Lots of ?s about MSC

[odiesam]

Upfront I want to apologize as my questions have probably already been asked and answered but I only got through 2 pages of topics.

 

I have only looked at MSC for the first time tonight. Am interested in the Caribbean spring break08 Orchestra sailing.

 

1) Can the MSC cruises be booked online - I noticed on the website it was all - "contact me". Must agents be used?

 

2) It says this cruise leaves on April 4 from Fort Lauderdale at 7 am. Is this correct? What time do you board? What time do you need to be there? Or was this a misprint?

 

3) Since this sailing will be in the Caribbean, will onboard currency be USD or EUR?

 

This cruiseline looks very interesting. My family has cruised many times and are looking for something new. We have been to Europe so the differnt culture aspect only makes it that much more interesting.

 

Thanks!

[Lard Greystoke]

2) It says this cruise leaves on April 4 from Fort Lauderdale at 7 am. Is this correct? What time do you board? What time do you need to be there? Or was this a misprint?

 

3) Since this sailing will be in the Caribbean, will onboard currency be USD or EUR?

 

 

2) 7 PM. They will be ready to board you by noon-1 PM (they need to clean out the cabins, etc). I would try to be on board by 4 at the very latest.

3) They will be "more than happy" to take your dollars.

[odiesam]

Thanks - I am BLIND - it does day 7 pm!

[halbfl2]

Upfront I want to apologize as my questions have probably already been asked and answered but I only got through 2 pages of topics.

 

I have only looked at MSC for the first time tonight. Am interested in the Caribbean spring break08 Orchestra sailing.

 

1) Can the MSC cruises be booked online - I noticed on the website it was all - "contact me". Must agents be used?

 

2) It says this cruise leaves on April 4 from Fort Lauderdale at 7 am. Is this correct? What time do you board? What time do you need to be there? Or was this a misprint?

 

3) Since this sailing will be in the Caribbean, will onboard currency be USD or EUR?

 

This cruiseline looks very interesting. My family has cruised many times and are looking for something new. We have been to Europe so the differnt culture aspect only makes it that much more interesting.

 

Thanks!

Try checking the price on cruisedotcom

[matj2000]

Don't get to excited, most of the Tri"s & Quads for spring break time have been on full and are on a wait for some time now. Call MSC & check availabilty before you do anything..

[sandinmyshoes]

Usually when the website asks you to call an agent it means that particular cruise is sold out or close to being sold out. If you check MSC cruises for other, less popular dates, you should be able to get an online price quote. I know this can be frustrating when you really don't have the time to spend talking to agents on the phone and you want the easy answer. (At least it is for me.) Good luck!

[BonnieVA]

It seems that you need to go thru a TA to book w/ MSC. When I clicked on the link to send me a quote or contact me ... or whatever ... back in May I was later contacted by a TA.

 

We are booked on that cruise &, yes, it is almost sold out - at least the triples & quads are. If that's THE cruise you want, contact a TA & have them look in mid-January for openings. I have a feeling there will be cancellations before final payment's due (around 1-17-09). We are even thinking of cancelling & we have 2 triples.

[odiesam]

We are booked. Ended up booking 2 side by side cat 6 balconies for what one balcony was going to cost us on Carvival Valor the same week. Would have been nice to get the triple room with the free kid deal but we are pretty happy with the 2 cabins since our "kid" is a 6" 16 yo.

 

Booked with a very responsive agent (so far today - at least 5 calls) who found us the GREAT rates.

[odiesam]

6' not 6"!!!!!!!!!

[Cruisincop]

My entire immediate family is booked (total 18) on the Orchestra for January 10th. We booked with a TA and so far our experience has been great. My parents reserved only an oceanview and when they received their documents they were randomly chosen for a 6 deck upgrade with a veranda. I have been on at least 10 cruises with several cruise lines and I am very open minded to try something new. My siblings have small children and they got great deals to say the least.

[Galveston Cruiser]

We are currently on the Orchestra, docked in San Juan. All costs are in dollars.

 

I will not write a review now; but we have enjoyed the ship and the 16 days we have been on her.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and would sail her again.

There area several things that will not please Americans unless MSC changes. One being food is not available 24 hours a day in the cafe or restaurants and free drinks, water and juice, are hard to come by after serving hours. Go to the bar and ask for water with ice in a large glass and you will get it with no problem.

This is a quiet ship with no announcements every 30 minutes for some activity. We have actually enjoyed the peace and quiet, but I feel most will want organized activities all day.

 

Will post a review after we return home.

[gracecarmo]

Galveston Cruiser: many thanks for your post! Please do write a review when you return.

Glad to know about using dollars.....and the ice water at the bars.

 

Another question: re the service.....some recent reports about service on the Lirica was pretty negative...how is the service on the Orchestra. Is there much of a language barrier?

