Skier52 Posted September 7, 2016 Author #151 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hi Pete,With regards the quoted prices, are these for Med Cruises? We are cruising on the Divina next July from Miami and have been quoted £34 for the standard Allegrissimo Package which is a near 50% jump. Thanks THe are the prices for all regions as shown in the 2017/2018 UK brochure Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted September 7, 2016 Author #152 Share Posted September 7, 2016 (edited) deleted duplicate post Edited September 7, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted October 18, 2016 #153 Share Posted October 18, 2016 THe are the prices for all regions as shown in the 2017/2018 UK brochure Pete One of the best threads I have been involved in on CC. Well done and thanks for all the great information. We are on our first MSC cruise on Sinfonia out of Cape Town to Venice (grand voyage) in May 2017. Do these drinks packages and prices apply to this cruise please? We have been given the mealtime drinks package as a perk along with complimentary tours in 3 ports. trying to decide whether to upgrade drinks package or whether the mealtime one will suffice. We have OV cabins 8144 and 8148 with Fantastica experience. Any info on these cabins would be appreciated. I believe they may overlook the life boats from an earlier post. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted October 19, 2016 #154 Share Posted October 19, 2016 One of the best threads I have been involved in on CC. Well done and thanks for all the great information. We are on our first MSC cruise on Sinfonia out of Cape Town to Venice (grand voyage) in May 2017. Do these drinks packages and prices apply to this cruise please? We have been given the mealtime drinks package as a perk along with complimentary tours in 3 ports. Wondering if we are able to upgrade drinks package to an all inclusive anytime one. We have OV cabins 8144 and 8148 with Fantastica experience. Any info on these cabins would be appreciated. I believe they may overlook the life boats from an earlier post. Thanks Edited my own post. If someone knows the answer I would appreciate it please. Having a TA just makes it awkward when you need to ask the cruise line questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted October 19, 2016 Author #155 Share Posted October 19, 2016 (edited) Edited my own post. If someone knows the answer I would appreciate it please. Having a TA just makes it awkward when you need to ask the cruise line questions. If you look at post#5 of this thread you will see that upgrades of AI packages are shown on the drinks packages menu. Although this is for the med I'm sure that there will be an equivalent for SA cruises http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2413060 the meal time package is probably the cheers package which in the med can be upgraded for €9.5 pd the lifeboats are all inboard on Sinfonia so nobody overlooks them you may have seen a post about Divinas cabins 8144 and 8148 Edited October 19, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted October 19, 2016 #156 Share Posted October 19, 2016 If you look at post#5 of this thread you will see that upgrades of AI packages are shown on the drinks packages menu. Although this is for the med I'm sure that there will be an equivalent for SA cruises http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2413060 the meal time package is probably the cheers package which in the med can be upgraded for €9.5 pd the lifeboats are all inboard on Sinfonia so nobody overlooks them you may have seen a post about Divinas cabins 8144 and 8148 Thank you for this information. Very informative. It was late last night when I read this thread and my tired old eyes missed the upgrade options. OK off to my TA to see what she can arrange:D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted October 20, 2016 #157 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Thank you for this information. Very informative. It was late last night when I read this thread and my tired old eyes missed the upgrade options. OK off to my TA to see what she can arrange:D:D:D TA has confirmed we can't upgrade our drinks package on this cruise as they aren't available for Fantastica guests. Will wait til we get on board and see what is on offer. MSC web site is broken when trying to add a drinks package so will see what is on offer on board as I said above. (too much vodka) :D Anyway suite prices are down so we decided to book (upgrade) and got cabins 1126 and 1128. Any info (photos) on these cabins would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted November 1, 2016 #158 Share Posted November 1, 2016 TA has confirmed we can't upgrade our drinks package on this cruise as they aren't available for Fantastica guests. Will wait til we get on board and see what is on offer. MSC web site is broken when trying to add a drinks package so will see what is on offer on board as I said