Does MSC have an Excursions Office that can be reached with questions?

[Bluewake]

I've posted a similar message on the Panama Canal forum but am thinking the general MSC forum might be more expedient.

 

A small group of us sailing on the April 7, 2024 Divina (Ocho Rios, Aruba, Cartagena, Colon, Limon, Ocean Cay) are in the process of planning excursions.  One of the places we are interested in visiting is Panama City - the historic section to be more precise - so we were pleased when we saw an excursion to the "Panama Old Quarter". However, the description of the excursion on the MSC website is somewhat vague.  Essentially, it states that it's a trip to Casco Viejo or OId Quarter and mentions some things located there but doesn't note the mode of transportation (of course, we assume it's a bus), whether it includes an opportunity to get off and explore the city, etc.  Since our group is hesitant to purchase it until we know more about what it involves, I decided to call MSC to ask for information about the excursion. However, that effort was futile.  The rep said she knew nothing about the excursion and was unable to refer me to anyone who could provide information.  She advised me to wait until we are aboard the ship and ask at the Shore Excursions desk.  Thinking I might have better luck today, I tried again. While the rep I reached this morning was very nice, she also had no knowledge of the excursion. Her suggestion was to ask the driver (she said she assumed it's on a bus) where we are going when we board it for the excursion.  I am not being facetious...that was her actual advice.  Obviously, we don't want to wait until we are aboard the ship to start booking excursions and we certainly don't want to wait until we step onboard a bus to find out where we'll be going.  My guess is that these reps are third party and don't work directly for MSC. We are hoping that there might be a dedicated number for some sort of MSC excursions office or adviser who would be more knowledgeable but, thus far, we've been unable to find anything.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Mark_T]

This one I assume?

 

"With numerous fascinating sites with a history intertwined with Spain, France and the United States that never fails to delight, Casco Viejo (Old Compound) offers highlights which include the 17th century churches, the ruins of century convents and residences, original dungeons, a French monument to the 22,000 who died building the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal Museum in an elegant, restored building that once housed the headquarters of the French company that attempted to build a sea level canal."

 

Not sure I've ever had much more detail when booking ship tours, but It is listed as 4.5 hours and at a rough estimate it is going to be close to an hour each way on the coach so you'll have around 2.5 hours in the Old Quarter.

 

It is not listed as a 'scenic tour' so you will be getting off, but it doesn't mention time for individual exploration so I'd expect it to be mostly a guided tour and probably a museum visit, although that isn't specifically mentioned.

 

Hopefully someone who has actually done the tour will be able to tell you more, but given you already have a group, why not look at arranging your own private tour?

[emmas gran]

We did a Panama City tour with another cruise line Princess if I remember correctly..

Our tour had a police escort of armed officers front and rear, we were told not to wander outside the group.

 

[Bluewake]

43 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

This one I assume?

 

"With numerous fascinating sites with a history intertwined with Spain, France and the United States that never fails to delight, Casco Viejo (Old Compound) offers highlights which include the 17th century churches, the ruins of century convents and residences, original dungeons, a French monument to the 22,000 who died building the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal Museum in an elegant, restored building that once housed the headquarters of the French company that attempted to build a sea level canal."

 

Not sure I've ever had much more detail when booking ship tours, but It is listed as 4.5 hours and at a rough estimate it is going to be close to an hour each way on the coach so you'll have around 2.5 hours in the Old Quarter.

 

It is not listed as a 'scenic tour' so you will be getting off, but it doesn't mention time for individual exploration so I'd expect it to be mostly a guided tour and probably a museum visit, although that isn't specifically mentioned.

 

Hopefully someone who has actually done the tour will be able to tell you more, but given you already have a group, why not look at arranging your own private tour?

Yes…Thank you. Primarily, our group wants to know if we’ll be a to explore a bit either on our own, or in some sort of guided way.  I hadn’t thought about the term “scenic tour” making a difference, so I appreciate you bringing that to my attention.   We very much enjoy MSC cruises, however, we’ve had some frustrations dealing with MSC’s shoreside operations.

[Mark_T]

I guess the perceived security situation will play a big part in the degree to which independent exploration is going to be allowed on any ship excursion...

[mscdivina2016]

3 hours ago, Bluewake said:

I've posted a similar message on the Panama Canal forum but am thinking the general MSC forum might be more expedient.

