Skipper Tim

Pete,

Many thanks for that review. I would have joined you had I not already made alternative plans - i.e. if MSC had offered the cruise without solo supplement in the first place.

Re. Cruisetrail, he appears to have periods of 'incarceration'. I am sure he will be back and on message before too long. I loved the picks but I have to point out that the back of TV shot is meant to show the connections for nerds such as myself to attach their devices. Also, that bottle opener is not the one I am used to on MSC ships so quite interesting.

The outside (OV) cabins on the Lirica class are the same size as the insides - an absolute minimum - unlike those on the Musica and Fantasia classes which give significantly more space. On the Armonia, I booked an inside exactly for this reason. The extra for a balcony (although it would have been what MSC call a suite as the Armonia does not have any regular balcony cabins) was more than the cost of Allegrissimo and choices had to be made. I could not see the point in paying extra just for a window when I was mostly going to use the cabin to sleep in.

Also yes, those cabins with fold-down bunks are best arranged as twins for the reasons you give. I wish there were a way of specifying this at the time of booking to avoid putting out the cabin attendant, having just made up the cabin as a double.

It is interesting that MSC has introduced pictorial quizzes. Thanks for the notice of likely subjects!

I am looking for a repo in around a years time and now I know MSC UK's new policy is only to drop rates and supplements (and add flights) near departure date, I know to hang on. An East Coast route would be particularly appealing.

Thanks again.

The issues of MSC's website are well documented:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1729819

We were promised a brand new website by MSC's CEO here on Cruise Critic by the end of last year. We are still waiting. It appears that they have not even fixed the critical payment bug in all this time.

This concern, like many others, arises because of not 'thinking Italian'. You are booked. Everything will sort itself out in time. You don't have to do anything other than enjoy.

In the most extreme case when MSC's paperwork is behind the trend, just relax. It will catch up eventually.

Southern Meditterraneans really do not understand this "everything has to be correct in advance" mentality. They see it as an illness better treated by a doctor rather than something that can be cured by changing any of their procedures. MSC staff are trained to express sympathy and support during your difficulties. Nothing more.

So, relax.

I hadn't considered that, Tim, although that may be because Glittergal didn't mention if she'd booked a guarantee - I was going on the assumption that she didn't - hence my response. Even Mairi (Amomondo), with the number of points she's accumulated, has said she has yet to experience "Best Category Upgrade" in all the time she's been at Black Card level despite it being a "benefit" of that tier. I wonder if that will change with the new "Experiences" pricings eg if you book Bella would MSC upgrade you to Fantastica? I must check that out when I'm onboard Fantasia next month as I reckon I'll attain Black next March :D

Somewhere in the depths of MSC booking conditions it does state that if you are upgraded to a better cabin, normally associated with a 'higher' 'experience', you still get the experience that you booked.

To me, the experiences and MSC Club benefits are now at cross-purposes and the number of dimensions to consider when booking with MSC has gone beyond human comprehension. I have made the study of 'how to confuse a cat (or person)' a lifetime's work and MSC currently excel in this regard.

As for "Best Category Upgrade", I cannot see this as a benefit. MSC arbitrarily categorises otherwise identical cabins on higher decks higher. In the old days of liners, the best cabins were low and mid-ships to minimise movement. As I have a preference for the longer repos, I am not sure I would take too kindly to being moved higher in the ship for a long ocean passage as an 'upgrade'. Inside to outside or even balcony is fine but these are not 'within category' and so the MSC Club perk would not apply. It is a highly dubious perk and it appears that it has quietly been dropped in practice.

Hardly an upgrade so, Dave........were you being punished for something?;)

 

Seriously, though, how did you manage that? I got the impression MSC don't do upgrades (but if they did, unlike Carlsberg, they'd probably NOT be the best upgrades in the world according to Sidari :eek:)

If you book an inside guarantee, you are very likely to get an upgrade simply because there are so few insides available. The risk is that you will get one. If you can live with that, then an inside guarantee booking can be the best bargain.

I think the OP makes very valid criticism. I think most of us here have experienced some issues with MSC shore-side organisation and the inability to resolve them locally wheter that is in the country in which a cruise was booked or on the ship.

