Why do cheap?

[MikeNKim]

Good morning all.

 

I am looking for a Med cruise for next year and stumbled upon MSC.    I am a avid Carnival cruiser but have done RCCL and Disney.

 

I am worried what I am missing in why these cruises are so cheap?  Basically half of RCCL and NCL for the same cruise?

 

Have you all had good experiences?   Are there things I would need to add to the price?

 

Any insight would be awesome

 

Thank you

 

Kim

[perakcruiser]

13 minutes ago, MikeNKim said:

I am worried what I am missing in why these cruises are so cheap?

MSC prices follow European school holidays, so the price goes up extremely in main season and also goes down extremely in off season. That is the same for all European cruise companies. 

 

As you are from Canada, they will probably add harbour taxes and stuff like this to the price. 

[cellfree]

We are Platinum with Carnival and two years ago discovered MSC. Have now cruised on the Divina three times the Seaside once and Armonia once. Have Meraviglia booked for November and Divina again in February 2020 and just booked the Grandiosa for October 202O out of Barcelona. We continue to cruise Carnival. We enjoy both experiences. We have never had a bad experience on MSC. It is difficult to list everything we enjoy about MSC. I would suggest a new experience is a good thing. We have never regretted discovering MSC. 

[donutcop]

9 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

MSC prices follow European school holidays, so the price goes up extremely in main season and also goes down extremely in off season. That is the same for all European cruise companies. 

 

As you are from Canada, they will probably add harbour taxes and stuff like this to the price. 

Please explain the harbour taxes?  When do they get added?

[MikeNKim]

Thank you so much for the quick responses....my title was suppose to say SO cheap not DO cheap.

 

Thank you, yu all made me feel better.   I was thinking maybe there was add ons I was missing.

 

Kim

[cellfree]

Kim, you can do a booking online and come up with a final price before committing. What you choose during the step by step process will tell you what is included, such as beverages, etc. You can also add a beverage package after booking if you choose to do so. MSC also has a “nice” cancellation policy - entire deposit refunded until 90 days prior to departure. When we sail the Caribbean we often choose the “easy drink package” when booking as we tend to be on the ship a lot and can take advantage of it. For our Mediterranean booking we did not choose a drink package as we felt we would be very busy visiting the ports as they will all be new to us. 

[DCGuy64]

1 minute ago, cellfree said:

Kim, you can do a booking online and come up with a final price before committing. What you choose during the step by step process will tell you what is included, such as beverages, etc. You can also add a beverage package after booking if you choose to do so. MSC also has a “nice” cancellation policy - entire deposit refunded until 90 days prior to departure. When we sail the Caribbean we often choose the “easy drink package” when booking as we tend to be on the ship a lot and can take advantage of it. For our Mediterranean booking we did not choose a drink package as we felt we would be very busy visiting the ports as they will all be new to us. 

Agreed, their cancellation policy is good. Make sure to read the fine print, the deposit is nonrefundable if booked from the UK and Ireland, and it's also worth pointing out that the refund period is 120 days (not 90) from sailing date if booked in the Yacht Club. 

[perakcruiser]

35 minutes ago, donutcop said:

Please explain the harbour taxes?  When do they get added?

 

No idea as I don´t have to pay them seperately. 

 

You need to ask someone of your nationality who cruised MSC before. 

[perakcruiser]

25 minutes ago, cellfree said:

MSC also has a “nice” cancellation policy - entire deposit refunded until 90 days prior to departure.

 

Unfortunately this is also totally different in every market MSC serves. I guess almost all markets except the US are not enjoying this generous policy. But I agree that their policy is friendlier than others. 

[dexddd]

As far as NCL, they keep pushing the envelope on what they can charge and it seems mostly to be working with discounts close to sail date plus they have the bidding program.  

 

It seems from looking at some upcoming trips their ships are sailing fairly full for the Med sailings.

[Tapi]

I’m a Platinum cruiser on Carnival. In my humble opinion, MSC is a notch above Carnival. 

 

We sailed the Mediterranean last November over Thanksgiving aboard the MSC Meraviglia, attracted in big part by the cheap prices. I had been looking fo a Caribbean cruise close to home for the same time period,  but when I discovered that I could sail in the Mediterranean for a fraction of the price, I decided to pull the trigger. Long story short, it was one of the best cruises I’ve ever taken in my life. MSC does a fantastic job. The Mediterranean is their turf. And as her name implies, the Meraviglia was a wonderful ship. 

