kernow

There is already a thread about this here. Grandiosa cruises from next April onwards are also affected.

Hopefully you are correct but there are some changes to Preziosa/Grandiosa/Virtuosa at the moment and many of us are waiting to find out what is happening.

Grandiosa was supposed to be repositioning to Southampton mid April but is not coming now. Not sure what is happening to it now but that may be something to do with why it's not bookable at the moment.

Just wondering which ship you are on, it's nothing to do with the Grandiosa/Virtuosa change is it?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts, hope you enjoy Virtuosa as much as we have and that things are a bit calmer next week once the schools have gone back.

Glad that they have acknowledged the problem and are doing something about it. Hope the rest of your cruise is better.

I'm on a Virtuosa forum on another site and I know that there have been a lot of complaints about crowds on the last few cruises (also others saying they are enjoying themselves). I think the problem is that it is UK summer school holidays, every year we see the same sort of thing on all the cruise ships sailing from Southampton in August. Not saying that it is not an issue, just that you will see similar posts about Anthem and the P and O ships also, not just an MSC problem.

We're booked on Grandiosa next year which is also supposed to be changing to Virtuosa. Not heard a thing either.

You summed up exactly why I love CC, genuine opinions and lots of debate, also some great info. So many bloggers seem to be influenced by what they can get out of the cruise lines.

I was talking about obc from MSC (in my case the $50 from Voyagers Club).

On the app it appears under 'my cruise' and then' 'included in your package'. I also had to email to get it applied.

Don't worry, unless you are very unlucky there will be plenty of staff who will remember your name and your preferences. If you smile and chat to them, people like your cabin steward and waiter will usually respond in a friendly way. Sorry, just re read your original post and realise you are talking about the non alcoholic package not Easy, it's still straightforward though, no catches. Just remember that a lot of the negative stuff you are reading would be the same for any ship, any line some people just like to moan. I would never consider MSC as a budget line, they offer a good product for a very good price. Where else would you get 7 nights in a beautiful environment, with decent food, drinks and entertainment for £549 or even less?

The passengers on Virtuosa are largely British on these cruises so quite a few dress up including us. We do it because we enjoy it and are not really bothered if other people don't.

I'll try and answer any of your points that no one else has addressed yet. We're not allowed to discuss agents on here, try asking anyone you know who cruises regularly, they will know the best agents for MSC. Touch wood we've never had any major issues pre cruise. The basic package is called Easy, if you're not fussy about branded alcohol and wines it's a good deal, includes soft drinks, basic alcohol, house wines and some cocktails as well as basic hot drinks. No problems using it onboard. It's definitely worth paying to pick your cabin if you are already asking about moving if you get noise, obstructions etc. If you go for a guarantee you have to be prepared to get the worst cabin in that category on the ship, someone has to be allocated it! Sorry my son is grown up so haven't used kids club for years now so no advice. Le Havre is a town in it's own right, you can just get off and walk around the town yourself which is what we usually do. Honfleur is very nice and much closer than Paris which is a fairly long train or bus ride away but people do it. Be aware that on these cruises there will be passengers embarking in nearly every port, Hamburg will be the other main port of embarkation. It never bothers us but I know some people moan about it as well as the multiple languages used onboard. Entertainment is fine, just a bit different to other cruise lines because of all the different nationalities onboard. There are 2 pay extra shows which are worth the money, also suitable for your 3 year old. Bowling costs extra, once booked you can buy a fun pass which is good value if you like that kind of thing and bowling can be paid for with that. No extra gratuities required although you can give extra if you wish, no one expects it though. Pizza is fab and free in the buffet, basic coffee included in the Easy package is good.

Are you talking about Preziosa sailings from Southampton, if so it has been announced that the sailings will now be on Virtuosa which is staying year round in the UK. It's a lovely ship, I don't know who Gary and Emma are but it's definitely not chaotic, crew are great and food has been good both times I've been onboard. Yes, like any cruise particularly in winter it could be rough (or could be smooth) so take precautions incase you get seasick. Like any cruise you can spend as much as you want onboard but if you have a drink package you don't need to spend another penny if you don't want too. Both times we've been on the ship our onboard account has been less than £100.

Yes they have 'European' service which basically means if you shout and demand and wave dollars in their face they will likely ignore you whereas if you are polite, respectful and friendly you will usually get what you require.

I don't think they check times for YC, been on twice and no one ever asked us.

It's not one time use, you keep the status if you cruise at least once every 3 years which is the same rule as those who have earned all their points on MSC. It's true that there are nowhere near as many perks as RCL give but still nice to have a few extras. We did it when they were giving D+ black (now called diamond) and now we enjoy both MSC and RCL and cruise both lines regularly.

I had an email yesterday with an inside for £875, balcony £939 sounds like a bargain if only we had the time.

This was a recent thread on the RCL board, you will probably find similar if you search. I posted my thoughts on there but basically I always think of MSC as a European experience (probably even on US cruises) whereas the other lines you are comparing too are more American. Most of the differences in things like food, service and entertainment are down to this and what people on either side of the Atlantic prefer. There are subtle differences but we enjoy both.

Yes, the Teppanyaki is not included on any package and has to be booked onboard.

For perspective we did a YC interior on a UK cruise on Virtuosa last year and a YC balcony for a Fjord cruise this year. In your position I would do a YC inside. Yes the views on the Fjord cruise are amazing and waking up to them in a balcony cabin was fab but the very best views were from the front of the ship, the TopSail lounge, the YC restaurant and the YC deck which you will only see if you are in YC. Each morning that we were in the Fjords I got up as soon as I woke, had a quick shower and went straight to TS to see the views all around. It was amazing to have breakfast and dinner in the YC restaurant and to be surrounded by it all. We were lucky with good weather and the YC director hosted sailaways on deck where again we had the best views. Yes, now that the ship is sailing a lot fuller I believe it feels very busy but YC will still be a peaceful haven to relax in.

I never understand why people start these kind of threads and then never come back to update us one way or another. No judgements, I'd just like to know the outcome and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

All mine are the same for our Ovation cruises out of Sydney, thought it was just an issue with those cruises.

We watched it too, looked horrible, in fact so much so that we thought in reality it had to be better than what was being portrayed else no one would book. Don't think we'll be trying it though.