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Overall we had a great cruise - it was a pleasant way to spend Christmas and get to Argentina to continue our holiday. I would happily book another cruise from Brazil, but with the following considerations (for me): - cruising from Brazil is more expensive than cruising in the Med or Caribbean. MSC seem able to charge high prices in South America - especially as I couldn't find any cruises with a drinks package included. I think it is difficult to justify cruising here just for the ship. - cruising from Brazil is more expensive compared to a land vacation there (which is the opposite of Europe or US). All this means that whereas from Miami or Barcelona I would spend 2 nights in a hotel and then 7 nights on a cruise, I think I would do the opposite in Brazil. For next year I'm looking for either another repositioning cruise, or one to Ilhabela, Ilha Grande or Buzios that would be much more pleasent to visit on a cruise ship compared to 6 hours in a minibus.

Some information on the ports: Itajai: We boarded here. We flew into Navegantes airport and landed at 22:30 in the evening, we then took an uber to the river ferry, took the ferry across the river and then walked to our hotel. Brazilians we talked to beforehand didn't recommend this, but it seemed like most people on the flight did the same thing and the alternative would have been more than 1 hour in a car going to the nearest bridge. The location shown on MSC etickets was incorrect - it showed we should go to the tourist pier. Instead check-in took place at the convention centre and we were then bussed to the ship in an industrial port. We queued for 1 hour to get into the convention centre, but was then checked in and on the bus in about 10 minutes. Passports were handed in on boarding and picked up the evening before disembarkation. Punta Dell'Est: This was a tender port and MSC used both local tender ships and MSC Armonia's tender boats. The weather was very pleasant, but with relatively big waves it was good to see some good seamanship skills from the crew that we passengers don't normally see. We just walked around, saw the sights, went to the beach and had something to eat. Buenos Aires: It was painless disembarking here - with the only formality being putting our luggage through an x-ray for customs.

Overall the type of passengers were the same as the Med - a mix of young people, couples, families and older people trying to have a good time. We didn't hear anyone else talking English among themselves - it was either Portuguese or Spanish. All staff spoke English, but some announcements were Portuguese and Spanish only. For example, in the theatre the cruise director didn't say anything in English. Sometimes we had no idea what was happening, but went with the flow and didn't have any problems. The staff we interacted with were friendly, and despite some typical MSC hiccups and misunderstandings I am sure that all staff just wanted us to have a good holiday and acted accordingly. The shows were definatley not adapted for Brazil, as almost all songs were in English. I thought the quality of singing was not the best I have seen on MSC, but after enough wine they were entertaining.

Here are some menus. It was a combination of typical MSC dishes, Brazilian specialties and I think the "always available" is upgraded compared to Med cruises (I thought salmon was replaced by white fish and steak removed in the Med). The Christmas menu was wonderful. The steak tagliata (from the always available section) was also very good. Overall, it was typical MSC food and service. Some hiccups along the way, but overall a pleasant experience.

I bit the bullet and booked a 3 night cruise on MSC Armonia from Itajai to Buenos Aires over Christmas, so can answer the questions I had in case it helps others. Firstly, here is the drinks menu. The Easy drinks selection is expanded with some Brazilian specialties, and the prices looked roughly comparable to Med cruises (perhaps a bit cheaper). We pre-purchased the easy package and had a great time. One curiosity as mentioned by rool is the system of queuing at the side of the bar for the server to input your order, getting a receipt, and then handing it to the bar staff to make for you. I have never seen this on any other MSC cruise - where you are mostly served at your table or you can go to the bar as a last resort. I am not sure if this is Brazil specific or MSC brazil specific, but on the first day it seemed to only be me that was confused by it. QR_BF_APERITIF-AND-WINE-BAR_OTHER_DAYX_EN_1671839589.pdf

It is scheduled as a sea-day, between Bridgetown (Barbados) and St Georges (Granada). I guess the sea day is not required because of the distance between ports (it is just 150 miles), so perhaps just off St Lucia was the best place for the ship to spend the time?

I suspect it is more about the blogger trying to make more revenue from youtube by getting more views. Everyone does ship reviews and video tours, but it is the controversial stuff that gets the clicks and makes the money.

To save anyone listening from watching the video, I summarized it below: The blogger boarded in San Juan at a crew only gangway. At the top of the gangway a security person dealing with an incident shouted at people to move out the way, the blogger didn't move out the way in time so the security member touched him to move him out the way and ran past to deal with the incident. No pain, injuries or bruising was mentioned by the blogger. Guest services offered an apology, and said they would inform the dept head. The blogger is upset that he received no compensation from either guest service or MSC customer service. I think it is valid for Stockjock to share this, and I'm sure everyone will have a different reaction and opinion. My opinion is it shouldn't even be considered an incident, and more a way for the blogger to increase revenue from youtube.

This time last year: - there was a separate area for YC at the far end of the beach - you will be driven by golf cart to and from the YC area, or you could walk. - the YC beach had comfortable loungers - butlers provided drinks service. - food was a dedicated buffet area, with barbeque meat and seafood, salad and desserts. - the atmosphere was more relaxed than the rest of the beach. Overall, yes it is somewhat unremarkable (compared to the best beaches in the world), but still a very pleasant day on a cruise where there other ports are large cities.

