Rare MMDown Under Posted February 12, 2016 #1 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I was told, when I cruised with them, that the company planned to come to Australia. Each year, they cruise from South Africa and South America, so already have a pattern for cruising from the Southern Hemisphere, seasonally. There has only been the charter for Gallipoli cruise. I would have thought they would be successful in Australia, with our large Italian heritage population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted February 12, 2016 #2 Share Posted February 12, 2016 MSC do have a big presence here......all in container freight.:D Many years ago I remember big announcements that they were opening a cruise division office in Sydney. As far as I know its still there and they line up the deals for Aussies and Kiwis for cruises in the Med and Caribbean. I too believe their style of family cruising would be ideal, but I guess they dont want to take on P&O Australia, at least at this stage . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted February 12, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted February 12, 2016 MSC do have a big presence here......all in container freight.:DMany years ago I remember big announcements that they were opening a cruise division office in Sydney. As far as I know its still there and they line up the deals for Aussies and Kiwis for cruises in the Med and Caribbean. I too believe their style of family cruising would be ideal, but I guess they dont want to take on P&O Australia, at least at this stage . Yes, one of the biggest, I believe. Yes, I booked our cruises through their Australian TA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpos Posted February 13, 2016 #4 Share Posted February 13, 2016 I was told, when I cruised with them, that the company planned to come to Australia. Each year, they cruise from South Africa and South America, so already have a pattern for cruising from the Southern Hemisphere, seasonally. There has only been the charter for Gallipoli cruise. I would have thought they would be successful in Australia, with our large Italian heritage population. If you have a look at the reviews for the Anzac Charter that left from Fremantle in 2015 (MSC Orchestra I think) then perhaps they are best staying away from Australia if the tale of woes told in the majority of reviews for that cruise and the cruise that preceeded that one are to be believed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted February 13, 2016 #5 Share Posted February 13, 2016 There's a) been a fair bit of competition here lately that it's a bit of a crowded market b) a strong push to enter and grow in the US which is more demanding so needs focus on instead of spreading themselves thin. I took the talk as something they're keen to explore, but weren't in a position to move yet. I'd expect that to be the same for a while. Although they do have new ships coming, they're also still trying to develop the US market more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonia2509 Posted February 13, 2016 #6 Share Posted February 13, 2016 I was told, when I cruised with them, that the company planned to come to Australia. Each year, they cruise from South Africa and South America, so already have a pattern for cruising from the Southern Hemisphere, seasonally. There has only been the charter for Gallipoli cruise. I would have thought they would be successful in Australia, with our large Italian heritage population. I am of Italian heritage and you wouldn't never get me on a MSC cruise no matter how cheap it is. I know how bad Italian customer service is [emoji37] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayaguru Posted February 13, 2016 #7 Share Posted February 13, 2016 We don't need that type of cruise here. They make P&O look like 5 star service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanwood Posted February 15, 2016 #8 Share Posted February 15, 2016 : We don't need that type of cruise here. They make P&O look like 5 star service. :D - that's funny... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted February 15, 2016 #9 Share Posted February 15, 2016 The service is... well, Italian. But the rest of it is pretty good. MSC is the equivalent of Royal Caribbean in Europe and that's pretty much how they play out onboard. Some pros, some cons. Enjoyed my time with them, doesn't mean I like everything though... and yes, I rate them above P&O Aust. :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haoie Posted February 15, 2016 #10 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I swear I saw a MSC ship in Wellington just yesterday! Anyone want to confirm that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted February 15, 2016 #11 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I swear I saw a MSC ship in Wellington just yesterday! Anyone want to confirm that? If it was a cruise ship it would have been P&O's Aurora. She was in Wellington on Valentines Day 14th , and is in Akaroa today. She is on a 115 day World Cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted February 15, 2016 #12 Share Posted February 15, 2016 We don't need that type of cruise here. They make P&O look like 5 star service. LOL, I cannot comment except to say my Brother didn't think too highly of them, he prefers P&O to MSC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haoie Posted February 15, 2016 #13 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Ah that figures, got the logo wrong. I didn't think there were any MSC ships around here which is why it surprised me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gek Posted February 15, 2016 #14 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I like their ships and.....well, that's about it. Nice ships. Oh, and good itineraries. And cheap. And...nope, that's all I've got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katgoesonholiday Posted February 16, 2016 #15 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I really enjoyed our cruise on the MSC Preziosa and wouldn't hesitate to cruise on them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gek Posted February 16, 2016 #16 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I really enjoyed our cruise on the MSC Preziosa and wouldn't hesitate to cruise on them again. You cruised in the Yacht Club which I've heard makes a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted February 16, 2016 #17 Share Posted February 16, 2016 You cruised in the Yacht Club which I've heard makes a big difference. I didn't go in the Yacht Club, but would also happily sail on them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jspqld Posted February 19, 2016 #18 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I enjoyed my trip on the MSC Splendida a few years back. The ship was amazing in size and beauty, the service fun & ok, entertainment fantastic, food good & price reasonable. I would definitely sail on them again & personally I would rate them way higher than P&O. MSC ships are 4-5 star with brilliant facilities & décor compared to P&O's old 2 star fleet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted February 19, 2016 #19 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I enjoyed my trip on the MSC Splendida a few years back. The ship was amazing in size and beauty, the service fun & ok, entertainment fantastic, food good & price reasonable. I would definitely sail on them again & personally I would rate them way higher than P&O. MSC ships are 4-5 star with brilliant facilities & décor compared to P&O's old 2 star fleet. They boast they have the most modern fleet in the world....and they all have the approval of Godmother Sophia Loren,,:D:D They are currently running specials where the 2nd person sails for 50% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jspqld Posted February 19, 2016 #20 Share Posted February 19, 2016 They boast they have the most modern fleet in the world....and they all have the approval of Godmother Sophia Loren,,:D:DThey are currently running specials where the 2nd person sails for 50% yes they do have a modern fleet by comparison. Back in 2009 when we sailed the Splendida it was only 6 months old. The crystal staircases in the atrium definitely looked the impressive $24,000 per step that they were said to have cost. The entertainment areas, cabins & lido deck were as good if not better than anything else at the time. I get their promos often, but so hard to take advantage of when their ships are so far away from us here in Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy_Whovian Posted February 24, 2016 #21 Share Posted February 24, 2016 We went on MSC Sinfonia in October 2014. It was terrible. My child, who is a sociable little chap and loves the kids clubs usually, hated the kids club and refused to go there, the food was awful (we found the food on the plane on the way home delicious and started saying 'well you know the food is bad when it makes airline food seem like a culinary delight') and you pay through the nose for everything (more so than the other cruiselines - they don't even provide jugs of water at the dinner table, you have to pay for a bottle) .... So even if they did start doing cruises out of Aus, I would still pay extra (and we're tightar$es!) to go with someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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