Native Floridian 26

1 hour ago, bafinegan said:

wow, not my experience at all.  Course this was last Jan on the Seashore, but drinks were strong and bar service was great.

I agree.  On both my cruises, the drinks have been great, as well as the service.  Just off the Armonia and we so enjoyed all the fancy coffees (alcoholic and non) in the coffee shop also.  Yes, the pool bars can be hard to get service, but a little patience works every time.

Thanks everyone!

I'm getting the Oops something went wrong no matter which cruise I select. Is this happening to you?

1 minute ago, drsel said:

MSC is selling Easy Plus drink package at $13 pppd or $90 per person for a 7 day cruise

We've sailed MSC twice and paid that much for the 7 night cruise.  I don't know how they do it.  No daily limits either.  Plus that includes wifi which is such a deal.

Ok great.  We sailed Carnival many years ago when they had Sushi sometimes before dinner.  They eliminated that years ago so it's great to see HAL has some complimentary Sushi.

Watched a YT video on the Nieuw Statendam and I think they mentioned sushi on the buffet.  Is this correct?  Possibly on the international station?  If so, is it lunch, dinner or both?

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

We just spent 28 days on the Nieuw Statendam and had anytime dining.  We found that if we went early (close to 5 pm) and probably late (but we didn't try that) it was easy to get a table for 2.  Not if we went 6:30-7'ish. 

We didn't try reserving the same table for several nights as we have in the past, because we dined in specialty restaurants more on that cruise.  

Thanks.  We'll try reserving if that's an option.  We like to go around 7:30-8:00.

Thanks, everyone for the info.  I guess with the alternate dining venues, it makes sense the dining room doesn't do lunch.

I actually forgot that we had requested Your Time DIning, so time is not an issue.  We were just on MSC and we didn't have that option with the experience we booked.

We're avid cruisers but we have only sailed HAL once.  We're going on the Nieuw Statendam Transatlantic in April.  We enjoy a table for 2 in the main dining room.  How difficult is it to get a table for 2 at dinner, and also breakfast and lunch.

Also, what time are the early and late on the Transatlantics?  Our last 2 cruises have been on MSC and they tend to be later, especially in Europe.

We're back from our 7 night Armonia Mediterreanean/Greece cruise.  I can say we were successful at getting a very nice table for 2 in the early seating beginning the 2nd night.  We talked to the supervisor at the dining room upon boarding and they said to ask them after dinner the first night.  We sat at the table for 8 they assigned to us on the first night. 

After that dinner they said to come back the second night and ask again.  We did and they gave us a perfect table for 2 on the window in the very back.  I think the section was for Aurea guests (we're Bella), but they gave it to us anyway.

However, they would NOT seat you at a table for 2 for breakfast or lunch in the MDR.  We asked a couple times and they would have nothing of it.  

Is anyone aware of any incentives going on for booking with FCCs right now?

We just got back from a Med cruise on Armonia.  The set dining times were 6:30 and 9:00.

Look on the website for Cruise with Confidence.  Here is a link, but you want to make sure it applies depending on your origin and where you are cruising to.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise-with-confidence

What about the Passage Contract?  Boarding in 4 days and have this message: 

IMMEDIATE ACTION: We kindly ask you to complete the health questionnaire and accept our passage contract as quickly as possible. Please enter your booking details below, access the web check-in and locate the health questionnaire section as well as the passage contract. 

I know we hand them the Health Questionnaire, but what is there to do with the Passage COntract other than read it?  I've had my cruise documents/tickets for weeks.

51 minutes ago, Last Lion said:

With an easy plus package, in the MDR, after dinner, is specialty coffee like an espresso or a Bailey’s coffee included?

Yes

We sail this Sunday out of Venice on Armonia and first stop will be to the dining room to request our table for 2.  I'll come back and let you know how it goes.

I know their dates are screwy.  I knew exactly when our final payment was due. The day before I got an email saying my cruise had been cancelled.  So I just called and made the payment. Not happy though.

13 minutes ago, this-is-fun said:

I was able to put in credit card information for our cruise in 2.5 weeks. No boarding pass shows up though. 

US cruise?

11 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

Picking my own cabin is HUGE to me.  Cabin location is probably an even more important consideration than cabin type.  And on the lines I sail with, there is a cheaper option for a “guarantee” cabin, but I never take that because I want to choose.

 

So in all reality and honesty, MSC probably isn’t THAT different from what I’m used to.  It’s mostly the idea that there are actual named tiers that turns me off.  I admit it is probably petty and childish, but that is the visceral reaction I get…

It is petty. The "tiers" are simply options available for booking. They have nothing you do with the onboard experience. 

Drew, you're really not considering that the base price to get on an MSC cruise is an excellent value, and probably the best price point among their competitors.  If you don't feel it's for you. that's your choice, but you should really try it.  There is no "class" system other than Yacht Club, which all the cruise lines have migrated to. You can tell by my signature, I've been cruising my whole life, and MSC being new to the US market over the last several years, has definitely gained our business because they deliver an excellent product.

3 minutes ago, JAGR said:

US

That's probably the difference.  I remember registering CC for Seashore in December, but no option for this Med cruise from Venice.

4 hours ago, JAGR said:

Same!

Sailing from US or Europe?

4 hours ago, mafig said:

I'm checked in for 10/29 and there was a credit card option which I entered,  and it took (although I fully expect to have to re-enter it at the kiosk.  

Sailing from US or Europe?

14 hours ago, deliver42 said:

It doesn't have to be the same card you entered on check in if you want to change cards.

They may have changed the check-in because there registering a credit card is no longer part of the process as far as I can see.  I'm all checked in for 10/28 and there was no credit card option.

Sailing on Armonia in 2 weeks.  What times are the early and late seatings these days in the Med?