My experience has been the Gala night is planned around the homeport. E.g. this summer on Bellissima the Gala night was the evening before Genoa, as the homeport was Valencia.

The ships currency will be Euros, but I'm sure your steward will happily accept a tip in USD as well 🙂

I quite like the cruises where people embark and disembark at each stop - as the number of passengers boarding at each port is lower (i.e. not the full ship trying to get off or on) it is a much more efficient and relaxed boarding than Miami. If you look at the itinerary maps on the MSC website you can identify the official start/finish port by the star, in case you are interested. The show and dinner schedule will still be based on this, and I think the majority of passengers board there as it is typically a Saturday or Sunday.

My guess is that if there are still visa requirements then World Europa will not make the Dammam stop. Last year I was booked on MSC Virtuosa from Dubai and the Dammam stop was cancelled the whole season (though typically the schedule was changed relatively last minute for each cruise). I wouldn't recommend paying anything for a Saudi visa at this point in time.

In Europe I think it is rare for additional OBC to be offered by Travel Agents - instead they either compete on service or price. The TA I use is more price focused and gives a 10% discount on all MSC cruises, but they do charge a booking fee and service fees if you want to make changes after booking.

Or just take the train from Genova Piazza Principe station to Milano Centrale - probably faster and more comfortable than the bus. The bus takes you to Milano Lampugnano, which is quite a way outside the city centre.

Earlier this year I got a covid test from a pharmacy across the street from the Hilton Copacabana for BRL80. At that time most pharmacies offered tests, as many people (including me) needed them to fly home, so we just went to the nearest. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Farmácia+Pague+Menos/@-22.9647616,-43.1814086,17z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1sFarmácia+Pague+Menos!3m5!1s0x9bd555b36b8f9f:0x8d109f99b3d67230!8m2!3d-22.9652053!4d-43.1772385!15sChVGYXJtw6FjaWEgUGFndWUgTWVub3MiA4gBAVoXIhVmYXJtw6FjaWEgcGFndWUgbWVub3OSARZwaGFybWFjZXV0aWNhbF9jb21wYW554AEA

Is MSC Seascape the same as MSC Seashore? Is Robotron the only difference?

On the ships with the "MSC for Me" app I have never received a printed invoice on the last day in the cabin, I assume this is because we check on the app. On ships without the app I have always received the printed invoice on the last day. My experience is the $50 credit always appears on the booking confirmation a few days after booking. In some cases it appeared for me and not my husband, as his voyagers club number wasn't on the booking - easily fixed by asking MSC to add his voyagers number. Onboard the credit always shows up in the app, though sometimes only from the second day.

I couldn't find any nudist cruises, but I found RCCL, Celebrity and Azamara all have charters next year for swingers and sex cruises (similiar, but very different from nudist cruises). https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=4040&stay=1&posfrom=1

Indochine is my favourite specialty restaurant on MSC, though have only eaten there once and was probably drunk. I'm even considering booking a short cruise on Virtuosa and putting up with the moaning Brits/Germans and bad weather to go back to Indochine. Otherwise I always look forward to Butchers Cut, and have never been disappointed.

Attitudes to nudity vary greatly across the world. In the country I live in it is considered unhygienic to wear swimming trunks in the sauna and spa area, so everyone (men and women) is naked.

It looks like MSC Magnifica is now scheduled to come to US in November 2023 - the first bookable cruise from Miami is 20th November 2023. MSC Bellissima is still only scheduled through to the end of March 2023. Personally I think it will stay in Europe - just based on the prices MSC charge I think there is more revenue to be made during European summer (compared to the Caribbean).

It is still available: https://www.msccroisieres.fr/nos-croisieres/navires/msc-splendida/itineraires?departureDateFrom=28%2F11%2F2022&departureDateTo=26%2F11%2F2025&passengers=2|0|0|0&embkPort=SGA&ships=SP&kwkuniv=P4E9D756054B100-ccp4e9d756054b1f1-MTgwMDNiMzE2NTA%3D&packages=CruiseFlight It is just the 4th Dec sailing, and includes flights from Paris. Cheapest price is now €360 for an inside cabin (including flights and cruise, but excluding service charge). The flight appears to be a charter, so I assume MSC France are just trying to fill unsold seats that they have already paid for.

Did you book the Black Friday special - €299 for 7 days on MSC Splendida including flights from Paris? I thought that was quite a deal and was very tempted to book. Out of interest, which airline are the flights on? I tried looking for direct flights from CDG, but couldn't find any. I'm interested in the timings, as that is what stopped me from booking. But yes - the return flight tickets will remain valid even if they don't let your parents board the ship in Safaga. You have booked a package tour so the tour operator (MSC) remains responsible for getting you home. If I was in your position I would get a multiple entry e-visa for your parents, as with that I doubt you will be denied boarding. You could also cancel, as MSC the visa requirements were not clear when you booked: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/holidays/package-travel/index_en.htm#shortcut-2

Wow that's very different to all the other MSC cruises I have taken (in the Caribbean, Europe and Middle East). I've never seen paper cups and plastic glasses (apart from the pool bar) onboard. Did you have a drinks package? How much did a beer cost onboard?