above. (too much vodka) :D Anyway suite prices are down so we decided to book (upgrade) and got cabins 1126 and 1128. Any info (photos) on these cabins would be appreciated. Anybody got any information on these cabins please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted November 1, 2016 Author #159 Share Posted November 1, 2016 TA has confirmed we can't upgrade our drinks package on this cruise as they aren't available for Fantastica guests. Will wait til we get on board and see what is on offer. MSC web site is broken when trying to add a drinks package so will see what is on offer on board as I said above. (too much vodka) :D Anyway suite prices are down so we decided to book (upgrade) and got cabins 1126 and 1128. Any info (photos) on these cabins would be appreciated. If you mean cabins 0n Sinfonia there are no cabins on deck 11 so cabins 1126 and 1128 don't exist. However if you mean cabins 1226 and 1228 (Aurea Suites) here are some images of cabin 1223 (12023) Where the safe is Behind the mirror Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted November 2, 2016 #160 Share Posted November 2, 2016 If you mean cabins 0n Sinfonia there are no cabins on deck 11 so cabins 1126 and 1128 don't exist. However if you mean cabins 1226 and 1228 (Aurea Suites) here are some images of cabin 1223 (12023) Where the safe is Behind the mirror Pete Thanks for this Pete. We are in fact on deck 10 and the cabin numbers are correct. When Sinfonia was refurbished in 2015 some changes were made. These cabins were originally Fantastica Oceanview and were further back on the starboard side. I wouldn't expect you to have any info on the new cabins although I guess an S2 Suite is an S2 Suite so I assume it hasn't changed considerably. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyG Posted November 8, 2016 #161 Share Posted November 8, 2016 We've taken 25 cruises before and we have booked our first one on MSC - the September 29, 2017 sailing of the MSC Meraviglia our of Barcelona. Any advice for first-time MSC cruisers? My wife and I are both in our mid-60's, retired, etc. and we will be in either a D3 or S3 Suite. BobbyG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vea52 Posted November 12, 2016 #162 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Hi, I have just joined Cruise Critics, this is my first post. We will be sailing on the MSC Divina, our first time on MSC but my 8th cruise. We leave Miami December 23, looking forward to this ship and trying MSC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted November 13, 2016 #163 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Hi, I have just joined Cruise Critics, this is my first post. We will be sailing on the MSC Divina, our first time on MSC but my 8th cruise. We leave Miami December 23, looking forward to this ship and trying MSC! Hi there and welcome to Cruise Critic. Congratulations on your first post. If you go here http://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/forumdisplay.php?f=969 and search for your sailing you will find your roll call and can talk to people on your sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted November 13, 2016 Author #164 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Hi, I have just joined Cruise Critics, this is my first post. We will be sailing on the MSC Divina, our first time on MSC but my 8th cruise. We leave Miami December 23, looking forward to this ship and trying MSC! If you have any "status" on another lines loyalty club do a "status match" with the MSC Voyagers club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted November 14, 2016 Author #165 Share Posted November 14, 2016 (edited) This what the UK brochures and final cruise documentation say about what you CANNOT bring on board Brochure T&Cs (UK 2017 - 2018 brochure) NB. this specifies KETTLES and IRONS Final E-ticket documentation Things NOT to pack: alcohol, firearms, sharp objects, irons, hair straighteners, food or beverages (all forbidden on board). For further details of items not allowed on board, please check the final page of this document.• Things you can leave at home: pool towels or hairdryers (you'll find these in your cabin); cigarettes, sun cream or beauty products (all available from the onboard shops). NB this specifies HAIR STRAIGHTENERS and BEVERAGES in addition to the kettles and irons above. Final E-ticket documentation Guests are advised that MSC Cruises operates the following on-board policy with regard to prohibited items, which include alcohol (beer, wine, spirits, champagne, etc.), firearms, irons, hair straighteners, weapons and sharp objects. Any such items found in your luggage when scanned during the boarding process will preclude embarkation. Unless a guest disposes of such items themselves at this point, they will be confiscated and not returned to the guest, without exception. In the interest of health and safety, beverages and food (incl. partially eaten or homecooked items) may not be brought