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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?

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Preziosa! I would love to hear what you find! In the MSC forum there are only 5 threads with Brazil in the topic title - quite amazing given the number of MSC ships operating there.

Thanks for all the input - very useful. Last year we visited Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza, spending around 5 weeks in Brazil. The time difference is only 4 hours to Central Europe Time, which makes it a good option for distance working compared to other countries in North and South America. I appreciate the warnings about crime - we took some basic precautions last year and would do again. Thanks Nunagoras, I think this is the main reason we are considering a cruise from Brazil. Your post has raised our expectations significantly! 🙂 The second reason is to get to places that are not so easy to access - for example this cruise going to Ilhabela, Ilha Grande and Buzios would be a much more comfortable than spending many hours in a minibus visiting these places.

I'm thinking about booking a MSC cruise from Brazil - what are the main differences compared to Europe and US? Are the menu's the same? What are the drinks prices? Anything else to be aware of? Is there a difference in the demographics of people cruising in Brazil (e.g. younger, older, families etc)? As background: we visited Brazil last year and had a great time, and want to go back early next year. This time we are thinking to include a short cruise. Last year we were also on Preziosa and Seaside on the last European cruises before they went to Brazil and the crew were all excited to be going.

I think one of the main reasons for the value is that it is priced for guests from Continental Europe (France, Spain, Italy, Germany etc). e.g. Antinori Peppoli Chianti is a €12 bottle of wine online in Europe. A bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut is €50 from supermarkets.

A crewmember told me last week there is a pilot on some ships where crew no longer need to wear masks.

I booked a 2 night cruise on Divina from Barcelona to Genoa in June 2023 a couple of months ago - will spend a few days n Barcelona before and then a few days in Italy after. For a summer cruise the price is very good.

Yes. I have booked a few 2 night cruises for next year and can see the €50 voyagers credit on my booking confirmation. I am a big fan of the short cruises 2 to 3 night cruises MSC offers in Europe during shoulder season, and the voyagers club credit makes it even better.

Back in 2018 I got a pen as a voyagers club gift, and there were also a few bad reviews of the YC then. I can't see any evidence of anything going downhill. On the food and drink, the YC has never been about eating luxurious food (e.g. caviar, foie gras) and drinking expensive wines (e.g. open a $100 bottle) all day. The menu, cooking, wine selection and service are a step up from the MDR, but we are not talking Michelin star quality here. I cannot say if $2400 is worth it to upgrade, but that is about what I would aim to pay for a YIN cabin in shoulder or off-season. If food and drink are the only or most important reasons to upgrade, I think you could get more bang for your buck eating in specialty restaurants and buying bottles.

Virtuosa will be in the Middle East (Dubai, Qatar etc) in winter 2023/2024.

Cashback sites are passing on the affiliate marketing commissions to consumers. How it works: - MSC uses an affiliate marketing company called "commission junction" (https://www.cj.com/) to place their advertising on the internet. (I'm sure they use others as well) - When a consumer clicks through the advert and makes a purchase, the website that hosted the advert receives a commission - either a percentage or a set fee. In the case of MSC I can only see the set fee model - about $30 to $40 per booking (regardless of cruise cost). You can see examples of this type of business on this page as it is part of the cruisecritic business model, - advertisements from doubleclick (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DoubleClick) are shown and TripAdvisor (who own cruisecritic) receive a commission when we book a cruise after clicking n an advertisement. It pays the bills so cruisecritic is free for us to use. The cashback sites tap into the same process, but skip the advert and offer a share of the fee to consumers when they click through the cashback website. The tracking and payment are not guaranteed, but when it works it is relatively easy money if you would have booked via MSC anyway.

£50 per person per night is quite typical for MSC in shoulder and off-season for less desirable cruises, and while it is certainly a decent price I wouldn't call it particularly unusual. The lack of single supplement is more rarely seen though. As always, you get what you pay for.

Did the email mention rebooking options?

The last bookable sailing in October is 16th October 7 day from Rome (ending on 22nd October in Rome), with the next one the 17th November from Genoa. I have the 2 day from Barcelona to Genoa booked on 27th October booked, but haven't heard anything yet.

The changes were made in May 2022, so any booking made in March 2022 would get the old voyagers promo - which did NOT include $50 OBC for all cruises booked more than 9 months in advance. You get the promo available when booking, and if a new promo appears you can always cancel and rebook if advantageous. Before May 2022: Only selected "voyagers cruises" received the additional discount and OBC for silver and above (regardless of when you booked). Typically these were older ships and less popular cruises. After May 2022: All cruises booked more than 9 months in advance are considered "voyagers cruises" and get 5+5% discount and $50 OBC for silver and above. Here is a thread discussing the changes: Edited to add: You are all correct that this is not clear on the MSC website, and I can see where the confusion comes from. Customers should not have to read the T&C to understand what they should receive.

The $50 credit for Silver, Gold and Diamond members when booking 9 months out only came into effect from May 2022 (this year), so any cruise booked before 1st May 2022 would not have the $50 credit (unless it was one of the previous voyager's specials).

The third party is called plusgrade (https://www.plusgrade.com/) who make the technology available to MSC (and many other companies) in return for a commission on successful bids. MSC is deciding how the technology is used - e.g. minimum bids, who gets the emails etc. I noticed MSC have also recently started using a company called SaleCycle (https://www.salecycle.com/) to send follow up emails to "complete your booking" - again on a similar logic that the company providing the technology will take a commission (either fixed or percentage), with MSC deciding how it is used.

Does this mean you will accept the cancellation and not cruise on MSC?

The $50 onboard credit for Silver, Gold and Diamond members is now only for any cruise booked 9 months in advance. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club