Eglesbrech

41 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

That will be interesting!  I intend to do the same for my September Princess 32 night Canada/USA cruise (final payment due 17/6), especially as they have dropped 2 Canadian ports and substituted 2 French ones, which many people are unhappy with and some have reported that they have cancelled.

 

I'll look forward to the update.

 

 

We were booked with Princess to Canada last year and had to cancel but out of interest we kept an eye on it. The prices dropped like a brick before the final payment date to the point that had I been able to travel I would have been significantly cheaper to cancel and rebook.

I’m talking by thousands of pounds difference. Strangely it went up a bit again after the final payment as presumably they sold more cabins. 
 

This year may be different as cruising is very popular and the airports are likely to be a pain with the new fingerprinting etc from October. May push more towards U.K. departures.

13 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

I've spoken to MSC UK hierarchy.   Here is the very prompt reply:

 

"We have taken guest feedback seriously and only for the mini cruises will the premium drinks be available but only at certain bars to ease the pressure on the promenade and pool deck, that the only change.

 

Please be assured that there will always be bars where the premium drinks is available in full."

Thank you for that, it’s very reassuring. 
 

I had written to them but had not had a response as yet but your has put my mind at ease. Life is too short to drink cheap and nasty wine!

1 hour ago, showingdiva said:

 

My point was that she arrived in Southampton with a very skeleton crew, re-stocked and immediately went back south on a 12 night Canaries.   Followed by a series of short cruises, including the bank holiday one.   I work with cruise ships.   Re-stocking / replenishing / taking on stores isn't as simple as it sounds.

I know nothing about the background working of a cruise ship. I would however imagine that restocking etc is not simple.

While things happen in life what I find difficult to understand is why MSC were not just upfront with customers about any issues and refunded the difference between the Plus and premium if premium was simply not on offer.
 

For all the people complaining none have yet indicated that they have been refunded in any way (unless someone knows differently).

6 minutes ago, Mr Sea Gull said:

If it's the same when I'm back on again soon I will most definitely be complaining. Nothing about the current drinks on offer could be remotely called premium and doesn't compare to what the website quotes.

I have taken snapshots of what the website is quoting currently re “premium cocktails and wines”.

Not the way I want to have to prepare for a holiday but needs must.

9 minutes ago, Mr Sea Gull said:

We didn't complain because it was only 2 days. Bar staff in  Masters of the seas said it was just the 2 day cruise menu but now seeing that the 5 day is very similar I'm not so sure. L'atelier had the worst choice only offered Red, white or Heineken.

That’s not on.

If this is not fixed by the time I embark I will certainly be complaining.

3 minutes ago, Mr Sea Gull said:

Got off Virtuosa on Monday morning after a 2 night cruise, luckily we were in Yacht club and the drinks were still reduced but more available than the rest of the ship. Very disappointed as only options for wine were Chardonnay, pinot grigio, merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon or Rose. As a wine drinker these are not premium package choices just generic cheap wines. Only beers were Heineken products but mostly Heineken especially on draft. Having been on several MSC cruises and on again soon I was very disillusioned. My next cruise is longer and not yacht club, I asked TA to speak to MSC who say apparently it will be better on longer cruises but from what I have seen menu wise on the current 5 nighter there are only a few additions to what was on offer for the 2 night.

So who knows!

That chimes exactly with the reports I have been reading online.
 

Did you make a complaint while onboard and what was the response?

I really won’t be happy if that’s the total wine selection. As you say, hardly “premium”.

OH decided that the seagulls were becoming annoying so he looked up a seagull calls and found one that was supposed to cause them “distress”.

Outside with the iPad he put the, according to him “scare the seagulls away” noise at full blast.

We ended up with every seagull in a five mile radius hovering over the house. The distress noise apparently signifies that the gull needs help so the others come flying in to assist. So we had more noisy, poopy, annoying gulls than ever!

2 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

Me too!

 

As long as there daiquiri zero, ACE juice and panna cotta, I consider everything else a third world problem.

It was the missing mocktails that were annoying me. I do drink alchol but tend to enjoy mocktails through the day, feels more like you are on holiday that musta juice of fizzy drink.

