MSC pulling out of UK from 2015

[sidari]

Looks like UK passengers are being treated as second class citizens of the MSC cruise world! no cruises bookable beyond November 2014 ? yet on the USA site they are bookable to April 2015 and not just for Divina. Also same on the German website.

[anniegb]

Looks like UK passengers are being treated as second class citizens of the MSC cruise world! no cruises bookable beyond November 2014 ? yet on the USA site they are bookable to April 2015 and not just for Divina. Also same on the German website.

 

Yup.

 

I think they are targeting a larger/wealthier market. Do you blame them ?They are a business. Maybe the UK cruisers did not contribute very much to the bottom line.

 

Annie

[Willow1686]

Yup.

 

I think they are targeting a larger/wealthier market. Do you blame them ?They are a business. Maybe the UK cruisers did not contribute very much to the bottom line.

 

Annie

 

It's kind of hard to contribute to the bottom line if they refuse to take our money :)

[anniegb]

It's kind of hard to contribute to the bottom line if they refuse to take our money :)

 

Agreed but I have met cruisers who only sailed on the repos and apart from the service charge spent nothing :)

 

Wasn't there a new CEO appointed recently? Maybe he set then bean counters an analysis exercise and the results have prompted these changes?

 

However I bet lack of profit is at the bottom of this.

 

Annie

[AmoMondo]

Money is invariably the driver for anything.

 

I've also met cruisers who only do very cheap repos and spend almost nothing onboard other than the service charge and they try to get out of that. I guess if a ship is going to be half empty, getting a butt on a bed at a price that will cover the food they'll eat and a bit extra towards fixed costs is worth it for any company. However that can't be your core customer base year around.

 

Willow like you, I recently could not get them to even consider letting me booking the Lirica as a solo! hence why I'm currently on the Costa Fortuna. I do hope they're not lumping all solos into the same category as non spenders/won't pay a supplement and wholesale blocking entire itineraries from us. Yes I like the bargain priced no solo supplement repos but I did them before they introduced that pricing policy and I do others (even peak time med) as well.

 

So far the new man is making an impression but not for the right reasons. So much for the great new website by the year end. Mind you maybe he didn't mean 2013!

[sidari]

So far we have done 3 cruises with MSC, two were Transatlantics and one a UK sailing, on all three we had the Allegrissimo and also bought other stuff onboard as well. I would be surprised if lack of onboard sales would be the driver not to remaining in the UK.

 

There would possibly be more chance of it being down to the UKBA and how long it took them to allow people to leave the ship, in our case 11-30 am when we should have been off at 9-30 am.

 

That issue alone replicated on every sailing makes the work for staff that much more difficult although i would be interested to hear the real reason for the decision.

 

As for the website update i doubt anyone is holding their breath for it.

[anniegb]

Giles Hawke will also act as a reference point for the Americas and South Africa - whatever that means.

 

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2010002

 

Annie

[AmoMondo]

With him already having responsibility for UK, Ireland and Australia! I can understand the role extending to North America and South America I.e. The English speaking nations where they operate but how does South America fit in to that?

 

Maybe we will eventually start getting some consistency......then again proces will probably rise for all of us!

[Frode]

Will the March webinar announce.......

Questions, questions....

 

Hi Tim, I'm very curious about the future of MSC as well :confused:

 

Ignorant me - I am wondering what the webinar (in March) is?

Something for the public to join as well?

When and where?

 

Thanks!

// Frode

[papcx]

Hi Tim, I'm very curious about the future of MSC as well :confused:

 

Ignorant me - I am wondering what the webinar (in March) is?

Something for the public to join as well?

When and where?

 

Thanks!

// Frode

 

 

Hi Frode.

 

Email me: -

 

Papcx at hotmail dot com

 

And I'll sent you a link to register for the webinar.

[AmoMondo]

I got an invite to the last webinar but not the next one (yet). Probably asked too many questions last time!

[Frode]

Hi Frode.

 

Email me: -

 

Papcx at hotmail dot com

 

And I'll sent you a link to register for the webinar.

 

Thanks a lot Papcx...have e-mailed you now.

// Frode

[sidari]

RCI next year are bringing Allure of the seas to Europe sailing from Barcelona, could this be another reason that they are removing the Opera from the UK in order to move other ships around ?

[Skipper Tim]

RCI next year are bringing Allure of the seas to Europe sailing from Barcelona, could this be another reason that they are removing the Opera from the UK in order to move other ships around ?

 

I can understand there being an awful lot of fleet shuffling going on this year and next due to the lengthy stretching (sorry) of each of the four Lirica class ships but not to maintain a toe-hold in the UK no-fly market really means abandonment to the likes of Fred Olsen and P&O. This really suggests that the Brits who prefer not to fly have probably not embraced the Italian theme of the line as well as those do prefer to fly have. I can imagine the regular FO or P&O crowd being horrified by MSC if they were not expecting it just as we constantly hear from the U.S. Carnival and RCI crowd.

 

Then there is the old business model that says people will pay over the odds for a package including flights and transfers. To me those days are gone. The trend has long since being toward independence, doing one's own thing and combining a cruise with other things each element of which has been chosen and is under personal control. In my life, I never want to sit waiting on a coach or stand in line to have my name ticked ever, ever again. Those were holidays of the 70's.

 

So yes, I would rather MSC pull out of the no-fly UK market than adapt to the Fred Olsen clientele and it is probably right to do so. The degree of adaption that the Divina has gone through for the U.S. Market is a reflection of the size and hence importance of that market to a cruise line greedy to grow. The fly-cruise package totally misses the mark. it is a no-fly replacement which will neither suit the no-flyers nor the rest of us who prefer to make our own arrangements and not be dictated to by what should be just one provider of many on our precious holidays.

 

Tim.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[GrandyMandy]

I have just booked on the above cruise, whilst on holiday in SA. It is not showing on the UK site !

Ludicrous, when it is sailing FROM the UK.

 

Mandyx. :confused:

[Daffydd]

I have just booked on the above cruise, whilst on holiday in SA. It is not showing on the UK site !

Ludicrous, when it is sailing FROM the UK.

 

Mandyx. :confused:

 

Mandy

I hope you are all safe at home

David

[GrandyMandy]

Mandy

I hope you are all safe at home

David

Thank you.

We are still in SA until next week and our house is a the top of a hill in the middle of Bodmin Moor, so hopefully..............!

[Willow1686]

I can understand there being an awful lot of fleet shuffling going on this year and next due to the lengthy stretching (sorry) of each of the four Lirica class ships but not to maintain a toe-hold in the UK no-fly market really means abandonment to the likes of Fred Olsen and P&O. This really suggests that the Brits who prefer not to fly have probably not embraced the Italian theme of the line as well as those do prefer to fly have. I can imagine the regular FO or P&O crowd being horrified by MSC if they were not expecting it just as we constantly hear from the U.S. Carnival and RCI crowd.

 

Then there is the old business model that says people will pay over the odds for a package including flights and transfers. To me those days are gone. The trend has long since being toward independence, doing one's own thing and combining a cruise with other things each element of which has been chosen and is under personal control. In my life, I never want to sit waiting on a coach or stand in line to have my name ticked ever, ever again. Those were holidays of the 70's.

 

So yes, I would rather MSC pull out of the no-fly UK market than adapt to the Fred Olsen clientele and it is probably right to do so. The degree of adaption that the Divina has gone through for the U.S. Market is a reflection of the size and hence importance of that market to a cruise line greedy to grow. The fly-cruise package totally misses the mark. it is a no-fly replacement which will neither suit the no-flyers nor the rest of us who prefer to make our own arrangements and not be dictated to by what should be just one provider of many on our precious holidays.

 

Tim.

 

I think you are making unfounded assumptions about British cruisers in general and people who cruise with P&O/FO in particular.

 

I took 3 cruises last year: Mumbai-Athens with Azamara, Athens-Rome with Voyages to Antiquity, and West Africa via Tenerife with FO, all of which involved flights at both ends. I live in the City of London, not an area noted for the insularity of its occupants, probably due to the fact that half of them are here on shortish jobs in outposts of foreign financial institutions. I think it's fair to say that my tastes are fairly eclectic; I am accustomed to the fact that I have two theatres, three cinemas, one concert hall, two art galleries, a music library and one ordinary library within four minutes walk of the front door of my apartment, and I am surrounded by a wide variety of restaurants and bars ranging from the basic to the sophisticated. Of course, if the worst comes to the worst, I can always slum it over in the West End because Moorgate Tube Station is five minutes walk from the front door of my apartment.

