MSC Newbie Frustrations - Help!

[L1211]

Greetings MSC Community -

We're seasoned cruisers with most experience on NCL, having also sailed RCCL and Carnival a few times each most recently.  We just booked for college spring break week and have found ourselves on MSC solely by process of elimination - we wanted something less than 7 days and only had a couple of cruise embarkation dates that worked for the family schedule. NCL had NOTHING and Carnival only had a few cruises on older ships - nothing of interest. So, we have purchased two Aurea Experience Balcony Cabins - all that was left besides interiors and Yacht Club cabins, sailing the second week of March.

 

I've read the MSC boards and am a little dejected by others' experience on the Meraviglia - seems they have a tendency for being understaffed, resulting in low levels of service and always being out of specific products without viable substitutions.  Sigh.  We sail in 59 days and I would love some input from the pros to help get this party started!

- Should I upgrade my Easy Plus package?  If they are typically out of product - will I find higher value wines and call spirits unavailable and end up frustrated and drink whatever they happen to have?

- I have Aurea experience so we have anytime dining - which is great.  But, if we do the three-experience dining package, we'll only use it once!  Specialty dining is something we enjoy and have purchased enhanced packages on NCL and RCCL and have always dined in the steakhouse, Italian restaurant and chef's table on Carnival - but of course, none of those limits what you can enjoy - will that be another frustration or are the package menus comprehensive?

Systems - The app MSC and Me will not load any of the experiences for my cruise - it just freezes- typical?

- Online site - I can log into my MSC acct from a computer, but I cannot add my two booking references to my acct  - it says "success!" then it tells me it failed.  Also typical - assuming I can call and have the added, but have also read of the horrors of calling MSC...

- Discounts - my Aurea experience says I get 40% off prebooked spa treatments and 10% off onboard - when I do manage to get into my booking via the booking reference, I see the wellness and spa page and the prices are not discounted (50 minute massage is $119, main/pedi $116) - they are the same exact prices I see online.  Where and how do I get pre-departure discounts? 

Dining is the same - Aurea says I get a 20% discount on packages in advance, but the prices are what I find online - $71 for three, $99 for four)

- Night experiences - we are bringing my daughter and her friend - 22 y/o's - what kind of night life should we expect for them? We are a "close the Howl at the Moon at 2AM" kind of family!

- Any must do experiences you recommend?

Thanks in advance - any day at sea is better than a day at work!!

Edited January 12, 2023 by L1211

[L1211]

Another question- Aurea  experience has priority embarkation - will we be assigned a boarding time or does that allow us to come anytime?  Also, what is the earliest you can board for a 6pm sail?  
 

And demarkation question- it does not mention priority.  Anyone know if there is exit times specifically for this experience or do we go with the masses?  Still have to book return flights-   Looking at 11:15 am out of MCO from port Canaveral - anyone with experience??

 

thanks again!!

[CTGirl74]

16 hours ago, L1211 said:

- Online site - I can log into my MSC acct from a computer, but I cannot add my two booking references to my acct  - it says "success!" then it tells me it failed.  Also typical - assuming I can call and have the added, but have also read of the horrors of calling MSC...

 

 

This is the only one I can answer since my first MSC cruise isn't until October. (Well, I've been once before, but it was 10 years ago and it was a themed cruise--Monsters of Rock--so I can't really count that as a real MSC experience.)

 

I had exactly the same problem when I booked the October cruise. I tried many times over a few weeks. I finally emailed them at mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com and they took care of it within a couple days. It can take them up to two weeks sometimes, though. 

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, CTGirl74 said:

I had exactly the same problem when I booked the October cruise. I tried many times over a few weeks. I finally emailed them at mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com and they took care of it within a couple days. It can take them up to two weeks sometimes, though. 

Thank you for that contact info.  I am having the same problem plus the fact that the web Check-In has the cruise information but not our Voyagers Club numbers. 

 

This will be our second MSC cruise - the first was right before Covid (January 2020).  I've disliked the website since making those reservations for being totally user unfriendly and noticed it hasn't improved in the interim.  Glad I have until December to make this right.

