Increases in fares, hotel charge, Allegrissimo - it is cheaper to buy a yacht

[Willow1686]

I should like to volunteer for the blog also; other people's shakedown cruises are fascinating, provided they are at a safe distance. I should be OK on the Athens Istanbul run in July, provided you don't get completely lost and end up visiting Turkey.

 

Unfortunately the Ports site which gives sea routes doesn't accept Levkas or Stoupa, so I don't have a map of your upcoming voyage; the only thing I've learned so far is that the harbour at the cheap pier in Levkas has a very muddy bottom and that caution with your anchor is advised :D

[Wookiee]

Wait! There's a "Levkas to Stoupa" repo???

 

How much does that cost then??!?!!?

[Skipper Tim]

I should like to volunteer for the blog also; other people's shakedown cruises are fascinating, provided they are at a safe distance. I should be OK on the Athens Istanbul run in July, provided you don't get completely lost and end up visiting Turkey.

 

Unfortunately the Ports site which gives sea routes doesn't accept Levkas or Stoupa, so I don't have a map of your upcoming voyage; the only thing I've learned so far is that the harbour at the cheap pier in Levkas has a very muddy bottom and that caution with your anchor is advised :D

 

Very well researched! I understand the mud bottom there is reminiscent of a sewage works. That is, however, the main port of Lefkas which, as is often the Greek way, has the same name as the island (which isn't technically an island as it is connected by a causeway to the mainland). Thankfully, we will be starting a little further South from a place called Nidri. For the ports site, I found Preveza and Kalamata are on there and they are near enough.

 

http://ports.com/sea-route/#/?a=3502&b=3511&c=Port%20of%20Preveza,%20Greece&d=Port%20of%20Kalamata,%20Greece

 

Wait! There's a "Levkas to Stoupa" repo???

 

How much does that cost then??!?!!?

 

Good question! It involves buying a secondhand yacht, usage and maintenance costs, then selling her. Hopefully, I will get few cruises out of her but I won't know the net cost until she is finally sold. It will almost certainly be a fraction of the cost of spending a similar amount of time on MSC ships at current rates. Hence this thread!

 

The real value of a small boat is going places where even small cruise ships can't go and would be difficult to reach by any other form of transport. Imagine us anchored in some little bay all by ourselves having a 'sun down' cocktail in the cockpit or a swim before a breakfast of Greek yoghurt and honey. The downside - well it is only a floating caravan comfort-wise and you have worries about the anchor dragging during the night and the boat crashing into rocks, among other potential calamities. Actually, the worst is embarrassing yourself coming into port when there are a hundred people in the bars and tavernas with nothing better to do than watch :).

 

I'll find a suitable place for the blog and let you know. We will have MiFi aboard!

[Skipper Tim]

That is a blog that I would most definitely follow. Great to hear James and Jeffrey will be your crew or will they be passengers and you the crew? I really enjoyed heir company at dinner. Loved their sense of humour.

 

I have sailed with James twice before but it is many years ago. He says he is already re-learning his knots using his garden washing line :). I don't believe Jeffrey has crewed before. You can see it is going to be fun!

 

As for MSC, I will give them to the end of the year to see sense on their pricing on repos either the journey from the Antilles in Spring or the return back in the Autumn. It is rather ironic that previously the prices had been reasonable but a one way air France flight was in the region of £900 - more than the cruise at the old £45 per night less club discount. Now that Jane has made me aware I can get Corsair flights one way for around £400, it would be a goer except the cruise would now cost over £2k and to quote you, I can't tholl that! I will play the waiting game - I have 3 land trips planned including our birthday bash. If MSC persist, I'll go with Costa instead. They have something similar but without the 100% supplement. I prefer MSC and if the price were only slightly more I'd go with them. For hundreds more, absolutely not. I can make do quite well with Costa.

 

It will be interesting to see what MSC do with pricing. I cannot believe that very substantially higher fares don't have a significant effect on sales. Will MSC persevere with high fares to maintain their perceived 'brand value', no matter how many empty cabins? Or will they be more pragmatic? If they were using the same type of yield management software as the low cost carriers, MSC's fares would be an awful lot more predictable and the same across the World!

[sidari]

Tim ... On the Venice to Dubai cruise in November our TA is now offering an Inside that was £975 pp inc Flight and Transfer from London at £1500 pp inc Flight,Transfer, 3 Tours and a Drink package!

 

MSC have increased an Inside from £649 to £1199 pp cruise only.

[Skipper Tim]

Tim ... On the Venice to Dubai cruise in November our TA is now offering an Inside that was £975 pp inc Flight and Transfer from London at £1500 pp inc Flight,Transfer, 3 Tours and a Drink package!

 

MSC have increased an Inside from £649 to £1199 pp cruise only.

