Amion68

39 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

I think the cruise lines are hoping a lot of people will take the FCC’s , they are literally sinking with no money coming in . 
I just checked MSC’s terms and conditions for the UK market and it clearly states refunds will be given if MSC cancel your cruise even for a Force Majeure  which Covid -19 certainly is .  Be dogged , determined and hopefully you will get the correct outcome, good luck. 

Interesting. This completely contradicts the email notification that I received from Cruise118 on 21st March. 

2 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

The current situation is exceptional but I  am sure it is against the consumer law here in the UK to not give refunds . If you booked a fly cruise package you should be covered by ATOL . 
Have a read through this and see if anything applies .

 

https://www.caa.co.uk/COVID-19/

 

 

We have had one  APT cruise cancelled which we were able to reschedule for next year and I am expecting the RCI May cruise to be cancelled which I think we will accept any FCC offered. I have an ATOL certificate for the May cruise . 

Thanks for your feedback.

We booked our flights, cruise, hotels all seperately.  However all of the tour operators that we booked through are ATOL covered. 

When I phoned MSC direct they even when as far as to say that ABTA and ATOL had endorsed their T&C's and said they supported them (which surprised me as this seems a blatant breech of consumer rights).

The current situation is exceptional as you say however, so one should give them time to sort it all out I suppose.  Its the mixed communication and then MSC reneging on their previous terms that I think is underhand.  

3 minutes ago, kalkancruiser said:

Hi Amion68,

We are in the same situation, booked flight, hotel and cruise package with 118. Contacted them on 16th March when MSC were offering refunds to UK passengers. If I had booked separately I could have had a refund directly, instead I was told to wait my turn, everything would be fine, and I would be refunded in due course. However MSC reneged on that deal and we are now only offered FCC. This is the only itinerary we are interested in, and like you cannot travel next April because of prior plans for next year.  British Airways are offering refunds and again if we had booked separately we would have had this refund too. We were not even offered a partial refund for the flights. 118 should take some responsibility here instead of fobbing us off to insurance or credit card option. If it was a simple med or caribbean cruise I wouldn't mind so much, but we have a lot of money tied up in this 8 week trip. I did get a reply from twitter, just told to email them. Our contract is with 118.

We booked our flights with Virgin Atlantic (through TravelBag) and the last on that was that Virgin Atlantic were refunding.  I received an email requesting preference on a flight credit or refund and requested the latter (via an online form). I've not heard anything more since (over 1 week on) so the flight refund is far from guaranteed at this stage.  

Then we have a weeks hotel accomodation booked down in Florida Keys with Loveholidays....their stance is that the circumstances are outside of their control.  We also booked 2 nights hotel accomodation in Miami before the cruise with Avios points + part payment, and I've not found anyway way of finding a BA/Avious contact number to resolve that one!.

For us its all resting on our travel insurance now, and their stance is that they only deal with enquiries from people travelling within 48 hours, which is Wednesday for us.

Good luck with it all anyway, and most importantly stay safe.  I will post an update on here if we get any further developments.

1 hour ago, IrishComet said:

If you paid by credit card, contact the card company and see if they can do anything.( You are not receiving what you paid for)

Hi yes done that and they are pointing everyone back to the merchant...who direct you back to the....travel agent....who direct you back to your travel insurer.

They are all passing the buck and nobody wants to accept liability. 

On 14th March my travel

agent (Cruise118) sent out an email notification advising on MSCs policy on passengers booked on to cancelled Caribbean cruises (we are/were booked on Meraviglia on 29/03).

The email stated they were offering cruise vouchers OR refunds. 
 

on Saturday 21st I received another email from

cruise118 saying that MSC are now only offering cruise vouchers to the value of 125% of the booking value.

Whilst this may appeal to some it is no good for us as we can only travel at Easter...and next Easter my Som will be in his GCSE year. 
 

So I have taken this up both with cruise 118 and MSC and neither seem prepared to take ownership. How can a commercial business state one policy one week and then retract it and say something else one week later!

