8420PR

It looks like the old page, where (post covid) all cruises were offered with the 5+15% discount. It says valid through to March 31st 2022.

I would absolutely bring a costume and dress up for Halloween! I am fairly sure there will be a Halloween party. I've done a couple of Halloween cruises on MSC in the Mediterranean, and both times there were decorations and a party in the atrium. A few passengers wore Halloween costumes - perhaps one in 10 passengers - which probably reflects the fact that Halloween is a more low key event in Europe (compared to US).

I cannot blame MSC for trying to increase revenue, but I suspect this might have the opposite impact as it actively reduces the potential for pre-cruise spending (as a portion of customers cannot buy dining packages).

I don't see any dining packages for my cruise booked in Bella, but can see them for a later cruise on the same ship in Fantastica (plus one on a different ship). It is certainly a new change, and seems consistent with the MSC website (screenshot below):

I spent months wondering the same for my booking - but then realized the dining packages are only for those booked in Fantastica experience or higher. I cannot see any dining packages for my next cruise (Bella), but can see them for the one after (Fantastica).

Last December there was no specialty restaurant on MSC Armonia - the space previously used for Surf&Turf was just part of the normal restaurant. No idea if this was just the case for this particular cruise or permanently, but the MSC website doesn't list any specialty restaurants for all Lirica class ships: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/dining-drinks/dining-packages-specialty-restaurants We still ate well and had a great cruise.

MSC is selling single cabins on 3800 of 3977 cruises (per German website).

If it was me, I would just plan on using credit/debit cards and not converting cash into the local currency, especially if it just for a few hours in port. These days it is difficult to find a place that doesn't accept credit cards, especially in Europe where the interchange fees are regulated so accepting cards is often cheaper than accepting cash for the merchant. In case you do need cash, getting it from ATM's is normally cheapest. It might be worth applying for a credit/debit card with no ATM or foreign currency fees, if available to you in New Zealand, but even with fees a bank ATM is still typically cheaper than a foreign exchange shop.

MSC will not let passengers board that do not have the correct documents to enter the UK, even if staying on board. There are no special arrangements, and the UK Border Force has been doing some quite painful (long waiting times) spot checks since there was a newspaper story about 2 cruise passengers claiming asylum on arrival in UK. https://www.msccruises.com/int/manage-booking/before-you-go/travel-documents-visas

Assuming you booked Fantastica experience you can ask your agent for a one category upgrade: Unfortunately it is not automatically applied when the cabin is moved, and I think some TA are not aware of it.

The only way to pay onboard (e.g. at bars, restaurants, shops, spa etc) is to use your MSC cruise card. You cannot use your Revolut card apart from to settle the bill at the end of the cruise.

I'm enjoying your review. Greetings from Europe 🙂

I don't think the passport stamps matter. "An estimated 450,000 Israeli tourists have visited UAE in the last 2 years". from: https://www.businesstraveller.com/features/how-israel-and-the-uae-are-growing-their-tourism-links/ It is probably one of the safest countries to get on a cruise, with an intentional homicide rate 10% of the USA's.

At least the UK T&C make clear the adjustment is only downwards: "14.2 MSC Cruises has the right to assign another cabin for the Passenger, as long as it has similar characteristics. If there is a change in accommodation to a lower-priced cabin, the Passengers affected by such change will be entitled to a refund of the price difference, according to the current rates." Hopefully the US T&C mean downwards adjustments as well.

The only real benefit is extra on board credit (OBC) - for cruises at least 7 days you get between $50 OBC for an inside cabin to $200 OBC for a YC cabin.

On smart ships (Seaside, Meraviglia and World classes) you do NOT get a paper bill delivered to your stateroom - instead you can check on your phone, TV, information screen or at reception. On all other ships (Lirica, Musica and Fantasia classes) you will get a paper bill delivered to your room the evening before disembarkation. I have never had any exceptions to the above, and I much prefer the smart ships where I can use the screens or app as it is always up to date. But given the confusion here perhaps MSC need to explain it better.

