Mark_T

There is plenty to see in and around Hanoi, but we have never found much value in staying off the ship as you are effectively paying double by missing a day onboard and paying extra for the privilege along with what is often a long road journey or internal flights. If you will not be able to return to the area for a land tour then it may make sense, but we found it was better to stay around Ha Long Bay when we did that cruise with Celebrity. We did find a Mekong river cruise to be a great way to see parts of Vietnam like Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) along with Cambodia for Siem Reap and many other interesting stops along the river.

Always follow your own feelings on these matters, tipping is a competitive sport for some it seems 🙂 I'll be surprised if you don't want to tip a little extra to your Butler and assistant by the end of the cruise as they can make a real difference to your enjoyment with the little things they do, but MSC do make it clear that additional tipping is not expected.

My understanding is that in Japan 'Bonito' can cover both Bonito and Skipjack Tuna, as they are used in a similar fashion from a culinary perspective. But although part of the same larger family they are different fish and a Bonito is not in the same 'tribe' as the Tuna. @Miaminice Thanks for the wonderful photos and details of your excursions. We are currently booked on Millie for 2025 so your reviews are very much on point.

No, this isn't something MSC offer.

Just Google for the Butcher's Cut menu and you'll see the experience section on there...

It is always going to be harder to get this benefit cruising out of a US port with the need to 'zero out' the ship, vs a Mediterranean port with much less restrictive regulations.

The UK discounts can be seen here: https://www.msccruises.co.uk/cruise-deals/tailor-made-cruise-fares These cannot be combined with Voyager's Club discounts.

Agreed, if you are in YC there is little reason to use Butcher's Cut.

It is cheaper than paying for the experience menu once you are onboard, and the descriptions do cover the menu limitation: It is still a good deal if you want to eat at the speciality restaurants.

Yes, you get to choose from the 'Experience' menu which is a sub-set of the full à la carte menu. This should be no surprise as, for example, there are steaks on the Butcher's Cut menu that would indivudually cost way more than the price you pay as part of the package. Just look at any of the menus that people have posted and you'll see the separate section for the 'Experience' menu. You can also choose the Experience menu as a prix fixe option as a regular diner without a package.

That is great news, and hopefully the boost you needed to stay on the cruise, I'm sure Ted would be mortified if he thought he had caused you to head home early...

This is the main reason we use them, actual loss is rare, but the comfort of knowing your bags are nearby is priceless.

... another way to be sure you know exactly where your ship is located is to use one of the tracking websites: https://www.vesselfinder.com/ I quick check in the morning and you'll see precisely where your ship is docked, or where it is if it hasn't yet docked....

You can see the MSC terminal in the middle there, when we boarded Divina in Genoa she was just a little anti-clockwise from the terminal, but you will be able to see clearly where she is on the day, and the guards on the entrance will tell taxi's where to go. We stayed overnight at the Gran Hotel Savoia which is easy walking distance from the station and the port. We actually booked the Hotel Continental Genova which is next door and operated by the same company, it is lower cost but they regularly upgrade people to the Savoia so they don't have to keep both staffed if the occupancy doesn't need it. Views from the hotel roof ...

Same here, and we use the Amazon sourced plastic 'pockets' with the wire loop to make sure the printed labels don't go missing either.

Yes, you can buy in advance or just turn up on the day and purchase a standard day return. It is the cheaper 'Off-Peak' and 'Super Off-Peak' tickets that have restrictions on when you can use them to arrive or leave London.

UK bookings should all include gratuities regardless of the method of booking. We booked one via the MSC website and one onboard, both in YC and both have gratuities included...

It really is just like any other category, the earlier you book the more choices you will have, or if you miss that and can book last minute, something may open up again.

All great advice for solo cruisers. As you have found there is no ban on solo bookings but just like all other categories there are limits on each cruise so booking far in advance will give you the best chance of getting a specific cruise, or just being flexible will give you more choices if you can't book so far out, and of course last minute booking can also offer a pleasant surprise as the category may open up again...

This has been answered several times in this thread already, it is not just about the cruise fare, it is about all the other spending for drinks, speciality restaurants, excursions, casino, retail etc. Wanting to book a double cabin for single use is not a protected class... This is about revenue protection, not discrimination.

We were on 15 last time and it is a great choice for lounge access. Next time we've opted for 16 as it is only one deck up to the pool and the buffet for breakfast, and one down to the lounge.

I was thinking the same thing, across multiple cruise lines I don't recall ever being able to check the price of an excursion for a particular cruise before it has been booked. The good news is that as others have said, the MSC excursion prices all seem very reasonable to me when compared to other lines.

You are not wrong, but in this case they are presenting the tips as 'optional' so they are not included, a booking on the UK site makes it clear that the 'optional' tips will be charged separately and gives you the option to pre-pay when making the booking.... ... so I would expect that the staff are going to notice this change....

I'd have hoped that Luninae were still as good as I remember at anticipating your needs after a discussion at the start of the cruise, so if you wanted a pescatarian diet they should have been willing to accommodate your needs. In general though I wouldn't blame them for offering the apps the way you describe them as the additions do make a significant difference to texture and taste in a lot of cases.

If you do try MSC don't forget to do a status match, Sapphire should get you Gold on MSC...