 

This is consistent with recent MSC pricing behaviour. It is an old marketing technique designed to convey the impression that prices 'are rising' and therefore panic people into booking at a higher price than they otherwise would. In reality, all we can deduce is that prices 'have risen', past tense.

 

I really cannot see too many willing future mis-selling 'victims' lining up to pay £1199 to share an inside on a repo cruise, cruise only.

 

My first MSc cruise was the Venice-Rio repo, less than 2 years ago, which I thought I had got at a very good rate of £25 per night with a cabin to myself at zero single supplement - which was upgraded in advance and free of charge from inside to outside. So that was £400 for an outside cabin to myself over 16 nights. Still, there were people lining up on the boards to tell me that MSC repos used to go "for nothing". I believe £150 was a figure mentioned from the previous year.

 

Now, if MSC condescended to allow sole-occupancy bookings on your similar-length cruise, which they won't, the supplement would be 100% and the fare would now be £2 short of £2400! Remember, the daily hotel charge has increased by 40% on top! That is a heck of a price increase in such a short period of time.

 

If I had that sort of money to blow on a holiday, which i don't, there would be literally millions of options more attractive than an inside cabin on an MSC repo cruise. In fact, it would be cheaper to buy (use & sell) a yacht....

[sidari]

As per MSC it is odd that they claim on the Home page that Allegrissimo is £20 pppd but inside the online brochure it is £22 pppd!!! £22 confirmed as the price for the Venice to Dubai cruise.

[Skipper Tim]

As per MSC it is odd that they claim on the Home page that Allegrissimo is £20 pppd but inside the online brochure it is £22 pppd!!! £22 confirmed as the price for the Venice to Dubai cruise.

 

The Euro has weakened substantially against Sterling of late and I am sure that Allegrissimo wine comes from the great EU-subsidised wine lake. Perhaps MSC are backtracking to a slight extent on the tidal-wave of price hikes?

 

Perhaps I should sail that wine lake?

[AmoMondo]

The Euro has weakened substantially against Sterling of late and I am sure that Allegrissimo wine comes from the great EU-subsidised wine lake. Perhaps MSC are backtracking to a slight extent on the tidal-wave of price hikes?

 

Perhaps I should sail that wine lake?

 

Well if you were sailing that lake, I would not mind falling overboard!

[Willow1686]

I too would volunteer on that one; interestingly enough, one online TA has just emailed me 'bargain' offers for MSC grand voyages.

 

Reading the small print these offers apparently expired on 30th June, which makes me wonder why they sent them in July; MSC has clearly become so toxic that the knock on effect is poisoning the TAs as well...

[Skipper Tim]

I too would volunteer on that one; interestingly enough, one online TA has just emailed me 'bargain' offers for MSC grand voyages.

 

Reading the small print these offers apparently expired on 30th June, which makes me wonder why they sent them in July; MSC has clearly become so toxic that the knock on effect is poisoning the TAs as well...

 

Were the offers at all attractive?

[Willow1686]

They've thrown some prices out; from 49.99 on repos per night, that's an inside cabin.. I'm pretty sure you would not be enthralled, because theres no comment of solo supplements.

[AmoMondo]

I'm hanging off for reductions on next years repos. Don't think we'll see any movement downwards until after this autumn's repos are over. I simply can't see them filling ships at current pricing, then they may just remember us solos and decide they'd rather have one of us in a cabin and consuming services onboard than an empty cabin. Then again they maybe think a half empty ship is better if those onboard are paying more to be there.

[Skipper Tim]

I'm hanging off for reductions on next years repos. Don't think we'll see any movement downwards until after this autumn's repos are over. I simply can't see them filling ships at current pricing, then they may just remember us solos and decide they'd rather have one of us in a cabin and consuming services onboard than an empty cabin. Then again they maybe think a half empty ship is better if those onboard are paying more to be there.

 

Yes.

[Skier52]

I've was looking at cruises last week and found this cruise

 

MSC Sinfonia 25th Oct 2014 11nights

 

 

Cost , cruise only:--- INSIDE:-£750:--- Ocean View:- £850:--- Balcony £1130 :-----Suite :- enquire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to save £111 on an INSIDE , or, £151 on an OV, or, £151 on a balcony ?????

 

 

 

 

You Do? SIMPLE

 

 

 

 

Then just Add flights and make it a FLY/CRUISE

 

 

 

 

 

Cost Fly- cruise:---- INSIDE:-£639:---- Ocaen View:-£699:---- Balcony £979 :----Suite :-enquire

 

 

 

 

The original page that got me interested, from which i selected each cruise in turn just to make sure that there wasn't a misprint on that page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These prices are before any discount for MSC Club membership

 

 

What is going on at MSC

 

Pete

Edited July 4, 2014 by Skier52

[Skipper Tim]

MSC Sinfonia 25th Oct 2014 11nights

 

 

Cost , cruise only:--- INSIDE:-£750:--- Ocean View:- £850:--- Balcony £1130 :-----Suite :- enquire

 

Cost Fly- cruise:---- INSIDE:-£639:---- Ocaen View:-£699:---- Balcony £979 :----Suite :-enquire

 

What is going on at MSC

 

Pete

 

It is hard to imagine.

