2 MSC newbie questions...

[DaveNetMan]

Hi folks! Longtime cruisers but we just booked our first ever MSC cruise (Armonia) for April. This will also be our first time visiting Cuba. I read alot on the MSC website, and I just wanted to confirm I understood 2 things...

 

1. My wife and I are not alcohol drinkers, and we usually get the unlimited soda packages on other cruiselines. MSC website shows their unlimited soda package is over $200 ($29/day)!! This seems extremely high, I could swear Carnival was like $50 for the week. Am I reading this correctly? Why do expensive?

 

2. We were excited about visiting Cuba for the first time, but I'm just now reading about the requirements, which I didn't know about upfront. The MSC website says passengers cannot just walk off the ship and walk around on their own, they can only walk off the ship if they have a tour booked, is that correct? I ask because we were debating whether to book a city tour or not, as we usually just walk around on our own. I also read that a Visa is required for all guest, which is $75 per person, is that true too? Because that's an extra $150 expense.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Dave & Chris

davenetman

[cruisingberger]

I can't tell you why the drink packages cost that much but I was on Armonia for New Years and can tell you that the Visa's are $75 per person. They are delivered to your stateroom to fill out. If you don't want to get off the ship, you can return it to Guest services for a refund, if you don't write on it. Anyway, we were told on the ship that the American Government requires each person who gets off the ship to participate in a qualified "person to person" excursion. You do not have to buy the ships ( look online to find qualified vendors) but you do need a receipt for proof that you have participated in one. You also need to do one each day that you get off the ship. You need to keep this for several years as proof that you did it. Why? Because that is what the American Government requires. We purchased MSC's excursions because it was easier.We saved our receipts/ticket stubs. You only need one per day. If you do the Tropicana, you can get off the ship and walk around during the day and then do the Tropicana at night and you have completed the requirement. The message on the ship was that if you are American then your government requires it. I called MSC before our cruise and no one really knew what the requirement was. It was very frustrating. Hope this helps!

[Bases5]

I agree that is quite high.  But it does include things that other soda packages do not. 

 Like energy drinks, special coffee, espresso plus other things, that a lot of other lines don't offer with there soda package.

  But if your like me I just want to a soda package.

  They offer bottles of champagne to pre purchases for your room but don't offer wine. I liked MSC but there are some difference we had to get used to.  Over all they offer a solid product.

[Reenie75]

Might be cheaper just to purchase your soda one by one. Maybe you can preorder some for your room? 

For Cuba you must pay the $75 each to leave the ship also you need to do an excursion each day you are there its a requirement from the Cuban government. I agree quite pricey. 

[Tapi]

For clarification:

 

You’re NOT required to take an excursion (through the ship or independently) in order to fulfill the requirements of the “Support for the Cuban people” option. All you need to do is to engage in activities that directly benefit the Cuban people. Activities that qualify include things like eating at privately owned restaurants, visiting museums, shopping at privately owned stores, and/or participating in activities purchased directly from a private vendor. But once again, you’re NOT required to book excursions through the ship, or even independently, as long as you come up with a full itinerary of activities and keep receipts of everything you did.

 

- The BIG thing is that you do NOT spend money, shop, or visit establishments, or participate in any activity that benefits the Cuban regime. Several businesses like some restaurants, hotels, and tour operators are owned by the Cuban government. There’s a full list in the US Department of State website. You’re not allowed to spend money at any of these places because you would be funding the Cuban dictatorial regime. It’s not as hard as it sounds to avoid these places. They usually have a small sign by the door identifying them as being owned by one of the government owned agencies. 

 

- There’s really no way around the visa. You do have to get it if you want to visit Cuba. But trust me, it’s SO worth it. I don’t know if it’s cheaper to try to obtain a Cuban visa in advance, but the $75 visa provided by the cruise line makes the process very easy and hassle free. Well worth any potential savings.

 

Cuba has been one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever visited. It’s truly a wonderful destination. We were docked there for 2 days. On day one we just walked right off the ship, exploded by foot, and had dinner at a local restaurant. The next day we took a morning convertible car tour that we booked directly from an independent tour operator. We had lunch at another local restaurant, and then explored some more by foot, checked out some stores, stopped at an ice cream shop, and returned to the ship. No questions asked! 

 

[cloverose]

On 2/5/2019 at 2:00 AM, DaveNetMan said:

Hi folks! Longtime cruisers but we just booked our first ever MSC cruise (Armonia) for April. This will also be our first time visiting Cuba. I read alot on the MSC website, and I just wanted to confirm I understood 2 things...

 

1. My wife and I are not alcohol drinkers, and we usually get the unlimited soda packages on other cruiselines. MSC website shows their unlimited soda package is over $200 ($29/day)!! This seems extremely high, I could swear Carnival was like $50 for the week. Am I reading this correctly? Why do expensive?

 

2. We were excited about visiting Cuba for the first time, but I'm just now reading about the requirements, which I didn't know about upfront. The MSC website says passengers cannot just walk off the ship and walk around on their own, they can only walk off the ship if they have a tour booked, is that correct? I ask because we were debating whether to book a city tour or not, as we usually just walk around on our own. I also read that a Visa is required for all guest, which is $75 per person, is that true too? Because that's an extra $150 expense.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Dave & Chris

davenetman

We were in Cuba on Carnival in August. We loved it so much we are trying MSC for the first time the end of March to go back. You cannot get around the visa if you want to see Cuba. The documentation can be as simple as pictures and receipts. It is very doubtful we will be audited by the US government. We did private tours both days. The best was to Vinales Valley with cubaamongcubans.com. Their guide Adrian was so good we are using him both days this trip to see different places. Check out their offerings and send a message to them if you are interested. They will respond quickly. The pricing for just the two of us with a guide, driver, and vintage car was less than the cruise line bus tour. The tour company we used for Havana was Cubaoutings.com. Mary, our guide was good also. Both companies had been recommended to us by friends who had used them earlier. We did not book the Tropicana and will not this time because it is very late by the time you get back to the ship. We are leaving earlier than originally posted the next afternoon and would rather tour. I have read MSC will have local musicians and entertainers onboard the evening we are ported. Enjoy your cruise!