Frode

MSC doesn't seem to know the meaning of goodwill. Do they not understand that the company's general reputation and the little goodwill they may still have (among some) will be further destroyed? 😵
Do yourself a favour; book a cruise line with a positive outlook that appreciates its customers (can especially recommend Celebrity or HAL) 👌

8 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

Sailing out of Kiel, since one week

@MarkusToeGrüsse aus Stockholm 🇸🇪 May I ask from which app/homepage you copied that very informative map showing MSC Seaview’s position and itinerary? Myself, I usually use Marine Traffic and Cruise Mapper…however, I liked the one you posted 👍

(PS! Deutsche Sprache ist kein Problem 😌 Tschüss)

21 hours ago, Bollinge said:

My travel agent doesn’t know, and I suspect his MSC contacts won’t know either.

The big bosses must know!

I very well understand what you mean!

Was myself employed at MSC Cruises as an Account Manager (Sales Rep) for quite a number of years, and we as employees very often read info about product news etc (ie important for our sales work) on external cruise pages before it was distributed internally 🙄

That experience was always depressing, very often downright embarrassing - and this fact certainly did not contribute to any positive emotions from the customers 

Living in Stockholm (Sweden) myself, it’s a pity your itinerary doesn’t include my home town 😢 The archipelago is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the world (the cruise from the open see in to the city centre lasts for approx 5 hrs), and the city itself is really nice with a lot of history and great highlights.

However, MSC Seaside is simply too large 🙄 - it’s even a way too large ship for me personally (I very well know - was myself employed 12 years at the company within sales & marketing).

Have visited all the cities you will go to. Personally, I would prefer all cruise shipping companies to boycott Russia 🇷🇺 - a terrible dictatorship ruled by the undemocratic Putin! 🤬👎

Let’s wait and see if your cruise in June will be sailing....after all our countries are more or less closed due to the Covid 😷 

We should be happy in case the cruises can start again during the summer season 2021 ... 😰

6 hours ago, AeroXWD said:

06.12 - Friday - Sea day - continued

 

Exhausted after having completed over 3100 steps this day

Wow - THAT many steps during a whole day... 😱  😂   You must be kidding....that's nothing (anyway, not when you're a Norwegian )!

6 hours ago, AeroXWD said:

 

A picture of the happy couple together, as requested by @Frode, playing with their phones.

 

Ha, ha - great photo of the two of you....NOT 🤣

Anyway; you seemed to have a nice evening 🥂

Nice location of your YC cabin 👍

You making me curious, though 😄 What is meant by the red lines at the photo?

Hello again fellow citizens (I'm a Norwegian myself - living in Sweden, though). Now we've seen the back of your wife (or maybe she is your fiancee or your girl friend 🙄) quite many times - and even your hairy legs 🤣
When will you give us a nice photo of the two of you love-birds...together?! Really looking forward to that! 🥂
I said it before - thank you for your very nice pics and interesting, short comments 👌

3 hours ago, AeroXWD said:

 

Quote

"In total there were five ships at GC that day, with two Carnival ships at anchor at the other side of the island."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I checked it up 😀 Those were the 5 ships in George Town that day (Wednesday 4th December)

 

 

 

1 hour ago, AeroXWD said:

After saying no thanks for the fiftieth time to both joints, bracelets, junk and other offers. We never felt unsafe, but it was pretty tiresome having to navigate every hawker in Ocho Rios. 

 

* We did have the same bad experience at another Jamaican port, i e Falmouth 😵 (not during a MSC cruise, though).
* Thanks for all your pictures which really are of a very high quality 😀 (I was thinking you were using professional equipment as well as a large portion of Photo Shop; and to learn that you had a Samsung mobile phone only surpriced me a lot).
* The vessel - at your pictures - mostly looks abandoned. I never seen so few people onboard a cruise ship 😎

 

1 hour ago, AeroXWD said:

We could also choose a newspaper to be delivered to our room daily. There were about three or four different Norwegian newspaper to choose from, and chose our favorite. 

And which one is your favourite? Did you choose "Aftenposten"? 😂
Enjoy your cruise in YC! 🛳️😀 Looking forward to read your story as well as take part in your upcoming experiences 🤪

(I am - like the two of you - a Norwegian, living in Sweden though - and was employed for 12 years at MSC's office in Stockholm....until I quit approx one year ago)

7 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

Why are you being so agressive, literally attacking the OP, who by the way is a fountain of knowledge and a well respected Guru on this forum.

Wow - my God! 😨 This is like a parody!  😂 Talk about overreacting - and not tolerating other interpretations/opinions. Is this OP (Beamafar) some kind of a Messiah....or what? 
I am sure we are many who are of the obvious opinion that "trainbuff" - and anybody else - can express themselves from their own experiences and information. Without being put in place and additionally being uncomfortably treated 

 

When you've booked Fantastica experience it does not guarantee you any desired time. Unfortunately, Fantasica does not mean that you are "guaranteed" your wishes.
In the end, MSC decides which session you get. The maitre'd is the right person to talk to - he usually has "office time" in the MDR during the afternoon after you've boardet the ship....