As in all things, I have to agree with Amomondo. If you know you are in the right just enjoy the cruise and let things sort themselves out at the usual MSC pace. Visiting the professional diplomats at reception achieves nothing once the original issue has been put on the system.

I would make a formal complaint to MSC about your experience concentating on the original loss of booking details from which all other issues followed. Be clear in your demand - e.g. another cruise to give MSC the chance to redeem themselves. If you don't fancy that, you could ask for a full refund but that is less likely.

 

You ought to see UK spa prices if you're upset at paying $99 dollars for that.

 

 

From my ipad

Yes, if you want a spa holiday, you should really go to Turkey. The current offer is 2 hours of treatment - sauna, 'peeling', soap massage and oil massage - for €10 including transport to & from the hotel. How many of those do you need to pay for the airfare + (all-inclusive) hotel?

Having spent so long in Turkey, you see why I can never bring myself to pay ship's prices for spa treatment.

From my ipad (in Goynuk, Antalya, Turkey)

Well it did cross my mind that you should not have criticised his suit!

 

Try Lee Mou

T in the UK office, assuming she is still there. She seemed to be on elf the main bods involved with the Club.

Thanks Mairi. I will give it a day or two then try Lee (Moulton!). I have her address.

I was wondering about writing a screenscraper app to check MSC pricing across all cruises and their markets on a daily basis and publishing the fares in price order together with links to travel agents in the relevant market. I would have thought not doing so would be worth at least the 12 missing points don't you?

Still, the idea is attractive. I would find such a site very useful and a big time-saver.

We are enjoying our respective land cruises just now when we could have been on an MSC repo - had UK solo fares been sensible early on.

Of more general interest to bargain hunters is that BA Executive Club and Avios.com have a half-price Avios sale on many longhaul routes booked by Nov 17th for travel by the end of January. The taxes etc. are the same and only economy is included. Among the routes are Sao Paulo, Rio and Buenos Aires to the UK.

Skipper Tim, What is the e-mail address for MSC Club?

mscclub@msccruises.co.uk

The one person who replies is called Sara. So far no reply, other than automated (you know the type - "we have received your email - please don't contact us again"), to my latest.

It is shocking that this has happened to others too.

Moomoo, you are not the first to say it is personal. Michael is here in Turkey on the 'land cruise' and said exactly the same. He says also beleives I am single-handedly responsible for the dissappearance of zero sole-occupancy supplements and higher repo fares in the UK and that I should be releived that Napoli have only taken points away from me rather than putting my feet in concrete and giving me a burial alive at sea.

Mr. Hawke, perhaps we could meet and discuss civilly?

After months of emailing MSC Club about the points missing from onboard spend aboard the Armonia earlier in the year, I checked the MSC website yet again today to see if they had been added. Not only had they not been added but my total had been reduced by 10 points and I had been stripped of my former Gold status!

I have emailed the MSC Club. They have previously insisted that they were unable to manually adjust the total. Only 'Napoli' could do this. Why would Napoli reduce my points balance in respnse to a request add missing points?

Has anyone else experienced anythinng like this with the MSC Club?

My 2015 vacation plans are all land vacations booked with no solo penalty.

 

Annie

Same here for the Winter 2014/15 'season'.

Regarding sailing with empty cabins, MSC can 'yield-manage' to fill the ship without dropping fares below marginal on-costs simply because of the revenue generated onboard. They choose not to because they want to create the impression of a valuable product. It is a reverse-marketing attempt to fulfil the adage 'you get what you pay for':

You get what you pay for AND it is expensive THEREFORE it must be good.

To lower fares and/or remove sole-occupancy supplements creates the impression of an inferior product. I am not fooled by this old-school marketing and, like Annie, will continue to vote with my wallet.

This crass price-manipulation to create brand-value appears to be a UK-only experiement at present. Consequently it is hardly worth looking at MSC UK fares to obtain a 'bargain'. I would love to see the sales numbers for MSC UK pre and post Giles Hawke's arrival.

Also from memory MSC USA no longer permits non-NA residents to book via the USA.

 

Annie

They never have but it does not stop US TAs taking bookings from non NA residents. The US TA I have used in the past now even has a UK telephone number.

