Book December Caribbean cruise in June or wait till later?

The two of us are thinking about the 7 day Divina cruise to the Eastern Caribbean in early December - after Thanksgiving but before Christmas. We've never sailed MSC (Carnival and Princess only) and are wondering if we should wait to book as prices could come down. I've read from more experienced cruisers that there are great deals to be had closer to Thanksgiving as no-one has any money in the pre-Christmas season and therefore the prices drop a bit to fill up the ship.

What do you think? Should we book now or wait a few more months? Does MSC have a price drop policy like Carnival? (If the price drops, they'll give you OBC or take the difference off whatever you still owe, I think). Thanks!!

The two of us are thinking about the 7 day Divina cruise to the Eastern Caribbean in early December - after Thanksgiving but before Christmas. We've never sailed MSC (Carnival and Princess only) and are wondering if we should wait to book as prices could come down. I've read from more experienced cruisers that there are great deals to be had closer to Thanksgiving as no-one has any money in the pre-Christmas season and therefore the prices drop a bit to fill up the ship.

What do you think? Should we book now or wait a few more months? Does MSC have a price drop policy like Carnival? (If the price drops, they'll give you OBC or take the difference off whatever you still owe, I think). Thanks!!

MSC have a policy, at least in Europe they do, of whatever you first pay sticks, if the price drops then tough. You can cancel if you want and rebook , but here in the UK we lose ALL our deposit which is 10% of the total cost. Rarely would it be worth it.

That i believe is vastly different to the US where deposits are smaller and, I believe refundable up to a certain time limit

More recemtly they tend not to drop the price but add in things like free airfares, drinks vouchers/packages, complimentary special dining and OBC

Taken from Mikesa 1721 thread

2016/2017 MSC Cruises Caribbean "ALL IN" Promotion

Thanks! Any Americans have experience with price drop on MSC?

Thanks! Any Americans have experience with price drop on MSC?

You would have to cancel your booking and then re-book under the new price or promotion. The only downside is that once you cancel, you're stateroom assignment gets cancelled as well so someone could jump in and book your stateroom from under you. We're trying to re-book our January sailing under the promotion Skier(Pete) posted above. I'm still waiting to hear back from our TA about it, but if he isn't successful it's really not the end of the world because we received a great deal on that sailing.

So you wouldn't lose your deposit?

So you wouldn't lose your deposit?

Not at all,,,deposits in Europe for MSC are treated differently than in the USA. We only need a minimum deposit of $100.00 per passenger which is fully refundable up to the 75 day full payment date.

Thanks Mikesa, new to MSC and all the cruise lines are so different! Is it better to book it online or call them? I've read lots of complaints about the website and so far all I'm doing is cruising around the website looking for info.

Thanks Mikesa, new to MSC and all the cruise lines are so different! Is it better to book it online or call them? I've read lots of complaints about the website and so far all I'm doing is cruising around the website looking for info.

I've always navigated the website until I find an itinerary and date that fits our schedule. Once I'm ready to book, I'll call or instant message my TA and he'll take care of the rest for me. If you plan to use a travel agent, I would wait until June 30th to book. The new MSCBOOK booking system will be online and your travel agent will be able to see all the staterooms which are available. If you would like suggestions on the best stateroom locations,,SKIER52(Pete), can tell you everything you need to know.

Good to know! I wonder if that special hot deal will go away on June 30th?

MSC have a policy, at least in Europe they do, of whatever you first pay sticks, if the price drops then tough. You can cancel if you want and rebook , but here in the UK we lose ALL our deposit which is 10% of the total cost. Rarely would it be worth it.

That i believe is vastly different to the US where deposits are smaller and, I believe refundable up to a certain time limit

 

More recemtly they tend not to drop the price but add in things like free airfares, drinks vouchers/packages, complimentary special dining and OBC

 

 

 

Taken from Mikesa 1721 thread

 

2016/2017 MSC Cruises Caribbean "ALL IN" Promotion

So we like the interior rooms, midship or aft, any thoughts on which room we should get, one king bed is what we ned.

Like Mike said you don't lose the deposit, we like to book early so that we get the room we like and we are rather particular about room location. Good luck.

So we like the interior rooms, midship or aft, any thoughts on which room we should get, one king bed is what we ned.

First point; which "Experience" do you want, if you don't know about "Experiences" you need to know that inside cabins are either BELLA or FANTASTICA.

