Are all MSC ports embarkation/debarkation ports?

[Camelia-]

I've recently learned that MSC cruises gives guests the flexibility to embark at different ports. At least I think that's true of the European round trip cruises. That's a great idea and so much more convenient than forcing passengers to fly to one embarkation port. My question is whether that flexibility extends to all European ports or only some? 

 

For instance, my friend just boarded the MSC Seaview which today started the transatlantic cruise ending in Brazil. However my friend is only staying on for the European portion and disembarking in Teneriffe. Does that mean that someone else will embark in Teneriffe and stay in her newly vacated cabin? Or does that mean that she's paying for the whole cruise but only enjoying a portion of it? I hardly think that MSC would absorb the cost of an empty cabin just because she's leaving early. I'm really quite curious as to how it works. My friend is not so savvy about these details and I fear that her travel agent didn't do the greatest of jobs and she's spending more than she really had to!

[hamrag]

6 minutes ago, Camelia- said:

I've recently learned that MSC cruises gives guests the flexibility to embark at different ports. At least I think that's true of the European round trip cruises. That's a great idea and so much more convenient than forcing passengers to fly to one embarkation port. My question is whether that flexibility extends to all European ports or only some? 

 

For instance, my friend just boarded the MSC Seaview which today started the transatlantic cruise ending in Brazil. However my friend is only staying on for the European portion and disembarking in Teneriffe. Does that mean that someone else will embark in Teneriffe and stay in her newly vacated cabin? Or does that mean that she's paying for the whole cruise but only enjoying a portion of it? I hardly think that MSC would absorb the cost of an empty cabin just because she's leaving early. I'm really quite curious as to how it works. My friend is not so savvy about these details and I fear that her travel agent didn't do the greatest of jobs and she's spending more than she really had to!

In Europe, and Caribbean, round trip cruises yes...but definitely not for a transatlantic!

[Essiesmom]

That cruise is sold in many different segments:

 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesonmscseaview-nov2018.html

 

But I don't see one that ends in Tenerife, so she might have made special arrangements to debark there.  EM

[Preziosa]

Normaly you pay the full Price, but you Can leave when you Will, just Tell the reception. 

[SirWolf]

Not all MSC ports are embarkation/disembarkation ports. Western Med cruise on Bellissima visits Genoa, Naples, Messina, Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille. MSC offers no cruise from/to Valletta (Malta) but from all other ports.

[kodesthemoose]

on the Seaview cruise we are taking in the Western Med. next year, four of the seven ports are embark/disembark ports (Civitavecchia, Genoa, Barcelona, and Cannes, I believe). 

[Hlitner]

I will stick out my neck and say that they cannot embark/disembark passengers at various ports on a Caribbean cruise.  Why?  Because MSC is operating those cruises under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) also known as a "closed loop cruise."  This type of cruise, which is round trip from a USA port, allows many cruisers to cruise without having a valid Passport.  But if MSC decides to use other ports for embarkation/disembarkation it no longer meets the WHTI criteria.  MSC could ignore the WHTI criteria but would then need to require that every cruiser have a valid Passport Book.

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will stick out my neck and say that they cannot embark/disembark passengers at various ports on a Caribbean cruise.  Why?  Because MSC is operating those cruises under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) also known as a "closed loop cruise."  This type of cruise, which is round trip from a USA port, allows many cruisers to cruise without having a valid Passport.  But if MSC decides to use other ports for embarkation/disembarkation it no longer meets the WHTI criteria.  MSC could ignore the WHTI criteria but would then need to require that every cruiser have a valid Passport Book.

 

Hank

 

They can and do embark and debark at many ports of the itinerary in the Caribbean.    The difference is that these cruises do not leave from or visit a US port.  Take MSC Opera as example:  https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesonmscopera-dec2018.html

[hamrag]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will stick out my neck and say that they cannot embark/disembark passengers at various ports on a Caribbean cruise.  Why?  Because MSC is operating those cruises under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) also known as a "closed loop cruise."  This type of cruise, which is round trip from a USA port, allows many cruisers to cruise without having a valid Passport.  But if MSC decides to use other ports for embarkation/disembarkation it no longer meets the WHTI criteria.  MSC could ignore the WHTI criteria but would then need to require that every cruiser have a valid Passport Book.

