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1 hour ago, Bertie Doe said:

We were seriously looking at the Virtuosa all-inclusive 7 nighter on the 26th June, with balcony. Interested mainly to try MSC for the first time but weren't too excited by the Itinerary.

 

Decided not to go and (like you) we opted for a Xmas cruise. Ours is with Marella from the 5th to 26th December '21. Slightly more expensive per person per night than MSC  but FCCs come in handy.

 

We booked our old friendly B&B, (owner lives on site), it's £50 for the room plus breakfast. Dead handy, it's only 5 mins from M23 turnoff and 5 mins from Gatwick Purple Parking. The diet starts ..... tomorrow 🙄

Yeah its our first on MSC. And thought we'd give it a go being as they status matched. Quite liked the ports on the one we booked....not one sea day...not even Christmas day. And I know what you mean about the diet.......occasional lockdown takeaway treats.......seemed to have become more than occasional....& have taken their toll! 🙂 

 

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3 hours ago, BritsAbroad said:

And I know what you mean about the diet.......occasional lockdown takeaway treats.......seemed to have become more than occasional....& have taken their toll! 🙂 

 

Yep, even avatars have taken a hammering over the last 18 months. I'd like to lose 4 Kg before Xmas but I fear it's going to be a mammoth tusk. 🤐

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On 4/5/2021 at 3:02 PM, Bertie Doe said:

We were seriously looking at the Virtuosa all-inclusive 7 nighter on the 26th June, with balcony. Interested mainly to try MSC for the first time but weren't too excited by the Itinerary.

 

Decided not to go and (like you) we opted for a Xmas cruise. Ours is with Marella from the 5th to 26th December '21. Slightly more expensive per person per night than MSC  but FCCs come in handy.

 

We booked our old friendly B&B, (owner lives on site), it's £50 for the room plus breakfast. Dead handy, it's only 5 mins from M23 turnoff and 5 mins from Gatwick Purple Parking. The diet starts ..... tomorrow 🙄

 

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We are just looking at MSC Virtuosa 29th  June ,we haven’t  cruised with MSC before and thought we would try a short cruise in case it wasn’t to our taste ,as I have read some poor reviews as to food and entertainment .

The great selling point is to be able to sail out  and back  from Liverpool’s majestic waterfront.  Also the UK should be fully out of lockdown by then enabling us to access ports . We will cruise further afield in the autumn if possible .My main worry is MSC are not mandating passengers have had both vaccinations .

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Hi all 

 

a bit of advice. We were due to cruise on the seaview from Rome on July 25th. There’s  me, my wife and two kids in a two bedroom suite and my parents in a balcony.

 

we booked through an agent with a 400 deposit on ours and 200 on my parents.

 

Our payment due date is coming up next month and im not confident the cruise will go ahead. That said if I cancel we lose our deposit. If I pay the full balance I’m tying up 4K I could use for another holiday if the cruise didn’t then go ahead. I’m also concerned that I may book flights which go ahead but the cruise doesn’t. I think we’d all be happy with a credit note toward a future cruise (we’ve got two msc cruises booked in 2022) 

 

any thoughts or ideas much appreciated 


rob

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1 hour ago, rdt123 said:

we booked through an agent with a 400 deposit on ours and 200 on my parents.

 

Our payment due date is coming up next month and im not confident the cruise will go ahead. That said if I cancel we lose our deposit. If I pay the full balance I’m tying up 4K I could use for another holiday if the cruise didn’t then go ahead. I’m also concerned that I may book flights which go ahead but the cruise doesn’t. I think we’d all be happy with a credit note toward a future cruise (we’ve got two msc cruises booked in 2022) 

 

If something nasty kills your July cruise, say a new variety of Covid that's difficult to control, then there's a good chance it'll kill off all other cruises.

 

I would pay the balance, if worse thing happens, you'll probably get it enhanced by 25%. As you are aware, flights to Rome via Easyjet are quite cheap, should you have to re-schedule. Regards Paul

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17 minutes ago, Bertie Doe said:

If something nasty kills your July cruise, say a new variety of Covid that's difficult to control, then there's a good chance it'll kill off all other cruises.

 

I would pay the balance, if worse thing happens, you'll probably get it enhanced by 25%. As you are aware, flights to Rome via Easyjet are quite cheap, should you have to re-schedule. Regards Paul

Thanks - in a bizarre twist I read another thread saying my ship is now cruising Northern Europe for the summer ! 