You can read about them here

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2224649#

Then you can start to think about which cabin you may want

Pete

I see that they have changed the Yacht Club package to include Unlimited Beverages and Unlimited Dining for two.

Wonder if that is the Algrissimo package + dining in speciality restaurants. If not it is just a $300 OBC pp.

I see that they have changed the Yacht Club package to include Unlimited Beverages and Unlimited Dining for two.

 

Wonder if that is the Algrissimo package + dining in speciality restaurants. If not it is just a $300 OBC pp.

It's a bit deceiving AVACTION. As Pete had pointed out,,there are no asterisks next to the "Unlimited Beverages" and notice the "Private" dining for two. Those two perks are already included in the Yacht Club pricing so there is no added benefit other than the OBC.

I see that they have changed the Yacht Club package to include Unlimited Beverages and Unlimited Dining for two.

 

Wonder if that is the Algrissimo package + dining in speciality restaurants. If not it is just a $300 OBC pp.

If you look at the original thread you will find what we think is the answer which is NOT allegrissimo or speciallity dining

original thread here

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2226550#

That's a great link, thanks so much. I have a question about the Experiences, we don't have kids and don't drink much, so really the big difference for us would be the dinner time chioice and room service. Is it worth paying the extra to get guaranteed the 6 pm dinnertime versus the 8 pm? I mean does one miss the theatre show if you go to the 8 pm show?

That's a great link, thanks so much. I have a question about the Experiences, we don't have kids and don't drink much, so really the big difference for us would be the dinner time chioice and room service. Is it worth paying the extra to get guaranteed the 6 pm dinnertime versus the 8 pm? I mean does one miss the theatre show if you go to the 8 pm show?

There are two shows each night to accommodate both early and late dining times. Might I suggest the Fantastica Experience,,,much better stateroom locations, as well as room service and nightly turn down service,,plus you get the drink vouchers which can also be used for specialty coffees and other drinks onboard.

So we like the interior rooms, midship or aft, any thoughts on which room we should get, one king bed is what we ned.

It's easier if you want a BELLA experience inside cabin to say which cabins to avoid

Most of the inside cabins are 169 sq ft ( 24 sq ft bathroom ; 145 sq ft living area) They come with 2 beds that can be either set up as a queen size, by fixing them together, or as twin beds.

BELLA inside cabins I'd rather not have:-

DECK 8:- I'd rather not be in any deck 8 cabin as the are above public spaces and in particular the rear hump cabins are above thge Black and White lounge.

DECK 9:- 9175 as it is square in shape and there is the possibility that it can only be set up as a twin, and it has a "White Space " on two walls which may be a source of noise.

9169; 9245; 9250 next to White Spaces

DECK 10:- 10178; 10179; 10185 next to White Spaces

I've ignored any cabins in the forward hump as you said you prefer midships or aft.

FANTASTICA inside the cabins I'd prefer not to have are

DECK 10:- 10253; 10244 next to White Spaces

DECK 11:- 11272; 11274; 11276 as these are smaller ( 148 sq ft )

11203; 11211; 11242; 11279 next to White Spaces

DECK 12:- 12268; 12270; 12272 as these are smaller ( 148 sq ft )

12187; 12205; 12211; 12238; 12263; next to White Spaces;-

12193 as per 9175

DECK 13:- All deck 13 cabins are below the aqua park and would be subject to overhead footfall and dragging sunbeds as the crew set up for the day early in the morning

"White Spaces" may be a real source of nuisance noise or may be nothing more than a linen cupboard which would not be a problem at all, I've just pointed out any cabin next to a white space

Pete

Such great advise, thanks! Another question, how bad is the smoking on the Divina? Is it a problem? I read on other posts that there was a lot of smoking and we're non smokers.

Such great advise, thanks! Another question, how bad is the smoking on the Divina? Is it a problem? I read on other posts that there was a lot of smoking and we're non smokers.

I can only answer with my experience of acht club suite on Divina on a Mediterranean cruise. This I expect would be very different from a cruise in the main part of the ship and on a USA based cruise.

In my experience we had no problem at all with smoking , and we are both staunch anti-smoking non-smokers.

Pete

AFAIK the smoking policy is stricter on Divina when she sails from Miami. There is no smoking indoors except for the Cigar Lounge and very limited areas outside on decks 7 and 14. Smoking is permitted in the Casino when she's in the Med but not when she's in the Caribbean.