MSC Europe 2016

Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some help. I am trying to plan a European cruise for fall 2016 & was wondering if anybody knows when MSC is going to post the cruises for then. I have gone to the MSC USA website & the only cruises for October 2016 are for the Caribbean onboard the Divina. I am usually a RCCL loyalist but since their prices are so high I am looking at other cruise lines. I had booked a European cruise this fall with MSC but had to change to due a family wedding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have heard rumors that MSC is opening booking in June 2015 but would like any feedback from anybody.

Usateg

Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some help. I am trying to plan a European cruise for fall 2016 & was wondering if anybody knows when MSC is going to post the cruises for then. I have gone to the MSC USA website & the only cruises for October 2016 are for the Caribbean onboard the Divina. I am usually a RCCL loyalist but since their prices are so high I am looking at other cruise lines. I had booked a European cruise this fall with MSC but had to change to due a family wedding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have heard rumors that MSC is opening booking in June 2015 but would like any feedback from anybody.

 

Usateg

They already have them up on the UK site. Have a look there for an idea of the itenaries on the various ships and then try MSC USA to find out when they'll be available to book in the US

I don't know why it is taking MSC so long to post availability of their 2016 cruises for the 2016 season on the US site, I am about ready to consider booking another line! Anyone have any idea as to why they would be waiting so long? Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and others have had their cruises posted on their websites for months now. No one at MSC can offer a clue as to why and their online chat is never functioning for me. Do they have customer service issues?

I don't know why it is taking MSC so long to post availability of their 2016 cruises for the 2016 season on the US site, I am about ready to consider booking another line! Anyone have any idea as to why they would be waiting so long? Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and others have had their cruises posted on their websites for months now. No one at MSC can offer a clue as to why and their online chat is never functioning for me. Do they have customer service issues?

Historically They have never published cruises very far in advance. For example cruises for summer would not be published until Feb/Mar of the same year. Now that may seem incredible but Italians were their core market and they don't book years in advance, just a few months out.

They're starting to realise that other cultures want to book ages in advance so the fact they have any up for summer 2016 is a massive shift for them.

As to why the US site is lagging others, most likely because they don't see it as a priority. US passengers on Eiropean sailings are very rare. Frequently would not ven make as little as 10 per sailing. The Caribbean is the main market for MSC USA.

You see a similar pattern in other countries where some cruises are never sold at all or come on sail months after others.ì

I don't know why it is taking MSC so long to post availability of their 2016 cruises for the 2016 season on the US site, I am about ready to consider booking another line! Anyone have any idea as to why they would be waiting so long? Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and others have had their cruises posted on their websites for months now. No one at MSC can offer a clue as to why and their online chat is never functioning for me. Do they have customer service issues?

I agree with you joseph 123. I spoke with an individual at the USA office in Ft Lauderdale & he believes they are still adding the specials etc. I started looking at other cruise lines before MSC & found then to be a bit pricey. I have found an interesting 10 day Canary Islands from RCCL in October 2016 that I am looking at but waiting on MSC. I did as AMoMondo suggested & looked at the UK site & saw the cruises for MSC. They are quite interesting & have cruises to destinations we have not been to.

I too hope that MSC USA comes "online" soon because the itineraries are good & when I had booked this year (but had to cancel)the prices were very reasonable.

We will have to wait & see :)

It's too long! I booked on the Harmony of the Seas of RCL for September 2016. I liked the Divina in last October, and I wanted to go to Europe with MSC, but I like to book in advance...:(

Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some help. I am trying to plan a European cruise for fall 2016 & was wondering if anybody knows when MSC is going to post the cruises for then. I have gone to the MSC USA website & the only cruises for October 2016 are for the Caribbean onboard the Divina. I am usually a RCCL loyalist but since their prices are so high I am looking at other cruise lines. I had booked a European cruise this fall with MSC but had to change to due a family wedding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have heard rumors that MSC is opening booking in June 2015 but would like any feedback from anybody.

 

Usateg

Here is a link to the UK 2015/2017 brochure

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/cdada52e#/cdada52e/1

Pete

Here is a link to the UK 2015/2017 brochure

 

 

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/cdada52e#/cdada52e/1

 

 

Pete

Thanks for sharing!

It's just crazy. We're looking for an Eastern Med itinerary for June 2016. MSC published theirs on their UK and Germany and other websites MONTHS ago...but still not on the US website. :mad: Do they think Americans only want to sail in the Caribbean? What's the holdup?

I gave up on looking at MSC & finally just booked a Med cruise on the Harmony of the Seas from RCCL for Oct '15. Quite excited because this is a new Oasis class ship

It's too long! I booked on the Harmony of the Seas of RCL for September 2016. I liked the Divina in last October, and I wanted to go to Europe with MSC, but I like to book in advance...:(

Yes, it is getting really ridiculous. If they did not have the only itinerary that I am interested in for May of 2016, I would never in a million years choose to book with this line. If they can't market appropriately to US customers than shouldn't do it. Their website is awful and they have a chat feature that is never working. If they want to expand so quickly they need to get it together to compete with the other lines. What could possibly be the logic for opening up booking for every other country month's ago but not the US? Plus their customer service tells me that you cannot book your air through MSC for Europe cruises, but not sure I am being given accurate information on that.