If you thought that the boarding process was messy, wait to see the disembarkation the last day 😫 
Based on my own experience from MSC Meraviglia in Europe, it is likely that there will be very long queues 😨 aboard the ship before everyone arrives ashore. And then...new queues are waiting in the terminal 😵

Have cruised many times onboard MSC, the latest one was a repositioning 17 nights in April from South America to Europe. The food in the main dining restaurant was very repetitive and dull; and the main dishes looked and tasted very much the same whatever you ordered. After half the cruise, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (6 days as open sea), we were longing home for decent food 😱

The buffet we found more or less like a school canteen.

(When it comes to the pizza onboard MSC - which so many seems to be so found of 🙄 - I don’t understand the fuzz. Pizza we possibly eat (if we like) at home, we don’t care about that onboard a cruise ship. 

Sorry MSC, after now having cruised many times onboard 5 different cruise line companies, we will not return to you.

Hi, I’m onboard MSC Poesia right now on a 17-nights repositioning/transatlantic cruise. We left Rio 🇧🇷 April 1st and will arrive to Copenhagen 🇩🇰 April 18th. Today we spent in Vigo 🇪🇸, Spain. 

Our 6 days Atlantic crossing was smooth and nice.

I guess there are around 95 % Brazilians onboard, and the main language onboard is Portugues 🇪🇸. 

I have been cruising >30 times onboard 5 different cruise companies, even onboard MSC a number of times.

The food onboard is very blend; very tasteless...it’s no variations. The best food is to be found at the buffet; at the Ethnic corner.

The shows are amateurish, the cruise director is embarrassing and his animation team is very childish.

The captain is more or less invisible and silent all the time (I’ve seen him twice).

The officers do not great you at all.

In fact, after 13 of 17 nights onboard...I am longing home! 🙄

18 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Although it's not an MSC ship involved, I thought there might some interest here in this story  (though, I expect the thread will be moved as it's not MSC related).

You´re so right! 😮
Why in the world write about this - which is about Viking Cruises (i e the cruise vessel MS Viking Sky) - on the MSC forum? 🙄 I think for sure that we all know how to look for information at the Viking Cruises forum.

I wonder  how it would look if everyone was constantly posting information about all other ships/shipping companies on all forums?! 😵

Hi, I've sailed onboard MSC Poesia before - and will be onboard the ship 1-18 April as well 😉

* The closest bar to your cabin 15008 will be the Piraña Bar at deck 13 (just walk/take the elevator down two floors - and there it is). It's an outside bar in the pool area. There is a bar inside the Aurea Spa section as well (even that in front of deck 13, right down from your cabin), however I believe they serve "health drinks" (juices) only (I doent believe they serve alcohol...but I may be wrong).
* When you preebook "Prosecco and Canape's" and other items to your cabin, it usually is served the first (or second) afternoon/evening,
* Concerning the free massage, you will get a voucher (together with your tickets or at check-in). Then, when onboard, you will have to contact the Spa Center (as soon as possible to get the time you prefer, by visiting or calling them) to make your booking.
Happy sailing! 🛥️

 

16 hours ago, panamapd said:

Upcoming we have an AIDA cruise booked and we have the Meraviglia, April 2019, for 3 nights. 

panamapd! I am very exited to read about your upcoming experience from AIDA 🚢 I e, due to the fact that the company is German; the onboard language is German and that 99 % (?) of the passengers are Germans 🤐
(I am trying to convince my dear wife to try AIDA - or even better Mein Schiff. From what I've read, AIDA is more main stream, while Mein Schiff is more quality and style. We live in Sweden; and we both do speak German. Unfortunately, my wife is so tired of going on cruises - which I am not 😎 Next cruise will be April 1st from Rio de Janeiro - Copenhagen, Denmark....for 17 nights 🤩 However, regrettably without my dear wife. I know - it's a tough life...but someone has to do it 🤣)

Hi 😊 Venice don't allow (really) big ships to enter the city. I believe that the actual max tonnage is 100.000 GT.
 

When it comes to MSC Cruises only 8 of their ships are arriving/departing Venice (i e the 4 ships within the MSC Lirica class/max 2.500 pax, and the 4 ships within the MSC Musica class/max approx 3.200 pax).
That means none of MSC's newer/bigger ships.

Venice is - I find - one of the most fanastic harbours/cities in the world to cruise from. Sailing through the channel next to the Saint Marks Square and -Basilika, as well as all the ancient buildings, is an fantastic experience. I usually recommend everybody who are thinking about going on a cruise in Europe to do that. Furthermore; when departing Venice the cruise ships - usually - visit great places in at the coastline of the Adriatic Sea....Croatia, Greece etc.