[Chesneygirl]

We are currently on the Orchestra, docked in San Juan. All costs are in dollars.

 

I will not write a review now; but we have enjoyed the ship and the 16 days we have been on her.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and would sail her again.

There area several things that will not please Americans unless MSC changes. One being food is not available 24 hours a day in the cafe or restaurants and free drinks, water and juice, are hard to come by after serving hours. Go to the bar and ask for water with ice in a large glass and you will get it with no problem.

This is a quiet ship with no announcements every 30 minutes for some activity. We have actually enjoyed the peace and quiet, but I feel most will want organized activities all day.

 

Will post a review after we return home.

 

Thank you for posting...I think most of us are anxiously waiting to hear any kind of news about the Orchestra! :p

 

Just a few questions:

 

1. Will the outlets in the staterooms accept US type products such as phone/camera chargers, alarm clocks, etc. or do we need to get a converter?

 

2. What can you tell us about the category stateroom you have and the location on the ship?

 

We have an aft facing quad balcony on deck 8 and I am hoping to find out more about this location. Good or bad.

 

3. How were the sea's and the weather for your trip?

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post LIVE from your cruise. :)

[Bigdvainfl]

Go to *****.com. Select find me a bargin and fill out ship you want and date. They have MSC Cruises.

[lockwoodsam]

My wife and I just completed a 7 day cruise on this ship which ended on 12/20/08. This was our 2nd cruise with this line and ship and it will be our last. While the ship is extremely clean, the cabin (suite with balacny) was very nice and the entertainment was acceptable. The problem is the less than acceptable food which not only was of poor quality, but was often served cold. In addition the entire staff seems to be totally disorganized and several of our fellow passengers indicated they felt most were either in training or poorly trained. What I found most unacceptable was the attitude of the staff especially the officers. Unless you are Italian, they just do not speak to you and any complaint lodged with them is answered rudely. They appear to be arragant and have no respect for passengers who are in fact paying their salary. To answer your specif questions....!. I understand that bookings are not allowed direct with MSC but must be thru an agent. 2. I am not familiar with the cruise you are looking at but it would be highly unusual for a ship to depar that time of the morning. Typically they return early AM disembarkment passengers, clean the ship and sail late in afternoon or early evening. 3. USD are always acceptable when sailing from a US port. In fact if you have EUR they are going to charge a fee to exchange.

[lovetexas]

I am anxiously awaiting the reviews from the Orchestra once she hits the Caribbean.

 

I hope the attitude of the ship line will change to gear up for a more Americanized feel.

 

I can not wait for GalvestonCruiser to return and post a review. I think his will be unbiased and be more how my family will feel about this ship. Not just because we are both from Texas.....

[odiesam]

Looking forward to more reviews!!!

 

The food part doesn't really bother us. I have never found the food on any of our cruise ships to be that exceptional anyway (we don't bother with the specialty restaurants). We really don't book cruises for the food or entertainment. It is a chance to enjoy warm weather during spring break after a long cold Ohio winter. If we can get 2 balconies on this new MSC ship at LESS than the price of 3 of us in an inside cabin on RCCL's older voyager class ships - I already know it is going to be a GREAT cruise.

[lovetexas]

Odiesam--- I agree 100% with you!!! I would love excellent service and outstanding food, but who cares! That is not why I cruise!!!!! I find it hard to believe people went hungry. We do not need to eat 24/7 anyway. I would imagine that some employees of the ship can get overwhelmed if they are not experienced workers, but I am not letting that ruin my vacation!

 

 

I am on vacation with my family-- going to beautiful fun and sun---

 

Find a beach, have a margartia... chill.............

[kf657]

I have read pages and pages of MSC cruise reviews.

Re:Orchestra.

Our family of 5 is traveling on the Orchestra this April. All I can say is that I have cruised on several lines and each time I go with an open mind. Each ship and line has advantages and disadvantages....So, we are going with the intention of having a good time. A vacation is a vacation, we have traveled in hurricanes and blizzards and always managed to have fun. I feel that even a so-so cruise is better then New York

:pwith a -1 wind chill!:p

[AmoMondo]

I have read pages and pages of MSC cruise reviews.

 

Re:Orchestra.

