Caribbean corporate blanket, they're not eligible.

I was able to get it for a friend of mine who had sailed Celebrity but never Royal. I just did it online, entered her reservation number and birthday and it worked...

Hello All I cruise solo 98% of the time, sometimes with other solo friends...I love it...

my next solo cruise is October 18th, 2014 on NCL Getaway...anyone going on that one.

I did on three different occasions...two of those were the same couple on two different ships (Allure and Epic) different cruise lines (RCCL and NCL [of course]) and the other was and ex boyfriend with his new wife.

I have one from a Michael Jackson trivia contest (Med cruise):

The song was "I want you back" but the staff member said they would give credit for "ABC" as they are the same song...:) I don't think so!

I've done it before, you just have to ask for the resolution department...it was very easy no problems...

I rarely order room service, but I'm curious. Is that a permanent change or just for this holiday sailing, today only? :confused:

BTW...hope you're ok from the falls

I had 12715 on my last Allure cruise (and by chance have it booked again), though it's a deck up I loved the view. We could see the ocean (small) and the aqua theater.