Be aware of the fact that within some few years, (probably) all cruise traffic will be prohibited in to the current cruise harbour (at the left side of the map). 
There are far advanced plans to build and launch a new cruise terminal....at the mainland - outside the city centre.
 

16 hours ago, jeepfan2006 said:

 I've been on almost 10 cruises, Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America. One of those was a solo. I've never been on the same ship twice (not intentionally, just worked out that way). For me, it's all about the ship. 

Hi - my I suggest that you book a cruise onboard Celebrity as well, i e their Solstice- or very new Edge class of ships !? It's a very nice product in every aspect ☝️
(Ourselves, we've so far cruised onboard NCL, MSC, RCI, Celebrity and HAL....next time I would very much like to book Oceania. After trying so many different cruise line companies and vessels, we've came to the conclusion that we prefer smaller cruise ships, i e a max capacity of 2000 passengers) 🛳️

3 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

I have heared it before that the deluxe package was included before the changes but MSC in Sweden still said that no specific drink package was/is included for passengers in the YC. We cruised on Meraviglia in July 2017 and then everything in the menu without * or with one * was included for the YC. No specific drink package is mentioned in our cruisedocuments from that cruise and not in the documents for our coming cruise either.

 

I will be happy if any kind of Champagne is included, like it was on Meraviglia, but even if it isn't we will for sure have a great cruise!

Sverigecruiser; you wrote the following above: ....."but MSC in Sweden still said that no specific drink package was/is included for passengers in the YC."...

What they mean is 🤓:
There is in fact no drink package (!) for the YC guests! Having booked an YC cabin means that you are not limited to any package.
You will have free access to choose between all the range & offers of drinks onboard. You may select between everything you'll find presented in the drink lists - without any (extra) cost for you. Even real Champagne (and not only spumante/cava/crémant/prosecco...) 😘🍸
And you may even ask for drinks which is not listed in the drink lists.

Untill a couple of years ago the YC guests could only get their free drinks in the defined YC areas onboard (i e in the Top Sail Lounge, at the dedicated One Pool area and in the Le Muse YC dedicated restaurant).
However, now - as an YC passenger - you may get your drinks (free of choice and free of costs) in every single bar onboard the whole ship 🛳️ (Just bring and show your YC cabin card - which will give you many privileges.)

I'm already looking forward to your review of your upcoming cruise...which I do hope you will present here at Cruise Critic when you're back 😀 Bon voyage!

 

Tack Frode!

There is no question that drinks will be included but I really wonder which drinks and how to know when I look at a menu.

 
Lots of people here say that the deluxe package was included for the YC before the changes but MSC in Sweden say that's incorrect! If the deluxe package was included, will it be enough to show when I booked the cruise to get that?

--------------

That was exactly what MSC in Sweden said, no package was included because the YC is a completely different experience.

 

I could copy and paste from their mail but it's not allowed to use another language than English.

 

I will contact them again. We embark February 10 so I still have some time to sort it out!

 

Hej igen sverigecruiser.
I understand you're going to depart February 10th (the map below) in MSC Divina's YC - is that right? (Congratulation - that will be a great experience...I hope).

That's correct; MSC Sweden (and all over the planet) changed their drink packages during a weekend - sometime in October/November 2018 - from one day to another 🙄 However, customers who had booked their MSC cruise before that weekend got/will still get the previous packages they booked/was included in the actual sales/marketing campaign at that time.
As an YC-passenger, the All Inclusive DeLuxe drink package earlier for sure was included in the price you paid when booking a cabin in the YC section onboard (which ment more or less the whole spectre of drinks...I didn't know of any restrictions).
And I am very confident that you still will have the very best range and offers of drinks in the YC.

I actually left the cruise business/travel trade industry here in Sweden in September -18, after many years employment within sales. Regrettably, the changes MSC made concerning the drink packages were introduced a couple of months after I quit. If not - I still would have been an expert and could have answered your questions 100 % correctly. 
 

On 1/18/2019 at 12:03 PM, sverigecruiser said:

 

Do you think that the staff on Divina will agree with me if I say that I shall get what's included in the Deluxe package? If yes, how do I know what that is now when the menues are changed?

 

MSC in Sweden has told me that no package is included but drinks are included! I know but what's included!!!!

Hi to you sverigecruiser from another cruise junkie in Stockholm 😃
My clear advises: 1) Make sure you get everything sorted out here back home before you embark the ship!  2) Get it in writing!

I'm sorry, but the staff onboard the vessel (MSC Divina) will not agree with you at all...if you cannot prove what you're saying. You must have everything clarified in your booking!

I find it very strange when you claim that the MSC office here in Sweden says "that no package is included but drinks are included! I know but what's included!!!!"
So - get it sorted out...and get it in writing 🤓  Happy cruising!
(Myself, I have a lot of experience from MSC Cruises... 👀  Have even cruised onboard NCL, RCCL/RCI, Celebrity and HAL ...so far... 🛳️😀)