Our family of 5 is traveling on the Orchestra this April. All I can say is that I have cruised on several lines and each time I go with an open mind. Each ship and line has advantages and disadvantages....So, we are going with the intention of having a good time. A vacation is a vacation, we have traveled in hurricanes and blizzards and always managed to have fun. I feel that even a so-so cruise is better then New York

 

:pwith a -1 wind chill!:p

 

You are spot on there and with that attitude I'm sure you will have fun. I don't believe there is such a thing as a perfect vacation, there will always be things that are not to your taste. it's whether you allow that to annoy you and spoil the entire trip. Sometimes i think if people were not so het up about complaining about some niggly little thing 9that probably ain't going to change anyway) they fail to notice all the good things going on all around them. It sure beats working and freezing winter weather

 

happy new year and have a great time

[9876]

I have been reading all of the comments about this line and find it very interesting. While some of the issues do seem valid I am amazed at some of the things that people find 'unacceptable' about this line. The biggest point of controversy is the cold food. I have never gotten a piping hot meal on any of my cruises. Now, if the food is cold like a refrigerator that is a different story but it seems most of my meals have been room temperature or just above. As far as the buffets, there are lines on each ship we have been on and it is usually crowded so that is also common. Then there was the complaint about selling water as you leave for port. Not only do the mass travel lines try to sell water they are also there trying to hock cameras and hound you for a picture as you depart the ship so they can sell it to you later. I have never been given or even had a newspaper offered and there is always the complaint of a slow internet connection on most ships (not a service I use though). Actually, I like not knowing what is going on in the 'real world'. One of the charms of cruising in my opinion. I do think that there should be water, tea, and coffee available throughout the day, free pizza, and I like to have room service available 24 hours a day. As I understand it all of these are available in the Caribbean which is where I plan to try MSC. As far as activities, what I hear MSC offers seems to be very similar to what Carnival and RCCL offer and I can definitely do without the hairy chest and belly flop competition. Further, the fact that there are many languages and cultures on the ship; that is an advantage in my opinion, not a disadvantage. I like to take the opportunity to broaden my horizons; live outside my box! I am excited about the cleanliness of the ship and it looks like a beautiful ship too (Orchestra). The last Carnival ship we went on really did need a good cleaning and it bothered me. I am concerned about the service or complaint of lack of service on MSC so that should be interesting. While I do not consider myself high maintenance I do appreciate some attention when necessary. I am wondering what the teen program is like and am curious about tendering in the lifeboats. I have prepared the kids that they can always just eat hamburgers and french fries, sandwiches for breakfast and what sounds like yummy rolls; they are rather excited about this. The bottom line is I cannot touch a balcony on another line during our time frame for what we are paying for MSC and I will remember this when I am on board. I am considering this an adventure...should be interesting.

[carribeansol]

You can book directly with MSC. Just call them. I have two booked directly with them. They are VERY easy to work with.

[kf657]

Hurray!

I am going to have a good time on our Orchestra cruise in April. A vacation is a vacation. We all could fine flaws in any cruise ship, but if you want perfection you are never going to find it. Have a good time and don't sweat the small stuff. Would you rather stay home-its -5 wind chill here in N? "9876" Said it all.

[AmoMondo]

9876 - I found your post both interesting and refreshing. I'd say your objective summing up of the reviews and comments was spot on. As far as food temperature is concerned - it is often room temperature or a bit warmer. It is never stone cold (unless it is meant to be - try the chilled soups they are great) but you will rarely risk scalding yourself either. As far as service is concerned, I have found reception and tour desk crew (all Italian) to be somewhat standoffish at times - that said on my last cruise they were not as outwardly friendly as the other crew but had certainly warmed up a bit. As far as bar, restaurant and cabin staff are concerned, on the whole I've found them to be excellent. I'm not high maintenance either. if there has been something I don't like, I politely ask if it is possible to get it fixed. It works every time. In my observations the people who have had issues are on the whole those that keep on incessantly at waiters or other junior staff about something that is outwith their control and is part of the standard policy. They don't have the power to change it and it doesn't achieve anything other than get them less than willing to approach them. On others occasions I'd say they were just plain being unreasonable and trying to catch them out - e'g the woman who demanded traingle shaped potato waffle rather than square, the guy whose sald had to be on a dinner plate, rather than a bowl on a dinner plate, or the couple who felt the need to chide our waiter for 18 nights for having not put the sugar and milk on the table at the start of each meal - given it was going to be at least 5 courses later beforewe got to tea and coffee I had no idea why they needed it to be on the table that early. Every day he told them he would bring when he brought the coffee and he always did but every night they still complained!

The only thing that you may not like form what you have said is that the pizza is not available all day long. Usually form 11.30 or 12 to around 6.

If the buffet qs are a real pain - try the main dining room at lunch and breakfast. I dont think it takes much longer and it is not as noisy or as much hassle getting a table. They do hamburgers and hotdogs in the restaurant at lunch and always have a sandwich of the day (expect a lot of variation here - sometimes it will be a club, sometimes usual sandwich style bread and others foccacia or ciabatta)

I'm sure you'll have a great time. I love to have a balcony, especially in the caribbean. Wakening up each morning to beautiful weather and another gorgeous view is hard not to enjoy.

[kf657]

Not happy with the most recent reviews, so we decided to cancel and booked Ruby Princess, for same week. Cost about the same, when I explained my situation,got upgrade and still spending same amount. Very good deal for a proven cruiseline on a brand new ship. Good luck to all