1 minute ago, showingdiva said:

 

Okay, my brain's in gear now.    My friends were on the first of two 7 night fjord cruises which returned nearly three weeks ago.   It followed on from a series of short cruises, including one over the May bank holiday weekend, which was apparently a bit of a nightmare for all concerned, including the crew.

 

During the cruise, their dinner waiter did mention some red wines were running short towards the end of the cruise, but the cocktails were all available, and everything non-alcoholic was in supply.   Their included cocktail with Arkymea was apparently "nice and strong!"

 

Virtuosa had to restock from absolute scratch following her empty repositioning voyage around Africa, which then recommenced with a 12 night followed by those short cruises.

That might explain a lot of the issues being reported.

Hopefully it is all sorted out before I get onboard 😀.

1 hour ago, showingdiva said:

I'm confused now.

 

Is the issue that some of the previously included drinks are now not available on some packages?   Or is that that some branded drinks are now not available at all?    

 

As I said, my friends disembarked two weeks ago, had a premium extra package included and drank champagne, decent wine, most of the cocktail list etc without any difficulty.   Sorry, I'm making it sound like they have a drink problem .. they don't !!!!!

 

I'm on board Virtuosa soon, although have bought a non-alcoholic package as teetotal.   I've had a quick look on the MSC UK page.   The Easy, Easy Plus and Premium Extra package are still available and appear unchanged.   As do the Alcohol-free and Minors packages.  All state currently up to 2025.

 

There have been a lot of problems with drinks and service on most of the short cruises since Virtuosa arrived back in the UK this summer.   

Not just some, they apparently removed all of the higher price cocktails so most of the ones which would require the premium package between £9 and £14 vanished. People have actually posted photos of the menus which were on offer and they are very, very basic.

Yes they were saying that some branded drinks were not available either, particularly liquors were in short supply as was speciality hot chocolate.

We’re your friends on a longer cruise? If so it may indicate that this was a just “short cruise” issue.

Yes the packages are still on the cruise personaliser and the website unchanged. That’s why people are so unhappy as they didn’t get what they paid for, allegedly.

58 minutes ago, DamianG said:

We are looking forward to our first MSC cruise in July. My wife's intrepretation of all the comments on social media is that limitations were only placed on the shorter cruises (up to five nights) and that they were intended to help reduce waiting times. There are also suggestions that it was only the Easy Plus Package that was affected?

People have posted menus which applied to everyone even if they had paid for a Premium package. They are also reporting that they could not make any requests for anything off this very minimal bar menu.

Many have made formal complaints while onboard (someone has posted an acknowledgment of this). It is being reported that all of the premium cocktails, most of the mocktails and the better wines were taken off, so they paid a lot extra to get very basic drinks.

If they are reducing the choice of drinks on shorter cruises then they apparently didn’t tell the paying passengers. Some on the current 5 day cruise are reporting that some of the normal menus are back in a couple of the bars but that seems to be a result of numerous complaints. This is all second hand information however.

Im onboard before you so will report back. 

1 hour ago, markwfpb said:

For those who have been sailing MSC for even more years than we have, do you ever receive any more benefit beyond those you got when you reached the initial 10,000 point level? That is, does MSC have some more tiers (like Holland America's 4 and 5 stars) that they may not advertise and we just haven't reached yet? While I'm at it, has anyone ever discovered any extra benefit to both of us being Diamond members in one cabin - we haven't! 

No and no.

We got a loyalty match to 10,000 but have subsequently added the same again in points and there s nothing more. And yes only benefits per cabin, not per person.

2 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Well done to your lad Kalos.

Both Pauline and I would call in on our parents every day.

Sadly they are all gone now but at least we have good memories of them.

Me too. I visited mum every day to cook, clean, change dressings and keep her company, managed to keep her safe, happy and comfortable until she passed. As you say good memories.

I don’t know about you but small things remind me of my parents. My dad made my wooden chopping board and mum bought me a special cooking knife for Christmas one year decades ago. I use both every single day and they remind me of them both.