[vantec]

Thanks so much for that contact information!  We are going on our first MSC cruise the end of March.  I have a Voyager number but cannot get it added to my booking.  I called MSC twice, both times I was disconnected while talking to a representative.  I then sent a FAX - but absolutely no response from MSC.  They have terrible customer service - just like everyone says!

[stoddaj1]

We were on Meraviglia last month in Aurea.  Can't answer questions about booking spa or specialty dining though.  Our service was great, we had no issues at all with the easy plus package.  Disembarkation allowed walk offs, two large groups and then Aurea.  We opted to walk off to get off the ship earlier. 

[CTGirl74]

For adding the Voyager's Club number, they are very likely to tell you to email  mscvoyagersclub@msccruisesusa.com rather than mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com.

[capriccio]

Just now, CTGirl74 said:

For adding the Voyager's Club number, they are very likely to tell you to email  mscvoyagersclub@msccruisesusa.com rather than mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com.

I started with them and am still waiting....

[vantec]

Thank you - I will send it to both email addresses!

[L1211]

Super helpful!  Emailing now…

[Mutumbojimbo]

I’m struggling with my booking in the Fall and support has been unable to assist me. I emailed the existing reservations address above. Thank you for providing that. 

[FloridaMac]

Following this thread, thanks to all for the info.  New to MSC, first cruise coming up soon.  Love that they do status match!  We're Diamond on RCCL and MSC gave us Gold.

 

Like the OP I'm also interested in embarkation info.  It appears we don't get assigned times, so do we just show up?  The website says our cruise starts boarding at 10:00 AM.

[Georgia_Peaches]

The check in time begins at 10 but this should not be confused with boarding time. Boarding can begin as soon as 11 am but chances are you will have to wait for a bit. We sailed on Meraviglia but were in the Yacht Club. We arrived around 10:40 and were on board pretty quickly. However, we passed tons of people who were clearly checked in but waiting in the holding area. 
 

With the specialty dining experience you select from a fixed menu which includes an app/salad or soup, a main, and dessert.  You get full menu access if you go a-la-carte. We only ate at Butchers cut and opted for a-la-carte over the fixed menu.  We ordered the seafood tower as an app and asked them to prepare it for one instead for two. They did and it was half the price with plenty of food for two people.  It cost more but since it was our only specialty, we didn’t mind. 
 

Evening entertainment was nice but not Howl at the Moon exciting. There was a silent disco, white night party and lots of small venues with live music. The theater shows were typical but only lasted 35 minutes, which I appreciated. As an aside, drinks are not allowed in the theater. 
 

hope this helps!

[Tierun]

For the Aurea priority embarkation, the staff will try to push you in the regular line of passengers, you have to show them your boarding pass to let them know you’re Aurea and then someone will point you in the right direction. Diamond and Aurea have the same priority.

[CruisingAgain]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:51 PM, L1211 said:

Dining is the same - Aurea says I get a 20% discount on packages in advance, but the prices are what I find online - $71 for three, $99 for four)

Those ARE the discounted prices. If you were to purchase them onboard they would be more expensive.  

And there is a limited menu for this experience. If you search you can find them. BEST to check them before you buy the package because there are a lot of disappointed people who didn't read the fine print. Also, you cannot use the Easy Plus drink package in some (maybe all) of the specialty restaurants. 

[Becks28]

I’m also trying to figure out the spa services discount. I know $119 is not the 40% discount price. 50 min massage price on board is $129

[lcpagejr]

I suggest you do self disembarkation for the best chance of getting off ship quickly.  You willhave oppty to be the 1st off before they begin calling assigned colors/zones. MSC has a tendency of being a bit disorganized with large crowds so if you are planning a late morning flight out of MCO do self disembarkation and have your transportation already setup. Depending on traffic its atleast a 45 min ride to MCO from port...then you have to factor in TSA checkin as well as dealing with Disney crowd.