 

It isn't hard to imagine that it will not be going on for long like this at MSC UK, with even the most loyal of customers refusing to book.

 

Thanks Pete for sharing this nonsensical pricing and so vividly and graphically illustrating the point, as you always do.

 

I was previously complaining that the new cruise fares were artificially inflated with packaged extras that I do not want. To choose extras, a flight in this case, and get a lower fare proves beyond any reasonable doubt how inflated the headline, cruise-only, fares currently are.

 

How long will they hold out with this ridiculous strategy? I do not wish anyone any harm but I am looking forward to the day Mr. Hawke receives his generous pay-off and moves on to better things.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[AmoMondo]

That pricing policy beggars belief, but then it is MSC and so much they are doing now doesn't make any logical sense.

 

I was annoyed a few years ago when I was considering a Caribbean sailing on P&O (mainly because you start in Barbados and don't have he experience the joy of US Immigration). They had flights with Thomas Cook that were fixed, could not fly out earlier or come back later. No upgrades allowed and the baggage allowance wasn't great. Their cruise only price was only £50 less than the fly/cruise with return flights from London to Barbados. I thought that was ridiculous and restricted choice too much, so didn't book.

 

However MSC have topped it, pay more to not have a fight and transfers??? Suppose even if you want to make your own arrangements, book the fly/cruise and just don't use the flight.

[sidari]

On the Venice to Dubai cruise in November they have recently added a cheers package in the hope that the cruise only price of £1199 up from £649 will help them sell it! meanwhile our travel agent is still offering Insides at £1499 with a drink package (probably cheers) and 3 excursions.

 

Going by the fact that there are only 3 couples on the roll call i would hazard a guess that this cruise is not selling too well.

[Willow1686]

Well, Im at Heathrow, boarding for Athens, and really looking forward to my hotels and my cruise.

 

Have fun, and remember not to follow the Mad Hatter down the rabbit hole by trying to make sense of MSCs pricing policies :)

[Skipper Tim]

Well, Im at Heathrow, boarding for Athens, and really looking forward to my hotels and my cruise.

 

Have fun, and remember not to follow the Mad Hatter down the rabbit hole by trying to make sense of MSCs pricing policies :)

 

Willow, I am currently in Greece and it is hot hot hot! It will be good to be at sea on days like this. Enjoy!

[Willow1686]

It is indeed hot! I am climbing the Acropolis tomorrow morning; with an 8.30 start it should be do-able but I doubt I will have anything left for the afternoon.

 

If I could master the ridiculously complicated interactive tv in my room I might be able to catch the Wimbledon final :o

[AmoMondo]

It is indeed hot! I am climbing the Acropolis tomorrow morning; with an 8.30 start it should be do-able but I doubt I will have anything left for the afternoon.

 

If I could master the ridiculously complicated interactive tv in my room I might be able to catch the Wimbledon final :o

 

Have a great time Willow and remember wine not tea...avoid those dangerous kettles!

[Willow1686]

Have a great time Willow and remember wine not tea...avoid those dangerous kettles!

 

Thank you; I'm thrilled to be in a country which recognises the importance of wine for optimum good health :o

 

It is very, very hot here, and I'm looking forward to boarding the Aegean Odyssey tomorrow; I plan to visit the Cycladic Museum in the morning but after climbing the Acropolis I'm too tired to lift anything heavier than a glass...

[Skipper Tim]

Thank you; I'm thrilled to be in a country which recognises the importance of wine for optimum good health :o

 

It is very, very hot here, and I'm looking forward to boarding the Aegean Odyssey tomorrow; I plan to visit the Cycladic Museum in the morning but after climbing the Acropolis I'm too tired to lift anything heavier than a glass...

 

Outside of Athens, wine is sold by the kilo, so you will know how much exercise you are doing when ashore.

[Willow1686]

Well, I'm back! A little later than I intended because I stayed on for the next cruise; even with an amended itinerary people cancelled the Black Sea voyage in droves, thus presenting me with a delightfully economical opportunity.

 

I shall write about it elsewhere but I wanted to express my gratitude to you all for your invaluable advice re MSC and the Italian approach to queuing; we were in Santorini along with the Fantasia and a couple of other ships. You can imagine the vast hordes of people trying to get the funicular down from Thira.

 

I took one look and walked straight past them all to the ticket desk, waved my voucher, ignored a couple of complaining Australians, and was down at the quay ten minutes later :D

 

I'd probably still be there without your assistance...