Just now, kalos said:

 

We enjoyed Skara Brae too and the little church,built by POW'S if 

We remember rightly .

Yes the Italian Church.

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

Yes, I tried both and bought a small bottle if each.  I gather Scappa is more for the locals.  Highland Park Distillery closed to yours due to a new floor being laid at present.

 

The weather is absolutely gorgeous, tee shirts apart from Scappa Flow where I popped a sweater on.  

 

I thought the whole place totally magical.

 

Yes Orcadians tend to prefer Scappa (as do I). Not that I would knock Highland Park which also has some great drams but more commercial.

You have had a busy day and seen most of the best places of interest by the looks.

Ps @Megabear2 are you now a supporter of the uppies or the doonies ?

Let’s see how good your tour guide was😀

@Megabear2 we love Orkney. 
 

Skara Brae is up there with the Pyramids in my humble opinion.

Did you try some Scappa, better then Highland Park.

Looks like the weather is behaving better as well. Enjoy your cruise.

Just for information our “local” eg miles away M&S food hall has started selling pretty decent 1.5 litre wine bags. Perfect to meet the new rules for drinks on P&O.

2 minutes ago, DamianG said:

You win a lifetime of respect from me for the correct name in Spanish & including the tilde over the “n”. 🇪🇸

I always wondered what that mark was called. I have never studied Spanish (it extends to please, thank you, ordering drinks or food and where is the toilet!)

29 minutes ago, allatsea97531 said:

We are first time cruisers on a short 4 night trip on MSC Virtuosa, leaving Southampton on 24th Sept. The ship is due to depart at 8pm and our departure time has been quoted for 5pm, we are in Yacht Club, is that the normal sort of timings, seems a short window for 6,000 + passengers to board? Many thanks!

As you are in Yacht Club you can embark when you like. It’s usually starts around 10am (but check the ship arrived on time or there could be a delay).

Look out for the small blue gazebo outside at the from of the terminal. They will fast track you through embarkation, then a butler will escort you up to the YC area.

That time does however seem very late.

According to what I’m reading (with the caveat that it could be completely wrong) the drinks menus we have all seen in the past for Virtuosa are no longer on offer. 

People are contacting their TAs to complain because those onboard for the last short cruise and those who embarked today are saying the choice is dreadful. They are at reception complaining about it day 1 as they feel premium is no longer worth the additional cost as the “premium” element has gone.

This is all second hand information from FB and could be utter rubbish but there are so many comments that I thought I’d ask on here.

9 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

With Sindhu we also found that if you went in person to book on the ship and were happy to eat at 6pm you could get in on sold out nights as well

 

 

That’s great in terms of getting a table.
 

Just for general information if you book in advance then you get a healthy discount off the food. Booking onboard makes it more expensive.

I have been reading some negative feedback in other places about the lack of “premium” drinks. The discussion is around many past offerings disappearing from the menus.

According to the reports a number of the more expensive cocktails have gone from menus and the wine choices all favour the plus package $€£limits. There are (allegedly) so few above the plus limit people are questioning if premium is worth while now.

Anyone who has sailed recently have any thoughts on this? We always have premium and have been able to drink decent champagne by the glass and have the choice of some pretty good wines. Has anything changed?

28 minutes ago, no1talks said:

Generally speaking, the more affordable a cruise line, the more appeal it has to potential charter groups. I don't think anyone on Cruise Critic has ever read the sentence, "Help! my Seabourn cruise was cancelled for a comic book fans' charter."

 

Actually, just as a point of interest, it can and does happen on the more expensive lines as well.

Hebridean Princess was chartered for the late Queens birthday and all the normal passengers kicked off just like any other charter.

It’s very wrong but then from the other side passengers can book 2 years out and hold a cabin, then cancel just before the final payment.

I’ve been on the receiving end of a charter cancellation so sympathise with the OP.

It’s really unfortunate when it happens to you but as others have said it happens on most cruise lines, so it’s not exclusive to MSC.

Its actually worse when they cancel just half the ship and you find yourself on a cruise half full of a single interest group who take over.

I hope you find something else suitable for you.