MSC Regional Price variations

Today I looked at the price of the March 28th 2015 Grand Cruise on OPERA from South Africa to Venice.

Here are the prices for MSC US (cruise only)

Using $1.68 = £1

Inside $1,739 (£1,035)

OV $1,989 (£1184)

Balcony $2239 (£1,333)

Balcony suite $2,598 (£1,546)

Same cruise from MSC UK (cruise only)

Inside £665 ($1,117)

OV £760 ($1,277)

Balcony SOLD OUT

Balcony Suite NOT AVAILABLE

So the USA prices are 55% dearer but all grades are available

So If Any USA citizen wants an Inside or an OV then best book via a UK travel agent.

Any UK citizen wanting a balcony or balcony suite will have to book via a US travel agent

Or via Iglu who are offering all cabins but with flights and transfers included but at very high prices!!!

Iglu prices (with flights etc :-UK to SA and Venice to UK)

Inside £2,019 ($3,391)

OV £2,209 ($3,711)

Balcony £2,399 ($4,030)

Baconly suite CALL

MSC US

MSC UK

I wonder why they are holding all the balconies for the US when they are far less likely to go to S.A. than UK folks?

Pete

(Thinking about this cruise but only with a balcony)

As I wrote just yesterday on the Grand Voyages thread, the complexities of MSC pricing cannot be reverse-engineered. They are tantamount to an accident and forecasting them is impossible.

Who, in the internet age, would not check the price in several countries before booking a cruise?

I would not be surprised if differential pricing within the EU breaks all sorts of EU open market treaties. Around the World is a different matter.

As I wrote just yesterday on the Grand Voyages thread, the complexities of MSC pricing cannot be reverse-engineered. They are tantamount to an accident and forecasting them is impossible.

 

Who, in the internet age, would not check the price in several countries before booking a cruise?

 

I would not be surprised if differential pricing within the EU breaks all sorts of EU open market treaties. Around the World is a different matter.

Ummmmmm........me? :o

Can honestly say, as someone from the US, I have never (nor probably will ever) check the price of a cruise on a UK, German, or other nationalities website. First, because many times I have read where you had to be a citizen of (or at least a resident of) that country to use those services and second, I just simply don't have enough time on my hands to check prices throughout the world for a single cruise (if I could even read the website). I simply look on a couple of US sites and if the price is good enough, then it's good enough. If not, then I don't cruise.

As I wrote just yesterday on the Grand Voyages thread, the complexities of MSC pricing cannot be reverse-engineered. They are tantamount to an accident and forecasting them is impossible.

 

Who, in the internet age, would not check the price in several countries before booking a cruise?

 

I would not be surprised if differential pricing within the EU breaks all sorts of EU open market treaties. Around the World is a different matter.

Ummmmmm........me? :o

 

Can honestly say, as someone from the US, I have never (nor probably will ever) check the price of a cruise on a UK, German, or other nationalities website. First, because many times I have read where you had to be a citizen of (or at least a resident of) that country to use those services and second, I just simply don't have enough time on my hands to check prices throughout the world for a single cruise (if I could even read the website). I simply look on a couple of US sites and if the price is good enough, then it's good enough. If not, then I don't cruise.

What if you were buying a house and the same house was a third of the price on a foreign web site - would it not be worth looking? A cruise is not a house but it can still be a significant purchase. It is known that MSC and other cruise lines have drastically different fares for the same cruise around the World. Yes, they have rules, like the DVD region attempt to segment the market in order to manipulate each one individually, but travel agents will happily take bookings regardless. The standard practice is that they supply their own address when a local address is a booking condition. Many US agents even have UK telephone numbers now.

As far as language is concerned, Google Chrome translates on the fly and you wouldn't even know except for a small message at the top giving the option to view in the original language - and a few dodgy translations.

I would never book an MSC cruise without checking the fares in a few countries first. Just go to msccruises.com. The fares/incentives between travel agents in any one country are never going vary by much so hardly worth bothering with but a 50% + saving is.

We have been fortunate with UK pricing, historically. My most recent cruise was £250 before MSC Club discount for sole occupancy of an inside cabin. It was concurrently advertised on the Italian site at four times the price, three times in France etc. It is worth looking!

What if you were buying a house and the same house was a third of the price on a foreign web site - would it not be worth looking? A cruise is not a house but it can still be a significant purchase. It is known that MSC and other cruise lines have drastically different fares for the same cruise around the World. Yes, they have rules, like the DVD region attempt to segment the market in order to manipulate each one individually, but travel agents will happily take bookings regardless. The standard practice is that they supply their own address when a local address is a booking condition. Many US agents even have UK telephone numbers now.

 

As far as language is concerned, Google Chrome translates on the fly and you wouldn't even know except for a small message at the top giving the option to view in the original language - and a few dodgy translations.

 

I would never book an MSC cruise without checking the fares in a few countries first. Just go to msccruises.com. The fares/incentives between travel agents in any one country are never going vary by much so hardly worth bothering with but a 50% + saving is.

 

We have been fortunate with UK pricing, historically. My most recent cruise was £250 before MSC Club discount for sole occupancy of an inside cabin. It was concurrently advertised on the Italian site at four times the price, three times in France etc. It is worth looking!