 

Hank

Not all Caribbean cruises touch the USA....check out Preziosa, which has 3 embarkation ports on each itinerary. We are scheduled to embark early 2019 in Barbados, and the other embark/debark ports are Fort de France (Martinique) and Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe). The real benefit here is that the cruise commences and ends in the heart of the Caribbean, so there is no transit required to/from Miami/Ft L/Port C/Tampa/NYC etc.!!

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, hamrag said:

Not all Caribbean cruises touch the USA....check out Preziosa, which has 3 embarkation ports on each itinerary. We are scheduled to embark early 2019 in Barbados, and the other embark/debark ports are Fort de France (Martinique) and Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe). The real benefit here is that the cruise commences and ends in the heart of the Caribbean, so there is no transit required to/from Miami/Ft L/Port C/Tampa/NYC etc.!!

LOL!  Some of our European friends love cruises out of Barbados because they do not have to deal with the hassle of US Visas...not to mention dealing with our Immirgration/Customs officers :).

 

Hank

[hamrag]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

LOL!  Some of our European friends love cruises out of Barbados because they do not have to deal with the hassle of US Visas...not to mention dealing with our Immirgration/Customs officers :).

 

Hank

That may be true for some Europeans, no idea tbh! We have cruised on various cruiselines from Miami, Ft L, Tampa and NYC into the Caribbean....and also done various cruises from the West Coast, including Panama Canal and Hawaii....firstly, we do not require a visa for the US, simply an ESTA which takes no more than 5 minutes on-line. We usually find US immigration officers to be most charming!

[Camelia-]

18 hours ago, Preziosa said:

Normaly you pay the full Price, but you Can leave when you Will, just Tell the reception. 

 

Yes - this is what I think has happened and it makes no sense to me why her travel agent would have booked her on this particular cruise when she wasn't going to enjoy all of it. It's not as if this was the ONLY cruise available at this time. Thanks to all for confirming this...time to look for another travel agent!!

[sverigecruiser]

5 hours ago, hamrag said:

 We usually find US immigration officers to be most charming!

 

I don't agree that the US immigration officers are charming! They are normally as "charming" as the security staff on Heathrow!

[Nunagoras]

MSC has a strange way of selling cruises with different terms and conditions on different markets. You might not see such a particular sailing on the USA website, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. They might have had an opportunity for a cruise from where your friend embarked and not visible elsewhere. Her TA might have been part of a group on a bloc with those conditions and another pax enter the ship as she leaves!... It wouldn't surprise me!...

 

Regarding those Preziosa cruises out of the Caribbean catered for the Europeans it is worth to note that once those cruises would sail out or only touch autonomous territories from certain European Union countries or small countries with special diplomatic agreements with the EU that permit you to go with no passport, those cruises will be technically considered EU "domestic" cruises. You won't need a passport both for flights and the cruise itself!... That is their main advantage! No immigration offices visits needed!... And I'm wondering this is why they are offering them!... 🙂

 

Have a nice day!... 🙂

[scoochy12]

How about Le Havre? 

[perakcruiser]

5 hours ago, scoochy12 said:

How about Le Havre? 

All mainland France ports are embarkation/debarkation ports, it would be very inconvenient for the French to embark in Zeebrugge. 

[Homosassa]

Just a note about  embarking or debarking in the Caribbean from a closed loop cruise from the US (and this experience is just about as old as this thread 😉😞

 

It is possible to embark at a different port other than the US port. On our Divina cruise back in 2016, one of our party booked a cruise departing Miami, only to find out that he was a speaker at a conference on embarcation day.

 

With prior arrangement with MSC, he was allowed to embark in Jamaica. He does have a pass port.  When we arrived back to Miami, he was required to go through the Immigration and Customs procedure that is done for non-US citizens.

[Cruisernat]

19 hours ago, scoochy12 said:

How about Le Havre? 

Scoochy12, I have done 2 “Break of “Voyage” on MSC this year. I can not speak for Le Havre specifically but the last one we did was in Europe. We went to guest services & asked for the form to be filled out requesting a break of voyage. One thing to note. We were told, once you are off the ship you can not come back on.  For example if you want to go on an excursion the morning of your new disembarkation port or even for a quick stroll in the city, you will have to take your luggage off the ship with you one time. You will not be able to return to the ship after the excursion/stroll to retrieve it. ( at least that was our experience) Enjoy your trip