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On 4/6/2021 at 7:46 PM, margo2011 said:

We are just looking at MSC Virtuosa 29th  June ,we haven’t  cruised with MSC before and thought we would try a short cruise in case it wasn’t to our taste ,as I have read some poor reviews as to food and entertainment .

The great selling point is to be able to sail out  and back  from Liverpool’s majestic waterfront.  Also the UK should be fully out of lockdown by then enabling us to access ports . We will cruise further afield in the autumn if possible .My main worry is MSC are not mandating passengers have had both vaccinations .

I think those not vaccinated have to have negative PCR test before boarding, which makes it less likely you would catch it from them than the vaccinated ones.

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Rob - we were due to sail in the Med in July & are similarly jittery about final payment.

We’ve now decided to move our booking to one of the Virtuosa sailings so we don’t need to worry about whether we will be able to get to the cruise, whether the ports will accept us etc. 
Obviously the itinerary and likely weather are not comparable (!) but we feel good about the decision as the likelihood of a holiday is much higher and with far fewer worries and chances for change between now and then.

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On 4/9/2021 at 3:14 PM, stoneman56 said:

I think those not vaccinated have to have negative PCR test before boarding, which makes it less likely you would catch it from them than the vaccinated ones.

Everyone will be tested and have to be negative before boarding regardless off vaccine or not. Those who have not had the jab have to have a PCR test upto 72 hours prior to arriving at the port and have proof in duplicate.

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Aw shucks. I had a Magnifica package booked with a UK Travel Agent for 23 October. It was basically a repositioning cruise with some good stops, two of which we hadn't explored (El Ferrol & Tangier). Disembarkation was to be at Genoa with a 5 night add on to Lake Garda (3 nights) and Venice (2 nights0 then flight home.

 

Took the agent's call Saturday with a number of offers but none any good as we already have other cruises booked that would be impacted upon if we chose alternatives.

 

Now the fun bit.  When I explained the alternatives weren't any good agent says MSC are 'recommending' that refunds will take approximately 100 days.  Now £500 is neither here nor there in the great scheme of things and even over a year in an interest paying account would only garner £6.25, but it's the principle for me now. 

Just so pleased I paid the deposit with a credit card. 😁

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On 4/10/2021 at 9:26 PM, sidari said:

Everyone will be tested and have to be negative before boarding regardless off vaccine or not. Those who have not had the jab have to have a PCR test upto 72 hours prior to arriving at the port and have proof in duplicate.

If you read MSC's Conditions, it can be a lateral flow or PCR for non-vaccinated passengers and they receive a further test at the port before embarkation, as do vaccinated passengers for that matter 🙂

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9 hours ago, lsmall said:

If you read MSC's Conditions, it can be a lateral flow or PCR for non-vaccinated passengers and they receive a further test at the port before embarkation, as do vaccinated passengers for that matter 🙂

As I said in my post, apart from now they have added the Lateral flow test. you still need two copies of the test result.

 

MSC VIRTUOSA – UK SAILINGS
For MSC Virtuosa’ sailings around the British Isles in the upcoming months, we will initially welcome only UK residents of all ages, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. All unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests (i.e did not receive the full set of vaccine shots) will need to take a PCR (molecular) or antigen (lateral flow) swab test within 72 hours prior to the ship’s departure. The test results certificate must be printed in two copies and presented at the terminal in order to embark on the ship. The test is not required for fully-vaccinated (proof of vaccination needed) or under 2 years old guests. However, as per our stringent MSC Health & Safety protocol, all guests both vaccinated and unvaccinated, will need to undergo some Health and COVID 19 screenings including a COVID 19 swab test, a health questionnaire and a contactless temperature check, before boarding the ship.

Edited by sidari
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  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/13/2021 at 10:52 AM, sidari said:

As I said in my post, apart from now they have added the Lateral flow test. you still need two copies of the test result.

