perakcruiser

In Europe the prices have EXPLODED. Especially for the mighty MSC World Europe, looks like everyone want to be on board in the inaugural season.

Yes, no problem to walk. Not sure about public transport, probably you need to walk over the Galata bridge first.

It is the same thing and indeed you would pay twice.

Most probably. If you book a Fantastica Inside for 4 with only 2 people the chances for upgrade are very high as they need these rooms desperately when the ship gets full 😄

Exactly, most convinient is MSC UK. They have everything included and even water bottles and coffee. You see just one prices and this is the real price.

You walked across the Elbe tunnel to the "real" city or just to the quarter of Hamburg that is nearest to the cruise port? The latter is more like visiting Istanbul, but unfortunately without interesting places to see 😄

We went to the Louvre (about 30 AED) and then back to the Corniche.

Oh, this looks great and is probably new. Also a second line (44) to the mosque! Last year we just took a Careem.

MSC started it and many others also. I dont remember any of my last cruises (with different lines) did not have these things.

I think at least in Europe MSC (and the others) NEVER allowed TA to give discounts. Probably until now MSC just tolerated it in the US. Many of the Europeans cruise lines also don´t allow any other incentives for the customers like OBC. There are some loopholes, but a TA definitely is not allowed to offer a cruise cheaper than the cruise line.

Totally outdated. All is open again long long time already.

@little britain The Dubai desert classics now finish on Monday because of the bad weather. Maybe you can go, we totally enjoyed it one year before.

Sounds ugly. In 2022 the Virtuosa had the La Traviata in Dubai in January and also in northern Europe in November. Different singers, the ones in Dubai were good, the ones in Europe absolutely gorgeous. And MSC praised themselves intensively for being the only cruise company that still offers this to their customers 🙂

I am cruising with MSC since 2009 or 2010 and only have heard about these "port fees" or "taxes" from this forum because the Americans have to pay. In most markets it is illegal to separate these fees, taxes, whatever, from the cruise price. Edit: Also RCCL or Carnival do not collect port fees in European markets. Because they can´t 🙂

I am unfamiliar with MSC in the Netherlands, but on all European markets I know the taxes are not payable for anyone, no matter if adult or kid. I sailed many times with my kids and never paid anything else except 50% of the gratuities.

1. No, never have been, never will be. 2. Have to discuss with Maitre d if you are unhappy with your assigned table. 3. Never full in November, easy to find quiet zones.

That really sounds like fun. Looking forward to the "report".

The gratuities (50%), not the taxes.

I think I can find good reasons for all three equally. And bad reasons also. At the end it depends on what flights you can get for what price. TAP is a preferable choice, highly recommended to make a stopover in Lisbon what maybe could be called a better destination than all ports on your cruise 🙂

Yes, all countries have different prices.

No, the menus in the med are different from Caribbean and so on. And when we sailed from Dubai zero pork dishes.

Refreshments can also be rose water 😄

Yes, but from the cruise lines that we consider, MSC is the only one that charges a service fee. All other Europeans plus Celebrity only publish the final price. But sure you are right, as Non-Americans cannot adjust MSCs service fee (or even cancel) it is nothing else but a part of the cruise price. So MSC should just stop this adventising: Cruise price € 415 p.p. + Hotel service charge (€ 84) TOTAL PRICE: € 499 p.p. Who reads this on their website and thinks "Wow, only € 415"? 😄

Oh yes!!! After they killed this we really mainly drink bottled water with lunch and dinner. I don't want this all inclusive at all, I want my vouchers for coffee, wine and water back.

Same for January after Jan 6.