Preziosa repo 12th November 2014 Barcelona-Santos over 15 nights is from €449 inside, €589 balcony, both pp based on 2 sharing and Spanish pricing. Doing a dummy booking on a Spanish TA website, the total for 2 sharing is €1240 for a guaranteed B2 balcony cabin. This eye-wateringly rises to €3112 for solo-occupancy! MSC really have it in for solos this year.

We leave in a few days. I've read all I can, but it seems mostly about other ships. What are some of your favorites on Fantasia?

 

Best entertainment? MJ show?

 

Best MDR meals? Any particular pasta or seafood dishes?

 

Finally decided basic Allegrismo package. What are fav bars/lounges ? Any uncrowded ones? We are forward below one deck of the casino. Friends have a couple aft balconies.

 

Can we take a couple waters off for ports? Where you get off ship or somewhere else?

 

Free room service? If not, whats closest place to get morning (or evening coffee drink) near casino deck?

 

 

Best uncrowded hottub? Are they all aft or are there any forward?

 

think that's enough questions for now-we are excited for our first MSC cruise. We normally sail out of Texas where we live. DH studied Italian language, culture during college and spent several months in Rome, where we will stay post cruise. We enjoyed reading tips and thank all for their help!

I think you will find my answers to all those questions, and many more besides, in my Fantasia blog in my signature below.

I am sailing on MSC Orchestra on 14th Feb and also have had a problem trying to book Drinks Package on line. In end I phoned MSC London (with whom I booked direct) and the package was added to my booking but I then received a revised confirmation which has included the Drinks Package to be paid when settling the final invoice. I e-mailed to ask if this could be pre-booked and post paid thereby avoiding the 15% surcharge but still allowing me to have it added to on board account in order to get points for the MSC Club Card. I had an e-mail back to say only way to avoid paying 15% surcharge is to add it to the bill and pay up front when final balance is due. Decided the 15% saving was better than worrying about the extra points so have left the cost on the final invoice. Just wish MSC would make things clearer as regards their add on packages and also wish they would sort out their website and get the phones answered quicker (waited some 25 mins for someone to answer!!). Still I just so pleased to be going back to Dubai and doing this itinerary again - this time with my family who are based in Dubai.

 

Hope all your plans go well.

 

Suron (Suzanne in Bristol, UK)

To clarify, if you book with your local (couuntry) MSC office they act as a travel agent for MSC global, like any other tavel agent, take their commission and make you pay up front for any extras such as drink packages.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to add your extras online, these will instead be added to your online account. You still save 15% but have the twin advantages of being able to pay at the end of the cruise and gaining MSC Club points from the expenditure.

Effort therefore needs to be made to login to your booking from the MSC website - on board extras.

Hi all

 

Booked to go on MSC Magnifica out of Hamburg in 20 days time ( 3 nights to Southampton) have tried to book a drinks package for the last few months but was unable too. I know I should of rang them up but didn't get round to doing it. Can you book them at port or on board? I know there will be a 15% charge added

 

Also they have not given us a boarding time or luggage labels and no sign of them on the website. Ship sails at 18.30 any idea how much earlier you can get on board.

 

Our first cruise with MSC

 

Thanks

 

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Forums mobile app

More important than what time the ship sails is what time it arrives into port. MSC are keen to board as soon as they can but this will be after most of the disembarking guests are off.

I have been off late-ish more than once and had to pass the crowds heading the opposite direction. I would say aim to be on board for lunch. Your cabin may not be officially available until well after lunch but you can still dump your hand luggage there and start your cruise.

MSC have all sorts of IT issues which may have prevented you booking a drinks package online. Email or phone your contact at MSC - assuming you booked direct. If you booked via an agent you will need to contact the agent to sort out these issues.

There really is no need to pay the extra 15%. If the drinks package is available for your itinerary, you can pre-book it even if that requires pre-paying it too.

Ideally, pre-book and post-pay. This gives the 15% discount and earns MSC Club points for onboard expenditure. If you are forced to deal with a local office to pre-book, you will also have to pre-pay and miss out on the points.