on board either. Exception: dry, packaged and commercially produced foods as well as confectionary. Any guest who fails to comply with the security regulations laid out above will be denied access to the ship. Objects that are considered to be fragile, personal and/or valuable (jewellery, electronics, money, travel documents, backpacks, medicines, diapers? etc.) must be carried as hand luggage only since MSC Cruises cannot accept liability for their damage or loss. NB this specifies NO ALCOHOL and states the confiscation and non return of forbidden items Pete Edited November 14, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted December 12, 2016 #166 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) We have a cruise coming up on Sinfonia next May from Cape Town to Venice (Grand Voyage). One of the perks we got for booking is the Forfait mealtimes drinks package. This entitles us to drinks of our choice during meal times in both the dining room and buffet area. Obviously we want to take advantage of this as much as possible. I heard they serve meals for up to 20 hours a day so we could theoretically sit in the buffet and drink, nibbling on food:D:D:D Not sure if there are restrictions on how long we can be in the buffet. I rang MSC in Australia to see if we could upgrade to Allegrissimo as we wanted total flexibility on when and where we have a drink. The answer was no, we have to pay full price to purchase Allegrissimo:( Is it worth pursuing this or have I been given the correct information. Really wanted to sort this before we board to avoid the additional 15%. Edited December 12, 2016 by mildew1951 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted December 12, 2016 Author #167 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) We have a cruise coming up on Sinfonia next May from Cape Town to Venice (Grand Voyage). One of the perks we got for booking is the Forfait mealtimes drinks package. This entitles us to drinks of our choice during meal times in both the dining room and buffet area. Obviously we want to take advantage of this as much as possible. I heard they serve meals for up to 20 hours a day so we could theoretically sit in the buffet and drink, nibbling on food:D:D:D Not sure if there are restrictions on how long we can be in the buffet. I rang MSC in Australia to see if we could upgrade to Allegrissimo as we wanted total flexibility on when and where we have a drink. The answer was no, we have to pay full price to purchase Allegrissimo:( Is it worth pursuing this or have I been given the correct information. Really wanted to sort this before we board to avoid the additional 15%. You have the equivalent of the cheers package, its limited to published lunch and diner times not 20 hrs in the buffet THis is what was available on our cruise, in oct 16, but only after boarding which means 15% grats see the bottom offer Pete Edited December 12, 2016 by Skier52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted December 12, 2016 #168 Share Posted December 12, 2016 You have the equivalent of the cheers package, its limited to published lunch and diner times not 20 hrs in the buffet THis is what was available on our cruise, in oct 16, but only after boarding which means 15% grats see the bottom offer Pete Thanks Pete Yes I had seen that. I guess it depends on whether they treat a complimentary Cheers package as prepaid in which case I would hope we could upgrade. Having said what I did about the 15%, this is less important to us than having anytime drinks so I guess we will wait til we get on board and see what they say. On our cruise booking account it only shows drink vouchers which we can purchase, not the packages. In any case the MSC packages are significantly cheaper than other cruise lines we have traveled. Your comment about the 20 hours might be the clincher for us to purchase the full Alegrissimo even if we can't upgrade. After all, a man is not a camel:D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted December 12, 2016 Author #169 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Thanks Pete Yes I had seen that. I guess it depends on whether they treat a complimentary Cheers package as prepaid in which case I would hope we could upgrade. Having said what I did about the 15%, this is less important to us than having anytime drinks so I guess we will wait til we get on board and see what they say. On our cruise booking account it only shows drink vouchers which we can purchase, not the packages. In any case the MSC packages are significantly cheaper than other cruise lines we have traveled. Your comment about the 20 hours might be the clincher for us to purchase the full Alegrissimo even if we can't upgrade. After all, a man is not a camel:D:D:D I've experienced the timings on the Cheers package first hand and got caught out when the meal times were moved by half an hour because of the docking time, we docked early afternoon and they brought lunch forward. Consequently I was charged for 2 drinks, we had with pizza (from the open 20 hrs pizza station in the buffet), at what I thought was lunch time but it was 15 min. later than the published finish time. I'm pretty sure you should be able to upgrade even the drinks package that comes as part of the deal. I'm sure I saw a review writen by 1stfifthavenue in which he says he upgraded his "with the booking" drinks package on board. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aulanis Posted January 7, 2017 #170 Share Posted January 7, 2017 We have a cruise coming up on Sinfonia next May from Cape Town to Venice (Grand Voyage). I would be interested in how you get on with this. We are booked Durban/Venice on 20/1/18 and obviously everything could change by then. I have had problems with MSC and drinks packages, we dont drink a lot and when we booked a cruise we are going on in a couple of weeks to the caribbean they advertised the 18 voucher package for alcohol and iirc a 12 voucher package for soft drinks/non alcohol cocktails. The ad said quite clearly that the offer was valid for caribbean cruises but when I tried to buy it, it wasnt there!!. Enquiry eventually revealed the fact that it was ONLY available on sailings from America ie not from Barbados or other islands that the French or Dutch join cruises at. When I pressed them they changed the advert to say it ONLY applied to sailings on the Divinia. Something you might bear in mind is that the drink prices on African cruises may be less than in other geographic areas. Again iirc I believe the packages say something like glasses of wine up to $4 US which is only half the normal price limits ie it implies that a glass of wine can be bought of $4 +grats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mara93 Posted January 11, 2017 #171 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Does anyone know when the changes to the Fantastica package take effect? Taking my first MSC cruise this summer and booked a Fantastica Balcony which will include the Fantastica Drink Package as of Summer 2017. Would love to pin down a date. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skier52 Posted January 11, 2017 Author #172 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Does anyone know when the changes to the Fantastica package take effect? Taking my first MSC cruise this summer and booked a Fantastica Balcony which will include the Fantastica Drink Package as of Summer 2017. Would love to pin down a date. Thanks They usually make the changes coincide with the brochures and they run from April to May. So I surmise that they will take effect from 1st mMay 2017. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaadian Posted January 12, 2017 #173 Share Posted January 12, 2017 This what the UK brochures and final cruise documentation say about what you CANNOT bring on board Final E-ticket documentation Things NOT to pack: alcohol, firearms, sharp objects, irons, hair straighteners, food or beverages (all forbidden on board). For further details of items not allowed on board, please check the final page of this document.• Things you can leave at home: pool towels or hairdryers (you'll find these in your cabin); cigarettes, sun cream or beauty products (all available from the onboard shops). NB this specifies HAIR STRAIGHTENERS and BEVERAGES in addition to the kettles and irons above. Pete Does anyone have any experience with the forbidden hair straightener? I am travelling on MSC Splendida for 7 days as a part of a 5 week holiday, would very much like to bring my straightener. I respect that it cannot be used on the ship, however would like to be able to take it with me for the remainder of my land based travels. Does anyone have an experience to share? Perhaps I can have it 'stowed' by staff until I disembark? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildew1951 Posted January 12, 2017 #174 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Does anyone have any experience with the forbidden hair straightener? I am travelling on MSC Splendida for 7 days as a part of a 5 week holiday, would very much like to bring my straightener. I respect that it cannot be used on the ship, however would like to be able to take it with me for the remainder of my land based travels. Does anyone have an experience to share? Perhaps I can have it 'stowed' by staff until I disembark? Thanks, I don't have any experience with this but I'm sure if you check it when you board they will stow it for you during the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vea52 Posted January 12, 2017 #175 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Hi I spent Christmas on the Divina, I had seen on my ticket info that hair straightener was not allowed so I called MSC. I was told that it was allowed so I packed it in my large bag. No problems at all! I think they need to revive the information sheet 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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