 

The cruise fare was so cheap that I decided to splurge and upgrade to a suite. We booked an Aurea Duplex Suite, which included a beverage package, free massages, access to the Aurea Thermal area, dedicated section of the main dining room with open seating, access to a private solarium deck for suite passengers, and our stateroom had separate sleeping quarters upstairs, 2 bathrooms, and our own outdoor jacuzzi tub. Even with this upgrade, the cruise was STILL cheaper than a Caribbean cruise the same week!

 

Based on our experience, don’t hesitate about sailing aboard MSC. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have. I’m including a quick link to a review that I wrote. You can access it by clicking here: MSC MERAVIGLIA. Hope it’s helpful:

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Tapi

[skings]

Tapi loved your review of Meraviglia. Do you have photos to share?

[citizenfrank]

18 hours ago, cellfree said:

We are Platinum with Carnival and two years ago discovered MSC. Have now cruised on the Divina three times the Seaside once and Armonia once. Have Meraviglia booked for November and Divina again in February 2020 and just booked the Grandiosa for October 202O out of Barcelona. We continue to cruise Carnival. We enjoy both experiences. We have never had a bad experience on MSC. It is difficult to list everything we enjoy about MSC. I would suggest a new experience is a good thing. We have never regretted discovering MSC. 

Similar history! With NCL and RCI added.

Agree totally with your post ❤

[sfaaa]

MSC wants you to save money. Embrace it and go while the going is in your favor.

[Traveler-14344]

The good value MSC gave during our first cruise (with MSC Divina) in 2015 is what made us love cruising. We have cruised with MSC Preziosa and MSC Seaside over the past two years. We will be boarding MSC Musica soon. We've cruised Carnival early this year which was a good value for a short cruise (3 nights-4 days). We felt that the amount we paid with our cruise with MSC was good value and our expectations were met.

 

The extra cost are pretty much the extras ... drink package, internet package,  photo package, excursions, specialty restaurants, etc. 

[woozles]

On 9/24/2019 at 11:47 AM, cellfree said:

Kim, you can do a booking online and come up with a final price before committing. What you choose during the step by step process will tell you what is included, such as beverages, etc. You can also add a beverage package after booking if you choose to do so. MSC also has a “nice” cancellation policy - entire deposit refunded until 90 days prior to departure. When we sail the Caribbean we often choose the “easy drink package” when booking as we tend to be on the ship a lot and can take advantage of it. For our Mediterranean booking we did not choose a drink package as we felt we would be very busy visiting the ports as they will all be new to us. 

 

I'm curious about the easy drink package.  How are the wines available at that level? I drink white merlot or riesling. It appears as though one can get a virgin frozen drink and shot and create their own - whatever. Is that correct? Finally we enjoy mochas and lattes it looks like those are included yes?

[cellfree]

The Armonia has a Coffee Bar which is really quite large on Deck 6 and almost everything on the menu is under $6.00, they even have a coffee offering with Baileys in it. We never had any problem with wines offered, red or white or sparkling etc. (But as you would have already read on these Boards some do prefer something different.) You can get a virgin beverage and shot on the side, we always needed two cards to get that, some seem to imply server put both on one card, perhaps depends on server, but yes it can be done. 

[Homosassa]

On 9/24/2019 at 11:34 AM, donutcop said:

Please explain the harbour taxes?  When do they get added?

Port fees (Taxes) are the fees that the ports charge the ship using their facilities.  taxes are whatever taxes are applicable to your sailing.

 

In the UK, port fees and taxes (and the on board service charge) are included in the price quited for the cruise. 

 

In the US (and Canada?), the price listed may only be the fare for the cruise. Port fees and taxes are added at the time of booking for the total price.  On Board Service fees are added daily to your account on the ship.

[donutcop]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Port fees (Taxes) are the fees that the ports charge the ship using their facilities.  taxes are whatever taxes are applicable to your sailing.

 

In the UK, port fees and taxes (and the on board service charge) are included in the price quited for the cruise. 

 

In the US (and Canada?), the price listed may only be the fare for the cruise. Port fees and taxes are added at the time of booking for the total price.  On Board Service fees are added daily to your account on the ship.

Thank you!  I was starting to worry port fees get added once on-board. 