I was patiently waiting for the Fall 2016 European cruises on the US/CAD MSC site and they are finally up. At least the ones in September that I am targeting. It took a little longer than I had hoped bt I have not looked at other lines yet.

Thanks for letting us know...I had given up checking. :rolleyes:

For June 2016, the US website is now showing two of the five MSC ships that will be sailing out of Venice. At least it's a start!

There is still no cruise itineraries/pricing available for May 2016 Mediterranean sailings on the Armonia on the MSC website, and no one at MSC is able to give me any explanation as to why. Never have I had such trouble accessing information from a cruise line who I am anxious to give business to belore, this is just insane! Has anyone else had any similar issues? I think at this point it is beyond their just not being too concnerned about the US market, I think there are issues with the website that need to be remedied. I am looking for a 7 day itinerary out of Marseilles in May that includes a stop in Malta that only MSC offers and want to explore all of the online booing options. Until they get the information into their database none of the cruises show up on Expedia, Travelocity, etc as well as MSC so I cannot compare pricing options. Help! Not sure how I can reach out to them to remedy this. :confused:

There is still no cruise itineraries/pricing available for May 2016 Mediterranean sailings on the Armonia on the MSC website, and no one at MSC is able to give me any explanation as to why. Never have I had such trouble accessing information from a cruise line who I am anxious to give business to belore, this is just insane! Has anyone else had any similar issues? I think at this point it is beyond their just not being too concnerned about the US market, I think there are issues with the website that need to be remedied. I am looking for a 7 day itinerary out of Marseilles in May that includes a stop in Malta that only MSC offers and want to explore all of the online booing options. Until they get the information into their database none of the cruises show up on Expedia, Travelocity, etc as well as MSC so I cannot compare pricing options. Help! Not sure how I can reach out to them to remedy this. :confused:

Here is the itinerary and the present UK pricing. £1 = $1.55 today

Boarding in marseille on May 1; 8; 15; 22; 29

i've given cruise only pricing as the fly/ cruise would not be relevent to you

No MSC Club discount has been applied

Pete

Thanks for posting the info. That is the cruise I am looking to book but the problem is I can't see US pricing and cabin availability on the MSC and other travel websites until they somehow add it to their booking databases, so no way for my to access the info and compare prices. Why it has been available on the UK site for months is what no one from MSC is able to tell me, nor can they tell me when it will be available on the US site. Very frustrating. I would have given up ages ago if there were a similar cruise available on another line.

Thanks for posting the info. That is the cruise I am looking to book but the problem is I can't see US pricing and cabin availability on the MSC and other travel websites until they somehow add it to their booking databases, so no way for my to access the info and compare prices. Why it has been available on the UK site for months is what no one from MSC is able to tell me, nor can they tell me when it will be available on the US site. Very frustrating. I would have given up ages ago if there were a similar cruise available on another line.

I understand your frustration., experienced similar the first year they opened up Caribbean sailings out of no. US ports. they assumed only the French, Spanish and Italians would want to go and I could not book it via the UK. The regional approach where different countries choose which cruises to target at their local market causes this from time to time. They don't ever seem to offer all cruises to all markets.

For MSC USA, they may well think that it is not worth the bother and time to add it, if they expect no more than a handful of Americans to book over the entire season. US passengers on MSC European cruises are a tiny minority and they seem to think that the few that will book will want the Divina.

I understand your frustration., experienced similar the first year they opened up Caribbean sailings out of no. US ports. they assumed only the French, Spanish and Italians would want to go and I could not book it via the UK. The regional approach where different countries choose which cruises to target at their local market causes this from time to time. They don't ever seem to offer all cruises to all markets.

So true, Mairi. It can be very frustrating. Though I've come to terms with their policy now. It used to bother me that I can't get a quote for the YC for repos - especially when I read on here about the fantastic deals others have got for it, notably the Australians. Now I just shrug it off. Unlike some, I can take YC or leave it. It can make you feel like a lesser-valued customer, though, so it's best to just accept their policies without trying to figure them out.

Is there no way a European Cruise can be booked by a British person on behalf of an American/Canadian?

Basically where the British person acts as the agent, Just booking the cruise from this end?

Or is this naive thinking on my part? It does seem odd and a great pity that MSC don't upload their itineraries to Europe on the US site.

Is there no way a European Cruise can be booked by a British person on behalf of an American/Canadian?

 

Basically where the British person acts as the agent, Just booking the cruise from this end?

 

Or is this naive thinking on my part? It does seem odd and a great pity that MSC don't upload their itineraries to Europe on the US site.

We've used TAs in other countries without problem.

Not sure what this would mean though if MSC changed plans an reallocated the ship to a different route. They may not be willing to reimburse a transatlantic flight for someone who booked through a European TA.

FINALLY, Armonia Mediterrean cruises for 2016 were just added to the MSC website today. Unfortunatley for me they recently substituted Palma Majorca with Mahon Manorca on the cruise I was interested in, so now not sure if I want to do the itinerary that leaves from Marseilles and includes Malta. :confused: