pandabebe

Wasn't able to find a roll call for my upcoming cruise (August 3rd from Marseille), so thought I would post in this forum to get recommendations for each port of call:

Genoa, Italy

Naples, Italy

Messina, Itlay

Valetta, Malta

Barcelona, Spain

We are a group of 11 (6 adults and 5 kids).  We have never been to any of the above ports of call so we are open to anything.  We tend to be more laid back travelers so having more time to spend at a few sites works better for us then visiting several sites for a short period of time.

And if anyone has any private tour companies that they can recommend that would be fantastic. 

TIA!

19 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

After clicking your name you should be presented with this (Click "plan my cruise, then excursions")

It can vary from country to country but hopefully yours is like this:

 

Unfortunately mine is nothing like that.  🙁  This what I see after I click my name (perhaps it's because I'm using the US site).  Oh well.  I have to call to find correct my son's DOB and gender so I'll ask them why I can't see anything.

1 hour ago, ziggyuk said:

 

If you log in then click on your name at the top right it will take you to your booking and a the following links:

 

My cruise l Excursions l Beverages l Specialty Restaurants l Spa & Beauty l Other Services l Already purchased

 

Click on each one, eg Excursions to make your choices.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Tried clicking my name and going into my booking but there are no links for me to click - all I see is a map of our itinerary and our cabin details.  And just noticed that they got my son's gender and DOB wrong - will have to call about that as well since I can't change it on line.

19 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Well done on that.

Best to give them a call and ask them to link your booking to your new VC number.

Funny - I've been trying all morning to link my booking and after I posted I decided to try one more time and it worked!  Booking linked!  Now if I can only figure out how to make reservations for restaurants, excursions, etc.

On 3/28/2019 at 9:16 AM, ziggyuk said:

 

Do a status match.

If you have a good status with Royal or Celebrity MSC will match the level. Even at classic (entry level which is normally not issued until after your first cruise) you will get 5% off which can be applied even if you have already booked.

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Loyalty-Match-Program.aspx

Thanks for the tip!  Just did it and got matched with Gold status! 

Did anyone have any issues with registering their booking number?  I've tried so many time and it just won't accept it (though it did recognize my booking number when I registered for the Voyagers Club).  I've heard that many people have had issues but don't know what to do about it.  I've sent them an email so hopefully they will call back as I'd like to start booking excursions.

Can anyone also confirm that if I book specialty restaurants when I arrive on the ship that it will be subject to additional fees vs. if I book in advance and online?  That was one of the tips someone else had given me but I haven't see anyone here.

Keep the tips coming please!  TIA!

On 3/11/2019 at 9:33 AM, Markanddonna said:

Spend some time on this board, but realize that MSC has generally improved over the past few years. Here is my detailed review as a first time MSC cruiser:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=648606

Thanks for the review.  I've seen a lot of negative reviews on line so did question whether I made the right choice, but will be going in open minded so I can make the most of this trip.

How does embarkation work when people can board through the itinerary/

After years of cruising Royal and Celebrity my family and I are trying out MSC for the first time this August (Bellissima from Marseille).  We're excited to try a new cruise line but also a bit nervous as we're not sure what to expect.  Any tips/suggestions would be great!  Thanks!

I wonder if they will program my old WOW bands so that my kids can use them.

Can anyone recommend an Airboat Tour company that also offers shuttle to and from Port Canaveral? We are a party of 16 and we really don't want to rent a car. Our last resort would be to book something through the cruise line. TIA

Windjammer was the only place that had a crazy lineup, but there are so many other options for breakfast around ship.

They're all good, but if you want something different book Wonderland or Chef's Table for date night. I recommend Jamie's Italian for family night...the food is delicious!

This is a random question, but just wondering if anyone knows where the Pullman bed is located in a Family Junior Suite? Is it above the sofa bed? Just curious to know as my 6 year old will be so excited if he gets to sleep in a bunk and not have to share the pull out sofa with little sister :p

Thanks for the suggestion. We are actually cruising out of NY/NJ on Anthem, so we won't be in FL before or after. Maybe some day...?

 

Thanks for the idea though!

Are you on the December 18th sailing? We are on that sailing and right now we're debating whether we have enough time for Universal. I saw that the cruise tour (i.e. shuttle from PC to park) is only 8 hours and given that it takes a little over each way that would only give me 6 hours at the park. I've also ready reviews that the park is extremely busy during the holidays so for us it wouldn't be worth it if the line ups are long (the fast pass is also crazy expensive during that time).

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I checked online and the cruise tour that provides the shuttle from PC to Universal is only 8 hours; given that it's a little over an hour each way that would leave us with less than 6 hours at the park :(. I also read reviews that December 22 is extremely busy and unfortunately purchasing the fast past is not within our budget ($100 for the ticket + $90 for the fast pass). Maybe Kennedy Space station would be a better option.

We arrived in Port Carnaveral on December 22nd at 6 a.m. and depart at 9 p.m. We really want to go to Universal but we're not sure if it will be worth it given the travel time. Has anyone gone for the day? Would love to hear your experience and whether you felt rushed to make it back onto the ship. TIA!

We are sailing on Allure in May and booked the Chef's Table package which gives you Chef's Table, 150 Central Park and Chops for $130. We were just told by our travel agent that the cruise line has eliminated this package. Does anyone know why? Is it specific to our cruise?

Thank you for the wonderful review and photos. I'm looking so forward to our upcoming cruise on Oasis, as well as you've inspired me to take better photos this time around!

We had a cruise wedding but opted to go with an independant wedding coordinator vs. going through RR. We felt while the overall wedding packages were very reasonably priced, it was very expensive to upgrade or add items to the package. Our wedding coordinator was fantastic and organized the wedding of our dreams. Granted, I think with any DW you have to be prepared that things may not always go as planned and I think you have to be somewhat flexible.

Sorry for the delay. I've sent everyone the template...please check your mail...=)

I wasn't sure which template you all wanted so I sent one to everyone who provided an email address...sorry in advance if you didn't want my version of the newsletter...=P

I LOVE your welcome letter! How did you make it????

Hello. Someone from Cruise Critic was kind enough to send me their template and I kinda modified it to my own needs. It is created in Publisher so you have to have the program to use the template I created.

If anyone would like the template please let me know what your email address is and I'll send a template out to everyone this weekend. Thanks.

Here is a pic of ours...