How would I know it was a third of the price on a foreign website if I never looked on a foreign website to begin with? Nope, not worth my time. As I said, I don't even look at that many websites in the US to make my decision. I check out the cruise line's site and then 2 online TAs and that's it. I don't have the time or energy to worry about missing the deal of the century on some obscure Philippineo website for a 7 night cruise (and for what it's worth, I bought the very first house I looked at as well :D).

Also, FWIW, I don't really consider my upcoming $299 cruise on the Divina to be a very significant purchase either. And it was definitely not worth my time to possibly find it for $249 somewhere else.

How would I know it was a third of the price on a foreign website if I never looked on a foreign website to begin with? Nope, not worth my time. As I said, I don't even look at that many websites in the US to make my decision. I check out the cruise line's site and then 2 online TAs and that's it. I don't have the time or energy to worry about missing the deal of the century on some obscure Philippineo website for a 7 night cruise (and for what it's worth, I bought the very first house I looked at as well :D).

 

Also, FWIW, I don't really consider my upcoming $299 cruise on the Divina to be a very significant purchase either. And it was definitely not worth my time to possibly find it for $249 somewhere else.

1) Why look on a U.S. website first?

2) MSC do not have live pricing on their Filipino web site.

3) I have been totally put off the MSC Divina from comments on this forum. Not at any price!

1) Why look on a U.S. website first?

 

2) MSC do not have live pricing on their Filipino web site.

 

3) I have been totally put off the MSC Divina from comments on this forum. Not at any price!

1) Um.....it might have the slight possibility to do with the fact that I am an American living in the US? ;)

2) Funny, didn't even know they had one there.....it was just a country that popped into my head.

3) Okay, not a problem for me. Can't wait to sail her! As a side note, people on this forum have actually answered many of my questions and have made me happy to have booked this ship.

1) ...3) I have been totally put off the MSC Divina from comments on this forum. Not at any price!

I would agree, I would not fly across the Atlantic just to sail Divina. But for those of us living in Florida, Divina is a 'must do' at least once. Having just returned from our second sailing aboard Divina, there are pros and cons, just like on any other ship. The price is definitely attractive right now. The over crowding is the biggest detractor at this time. 4300 passengers is just too many for that ship. And MSC will drop the price to $249 pp for a 7 day balcony, just to fill the ship.

Maybe I'm not elitist enough to post on this forum, but I also check prices in different countries. I was once able to save 500 euros (and receive seven free water vouchers) with 30 minutes of work.

Since I get paid less than 1000 euros per hour, I felt it was worth the effort.

Maybe I'm not elitist enough to post on this forum, but I also check prices in different countries. I was once able to save 500 euros (and receive seven free water vouchers) with 30 minutes of work.

 

Since I get paid less than 1000 euros per hour, I felt it was worth the effort.

Exactly the way I see it Alex.

I have to buy flights to Rio and then from Miami.

I can save £500 in total by flying to Paris, staying overnight then on to Rio.

Advantage is I will spend a little less (after expenses in Paris), my holiday starts two days earlier and my husband gets to see Paris.

All this took about an hour to discover. Each to their own but I have to bargain hunt to afford my holidays. And, to be honest, the thrill of finding a deal or something for less than I was going to pay is great.

With iPads and phones you can web browse at any time in any situation. During my lunch at work, on public transport, while waiting for an appointment, so you're not wasting time. In fact you're filling time.

A little off topic, but having cruised in America, we looked at Europe river cruises, and sailing in the Med., and I can say for us the American Caribbean cruises were a minimum 50% of the cost of the European cruises, before adding on the price of air!:eek:

We've been spoiled by having 4 Ports in Florida that you can drive to!

Now we're actually looking ahead about 5 years where we'd like to take a trans-Atlantic cruise to and from Europe, and spend the summer sightseeing/cruising in Europe! :)

PS Tim, did you ever post pictures of the green hair?:)

PS Tim, did you ever post pictures of the green hair?:)

Oh yes, they are towards the end of the blog - if your page setting are the same as mine they will be here: http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2006184&page=5

The effect was quite subtle in dim lighting but in the strip lighting of the elevators, or in the bright lighting at the photo station, it was very green. Actually as we were getting off the ship the following day one of the female staff acting as stewards down on deck 5, asked "So, you don't have green hair today?". I was a little shocked. "You recognise me?" - I had changed out of suit, tie and green hair and was now disguised as a tourist among 2,000 others. "Oh yes, we all recognise you." :).

I have now purchased a large, bright green pocket square from China. With my red bow tie, I shall be equipped for the Italian night in future.

A little off topic, but having cruised in America, we looked at Europe river cruises, and sailing in the Med., and I can say for us the American Caribbean cruises were a minimum 50% of the cost of the European cruises, before adding on the price of air!:eek:

We've been spoiled by having 4 Ports in Florida that you can drive to!

Now we're actually looking ahead about 5 years where we'd like to take a trans-Atlantic cruise to and from Europe, and spend the summer sightseeing/cruising in Europe! :)

 

PS Tim, did you ever post pictures of the green hair?:)

Actually, there are 5 ports (you may not have thought about Jacksonville).

Actually, there are 5 ports (you may not have thought about Jacksonville).

Actually mis-counted, its an age thing, can't count anymore!:D