 It is the supplier (MSC) that has canceled the transaction not me, and as such surely as the consumer I should be entitled to a refund!

I really don’t know where else to take this. The travel companies involved are refusing to take ownership whilst its impossible to get through to my travel insurer (so I don’t even know where I stand on that). 
 

Im sorry to add to the post count but I have searched other posts first before posting this. Any advice from anyone in the know would be very much appreciated.

Anyone else on here booked to travel out from the UK to the US for a Caribbean cruise over the next 2/4 weeks?

We're booked on to MSC Meraviglia on 29/03 (out of Miami) and it seems completely up in the air now whether we will 'be able to' go. 

Trump's ban on EU travel to the US has not been extended to the UK as yet, but I expect the probability of the ban extending to the UK over the next few weeks to be probable as Covid-19 cases in the country  increase.

As for MSC there is very little guidance on their website, and the option to re-schedule only seems to be open to US customers.  

Our first cruise is scheduled to sail out of Miami on 29th March. We’ve purposely held back on loading up on excursions etc in case we have to cancel. 
With the UK govt unlikely to advise against travel to the US/Caribbean we stand to loose a considerable sum on flights, cruise and hotels. 
Ofcourse we don’t have to cancel, but with 2 children and my Wife being asthmatic I am leaning more and more to taking the responsible decision and cancelling. 
It was intended to be a holiday of a lifetime for us all, but ultimately life and health is more important. 
The irony is my last chance of a cruise from UK to Australia on P&O’s Orianna back in 1978 was cancelled at the last minute due to a family illness. 

6 hours ago, blordos said:

The MSC fun pass isn't necessary for onboard activities. It's basically a discount card. Example, you pay 100$ for the card and you get 180$ worth of fun. You can use it for bowling, rope climbing, race simulator, 4D cinema etc.

 

There are several internet packages. Read the desciption about the package. The basic package can only connect to 1 device while the most premium internetpackage can connect 4 devices at once. They varies also in total GB you can use.

Thanks for the advice

First time cruiser sailing on MSC Meraviglia in April with a family of 4 (kids 14 & 8).

Are purchase of the MSC fun passes essential for access to all of the onboard amusements and is 1 pass per family member necessary (or can you share)? The MSC description suggests fun passes might be needed for cinema access, but it’s not clear.

Also what is the best internet access option and can you share across multiple devices?

Total cruise so any advice much appreciated, Thankyou.

We are embarking on our first cruise in March, western carribean islands on MSC Meraviglia.

Is anyone able to confirm whether immunisation jabs are needed (USA excepted) for the following locations:

Miami

Costa Maya

Isla de Rattan

Belize City

Ocean Cay Bahamas

13 hours ago, noah300 said:

My kids 13and 17 . Preferred Sonor but also enjoyed Viaggio.

Thanks that’s helpful to know.

1 hour ago, SirWolf said:

We have seen both shows and booked Sonor a second time during the cruise. Both shows are great but Sonor appeals to us slightly more because of the acrobatic acts.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

Did you happen to take children to both shows? Based on what if seen I am thinking both shows will appeal to kids.

On 2/5/2020 at 11:28 AM, emmas gran said:

Found this post for you lots of views on there

Thanks for sharing-useful post!

Conclusion - Viaggio

Hi all, we are book on MCS Meraviglia in April and we want to book up one of the Cirque shows and are keen to know which one is considered the better show?
 

We are a family of 4 with 2 kids  aged 8 & 14 so need to consider whether one of the shows might be more geared towards children.

Any advice appreciated

40 minutes ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

 

Sidari, did you book this excursion through the ship? Was it the Bacab eco park? Any tips/ reviews on that? 

 

OP- Anything you might want on ship is cheaper to book in advance. We booked the digital photo package (~$150.) We're also going to book some Ocean Cay umbrellas, maybe floats. (Easy drinks came with our reservation already.)