[dexddd]

If you are asking about the tasting menu, it is very good and portions big.  I eat a lot and never left hungry.

 

BC blows Cagney's away especially with even more cuts at NCL.

 

Oh, not sure what you are trying, but the MSC for Me app only works when connected to ship wifi.

Edited January 15, 2023 by dexddd

[UnaPalomita]

Hey! I can't help with any of your questions but I just wanted to say I did a last minute, very chilly, trip on the Meraviglia to Ocean Cay ad had a fantastic time! Did a girls trip and now booked for June with the family.

 

Most staff seemed friendly, the only times they were cold were the Italian staff members like at the info desk or on the phone  

 

We booked a mid ship balcony room and had super noisy neighbors, there was one night were there was a wild party (I am packing ear plugs next time). Anyway the really bad part was one of our neighbors above or to the sides was smoking marijuana. It was so strong that whenever we opened the door our whole room smelled like skunk for a while.

 

So like an old lady I called to complain to the main desk, they sent someone from security to talk to me and did nothing. Honestly i thought they could check cameras or there would be smoke detectors, but nope. Or maybe there are but they didn't follow up. 

 

So yeah, it was mostly fun. My highlight was the over night stay at ocean cay where there was a beach party and lighthouse show. Definitely a new experience for me 🙂

[perakcruiser]

The MSC app only works properly when you are connected to the ships internet. Before and after it is pretty useless. But this is the norm at least on European cruise lines.

[mscdivina2016]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:51 PM, L1211 said:

Greetings MSC Community -

We're seasoned cruisers with most experience on NCL, having also sailed RCCL and Carnival a few times each most recently.  We just booked for college spring break week and have found ourselves on MSC solely by process of elimination - we wanted something less than 7 days and only had a couple of cruise embarkation dates that worked for the family schedule. NCL had NOTHING and Carnival only had a few cruises on older ships - nothing of interest. So, we have purchased two Aurea Experience Balcony Cabins - all that was left besides interiors and Yacht Club cabins, sailing the second week of March.

 

I've read the MSC boards and am a little dejected by others' experience on the Meraviglia - seems they have a tendency for being understaffed, resulting in low levels of service and always being out of specific products without viable substitutions.  Sigh.  We sail in 59 days and I would love some input from the pros to help get this party started!

- Should I upgrade my Easy Plus package?  If they are typically out of product - will I find higher value wines and call spirits unavailable and end up frustrated and drink whatever they happen to have?

- I have Aurea experience so we have anytime dining - which is great.  But, if we do the three-experience dining package, we'll only use it once!  Specialty dining is something we enjoy and have purchased enhanced packages on NCL and RCCL and have always dined in the steakhouse, Italian restaurant and chef's table on Carnival - but of course, none of those limits what you can enjoy - will that be another frustration or are the package menus comprehensive?

Systems - The app MSC and Me will not load any of the experiences for my cruise - it just freezes- typical?

- Online site - I can log into my MSC acct from a computer, but I cannot add my two booking references to my acct  - it says "success!" then it tells me it failed.  Also typical - assuming I can call and have the added, but have also read of the horrors of calling MSC...

- Discounts - my Aurea experience says I get 40% off prebooked spa treatments and 10% off onboard - when I do manage to get into my booking via the booking reference, I see the wellness and spa page and the prices are not discounted (50 minute massage is $119, main/pedi $116) - they are the same exact prices I see online.  Where and how do I get pre-departure discounts? 

Dining is the same - Aurea says I get a 20% discount on packages in advance, but the prices are what I find online - $71 for three, $99 for four)

- Night experiences - we are bringing my daughter and her friend - 22 y/o's - what kind of night life should we expect for them? We are a "close the Howl at the Moon at 2AM" kind of family!

- Any must do experiences you recommend?

Thanks in advance - any day at sea is better than a day at work!!

Hi,

 

I just got of Meraviglia 4 days ago and I am on the 4 night spring break cruise as well. I have been on 4 times so far.