 

MSC VIRTUOSA – UK SAILINGS
For MSC Virtuosa’ sailings around the British Isles in the upcoming months, we will initially welcome only UK residents of all ages, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. All unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests (i.e did not receive the full set of vaccine shots) will need to take a PCR (molecular) or antigen (lateral flow) swab test within 72 hours prior to the ship’s departure. The test results certificate must be printed in two copies and presented at the terminal in order to embark on the ship. The test is not required for fully-vaccinated (proof of vaccination needed) or under 2 years old guests. However, as per our stringent MSC Health & Safety protocol, all guests both vaccinated and unvaccinated, will need to undergo some Health and COVID 19 screenings including a COVID 19 swab test, a health questionnaire and a contactless temperature check, before boarding the ship.

 

The Policy was updated from your copy & paste above. It can be an email / text etc. 

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  • 2 months later...

Hi looking to see if anyone can shed any light on this,   Daughter and 2 friends are booked on MSC Virtuosa 19th Aug.   They have now changed their policy meaning you have to have had both vaccines.   One friend has only had one vaccine and the 2nd is not due until the week of the sailing.    My daughter emailed MSC as she has had no correspondence regarding this and only happened to read it by chance on social media.  Their response simply stated that they were only contacting passengers who were due to travel up until 19th July.    She has tried phoning, only to be on hold for 55mins before having to give up.   I presume that the 19th July cut off is due to the relaxation of gov restrictions expected at that time, but surely the 2 vaccine rule would still remain.    Has anyone sailing on Virtuosa managed to speak to MSC or can anyone clarify this.  Thanks 

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3 hours ago, demmy10 said:

Hi looking to see if anyone can shed any light on this,   Daughter and 2 friends are booked on MSC Virtuosa 19th Aug.   They have now changed their policy meaning you have to have had both vaccines.   One friend has only had one vaccine and the 2nd is not due until the week of the sailing.    My daughter emailed MSC as she has had no correspondence regarding this and only happened to read it by chance on social media.  Their response simply stated that they were only contacting passengers who were due to travel up until 19th July.    She has tried phoning, only to be on hold for 55mins before having to give up.   I presume that the 19th July cut off is due to the relaxation of gov restrictions expected at that time, but surely the 2 vaccine rule would still remain.    Has anyone sailing on Virtuosa managed to speak to MSC or can anyone clarify this.  Thanks 

If it helps, I've had a couple of replies (initially) from @MSC_Cruises_UK on twitter. But they aren't the best...... I know cruises not around the UK have different rules and are allowing non vaccinations. So it stands that I imagine that the only reason it isnt from the UK is the UK's guidelines. So once they are removed on the 19th, MSC UK I cant see why they wouldnt follow the rest of their fleet. But I imagine they cant come out and say that until after the 19th, or incase our Delta issue causes a few changes again.

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15 hours ago, BritsAbroad said:

If it helps, I've had a couple of replies (initially) from @MSC_Cruises_UK on twitter. But they aren't the best...... I know cruises not around the UK have different rules and are allowing non vaccinations. So it stands that I imagine that the only reason it isnt from the UK is the UK's guidelines. So once they are removed on the 19th, MSC UK I cant see why they wouldnt follow the rest of their fleet. But I imagine they cant come out and say that until after the 19th, or incase our Delta issue causes a few changes again.

Thank for for the response.   So possibly this could mean only negative tests required after the 19th.   Fingers crossed as this would be the 3rd cancellation in the past year.   

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On 7/10/2021 at 1:25 PM, demmy10 said:

Thank for for the response.   So possibly this could mean only negative tests required after the 19th.   Fingers crossed as this would be the 3rd cancellation in the past year.   

I imagine so. The only way it would be different is if MSC changed their policy for the rest of the fleet to be like the UK's current policy. But the only reason they would have to do that is if this Delta mullers the rest of the world before your cruise. Sadly mine isn't until Dec. And I have to fly to mine via Paris (to martinique) to embark. So thats a few months of worry to see which way the coin tosses! Good luck! 

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just booked ours for easter 2022 and decided to go yacht club as it was a very reasonable price. Hopefully all will have calmed down by then. we have sailed with Mac many times but never in yacht club so really looking forward to it. Cant wait to get back cruising and travelling again.

 

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  • 3 months later...

I have just booked MSC Magnifica out of Southampton on the 23rd Nov 21.

 

Can anyone clarify if I need to purchase a private PCR (negative) test to board?

 

The UK website states that I will be tested at the port by MSC with a LFT test and allowed to board if that test comes back negative and that MSC are paying for that test.

 

As I understand it I will also need to purchase a private LFT test and record the number on my PLF before I leave the UK and perform the test once back in the country.

