AVACTION

Thanks for the information regarding smoking. I assume that there is still a Cigar Bar on board (unlike the Preziosa) for when the weather is inclement.

We were booked on a repo cruise Miami to Genoa April 2016, looks like that will be cancelled but have not had a reply from my TA yet. If so we will look at a cruise in the Carribbean or Med. The price of the repo cruises is so attractive (especially for YC) that I am sorry to miss out. Just completed a 21 dayer on Preziosa and am missing the ship already.

On Divina right now!! Awesome news!!!!!!

Mike, where is smoking allowed? Is there a smoking area in the One Pool? If the policy is too restrictive we might stick to Europe.

With the breaking news today that MSC Divina will stay put for year round sailing in Miami when she returns from Europe this fall, the previously planned April Trans-Atlantic won't be happening.

I'll have to contact my TA regarding this as we have already put a deposit down on this cruise ...:eek:

We booked the April 2016 crossing (Miami to Genoa) in February 2015 after an e-mail promotion from a Florida based travel agent. It hasn't appeared on any MSC website that I can see and was only on a few travel agent sites. MSC Australia could tell me nothing about it (although that is not unusual :rolleyes:)

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2104439

Looks like the YC is sold out already!!

We just came back from 21 days in YC on board the MSC Preziosa, we were told by the YC staff that the whole of the ship, including YC was fully booked and I believe it looking at the crowds on the pool decks.

Even so the Yacht Club areas were not crowded even on sea days, there were plenty of sun loungers available in the One Pool area and the Top Sail Lounge was more or less empty by 11pm every night (stays open till 2am thankfully).

We are considering doing this cruise in reverse in November. So I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

MSC Preziosa was based in South America for a few months before this sailing. Thus the food and drink stores were all sourced from Brazil. That meant Brazilian beer and quite a few Brazilian spirits were on the drinks menu. Also the fish on the menu was predominately salted.

Most of the crew we spoke to (including Sth. American natives) were relieved to be leaving and going to Europe.

I would expect that departing from Europe the menu and drinks list would be more to my taste.

I will try to find time to write a general review of the ship and the journey. All-in-all we had a fantastic time but there were several problems that could not be avoided by MSC and some that could.

My wife and I travelled on this re-positioning cruise from Santos Brazil to Genoa Italy in YC. Had a great time but wondered if anyone else on this forum was going to post a review?

MSC called this a "Grand Voyage" but I think a repo cruise would be a more fitting name. Any comments from others onboard and/or would members like me to post an honest unbiased review?

Any recommendations for an excursion in Rio?

We dock at 08:00 and depart at 18:00.

Would prefer a "small" size tour. We are a married couple in our late fifties and would like to take the cable car up Mt. Sugarloaf and maybe see a bit of Rio in comfort and safety.

We enjoyed the casino, even my wife who is a "non-gambler". The staff were all very friendly as were fellow players. We made a small profit most days playing blackjack and were comped free drinks as we were betting above the minimum and for quite a while every evening.

I didn't play the "slots" as they are prevalent here in NSW Australia and we can play them anytime we like in our local pubs & clubs. I have been a Director of a club and in charge of the gaming section and can offer the following advice when it comes to "slots" (or poker machines as we call them).

If you want to have a long run on a machine vary your bets and play a machine WITHOUT a progressive jackpot or linked to the main jackpot as these machines are regulary set to return between 95% & 97% return, whereas with "jackpot" or "linked" machine a further 2% to 3% is ADDED TO THE JACKPOT from each bet or pull, thus reducing the odds of return.

This reduces the return to small players. The chances of a "feature" or jackpot occurring increases with the amount bet (i.e. your chances are better betting the maximum $5 to $10 a pull) but the thrill of knowing you may win thousands for a small outlay is the "GRAB" for these machines.

The main thing I believe is to count the cost of gaming as an "entertainment expense" and have a set amount that you are willing to pay for that entertainment.

GAMBLE WITH YOUR HEAD, NOT OVER IT.

How does one check the points tally for MSC Club?

We are doing a transatlantic cruise originating in Brazil in March. My wife's doctor has INSISTED that she get yellow fever vaccination, as well as the recommended typhoid, hepatitis A and tetanus booster. We are staying a few days in Sao Paulo/Santos and we will be going ashore at the Brazil ports, Rio de Janeiro, Fortazela & Salvador de Bahia, has anybody else's doctor insisted on this inoculation?

According to the CDC website and other websites yellow fever inoculation is not recommended for the areas of Brazil we are visiting, Hepatitus A, Typhoid and Tetanus are recommended.

We are on a cruise departing 15 March 2015 from Santos with stops in Rio, Forteleza & Salvador. (we will also be staying a few days in Sao Paulo and Santos prior to the cruise)

I have looked at the CDC website and it states that Yellow Fever inoculations are not recommended for those locations however my wife's doctor has INSISTED that she get yellow fever vaccination, as well as the recommended typhoid, hepatitis A and tetanus booster.

Has anybody else's doctor insisted on this inoculation?

When ur signed up - come on over and enjoy our roll call.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Bit the bullet and booked. There were only four suites available in YC so we went ahead with it. Yes I have joined the roll call ... Long way in the future, I don't usually book holidays this far in advance ....

I purchased this package in Sept on a Caribbean cruise.

 

I'm sailing in June to the Mediterranean and was told the price is $82 and only comes with 12 drinks instead of 15.

 

Is this correct?

 

Regardless, I will purchase it again.

 

II

Prices vary from area to area. see http://www.msccruisesgetforms.com/

I just pre-paid for 18 drink vouchers on a transatlantic cruise AU$101 for 18 drinks (US$83), so it also depends on what the "local" MSC office is charging.