Related: Americans avoid air travel as Ebola spreads

I am not avoiding air travel. I will be flying to that war zone of Turkey (bordering Syria, Iran and Iraq) for our long-planned 'land cruise' on Tuesday.

It is not air-travel Americans should avoid, it is sex.

I have to say I'm in awe of Im's packing skills and having had the pleasure of cruising with him once on an eleven night sailing, witnessed first hand his range of outfits all from hand luggage - truly amazing!

 

I'm struggling now to keep under 20 kilos for my trip next week to Oz and with only 7kg hand luggage including hand bag, can't resort to my usual trick of stuffing shoes in hand luggage. Fortunately at 2 of my destinations I have a washer and dryer in my accommodation, otherwise I'd never get through almost 4 weeks on that. Have been known to do the poachers pockets things, with heavy stuff hidden in jacket pocket or concealed in raincoat draped over my arm. They rarely weigh you (only once in 40+ years of flying and that was for a scenic small plane flight in NZ) so once past he scales thy can be emptied into hand luggage.

 

All this talk of repos and not one booked! So want to go on another.

Mairi, you will obviously be fine. PLEASE keep us informed!

Regards,

I agree that they are hoping to do that; I suspect, however, that it's unlikely to work. There are many sophisticated people in the USA but the market as a whole seems to be more risk averse than in Europe. Add that to a fairly hazy grasp of geography and people will be convinced that Ebola must be rife in the Mediterranean because it's next to Africa.

 

Oddly enough, I was discussing this last night with my daughter, who's a doctor; the initial symptoms of Noro are pretty close to the initial symptoms of Ebola. I am happy to risk my neck doing water sports on a tall ship voyage but the prospect of being on board one of the mega ships with people who fib on the medical questionnaire looks distinctly unattractive.

 

I hope that there is contingency planning :D

A very good point.

The graphs I have seen for Ebola point to it still growing exponentially. It is not under control at all. Transmission, however does require contact with 'bodily fluids'. Let me tell you in confidence that I don't do that sort of thing and I expect I will be safe on my future travels.

we are sailing with msc for the first time next week and have opted for late dining do msc do tables for 2

Get your request in early with maitre D' as there are very few tables for two. There will be a session timetabled in your embarkation Daily Programme. Check it and get there early!

 

From your 5kg bag there isn't the number of items either LOL :D

You haven't seen me weighing my socks individually on the digital kitchen scales.

Did you not see the fabulous display of luscious cakes, cannolis, etc in that area? I have to say it was the first thing I spotted :D

 

There was a bar counter in between it and a gelato display which is on the left-hand side - many's the morning I hung out there with a hot chocolate & Baileys for elevenses :D:D ..........and now you're telling me you didn't even get to experience it with your premium package?! :p

No, I saw none of that. It may have been because the Fantasia was still in 'Brazilian mode' and it is not part of the Brazilian offering or because I don't have a sweet tooth I just did't notice it.

Hot chocolate and Baileys..... I could be turned.

Fresh juices are not possible to produce for 4000 pax. There are no place to store all fruits for this. One glass of orange juice requires 8 oranges. :)

 

We were happy with selection of juices on Divina.

The juices may have been upgraded for the Divina. There was no semblance to juice on the MSC ships I have experienced. It was badly flavoured sugar water. Juice from concentrate would be a massive improvement.

Tim, I'm not sure what you mean by it being a Divina thing - you've been on Fantasia. The cake shop in the Piazza San Giorgio is referred to by MSC as the "Pastry" shop. The Gelataria menus in that area on Fantasia class ships use the heading "pastries" if memory serves me. (Memo to self: take photos of menus for future reference LOL)

I have been trying to jog my memory. I remember the space "Piazza San Giorgio". I can only remember it as a beautiful, deserted space with a fountain surrounded by shops.

I have never heard mention of "pastry" or "pastries" aboard MSC.

Especially if the word does not mean "pastries", I am sure my mind would have taken note. Then, my Fantasia voyage is 18 months ago and things may have changed. Still, I cannot remember any mention of "pastries" on the Armonia earlier this year.

Sounds like they are not filling the ship to me with North Americans while in the Med!

Agreed.