8420PR

Great post that factually demonstrates the difference between MSC and other cruise lines. I don't know why it is so controversial.. While the new ships are more efficient, it has always been MSC's unique selling point to offer lower prices by putting more cabins on smaller (but beautiful) ships with less crew. Below is a post of mine from 2018 trying to demonstrate the same point: One of the reasons I am a fan of MSC is because it offers good value (so I can take more vacations). .

MSC UK contract considers this change 'significant': "A significant change to the itinerary. i.e. when the itinerary has to be changed by more than 50% and may have to exclude an iconic highlight." So passengers have the below options: "a) Accepting the alteration; or b) Making another Booking from the brochure and/or from the Official Website of equivalent or superior quality, if available; or c) Making another Booking from the brochure and/or from the Official Website of lower quality, if available, with a refund of the difference in price; or d) Cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid." source: https://www.msccruises.co.uk/terms-conditions At least in this case MSC offered passengers the choice of a refund or taking the amended cruise.

I wonder if MSC Seaside has engine problems again - I took the repositioning from Port Canaveral to Fort-de-France and she never got over 15 knots (according to the navigational TV channel).

Here is their route: So it seems the choice was between lots of sea days at about 15C/59F or a couple of ports at about 6C/42F. Tough choice, but at least the passengers had a choice to go or not. I wonder if any OBC included for those that took the cruise?

It sounds like you have only received the port tax refunded. If I was in your position I would wait a couple more weeks before following up with the email. I would guess the customer service agents don't have a record of the compensation offer, so you have to explain it from the beginning each time? There is probably one person "in Italy" dealing with it, and they take their time. EU rules for delayed or cancelled cruises do not apply in cases of extraordinary circumstances - e.g. weather, strikes etc.

I'm glad to see your positive review as embarking on Friday, for the same 3 night cruise 🙂 Were there any theme parties on your cruise? E.g. was there a white night or elegant night?

My experience is it took about 2 weeks from learning here the cruise was cancelled to actually being notified by MSC. I suspect it just takes time for MSC HQ to inform local offices, and then each local office to inform customers.

what specifically did you think was missing?

On previous cruises it was always an Elegant night with a special menu and then a New Years Eve party.. Before covid there were always a couple of special dishes from a celebrity chef, but I haven't heard about that recently. e.g. from 2016: https://www.mscpressarea.com/en_INT/press-releases/483

As far as I can tell: - the designated check-in times seem random to me. Sometimes early, sometimes late, or sometimes in the middle. The same for Yacht Club. - we always aimed for the designated check-in time, but sometimes turn up early or late and it has never been a problem or even mentioned. I would recommend you decide when you want to check-in and do that, with the understanding that if you turn up the same time as everyone else it will be chaotic (though less so with YC check-in).

Tables are assigned in advance for passengers on Bella and Fantasia bookings, so you cannot just turn up at the dining room together. If you have booked Aurea or Yacht Club then you can just turn up together. When you complete the web check.in you can enter other bookings that you would like to be assigned to the same dining table. Alternatively when you board you can go to the restaurant and check with the maître de restaurant if it is possible to change your seating to be together.

I watched the video (without sound) and thought it was largely representative of an European Cruise on MSC. There will be lots of people of all ages enjoying their holiday in a relatively small place. For me this is a good thing. There are certainly quieter areas, but it will still be 5k passengers on a ship.

Black Friday deals are already loaded on the German website: https://www.msccruises.de/kreuzfahrt-angebote/black-friday Looks like roughly 10 - 20% discount on winter cruises, with no 5% voyagers discount possible.

Be careful, there are multiple posts complaining about peperoni pizza on MSC: Peperoni in Italy: Pepperoni in US: The Italian name for pepperoni pizza is "pizza alla diavola".

Be careful, there are multiple posts complaining about peperoni pizza on MSC: Peperoni in Italy: Pepperoni in US: The Italian name for pepperoni pizza is "pizza alla diavola".

How much did the 3 Asian Market dining package cost to book onboard?

As noted, MSC restrict the entries when booking to either UK or Germany/Austria. You could use a travel agent based in the UK or Germany to book these rates. You would of course be constrained by the UK/German terms and conditions, and might end up sharing a table with people from these countries.

Flights from US to Europe are typically much more expensive than flights from Europe to US - especially in shoulder season. A return flight to Orlando from Frankfurt for the same dates costs a lot less than the flight to Orlando and back from FDF. Hence the reason for the cheap cruise, compared to the typical 7 days from Miami or Orlando. Don't feel bad about paying more for your flights or cruise - the US simply is a lot richer than Europe and a large part of the price (of flights, cruises etc) is based on how much people will pay.

On the German website, MSC are selling the 6 night repositioning cruise from Port Canaveral to Fort-de-France on MSC Seaside for €40 plus gratuities (so €113 in total - approx. USD$119). On the UK website it is GBP129, including gratuities (approx. USD$156): The prices have been online for over 1 week, and widely publicized, so I don't think it is a mistake. In 2017 I booked two 7 day Southern Caribbean cruises on MSC Fantasia for €199 per week (plus gratuities), but have never seen anything this low cost. The challenge for MSC in this area is that the flights sell out before the cruises, so you often see great last minute deals. Flights are very expensive, but if you want to fly cheaply, use miles - Delta will sell an economy flight on Air France from Fort-de-France to most European cities for 35000 miles. I also would consider Air Canada or American Airlines back to North America, but availability is a lot lower.

It includes bookings made with MSC in UK and US - both through a travel agent or direct. As long as your travel agent is not based outside of UK it should be included. You will see this code on your booking confirmation and e-tickets:

My guess - the onboard currency will change on the 25th November in Fort-de-France, as I think that is the start of first "official" Southern Caribbean cruise.

For MSC Seaside cruises returning to Port Canaveral (2023) or Miami (2024): All passengers need to disembark before new passengers can embark - so you need to disembark with everyone else in the morning. For MSC Seaside cruises ending in the Southern Caribbean (e.g. Fort-de-France) or Mediterranean - you can typically stay onboard until the early afternoon (e.g. just after lunch), as passengers can disembark and embark at the same time.

Anyone care to guess if they will schedule replacement cruises for MSC Orchestra, or just leave her laid up until April 2024? Has this happened previously, and what did MSC do?

There is a current promo this winter where you get 700 points before the cruise: https://www.msccruises.ch/buchung-verwalten/msc-voyagers-club/winter-promo-mitglieder Enjoy your cruise!

I guess you booked Aurea experience? I think it is just the discounted (15% or something like that) specialty dinner and massage that you can book (online) in advance.