MSC Lirica 4/22

[MSCmariner]

Relatives have just embarked LIRICA this morning, getting a 7-category upgrade! Ready for a great time.

[Host Andy]

Originally Posted by MSCmariner

Relatives have just embarked LIRICA this morning, getting a 7-category upgrade! Ready for a great time.

Hi Msc !

Wow, 7 cat upgrade. Nice. Have they sailed with them many times before ? or, is the ship very empty ? That's a great upgrade though.

I hope they have a great time !

[MSCmariner]

Hi Andy

Yes they have cruised with MSC 5 times before. But also other people who cruised just 1x previous with MSC have received this or other upgrades.

[asctony]

Upgrades are very misleading. Unless you are in a cabin that is not a suite, then the only upgrades are from:
1. Inside to an outside (same square footage 144 sq ft.)
2. Inside or outside to a suite.
Other than that, there are really no upgrades since all cabins are 144 sq ft. unless you have a suite.
Happy Cruising!

[forecastle]

Originally Posted by asctony

Upgrades are very misleading. Unless you are in a cabin that is not a suite, then the only upgrades are from:
1. Inside to an outside (same square footage 144 sq ft.)
2. Inside or outside to a suite.
Other than that, there are really no upgrades since all cabins are 144 sq ft. unless you have a suite.
Happy Cruising!

Right plus you may get a higher deck

[bigmike7]

Yo-

On our 3/20 to 3/31/2006 'Lirica' cruise - we also got a seven catagory upgrade from a catagory 1 'guarantee' to a catagory 8 outside - and it was six cabins aft and on the same deck and side as our cruise on the 'Lirica' last year-

And - yes - the cabins are the same - except for the window-

Mike

[FLACRUISER99]

Originally Posted by bigmike7

And - yes - the cabins are the same - except for the window-

Mike

Category 10 room is approx. 236 sq feet.

[asctony]

Originally Posted by jtutak

Category 10 room is approx. 236 sq feet.

I hate to think what the price difference is. Was the shower any bigger? Happy Cruising.

[bigmike7]

Originally Posted by jtutak

Category 10 room is approx. 236 sq feet.

Yo-

If you re-read my comments you will see that I was comparing an inside to a category 8 outside-

I am well aware that the category 10 is larger - and has a full size tub and shower-

Also the category 10 with balcony is twice as expensive as the outside category 8-

Mike

[MSCmariner]

Quote: Upgrades are very misleading

It all has to do with the price you pay per category, not the type of cabin. Compare the price of a Cat.1 and a Cat.8. There's a big price gap, so such a upgrade is not misleading at all.

Who knows more about the man that was snorkelling and came under a speedboat (propeller) at Cayo Levantado? Hope he is allright?

[asctony]

Originally Posted by MSCmariner

Quote: Upgrades are very misleading

It all has to do with the price you pay per category, not the type of cabin. Compare the price of a Cat.1 and a Cat.8. There's a big price gap, so such a upgrade is not misleading at all.

Totally agree with your comment. You pay per category. However, there is no difference between the cabins, regardless of category if you have an inside and get upgraded to another category inside. Or an outside if you are upgraded to another category outside.

This is a marketing ploy used by all the cruise lines.
Happy Cruising!

[travelersrwe]

Who knows more about the man that was snorkelling and came under a speedboat (propeller) at Cayo Levantado? Hope he is allright?[/quote]


We happened to be sitting on the beach watching the pelicans diving into the water right where this accident happened. Later that evening we asked the cruise director about the guy's condition and were told that he was taken to the hospital, stitched up and he was back onboard the ship that night. Apparently, he was very lucky that the prop hit him on the backside instead of the abdomen. Could have been much worse. I heard a rumor that he required 200 stitches but don't know how accurate that is.

[williamkorn]

I was there also and the injury was that severe. This is just another example of a very poorly run cruise line. How did you like the "food" on your cruise? I spent 22 days (back to back segments) in "food" hell.

[Evelyn & Bob]

Originally Posted by williamkorn

I was there also and the injury was that severe. This is just another example of a very poorly run cruise line. How did you like the "food" on your cruise? I spent 22 days (back to back segments) in "food" hell.