 

A small group of us sailing on the April 7, 2024 Divina (Ocho Rios, Aruba, Cartagena, Colon, Limon, Ocean Cay) are in the process of planning excursions.  One of the places we are interested in visiting is Panama City - the historic section to be more precise - so we were pleased when we saw an excursion to the "Panama Old Quarter". However, the description of the excursion on the MSC website is somewhat vague.  Essentially, it states that it's a trip to Casco Viejo or OId Quarter and mentions some things located there but doesn't note the mode of transportation (of course, we assume it's a bus), whether it includes an opportunity to get off and explore the city, etc.  Since our group is hesitant to purchase it until we know more about what it involves, I decided to call MSC to ask for information about the excursion. However, that effort was futile.  The rep said she knew nothing about the excursion and was unable to refer me to anyone who could provide information.  She advised me to wait until we are aboard the ship and ask at the Shore Excursions desk.  Thinking I might have better luck today, I tried again. While the rep I reached this morning was very nice, she also had no knowledge of the excursion. Her suggestion was to ask the driver (she said she assumed it's on a bus) where we are going when we board it for the excursion.  I am not being facetious...that was her actual advice.  Obviously, we don't want to wait until we are aboard the ship to start booking excursions and we certainly don't want to wait until we step onboard a bus to find out where we'll be going.  My guess is that these reps are third party and don't work directly for MSC. We are hoping that there might be a dedicated number for some sort of MSC excursions office or adviser who would be more knowledgeable but, thus far, we've been unable to find anything.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

They don't even have an IT or CS department as far as I am aware. 😁

 

Do not rely on anything a phone rep states. Actually try to never call as there is a good chance they can and will screw up your booking.

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, Bluewake said:

We are hoping that there might be a dedicated number for some sort of MSC excursions office or adviser who would be more knowledgeable but, thus far, we've been unable to find anything.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Your first mistake is assuming (or hoping) MSC would have something like this.

 

Your second mistake is assuming that if they did, they'd be more competent than the phone reps (spoiler: they would not be)

 

Your third mistake is assuming that if this magical office existed, you'd get the same answer two times in a row. As you saw with the phone reps, that isn't the case.

 

Best bet is to google for the excursion name, or find someone who has done it. It doesn't have to be on MSC as often it is the same 3rd party doing it for multiple ships.

[phissy]

My experience with MSC excursions before sailing is pretty mediocre. TA was not able to get information we requested…

As far as the cruise listed by OP, we have done this cruise.
Panama was a big shock for those who wanted to go into town, Heavy police presence with not many shops open. Many came right back onboard. Some took the excursion that buses you to see the canal . Very long ride with police escort. Late return and exhausted from many hours on bus. One passenger who was from there said she would not get off ship because that port area is very dangerous. It’s a shame, it looks like,they were in the process of developing a very nice area there but it shut down with Covid.
NCL will no longer use that hotel or port for embarkations for a cruise.

[Bluewake]

4 hours ago, emmas gran said:

We did a Panama City tour with another cruise line Princess if I remember correctly..

Our tour had a police escort of armed officers front and rear, we were told not to wander outside the group.

 

 

1 hour ago, phissy said:

As far as the cruise listed by OP, we have done this cruise.
Panama was a big shock for those who wanted to go into town, Heavy police presence with not many shops open. Many came right back onboard. Some took the excursion that buses you to see the canal . Very long ride with police escort. Late return and exhausted from many hours on bus. One passenger who was from there said she would not get off ship because that port area is very dangerous. It’s a shame, it looks like,they were in the process of developing a very nice area there but it shut down with Covid.  NCL will no longer use that hotel or port for embarkations for a cruise.

 

 

These posts are concerning and certainly have prompted a reconsideration of the notion of exploring on our own. Our group cruised to Panama once before. The ship anchored in Lake Gatun and we did an excursion in which we took a small boat the remaining length of the canal to the Pacific, then a long bus ride back to Colon to meet the ship.  We had no sense of safety issues because our only interaction with Panama was passing through it by ship, small boat, and bus.  

[emmas gran]

Panama City and Panama Canal 2 totally different places, just got this from the Wiki site

 

The United States State Department notes the presence of crimes in the city, some of which include violent acts such as shootings, rape, armed robbery, and intentional kidnapping. The United States State Department also warns tourists about the purchasing of counterfeited or pirated goods, as they may be in violation of local Panamanian laws. In terms of LGBT rights in the city, same sex marriage is not recognized by the government but there are laws in place to prevent discrimination against the LGBT community.^[43]