Translation needed of levels...Bella, Fastastica, etc..

[drpclarke]

Good afternoon all!

 

So I'm learning that the MSC site is a bit difficult to understand (or I am suffering from pre-spring break brain)..

 

Now that I have my first MSC cruise booked, I"m seeing all of this Yacht Club and Fantastica and Hullaballoo levels. If I am reading it right...it's just referring to where my cabin is, right?
 

So I got the cheap deal..inside cabin...so I'm part of Bella, which appears to be Cattle Class. Does this mean anything else?? 🙂

 

Thanks!

Rachel

[shipgeeks]

I wish I could answer in detail!

I know that we chose Bella as we wanted a set dining time, and we didn't care for any of the extras, such as room service, that come with other levels.

There is a guide near the top of this MSC forum, but with many pages of individual questions and answers, I haven't been able to find the chart you're looking for.  There is one!

Can someone provide a link?  I'm sure a number of people would find it useful.

[joeyancho]

Following 

[CruisingFox27]

There's a comparison chart in this link. Hope that helps. 

 

https://www.cruisenation.com/blog/cruise-lines/msc-cruise-line-cruise-lines/difference-msc-fantastica-msc-bella/

[dolphin1313]

3 hours ago, drpclarke said:

Good afternoon all!

 

So I'm learning that the MSC site is a bit difficult to understand (or I am suffering from pre-spring break brain)..

 

Now that I have my first MSC cruise booked, I"m seeing all of this Yacht Club and Fantastica and Hullaballoo levels. If I am reading it right...it's just referring to where my cabin is, right?
 

So I got the cheap deal..inside cabin...so I'm part of Bella, which appears to be Cattle Class. Does this mean anything else?? 🙂

 

Thanks!

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

 

The experience is not always a different cabin but more with what benefits are included.  It can be confusing but for instance, a particular balcony cabin can be a  fantastica experience or a Aurea experience.   Of course the Yacht Club cabins also include the Yacht Club private area is like an experience itself.  Certain cabin types may only be available for certain experiences.

 

When I first started looking at MSC, it seemed like a maze.  To make it easier, first decide what type of cabin you want (Inside, OV, ect.) than decide what benefits you want.

 

Here's the link that go over the different experiences and what the experience offers:

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/experiences-staterooms

 

Also, here's the link to go over the Yacht Club:

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club

 

 

Hopefully, this will help you a little.

 

[drpclarke]

55 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

There's a comparison chart in this link. Hope that helps. 

 

https://www.cruisenation.com/blog/cruise-lines/msc-cruise-line-cruise-lines/difference-msc-fantastica-msc-bella/

 

[drpclarke]

This is so helpful...and doesn't look like "Cattle Class" is that bad!! Thanks!

 

[shipgeeks]

It's not bad at all!  We can't wait to be there again.

[cellfree]

We have cruised Interior both Bella and Fantastica on several MSC cruises and have thoroughly enjoyed every cruise, when we do Fantastica it is because we choose a cabin on a higher deck, otherwise no difference for us. If we are assigned a dining time we do not prefer, we go to dining room day of embarkation and request a change. We have never found anyone differentiates between either “level,” no one has ever asked us.

[phissy]

Great chart, have not seen it before.

To Update, more ships have come online since this chart was posted.  YC is available on newer ships, and some  YC cabins may be out of YC proper. MSC has added Duplex Suites  and Family Suites to YC designation. 

MSC offers cruisers something for everyone. It just takes some time to understand their system.

Happy Cruising!

[optimusprime82]

On both our MSC cruises, and our upcoming third, we've booked the Aurea Experience. On other lines we pay extra for the thermal spa pass, usually book at least one massage each, my wife enjoys the private sundeck and the drink package is nice bonus. When we've done the math the additional Aurea cost seems like good value for money for us but your mileage may vary depending on what other things you usually book onboard.

[DSJ28]

I booked Fantastica to pick my cabin and because I do love breakfast delivered to my cabin so I can have it on the balcony.  There's also one professional photo - those few benefits make it worth while for me.  As a solo traveler, my cost was $45 for a 4 night cruise on MSC Divinia.  I don't think I'd have paid any more than that for the "upgrade".  

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, cellfree said:

We have never found anyone differentiates between either “level,” no one has ever asked us.

 

Agree, I was never asked by anyone.  But, I am certain that bartenders noted that I was a YC guest by my Diamond/Black cruise card and/or the YC wrist band I was wearing.  

[cellfree]

As I stated earlier, we have never noticed if any staff realize we are (Interior) Bella or Fantastica experience. We too are Diamond, I suppose bartenders notice that, although no one has ever mentioned it. 

[Gatrcruzer]

Between Bella and Fantastica - Fantastica has the ability to get room service which is important to me. Like Fantastica, Bella has set dining times, but you have less priority for your time of choice - I have even heard Bella passengers might not be able to eat in the dining room if it is too busy - they might set up a place for them in the buffet (this is hearsay, I did not experience this). Cabins in Bella are typically in less preferred locations and might be smaller. If you are okay with all of these things then pick Bella over Fantastica. 