You are being kind in your description of their food. We were on the April 22 cruise. It was our tablemates second cruise on MSC and they said the food was greatly improved. I can only imagine what it had been before.

Evelyn & Bob

[williamkorn]

Dear Evelyn & Bob and everyone else who is not an employee of MSC Cruise Lines. Have you read the "Cruise Critic" reviews of this "ship"? Obviously the reviews are by "Lirica Plants" (that or real vegetable matter) who get paid to spread PRAVDA. Pravda is the name of the official newspaper during the life of the Soviet Union. Pravda means truth, which is quite ironic. The Lirica should be retired until such time as a new chef, crew, management philosophy etc. are in place. Please ask all of your friends, relatives and acquaintances who have had the displeasure of a Lirica experience to write a review and spare the populace any further pain.

[Magwa]

williamkorn have you enjoyed any cruise ship or line? It would be nice to see a positive contribution to this site, rather than a mere 3 damning posts on one subject, which indicates that you may have been 'recruited' by some other Collaborator.

I did not enjoy my most recent cruise [not MSC] but I do not slam around that cruiseline's forum, as I appreciate there are people there who enjoy what I did not, and I have no wish to dampen a newbie's enthusiasm for cruising with them.. I just won't be again. Therefore perhaps you could have the same consideration for others in this forum.

[LauraS]

Originally Posted by williamkorn

Dear Evelyn & Bob and everyone else who is not an employee of MSC Cruise Lines. Have you read the "Cruise Critic" reviews of this "ship"? Obviously the reviews are by "Lirica Plants" (that or real vegetable matter) who get paid to spread PRAVDA. Pravda is the name of the official newspaper during the life of the Soviet Union. Pravda means truth, which is quite ironic. The Lirica should be retired until such time as a new chef, crew, management philosophy etc. are in place. Please ask all of your friends, relatives and acquaintances who have had the displeasure of a Lirica experience to write a review and spare the populace any further pain.

Hello:

Each and every "member review" (note: these are NOT and shouldn't be referred to "Cruise Critic" reviews) is reviewed by a staff member. We look for many different things before we release a member review for publication and expect them to be covered in detail:

Here's what we look for:

Background Information
Travel To Port of Embarkation
Hotel Info (if any)
Stateroom
Ship Info
Dining
Activities
- Children's Clubs
Service
Entertainment
Shore Excursions
Disembarkation
Summary

We do not publish one or two paragraph-long reviews, nor do we publish "rants" about one single issue that ticked someone off. These are all returned for posting on the message boards. We do publish reviews that contain negative aspects of a cruise. We have over 10,000 reviews in our database submitted by members, and many of them contain both sides of the story.

What we do want to see in a published review is the "full story". Don't submit a review telling me what a rotten time you had. Instead, we look for reviews that start at the beginning, and share every aspect of the sailing. *That* is what we consider a 'cruise review'. That's what we'll publish. If you submit a review to us like that, we'll publish it.

I seriously don't think the employees at most any cruise line have the time or inclination to send in four or five page long reviews of every aspect of a cruise. I'm sorry but I think they have better things to do. Understand, too, we can easily recognize promotional material that is "written" by a pro, and to be honest we've never seen one submitted posing as "member review".

In an e-mail to me, you pointed out a specific "Member Review" in our database that you felt was written by a cruise line employee. I don't agree with you. That review contained information about at least five other cruise lines -- some negative but most favorable, especially about Celebrity's dining -- and I seriously DOUBT am MSC cruise line employee was paid by MSC and posted positive statements about a competitior.

You may not have enjoyed your cruise. Fair enough. But our process here includes many safeguards (some I'm not at liberty to share) and I have much confidence in the integrity of our process.

[williamkorn]

Originally Posted by Magwa

williamkorn have you enjoyed any cruise ship or line? It would be nice to see a positive contribution to this site, rather than a mere 3 damning posts on one subject, which indicates that you may have been 'recruited' by some other Collaborator.