[allyfrizzle]

I sailed the Divina back in 2013 when MSC was trying to break into the US market. It was definitely geared toward European cruisers, in terms of food and entertainment (Their Michael Jackson performance had the funniest, strongest Italian accent ever). It's my understanding their US cruises are slowly changing to be more Americanized.

I've cruised a lot with NCL but have recently booked another cruise with MSC on the Meraviglia. The worst downfall for MSC is their awful website (it doesn't save preference when you're searching for cruises, then click "back") and their customer service (usually takes a long time to get someone on the phone). Patience is a virtue and pays off with much cheaper cruises.

[Homosassa]

10 hours ago, donutcop said:

Thank you!  I was starting to worry port fees get added once on-board. 

You're welcome (I always hate rereading my posts because then I see all my typing errors).

 

Always check when you see an advertised price. Some prices from different travel agents and sites may have the port fees and taxes already in the price (usually says something like no additional fees or fees and taxes included in small print). Others are just advertising the fare, some may have the port fees included.

 

As a result, while one site may seem to be higher in its quote because it has all port fees and taxes included in the advertised fare, it may actually be lower than a site that adds the fees and taxes in after you start to book.

 

Also, while you pay the port taxes up front when booking, there are times when you will receive an on board credit while on the cruise because the port fees have been reduced or a port has been cancelled.

 

The port fee reduction can occur either because a port has reduced their fee (very rare) or when the cruise line projected  the expected number of passengers on board and calculated the amount to charge each passenger, that particular cruise has more passengers than expected and the amount charged per passenger was recalculated to a lower amount.

 

Also, the reverse can happen. Fees are calculated and by the time final payment comes around, port fees have increased, and you will be charged an additional amount. That is why any booking will have in the small print that fees and taxes may be increased and charged to the passenger.

[JimmyTheSaint]

I've cruised three times with Carnival in The Med ( Legend, Vista, Horizon ) and once with MSC ( Fantasia ). I found the MSC cruise to be deeply disappointing, so poor that I would never consider sailing with them again regardless of the price.

 

To be fair to MSC I found the ship was absolutely beautiful and our cabin was the nicest, most comfortable we've ever had. The rest of the cruise was terrible, the food, the entertainment and general atmosphere on board were all of a very poor standard. 

 

Carnival are cruising The Med again in 2020 and if I was looking for a Med cruise next summer that's who I would book with.

Edited September 27, 2019 by JimmyTheSaint

[marco]

Cruising on MSC in Europe and out of Fla to the Caribbean is like cruising on two separate lines  We love MSC out of Fla to the Caribbean, not so much in  Europe.  We've gone 3 years in a row out of Fla and with each year, seems they've become more comparable with other lines on similar itineraries and over those 3 years, more US/Canadian and fewer  European passengers.  I think their prices are what they are to attract more people to MSC. 

[DCGuy64]

53 minutes ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

I've cruised three times with Carnival in The Med ( Legend, Vista, Horizon ) and once with MSC ( Fantasia ). I found the MSC cruise to be deeply disappointing, so poor that I would never consider sailing with them again regardless of the price.

 

To be fair to MSC I found the ship was absolutely beautiful and our cabin was the nicest, most comfortable we've ever had. The rest of the cruise was terrible, the food, the entertainment and general atmosphere on board were all of a very poor standard. 

 

Carnival are cruising The Med again in 2020 and if I was looking for a Med cruise next summer that's who I would book with.

Not challenging any of what you said (it's your time and money, after all), but do I understand you correctly when you say you'd never consider sailing with MSC again on ANY ship due to your one experience with them? Again, please understand I am just surprised, I'm not questioning your right as a passenger to decide what's right for YOU. Thanks. 

[Homosassa]

3 hours ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

I've cruised three times with Carnival in The Med ( Legend, Vista, Horizon ) and once with MSC ( Fantasia ). I found the MSC cruise to be deeply disappointing, so poor that I would never consider sailing with them again regardless of the price.

 

To be fair to MSC I found the ship was absolutely beautiful and our cabin was the nicest, most comfortable we've ever had. The rest of the cruise was terrible, the food, the entertainment and general atmosphere on board were all of a very poor standard. 

 

Carnival are cruising The Med again in 2020 and if I was looking for a Med cruise next summer that's who I would book with.

 

I think I have probably been behind you or someone similar at Guest Services that start their list of complaints with "On Carnival...."

 

Thankfully, MSC is not Carnival and , hopefully, will never try to copy Carnival.