 

I have chosen to book the FO San Diego-Southampton run in March/April this year, rather than take one of the MSC repos from South America to the Med, because MSC declined to allow me to buy a Yacht Club cruise in the Med at any price later this year, and wanted a lot more money for their repos than the market will bear, which is the sort of phrase which springs readily to one's lips after more than thirty years in the City.

 

And, after all these years surrounded by foreign people speaking foreign languages and eating foreign food, I think I could probably just about deal with the foreign food and foreign languages and foreign people on MSC ships; if, that is, MSC had deigned to take my money in the first place. I could even deal with people for whom the concept of a queue represents a challenge to their cherished cultural traditions; spend enough of your life going Mano a Mano over the Vivienne Westwood rails in the Selfridges sale and you learn the hard way that there are moments when it is necessary to abandon your own cultural traditions and ruthlessly trample over little old ladies in burkhas, provided their bodyguards are not in the vicinity.

 

It may be, of course, that MSC has never really grasped the fact that not all British people live in mono cultural groups, but that is their problem not mine; presumably at some point it will occur to them that the phenomenon known as school represents a challenge to filling their ships with families at all times, but again that is their problem not mine. I have dutifully signed up to the next Webinar, and, should I master Windows 8 before then, I shall enquire why they refuse to allow singles to cruise in the Yacht Club at any price. I don't expect to get a rational answer but I will try. In the meantime I will continue to book cruises which have an interesting itinerary at a reasonable price, secure in the knowledge that there will always be at least some interesting people on board...

[Skipper Tim]

I think you are making unfounded assumptions about British cruisers in general and people who cruise with P&O/FO in particular.

 

It is a normal distribution. There are inevitably outliers.

 

I have chosen to book the FO San Diego-Southampton run in March/April this year, rather than take one of the MSC repos from South America to the Med, because MSC declined to allow me to buy a Yacht Club cruise in the Med at any price later this year, and wanted a lot more money for their repos than the market will bear, which is the sort of phrase which springs readily to one's lips after more than thirty years in the City.

 

I am confident that MSC would, however, take your money for a Yacht Club suite for solo occupancy on a repo cruise. I have a friend who has already done this twice.

 

And, after all these years surrounded by foreign people speaking foreign languages and eating foreign food, I think I could probably just about deal with the foreign food and foreign languages and foreign people on MSC ships; if, that is, MSC had deigned to take my money in the first place. I could even deal with people for whom the concept of a queue represents a challenge to their cherished cultural traditions; spend enough of your life going Mano a Mano over the Vivienne Westwood rails in the Selfridges sale and you learn the hard way that there are moments when it is necessary to abandon your own cultural traditions and ruthlessly trample over little old ladies in burkhas, provided their bodyguards are not in the vicinity.

 

You are obviously Worldly wise so you must have encountered those who would be horrified by the queuing tactics (far more sophisticated than our own) of some latin nations, are challenged by food they do not recognise and are unable to communicate effectively not just with a non-native English speaker but someone not from their neck of the woods.

 

One can always enjoy the clash of cultures and seek out good company. However, it cannot be denied that the demographics of MSC, FO & PO are different and the means of FO & PO are closer to each other than either are to the mean of MSC.

 

It may be, of course, that MSC has never really grasped the fact that not all British people live in mono cultural groups, but that is their problem not mine; presumably at some point it will occur to them that the phenomenon known as school represents a challenge to filling their ships with families at all times, but again that is their problem not mine.

 

Both excellent points. British culture is one of the more diverse on the planet. It is hard for the young marketing people of other cultures with comparatively little World experience to grasp this. It will also be hard to understand British sensibilities about not withdrawing children from school for an 'educational' holiday. I would say from my experience that it depends on the school - it is not a clearcut judgement.

 

I have dutifully signed up to the next Webinar, and, should I master Windows 8 before then, I shall enquire why they refuse to allow singles to cruise in the Yacht Club at any price.