I did not enjoy my most recent cruise [not MSC] but I do not slam around that cruiseline's forum, as I appreciate there are people there who enjoy what I did not, and I have no wish to dampen a newbie's enthusiasm for cruising with them.. I just won't be again. Therefore perhaps you could have the same consideration for others in this forum.

If you noticed, which is obvious that you did not, you would be aware of the following. I've been in the travel industry as an agency owner (past tense). Further, I like most people do not post (as I should) my wonderful, great, fantastic, super, etc. cruise experieces.
My reason for the "Lirica" posts is to inform others as to "my" experience. I've sailed the S.S. France (Norway: now in scrap situation) and from there many others. So without bragging about the number of cruises /lines sailed, I'll reiterate my and I repeat "my" impression of the Lirica. Until and unless the line addresses the many shortcommings, I suggest avoiding the Lirica unless your vacations mean nothing to you. Why suffer when you need to relax and refresh.

[williamkorn]

Originally Posted by LauraS

Hello:

Each and every "member review" (note: these are NOT and shouldn't be referred to "Cruise Critic" reviews) is reviewed by a staff member. We look for many different things before we release a member review for publication and expect them to be covered in detail:

Here's what we look for:

Background Information
Travel To Port of Embarkation
Hotel Info (if any)
Stateroom
Ship Info
Dining
Activities
- Children's Clubs
Service
Entertainment
Shore Excursions
Disembarkation
Summary

We do not publish one or two paragraph-long reviews, nor do we publish "rants" about one single issue that ticked someone off. These are all returned for posting on the message boards. We do publish reviews that contain negative aspects of a cruise. We have over 10,000 reviews in our database submitted by members, and many of them contain both sides of the story.

What we do want to see in a published review is the "full story". Don't submit a review telling me what a rotten time you had. Instead, we look for reviews that start at the beginning, and share every aspect of the sailing. *That* is what we consider a 'cruise review'. That's what we'll publish. If you submit a review to us like that, we'll publish it.

"I seriously don't think the employees at most any cruise line have the time or inclination to send in four or five page long reviews of every aspect of a cruise. I'm sorry but I think they have better things to do. Understand, too, we can easily recognize promotional material that is "written" by a pro, and to be honest we've never seen one submitted posing as "member review"."

In an e-mail to me, you pointed out a specific "Member Review" in our database that you felt was written by a cruise line employee. I don't agree with you. That review contained information about at least five other cruise lines -- some negative but most favorable, especially about Celebrity's dining -- and I seriously DOUBT am MSC cruise line employee was paid by MSC and posted positive statements about a competitior.

You may not have enjoyed your cruise. Fair enough. But our process here includes many safeguards (some I'm not at liberty to share) and I have much confidence in the integrity of our process.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Your quote "Understand, too, we can easily recognize promotional material that is "written" by a pro, and to be honest we've never seen
one submitted posing as "member review". Unfortunately this quote tells much about my complaint about such reviews. Seriously, do you think that you and your staff are really that savy and superior in intellect to all cruise line employees?

"rant" is your personal interpretation and everyone has a few.

I'll submit as I please and you have the right to edit, delete, ignore etc. The "Don't submit a review telling me what a rotten time you had" command is not in keeping with freedom of speech. I lived in the former Soviet Union and such commands cause me to distrust the source.

Further, if one has safeguards in place as you assert, it may not be wise to let the "enemy" be aware of such as you did when you noted that the review had references to other cruise lines. Now they know a little more of what to include to get the review published. Have you wathced the movie "Enemy at the gate"?

Sincerely,
William Korn

[Magwa]

Exactly.. "your" impression and "your" experience.. so why should you expect others had the same impression and same experience, and why you should tell others to avoid Lirica unless their vacations means nothing to them, just because of "your" impression, I don't know. If you "suffered" then you avoid Lirica, that's fine, but having been a travel agency owner you obviously well know that what some clients like, other dislike and vice versa. No doubt some of your clients did not agree with your opinions either.. we are all different thankfully.

I loved Lirica, you didn't. You avoid her and I'll not.. can we agree? I do not tell other people that they will enjoy every aspect of MSC, I doubt anyone would, likewise I would NEVER tell anyone not to sail a ship or line that I "suffered" on.. they may well enjoy it.