yellow-submarine

What is the benefit of checking-in early or checking-in late just before the deadline? Is it more likely to get an upgrade if check in late? Did it ever happened to you that you picked a double/queen bed at check in but they had only twins/single available or the way around? We are sailing on a Caribbean Christmas cruise in a 3bed cabin.

There is a good website for this: https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/deckbydeck.php?ship=MSC-Seaside&deck=9 Where you see a video or picture icon next cabin, you can click on that and check the actual cabin. This is the Seaside but it is almost identical to the rest of the Sea... class ships.

@Essiesmom It is the Sea... class (Seaside) @Georgia_Peaches I can't change the reservation to fantastica to pick a room. At the time of the booking I tought the lowest deck is the least popular* so they would randomly allocate me anyway. So now I am thinking when I get the email to bid for upgrade shall I choose oceanview or stay on inside. Yes by stability I meant which has less motion. *Based on the pricing. The higher you go the more expensive it gets.

Hi all, Generally lowest deck, mid ship, inside cabines are considered the most stable. Booked 'guaranteed' inside cabin, that means they can put you on any deck. We are a family and there are family cabins between deck 5 and 11. So thinking to upgrade to ocean view which can be only on deck 5. Which one is more stable: Ocean view on deck 5 but it is not the center of the ship or an Inside cabin on deck 11+? Is there any difference in air (condition) quality between the upper and lower decks?

Yes indeed, it make more sense to cover the south caribbean from these islands. It is very time effective. Also they do 7+7 day itenareries making a figure 8 loops around these islands which is a great idea. But as everything it has it pros and cons: these islands have limited number of flights. Some have flights only 3 days a week, making it risky if just one flight is cancelled they can't put the passangers on an alternative flight in time for a cruise.

Sadly that is the case. Black friday was the prime example of that: MSC offered free WiFi and drinks for US and Canadian residents. Nothing in Europe, not even discounts (apart of some less popular cruises).

This is weird. So, I booked a cruise via a British T.A. That means I cannot use the .com international MSC website, it does not recognise my booking. However if I want to register for MSC Voyagers Club on the .co.uk website it gives no other options than British under the Nationality section: I am a british resident, but not biritish national. It does not make sense as in it's present form it is racist*. I could not find anything in the terms and conditions. Anyone came across this issue before? *Nationality does not equal citizensip or residency. So if you are from Germany and live in UK or even got UK citizenship you are still German national. Exluding people based on their birth is...

Do they check your bag on small caribbean islands? I mean they don't even check your passport.

The biggest bottle I have seen <correct me if I am wrong> is 1Liter and it costs $6.25. So on a 14 day cruise that is $175/person*. That is still steep, especially for a family (who already have to travel on an expensive school holiday period). *The daily reccommended fluid intake is 3.7liter especially in hot climate. Provided that you would also buy drinks on shore but on the other hand you also have sea days: calculating with an average 2l/day purchase on board.

From what I read (and YouTube videos) , drinks are free during the breakfast at the buffet. If you haven't booked your cruise yet, MSC has now a BF deal for US residents: free drinks and WiFi. I wish this deal was available for Europeans. It is a good question how strict they are with non alcoholic drinks purchased on shore, I would like to know that.

* Sorry that was a typo. I meant I can`t imagine the muster drill taking 2 hours. Yeah that's the thing it is more risky to fly with Air France. Oh man they like to go on strikes, the pilots or the air traffic controllers, or the ground stuffs or anyone in the chain, it is a national sport there. So planning to fly to the island via US but there are no flights every day. So also considering to skip the embarkation port and fly to the next island (and request special embarkation). Just wanted to know all the parameters before making a decision.

Yeah but airlines don't say that deal is available for 8 days and in this case the base price did not change only the discount. I checked it again and it most definitely does not offer free drinks and WiFi. Maybe it comes up for you as you are visiting from the a US IP address. I tried to book it on the US website and at TAs but does not allow me to book unless I am US or Canadian resident. One TA allowed booking when I changed from US to "other countries" it removed the free drinks and WiFi offer.

Here is a lesson if you are browsing this forum in 2023 and thinking to wait till Black Friday: Many of us know that Black Friday is mostly marketing and apart of few retailers the prices stay the same. However this shocked me a little. Sea-Scanner (a German cruise TA operating in Europe) offered these prices 4 days before Black Friday (it was available till 2 days prior): And this on Black Friday: Would not expect price increase on Black Friday especially as it say 8 days left on the -15% offer. So potential Se@scanner customers keep this in mind. If any retailer says that an offer available far let's say 7 day period but in fact it is available only on a first day that is deception and a dishonest business practice. If an offer is advertised for a certain period and it is for a limited stock/seat/cabin etc. they have to mention that. Followed most of the TA and price comparison websites I don't see any real difference in pricing and most of the offers are limited to non popular time periods and last minute offers or US residents only. MSC is a European company yet it only offers free WiFi and drinks to US residents only. What is your experience?

Thank you both. It is really helpful. Muster drill is a good point however I can imagine that taking 2 hours.

Thank you both. Yes I meant boarding. Yes, 1 hour makes sense at port of calls. @CruisingFox27 If check-in and boarding takes 2 hours at embarkation why are they closing check-in desk 4h before departure? In fact MSC told me that it closes 4h before and advised me to be there 6h before departure which is nuts. I know that they give time slots for boarding but that was introduced because of covid and I heard that they don't really enforce it anymore. I do count with flight delays and traffics and so on but if we add excessive safety margin on everything than have to fly in a day before (...and set a camp at the cruise terminal, just in case 😋)

Hi All, Trying to plan our own excursions (Caribbean). I have been told by MSC customer service that embarkation and disembarkation each take 2 hours. So that means if the ship is 10 hours at the port you have only 6 hours on shore. Is this correct? What is you experience with embarkation and disembarkation duration at port of calls? Also been told at the departure port the check-in gates closes at latest 4 hours before departure. That sounds nuts, what takes 4 hours?

Thank you Nunagoras. It is super helpful. Point1: Do you mean if you miss the cruise you can't fly to the next port to board it? Point6: Roughly how long the check-in/boarding takes in Guadalupe or Martinique? (For calculating timing of flight).

Hi all, Planning our first cruise for our 20th anniversary (MSC Seaside, South Caribbean from Guadalupe or Martinique). Read many articles, forum posts and watched videos but there are some questions non of these could answer or they are MSC/destination specific. I am hoping that this wonderful community can help with some of these: We were thinking to take a the 14 day cruise for 13 day only. Is it possible to book it like that? Or pay for full trip but join the cruise a day later? As I understood the activity schedule is distributed in paper format the day before . Does it mean that you can book on-board activities only a day in advance? If so what time is the earliest you can book them? Do you have to pre-book the basketball court? We love to release some stress by playing with football table. Are these free or coin operated? If coin operated, do we need Euro or something? Is there a check-out process or payments are automatic and you can leave the boat at any time? I imagine that boarding takes long in end-terminals like Miami but how long does it take at a stop like Guadalupe or Martinique? MSC Seaside's documentary video on YouTube suggests that they take in account flight delays. Do they really do this? If so, what sort of delay they accommodate? I mean Guadalupe or Martinique does not have many flights so I imagine there would be many other cruise passengers on those flights. Any help would be highly appreciated and hopefully will be helpful for others reading the post for their research.