[shipgeeks]

We sailed Bella on Seaside; had a balcony cabin in an excellent position.

Our table assignment and time for dinner were fine.

For the Armonia cruises we recently booked, we got exactly the cabin and dinner time we hoped for.

[carlmm]

16 hours ago, Gatrcruzer said:

Between Bella and Fantastica - Fantastica has the ability to get room service which is important to me. 

  One can get room service in Bella, too. One just pays a little more.

[Gatrcruzer]

On 3/30/2021 at 12:19 PM, carlmm said:

  One can get room service in Bella, too. One just pays a little more.

That is a good point. Can Bella get room service beyond breakfast or only at breakfast time (for a fee)? It is not listed as an option for Bella cabins other than breakfast in the MSC materials, so I assumed that after breakfast Bella cabins couldn't get room service. We like to order room service at different times of the day, so it is good to know if this is something available at later times.

[Stockjock]

One thing to remember is that on some ships, such as Grandiosa, every Bella cabin (to my knowledge) is a relatively bad one.  On others ships, such as Magnifica, while many are bad, there are a number that are not bad.

What is "bad"?  Very front or rear of the ship with a partially or fully obstructed cabin.

So on Grandiosa, I was told that every Bella is obstructed in some way.  That might mean a lifeboat in front of your cabin blocking much or all of your view.  It might mean a cabin at the very front or rear of the ship with a steel balcony, and obviously it's hard to see through steel.

But again, some ships have some acceptable Bella cabins.

On other ships, the Bella cabin might be in an acceptable location, but perhaps smaller than the Fantastica cabins.  You should be able to spot the size differences on the deck plan.

You have to view the ship to figure out what's going on.  But be advised that MSC doesn't make it very clear which cabins are obstructed.  For example, if you see a balcony where that portion of the cabin is shaded darker than the others, that means you have a steel balcony.

If you go to the deck plan, and you can use Grandiosa deck 8 mid-ship as an example, if it has one circle either partially or fully blackened in, that means it's an obstructed cabin.  But 2 circles filled in means it has a sofa or bunkbed that can be converted into an extra bed or two, so it's a bit confusing.

On MSC's website, it's harder to spot the obstructed cabins.  I booked one recently that looked fine, but I didn't know the circle thing and once I got the booking confirmation, it showed to be fully obstructed but only in the fine print on the .pdf attachment.  I spent an extra $200 or so to move up to an unobstructed aft-facing  Fantastica cabin that I'm happy with.

Conversely, on an upcoming sailing on Magnifica, I have a Bella cabin that is towards the rear of the ship but unobstructed and it should be fine for our needs.  Again, just pay attention to what you are booking. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Stockjock

[DCGuy64]

To the OP: as @Stockjock mentioned, and did a very fine job of doing so, by the way, what constitutes a "good" or "bad" cabin might depend on you, but it's a great idea to see where a particular cabin is located. I'd recommend you check out this link on CC (pasted below).

The poster, Skier 52, has an encyclopedic knowledge of cabins and often puts pictures of the ship with an arrow pointing to the cabin someone is asking about. It gives a real 'personal' feel to exactly where your cabin would be, so you can judge for yourself.

 

-Stephen

.

[shipgeeks]

We always start with deck plans, to eliminate cabins we wouldn't want, such as obstructed views.  Then, if TA comes through with "I've put a hold on cabin 1234", we know if it's a good choice or not.  So far, all have been excellent (with Bella).  Last time, we had a particular cabin in mind, and we got it, again with Bella.

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Again, just pay attention to what you are booking. 

 

Your entire post is excellent advice, but your last sentence is even better.  Some don't do the proper studying of a ship's deck plan to determine what is on either side of them, above and below them, or across from them before they book a specific cabin.  Then, we were read about it on CC, sometimes.  I have little patience for such whining.  

[Stockjock]

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your entire post is excellent advice, but your last sentence is even better.  Some don't do the proper studying of a ship's deck plan to determine what is on either side of them, above and below them, or across from them before they book a specific cabin.  Then, we were read about it on CC, sometimes.  I have little patience for such whining.  

Agreed, although I will say there there are situations, especially with MSC, where the deck plan is faulty or unclear.  In that case, I do think the gripes are more legitimate than not.

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I will say there there are situations, especially with MSC, where the deck plan is faulty or unclear

 

Good point.  I am finding for some cruise lines it is very difficult to clearly read the deck plans because of the small print.  On my computer, I increase the size of the page as much as I can; helps some, but not always much.  Using a hard copy brochure, I get out a magnifying glass and even that does not have enough magnification to be of much use at times.  

[Fogfog]

On 3/29/2021 at 4:28 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Agree, I was never asked by anyone.  But, I am certain that bartenders noted that I was a YC guest by my Diamond/Black cruise card and/or the YC wrist band I was wearing.  

Yes absolutely.

and butlers know who belongs in YC and who doesn’t. On one leg of a B2B butlers removed 6 people during the YC lunch buffet.

 

I’ve seen them ask for YC credentials in the lounge and on pool deck.