 

I have signed up too but I will be both in a GMT+2 time zone and an all-inclusive zone so I am not sure of the chances of my participation. Windows 8 though? I would recommend an iPad Mini for every possible reason. They are now just £220 inc. delivery and 2 year guarantee from John Lewis. You could sell it on after a year with a one year guarantee for 80%+ of that.

 

I don't expect to get a rational answer but I will try. In the meantime I will continue to book cruises which have an interesting itinerary at a reasonable price, secure in the knowledge that there will always be at least some interesting people on board...

 

Here I can wholeheartedly agree. I look forward to the review.

 

Tim.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[anniegb]

I think you are making unfounded assumptions about British cruisers in general and people who cruise with P&O/FO in particular.

 

I took 3 cruises last year: Mumbai-Athens with Azamara, Athens-Rome with Voyages to Antiquity, and West Africa via Tenerife with FO, all of which involved flights at both ends. I live in the City of London, not an area noted for the insularity of its occupants, probably due to the fact that half of them are here on shortish jobs in outposts of foreign financial institutions. I think it's fair to say that my tastes are fairly eclectic; I am accustomed to the fact that I have two theatres, three cinemas, one concert hall, two art galleries, a music library and one ordinary library within four minutes walk of the front door of my apartment, and I am surrounded by a wide variety of restaurants and bars ranging from the basic to the sophisticated. Of course, if the worst comes to the worst, I can always slum it over in the West End because Moorgate Tube Station is five minutes walk from the front door of my apartment.

 

I have chosen to book the FO San Diego-Southampton run in March/April this year, rather than take one of the MSC repos from South America to the Med, because MSC declined to allow me to buy a Yacht Club cruise in the Med at any price later this year, and wanted a lot more money for their repos than the market will bear, which is the sort of phrase which springs readily to one's lips after more than thirty years in the City.

 

And, after all these years surrounded by foreign people speaking foreign languages and eating foreign food, I think I could probably just about deal with the foreign food and foreign languages and foreign people on MSC ships; if, that is, MSC had deigned to take my money in the first place. I could even deal with people for whom the concept of a queue represents a challenge to their cherished cultural traditions; spend enough of your life going Mano a Mano over the Vivienne Westwood rails in the Selfridges sale and you learn the hard way that there are moments when it is necessary to abandon your own cultural traditions and ruthlessly trample over little old ladies in burkhas, provided their bodyguards are not in the vicinity.

 

It may be, of course, that MSC has never really grasped the fact that not all British people live in mono cultural groups, but that is their problem not mine; presumably at some point it will occur to them that the phenomenon known as school represents a challenge to filling their ships with families at all times, but again that is their problem not mine. I have dutifully signed up to the next Webinar, and, should I master Windows 8 before then, I shall enquire why they refuse to allow singles to cruise in the Yacht Club at any price. I don't expect to get a rational answer but I will try. In the meantime I will continue to book cruises which have an interesting itinerary at a reasonable price, secure in the knowledge that there will always be at least some interesting people on board...

 

Thanks for your post - very interesting. Food for thought and like yourself I book for itinerary.

 

Annie

[JoPublic]

We have sailed with MSC and Costa as a family in the past, to be honest these cruise lines made it affordable to travel with kids.

 

The concept of children costing port taxes for the cruise elements allowed my sons to experience Asia and Carribean as well as the Fjords. .

 

We travel to experience new things and learn about others around us.

 

MSC have good ships and I thought if MSC were to upgrade the class of ship to Fantastia from Licrica class in summer, the Brits would have seen it as a really alternative RCI and PO.

 

We are having our next cruise with MSC, our family and first timers, the in-laws over Easter break. The cost including the flights to Genoa were less then Canaries for the break, with the added bonus of sailing into Istanbul. Shame my in-laws will not have the chance to sail from UK in the future if MSC are liked.

[Skipper Tim]

My hypothesis is that MSC have discovered most of the UK customers are from Northern England and Scotland who can fly to Genoa or Venice in less time and at a lower cost than travelling to Southampton.

[sidari]

Princess have announced that the Royal Princess will be sailing out of Southampton in 2015 along with the P and O Britannia and the new RCI ship, little wonder MSC decided that the Opera cannot compete in the UK market.

[sidari]

MSC Opera came second in the cruise critic awards for ships sailing from the UK, are MSC making a mistake removing the Opera from the UK in 2015 after this result ?