Here you can find everything you are guaranteed to get when you book Yacht Club: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club But I think there is quite some flexibility and some ships will go further, I assume based on the YC Director, Hotel Director or maybe the regional office in the case of the US cruises. As an example, from my experiences: - the Seafood Extravaganza is unique to the Caribbean. - the free laundry or pressing you experienced is not on every ship. - on some ships we have had fresh flowers in our cabin, on other not. - on some ships the "bottle" and newspaper preference are taken during YC checkin, and on others the butler takes them onboard when he has time. - the restaurant menu is typically the same on all ships (in the Med/UAE at least), but the presentation/execution/taste can be totally different. Whereas Celebrity is sharing the recipe and presentation guide/ photos across all ships to standardize the offer, MSC is definitely not. - plus more small differences.... For me this represents part of the charm of MSC - employees (from the ships management down) are more empowered to provide you an enjoyable cruise, and not to just follow a pre-defined process like a machine. The downside is some things on your next cruise may be better, some different, and in a small number of cases worse than what you have experienced on MSC Seaside.

The voyagers club OBC (for booking more than 9 months in advance) doesn't stack with every single promo. For example the T&C for the discount fares using a 10% "corporate" discount explain that they are only stackable with the 5% discount, and not the 10% and $/€50 OBC discount.

I believe this varies ship to ship. E.g. On MSC Virtuosa we were able to have 4 items laundered with no charge (by asking our butler), but on MSC Seaview and MSC Bellissima it wasn't possible and nobody had heard of it.

Up to 2017 it was easy: The ships (Lirica, Musica and Fantasia classes) only had 2 sittings, so all you needed to decide was if you preferred dinner then show, or show then dinner. I enjoy the shows much more after a bottle of wine, so always did dinner and then the show. There were some regional differences in dining times, but generally the early dining time was no earlier than 1830. Then in May 2017 along came MSC Meraviglia. This was a ship designed with anytime dining for everybody. I think it lasted about 4 cruises and didn't work out, so then they went back to fixed dining times, but with up to 3 dining times to accommodate all passengers. Now: I want to eat between 1900 and 2000, but can still only choose early or late dining. If I choose early I get 1715, if I choose late I get 2130..... Luckily I have always been able to change to the dining time I want onboard.

We quite often board Mediterranean cruises with a bottle of wine or two in our suitcases, and have not had any issues. On one occasion suitcases were delivered as normal, but had a sticker of a wine bottle on one of them.

I offer 3 options: 1. A Celebrity Cruise: If you are fairly sure you will not like Europeans, then take a celebrity cruise. You can take photos of European places but be continually cocooned with fellow Americans and American culture/service/food/etc. Coffee Example: You can drink an iced latte with vanilla syrup anytime of the day. 2. A MSC cruise: If you want a more immersed taster of European life, but with some familiarity to what you know then take a MSC cruise. Americans will probably be less than 5% of the passengers, but all crew will be able to speak English and the service will be somewhat familiar. Coffee Example: You can drink a cappuccino any time of the day. 3. An Italian holiday: If you want to experience Italy then take a flight to North Italy (e.g. Milan), travel down by train through different towns/cities and fly back from Sicily (e.g. Palermo). Stay at a mix of luxury and cheap Italian hotels in big and small cities. Not a lot will make sense. In some restaurants you are meant to tell the waiter what you want to eat, but in others the waiter will tell you what to eat. Eat lots of food and drink lots of wine. Order antipasti, primi, secondo, dolci etc. Visit vineyards, churches etc. Communicate without words. Coffee Example: Ordering a cappuccino after breakfast is valid reason to be refused service. I recommend option 3, but my husband would certainly go for option 1 (and perhaps that is the more rational choice).

Do you have any example dates? I've previously booked 2 mistake fares - one was honoured and the second one the whole cruise was cancelled so I just took a refund.

We have done a 3 night repositioning from Shanghai to Tokyo in 2018. There were very few Americans or Europeans on board, which was reflected in the atmosphere on board. The shows and musicians were the same as you typically find on MSC, but in the evening we found the majority of people are more likely to be drinking green tea and retiring early than drinking cocktails and partying all night. The food was a combination of MSC classics and Asian dishes. I am considering some of MSC Belissima's 2024 Taiwan and Japan itineraries as part of a larger trip to Asia.

Looks like MSC made a mistake on your form... Below is mine from a cruise last week - the first column is yes