 

Have I missed anything?

 

Thanks in advance

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1 hour ago, Tom Baker said:

I have just booked MSC Magnifica out of Southampton on the 23rd Nov 21.

 

Can anyone clarify if I need to purchase a private PCR (negative) test to board?

 

The UK website states that I will be tested at the port by MSC with a LFT test and allowed to board if that test comes back negative and that MSC are paying for that test.

 

As I understand it I will also need to purchase a private LFT test and record the number on my PLF before I leave the UK and perform the test once back in the country.

 

Have I missed anything?

 

Thanks in advance

Hi i'm cruising out of Southampton on 30.11.2021 and I have spoken to msc 3 times this week and spoken to 3 different people and all saying the same thing regarding pcr and yes we have get one done within 72hrs of your embarkation time. This is what is on their website travelling Northern Europe under health and safety protocols.

Hope this helps 😊

 

COVID-19: MEASURES TO EMBARK FOR NON SCHENGEN COUNTRIES

 
For all sailings in the upcoming months till march 31st 2022, please note that all Guests will need to follow all of these requirements to be allowed on board:  

 

  • All Guests (above 2 years old) need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before embarkation
  • All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated (i.e full set of vaccine shots received more than 14 days before the start of the cruise, with an approved Covid-19 vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson)
     

The original test and vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in one of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish. The COVID 19 test certificate must contain: guest’s personal data (verifiable with the other travel documents), date of the test, identification / contact details of the centre that performed the analysis, technique used and negative test result. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/15/2021 at 4:10 PM, Cruiseforever11 said:

Hi i'm cruising out of Southampton on 30.11.2021 and I have spoken to msc 3 times this week and spoken to 3 different people and all saying the same thing regarding pcr and yes we have get one done within 72hrs of your embarkation time. This is what is on their website travelling Northern Europe under health and safety protocols.

Hope this helps 😊

 

COVID-19: MEASURES TO EMBARK FOR NON SCHENGEN COUNTRIES

 
For all sailings in the upcoming months till march 31st 2022, please note that all Guests will need to follow all of these requirements to be allowed on board:  

 

  • All Guests (above 2 years old) need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before embarkation
  • All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated (i.e full set of vaccine shots received more than 14 days before the start of the cruise, with an approved Covid-19 vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson)
     

The original test and vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in one of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish. The COVID 19 test certificate must contain: guest’s personal data (verifiable with the other travel documents), date of the test, identification / contact details of the centre that performed the analysis, technique used and negative test result. 

 

I need some help...

 

How are we going to comply to the 12+ Children being fully vaccinated when the UK Gov are not double vaccinating anyone under 17 years and 9 months?  Any ideas as we are booked on the Christmas Northern Europe Cruise?

 

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1 hour ago, DarrenRH said:

 

I need some help...

 

How are we going to comply to the 12+ Children being fully vaccinated when the UK Gov are not double vaccinating anyone under 17 years and 9 months?  Any ideas as we are booked on the Christmas Northern Europe Cruise?

 

Hi I have just called msc for you and for anyone else who is wondering. As you rightly said children between 12 & 17 are not double vaccinated in the uk and it's not made clear on their website what to do if only had one jab.

 

I'm afraid it is still clear as mud! Msc said they are actually reviewing this issue with children as we speak as people have been asking this a lot and apparently there will be an update in the next week 🙄 msc said if you have a booking with them they said that you will be updated via email. Sorry I can't be of more help on the issue. 

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51 minutes ago, Cruiseforever11 said:

Hi I have just called msc for you and for anyone else who is wondering. As you rightly said children between 12 & 17 are not double vaccinated in the uk and it's not made clear on their website what to do if only had one jab.

 

I'm afraid it is still clear as mud! Msc said they are actually reviewing this issue with children as we speak as people have been asking this a lot and apparently there will be an update in the next week 🙄 msc said if you have a booking with them they said that you will be updated via email. Sorry I can't be of more help on the issue. 

 

I appreciate the effort!  I have been doing the same. They said they are going to update me as and when.  I just hoped someone else may have been through it already!!

 

The information is 'hidden' under 'Manage Bookings' so I did not even look at this before booking the cruise.  Now we are stuck with the booking as it is too late for a refund (Short notice booking!)

 

Let's hope they resolve it or we manage to squeeze him in to get a second jab!

 

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