 

So the past sailing was understaffed, and service was lacking and we were in yacht club and will be in March along with our daughter and family.  For that sailing you really want to be in YC. 

 

Yes upgrade booze if staying.

YC food is better than the restaurants by far.

Linking your references......good luck and the horrors of calling are real. I am a very outspoken critic of the CS and IT.

Discounts are like pulling teeth so don't count on it. They failed to honor our free massage as well.

 

Your Aurea experience will be tough this week. The Spa is really small  and will not be able to handle everyone. We did the spring break sailing before and were glad we had YC because we had priority as far as the spa went.

 The anytime dining will take 2 hours once you get seated and just because you walk up don't count on being seated right away.

 

Night experience is lacking. We are also 2am people and most all will be closed, except YC lounge stayed open past 130am for us. If they just like sitting and listening to music there are a few places. They do the nightly shows but reservations are required and its a huge line to get in unless you are in YC. No line or reservations needed.

 

The problem with this sailing is it is going to be a packed! Massive lines from start to finish for everything. I will probably not leave the enclave. Its when my grand kids have off so be it.

 

I am not trying to be a downer but be prepared for this week, its bad as they will probably be at 110% capacity and the bar tenders barely kept up a few days ago and I was on a 7 night.. If you can afford it, get YC. 

 

[Oxo]

On 1/15/2023 at 12:03 PM, dexddd said:

If you are asking about the tasting menu, it is very good and portions big.  I eat a lot and never left hungry.

 

BC blows Cagney's away especially with even more cuts at NCL.

 

Oh, not sure what you are trying, but the MSC for Me app only works when connected to ship wifi.

Please explain how/why BC blows Cagney away. TIA

We are on Seascape in April

 

[mscdivina2016]

37 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Please explain how/why BC blows Cagney away. TIA

We are on Seascape in April

 

Butchers cut has a different flair to everything.  There is a Smokey flavor and even the cuts of meat are bigger and better. BC is more of an experience than a traditional steakhouse like Cagney's IMHO.

I did  a 21 night on NCL this past November and I was in Haven.

 

Still Haven and Yacht club have better every thing than the steak houses on either line.

[Oxo]

11 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Butchers cut has a different flair to everything.  There is a Smokey flavor and even the cuts of meat are bigger and better. BC is more of an experience than a traditional steakhouse like Cagney's IMHO.

I did  a 21 night on NCL this past November and I was in Haven.

 

Still Haven and Yacht club have better every thing than the steak houses on either line.

Thank you! 

[L1211]

On 1/19/2023 at 10:19 AM, mscdivina2016 said:

Hi,

 

I just got of Meraviglia 4 days ago and I am on the 4 night spring break cruise as well. I have been on 4 times so far.

 

So the past sailing was understaffed, and service was lacking and we were in yacht club and will be in March along with our daughter and family.  For that sailing you really want to be in YC. 

 

Yes upgrade booze if staying.

YC food is better than the restaurants by far.

Linking your references......good luck and the horrors of calling are real. I am a very outspoken critic of the CS and IT.

Discounts are like pulling teeth so don't count on it. They failed to honor our free massage as well.

 

Your Aurea experience will be tough this week. The Spa is really small  and will not be able to handle everyone. We did the spring break sailing before and were glad we had YC because we had priority as far as the spa went.

 The anytime dining will take 2 hours once you get seated and just because you walk up don't count on being seated right away.

 

Night experience is lacking. We are also 2am people and most all will be closed, except YC lounge stayed open past 130am for us. If they just like sitting and listening to music there are a few places. They do the nightly shows but reservations are required and its a huge line to get in unless you are in YC. No line or reservations needed.

 

The problem with this sailing is it is going to be a packed! Massive lines from start to finish for everything. I will probably not leave the enclave. Its when my grand kids have off so be it.

 

I am not trying to be a downer but be prepared for this week, its bad as they will probably be at 110% capacity and the bar tenders barely kept up a few days ago and I was on a 7 night.. If you can afford it, get YC. 

 

This is super helpful.  Thinking of upgrading…