 

You can't get Cirque tickets outside of the meal/cocktail packages. Most reviews I've seen recommend getting the cocktail package over the meal package. You can search for Viaggio/Sonor on this board and find youtube links, etc. I've seen enough mixed reviews that we're going to pass. 

 

For excursions, we love Maya Chan in Costa Maya and book that on our own, but the Costa Maya discussion board has great discussions on other private beach clubs. It's not hard to book those on your own and meet your driver outside the port area. We've never felt unsafe. On the Roatan discussion board, you'll find discussions on Sloth and Snorkel tours and we're going to try one of those based on tons of good reviews. Again, you book with outside company and they give you instructions to meet right outside the port. The one port we've booked through MSC is Belize, because it's already a tender port and folks tend to say they felt unsafe navigating outside the port area on their own. It's our first time there and we'd rather just get on an excursion tender.

Thanks for the feedback. 
 

Your excursion feedback is loosely what I was expecting and it is interesting to hear there are external excursion options ashore. A navy frien of mine warned us about Belize also so noted. 
 

we will probably do one of the cirque shows as I’ve read they tend to sell out...deciding between Sonor and Viaggio is the next challenge!

15 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

My standard advice to a first time cruiser:

 

Arrive the day before the cruise debates (exceptions if you drive from a location maybe less than 6 hours away.)

 

Pack one-half of what you think you need.  

 

Kids?  Be aware of the extra cost items - certain beverages and activities. 

Thankyou for your advice. We fly in to MIA 2days prior and I’ve booked us in to a mid town hotel near to the POM

Just now, AF-1 said:

Amion68;  do you want to rent a car or do you want a car service to take you to airport?

Car rental -  research suggests the rental pick up/drop off options from MIA are the cheapest.  I am certainly open to suggestions however 🙂

Are you my wife? 

Seriously, we are booked on to a Caribbean cruise and my wife is worries about exactly the same, so you're not alone.

I'm sure we'll all be just fine....just as long as we are far away from China!

Hi all, we are booked on to a MCS cruise in March and are wondering whether the port/cruise lines offer shuttle services  to MIA after disembarking?

We are looking to book a hire car for the second week of our trip and assumed that MIA is possibly the easiest pick up/drop off location for us (esp. as we fly out of MIA on the last day).  

Anyone able to advise?

Hi all, family of 4 first time cruisers booked on MSC Meraviglia cruise of Western Caribbean in March.

We are booked in to a Fantastica balcony package with the standard Fantastica benefits.

Looking for any advice and recommendations from any experienced MSC cruisers on what we need to consider booking in advance.  For example...

-Drinks package:  Should we book up the advanced drinks package or 'pay as we drink'.  We're a family with kids aged 8-14 so its not going to be a 'booze cruise'...however as a Brit I do like my beer 🙂

-On board experiences:  Cirque du Soleil seems to be a must do based on reviews and appears to get fully booked. However I can't see anything on the MSC website about booking this (only the meals/cocktails packages).  Also any other must do experiences whilst on board that need booking in advance?

-Excursions: Not surprisingly MSC recommend booking these through them...however as a savvy traveller I am mindful of there being alternative options.  We are doing the western caribean itinetary....so Isla do Roatan, Belize city, Costa Maya and Ocean Cay.  Any recommendations on what we simply mus'nt miss (and how to book) appreciated.  My wide really wants to see the Mayan ruins while me ands the kids are more in to the beach/watersports experiences

Any advise, tipson the above and/or any other bits we might not have considered very much appreciated 🙂

1 minute ago, hallasm said:

Two years from date of registration.

Thats good to know, thankyou

18 hours ago, hallasm said:

Excellent plan,

My suggestion is Eastern Caribbean - Royal Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale or Miami - you can combine it with some days In Orlando.
Alternative is eastern Caribbean from Cape Liberty combined with few days in New York.

Do not know how familiar you’re with US travel - don’t forget your ESTA.