"I never could understand why people would carry purses ...."

 

Maybe because it is lady-like...and useful as well;)

I still have my "man bag" from the eighties. Very useful for passports and travel documents, different currencies, etc. etc. and you don't spoil the cut of your suit ......

Thanks for all the info. I was just curious whether people follow the formal night dress code in Le Muse.

There were quite a few tuxedos on formal night when we were in YC. I just stayed with a lounge suit. Most men wore at least jackets if not suits and of course the ladies were nearly always "dressed up" even if it wasn't a formal night.

Thanks, I am sure it will be okay. I am just a little concerned about all the posts talking about how awful the wait times are.

Don't know about you rolloman, but the time between courses for me is extra drinking time!!

I notice you were in the U.S. Navy? Dry ships as opposed to the RN and RAN.

It must be a cultural difference but I cannot see any reason to rush through a six course dinner, especially whilst on holiday (vacation).

Even a home dinner is a time to enjoy the food, wine and each others company for me and mine, talk over the day and what's ahead, not just a sit down, scoff and run.

In European and fine dining restaurants if you leave within an hour or two the maitre 'd or wait staff would ask if there was a problem with the meal or the restaurant.

My only comment (I would not presume to advise) would be it would be better to go with the flow and experience a european dining experience rather than just a meal.

Hopefully you will have some interesting dining companions who you can converse with and make the meal very pleasant.

If you do plan to eventually book it through a US site (?), many of our agencies have a policy where you can book now, and then cancel later w/o paying any penalty--b/c your cruise is so far out. Just make sure to read the fine print, the time frames when different penalties will start to apply.

 

You could call one or two of the agencies and explain what you want to do, and see if they can work w/ you. Also, they can double-check for you about how many YC cabins are showing up as still available.

Thanks for that. I booked a cruise with MSC last year through a travel agent in Florida and they were very helpful, so I will try them again. MSC in Australia are not very helpful and the deposits are non-refundable here ($400 pp).

I have been looking for this trip through MSC and they do not appear to be marketing it direct, I have found it on some U.S. travel agent's websites but do not want to book until after our 2015 cruise which will bump us up to Silver or Gold (depending on on board spend).

On the websites I have looked at there are only 5 YC1 cabins available.

Is this a common method with MSC to release cabins to travel agents before offering it themselves, and should I jump in now to reserve a cabin or do you think that there are actually more cabins available which will be available at a later date?

Thanks

Happy New Year to all on this forum.

Let us all hope that 2015 is a happy, joyous and peaceful year for all people around the world.

Just finished watching the New Year's fireworks from Sydney Harbour and am now cuddling my dog as she is quite disturbed by all the bangs!!

Would have loved to have watched from a ship moored in Sydney Harbour as we did last year.

Love to all,

Ross & Yvonne

Are milk shakes or ice cream shakes, or the smoothies part of the included package within Yacht Club members?

Don't think so but never asked, is there a beer flavoured ice cream?

Quite honestly I believe that if the ingredients were available in the bar the barman would make you anything you asked for ........ I know on our one cruise in YC we asked for cocktails that were not on "The List" they prepared them for us so long as premium spirits were not involved ....

Just remember that the YC package only covers the bars in YC areas and the restaurant, all other bars and lounges you have to pay for ,,,

Mmm, I think ice may only be available on the Divina.

 

It is curious that on my recent trip aboard the Queen Mary 2, despite being English, despite this being a 'British' themed ship and despite this being December, we got a bucket of ice everyday in our fridge!

 

I would have rather crashed into an iceberg than had ice in our fridge.

 

I am looking forward to a 'European' cruise with MSC. The Divina has to be crossed off.

Tim,

Just read your "live blog" on your QM2 trans-Atlantic journey. It was an eye opener for me as I have always imagined a Cunard crossing as an "ultimate bucket list entry". Seems like I was wrong.

You made some subtle comparisons with MSC, and Cunard seems to have been "damned by your faint praise".

As a novice cruiser thank you for the information. I feel vindicated in my praise of MSC YC as an alternate to "luxury cruise lines" at an affordable price.

BTW we would welcome the ice in the fridge ....

A couple of questions for the forum group.

Is it possible to get chips at the casino debited to your on-board account and then later "cash out" for "real money"?

I know this will not add to MSC Club points but as we will be settling our account with AMEX will it garner us reward points and not be counted as a cash advance?

It just occurred to me this would be a good way to get cash without the penalties imposed by CC companies when using cards at an ATM, and also accumulate more reward points for future travel.

Any fellow cruisers/gamblers out there have a handle on this?

No, it's for all MSC guests, on what we Brits call the first floor of departures area ....I think in the US you call it the second floor.

 

WE have ground floor then first floor , second floor etc

 

There is a lift and staircase to the left of the check-in desks and you go up 1 floor and the lounge is about 20 yards along from the lift exit

 

I've found this on an MSC web site

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

Just to clarify we're not from the U.S. but Australia. Yes we call the ground floor the ground floor, a lift a lift, an escalator an escalator, a car a car, and a pavement a pavement Although we do have stryne which is an Australian slang loosely based upon cockney rhyming slang.

(Seppo = Septic Tank = Yank = U.S. person)

We are using Qantas Points on BA for business class mainly because of the amount of luggage we are hauling around the world, so will use their lounge at Genoa but maybe you should let other Cruise Critic members know about this facility as it is not widely advertised as far as I can see.

Pete, In your review you mentioned an MSC Lounge at Genoa Airport. We have not heard of this. Is this for Black Card holders only?

Ross & Yvonne.