Thanks for your advise.

We are booked on a western Caribbean cruise on MSC Meraviglia. I do preffer the Eastern itinerary but the cruise options were nearly double the cost of the MSC package.

We did our ESTA for our 2019 trip to Florida.  I need to check how long the cover is for.

21 hours ago, APDMOM said:

@Amion68  We are always in for a great deal (price wise).  I think this ship offers very good value for money, but it depends on how independent your kids are and whether they will enjoy the activities offered.  Our son loved the ship, the slides, and the Himalayan Bridge, so he will gladly go on this cruise again.  However, I have heard that the children’s programs are not as great on MSC as on Royal or Carnival.  I would personally avoid Carnival over spring break (mainly March/April in USA).  

 

So, it boils down to Royal VS MSC kids’ programs.  I saw plenty of kids having fun in the Doremi club on Meraviglia, so I am not sure what the specific complaints are.  Sorry I can not help more.  

 

I would personally choose MSC for such a late booking, as Royal prices are typically best when you book about 2 years in advance (when itineraries are released).  For Royal, it would also depend upon the ship you choose.  I would not book less than 7 days in March.  (Spring breakers tend to book shorter cruises).

 

 

Thankyou for taking the time to respond. When we are on holiday my 2 tend to be happiest anywhere near the water, so I am expecting them to spend most of their time in the pools and water park areas.  They have never been that keen on kids clubs and tend to make friends themselves in the pools etc, so the kids clubs don't really concern us.  

I managed to secure a Fantastica starboard balcony in midships (deck 10) and am very happy with the price for the whole package.

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

I'm pretty certain that the cabins on Adventure OTS overlooking the Royal Promenade don't have balconies - just windows.

Have only sailed that ship out of Southampton, but found the interior public areas  to be very crowded in the evenings esp in poor weather.

 

All of which is irrelevant to someone who's just booked MSC Meraviglia 

 

Don't know this ship, but MSC has the most modern, stylish and pristine ships in the industry.

 

I'm a little wary of booking an Italian ship for a first cruise - my only MSC experience is in Europe, where they're very "Italian", with a cosmopolitan passenger-mix and food etc geared very much toward Italians. That may seem obvious, but does come as a shock to folk expecting a Brit or American experience. That's why they get excellent reviews on Italian website but comparatively poor from Brits, North Americans etc. But I suspect that after a shaky start in the Caribbean they've made a good few changes for the Caribbean seasons to suit the clientele - those who've sailed MSC in the Caribbean are best-placed to comment. If still very "Italian" just go with the flow.

 

Apart from the good facilities for kids, Italian crews dote on kids.

 

MSC have always been good value, esp with kids.

 

Adding so-called "gratuities" (they're effectively wages) to passengers' accounts on US and Italian ships has always been a contentious matter for Brits, Europeans & Aussies. 

For sailings from the UK & Aus quite a few US cruise lines have incorporated them where they belong, in the ticket price. I'm surprised but delighted that MSC has done so for Caribbean cruises, because that tipping culture is normal for Americans.

Where there are no auto-tips, at the end of the cruise we tend to slip a few pounds / dollars to our cabin steward. And to waiters if it's "traditional" dining (same table, same waiters each evening).  Only if service has been excellent - but it almost always has been. Waaaaay better than hotels.    

 

Here are some videos of Meraviglia, starting with a fantastica balcony cabin (skip the over-long advert at the start)

 

JB 

 

Thankyou for your feedback and for the mpeg's.  Very re-assure read 🙂

22 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Probably a bit late  now,  but you are travelling a long way for just a 7 night cruise.  I would be looking to add 2 or 3 days on to your holiday, both before and after your cruise,  but especially before,  so you can get over the jet lag before you start your cruise.

We are tagging a second week on the end to drive down to the keys and will finish off with a night in Miami before flying home. Jet lag wasn't a major problem for us last year and the first 2 days are at sea so I think we will be ok.

Thanks for your feedback.