perakcruiser

I don´t know the answer but I recognized it also. It was really strange, I booked online and could choose basically from all cabins in the area, sent my brother a message with the cabin number so he can chose one next door. He tried one day later and said not one single cabin available. My guess is that consolidators bought all the tickets, what else could it be? But the tip with the phone agent is good, we needed another cabin and the MSC phone rep was able to get one for us. Not instantly, he told my "give me 24 hours" and then called the next day with success news.

I thought so also until I got this letter from a doctor. It was a company that provided this service especially for cruise line, I thought they will video monitor me, but I just needed to upload a photo from a negative test to get the letter. From your story I sounds to me that you did everything correct, the agent on the phone also and then the stuff was sent to the HQ in Italy and there it is.

But make sure you get a Prosecco and not Asti what the Italians usually use to mix with orange juice. Or maybe you will like Asti Orange, who knows :)

I only remember that some day they changed the Bistecca Fiorentina to a T-Bone steak (maybe anyway the same) and the lobster pasta. And that I never saw somebody order something from these cards 🙂 I was quite an active cocktail drinker during my student days, but the first time I heard about a drink called Mimosa was on cruisecritic.

As far as I know they plan to bring a ship back to China (Shanghai/Tianjin). And I am pretty surprised that it really works to send around the big Bellissima just for the Japan/Taiwan market. But they maybe will give up South Africa.

Probably, all my MSC cruises have been in Europe and Asia, one in the Caribbean (no US port, no lobster). And yes, even the upmarket European lines do not give out a lobster for free 😄 But I know the Lobster Night from Celebrity and have to say it is nothing worth writing a postcard to mom, had much better seafood on land.

Yes, their system had issues recently but since a few days it works again. But maybe not for your sailing, maybe you give them a call. "not available" does not mean "sold out". Internet and other "activities" will be more expensive on board, but certainly all is available. If you really cannot book any excursion before April 5, just go to the excursion desk on day 1, I am pretty sure that all excursions are still available and nothing is sold out.

They plan to have one bus for French, one for Spanish, German, Italian... English is always included as lingua franca. Sometimes they have not enough guests for a "Spanish bus", so they have to put the Spanish speakers on the English only bus. So "to be confirmed on board" is just a phrase the MSC lawyers put in so you cannot complain. Not relevant for English speakers apart from cruises in South America (I guess) or Japan/China.

Good, because lobster at gala night is not something you can expect at MSC, I never had it from 2011 to 2023 and will not have it in 2024😄 I know that on some ships at some times MSC did offer it, I only believe because I saw the photos.

Oh, we started cruising MSC in the same year! 🙂 And certainly this is true. But who expects MSC to address all these things we all know? I don´t and I think their success does not depend on this at all. Over the years so often I was thinking to leave them, but the others are usually not able to offer a product that matches MSC with the combination of quality, itinerary, value and reliability. Every year I try to book Costa, always they miss the final comparison. My only "problem" is that the 2024 prices are really much higher than before. Still I found no other option for the week in May I needed.

I have seen both on MSC ships. But I don´t know which version the World Europa has.

No, you will get the second code on paper. In theory, if the second person in the cabin has no internet, then I assume the second booking goes to him/her.

Normal. Kids usually have a much higher tolerance about low temperatures. The slides will be open and they will be used. But not from me, I wait and watch my kids slide as my tolerance for cold water and wind is extremely limited 😄

Yes. You just login at the laptop with the B&S credentials and at the cellphone with the Browse credentials. Absolutely no need to waste the money (a lot of actually) by waiting to book on board. If you need help, you get help anyway.

Experts from the wine industry will tell you that there is a quality difference between a $3 bottle of wine and a $10 bottle of wine, but there is no difference between a $20 and $200 in terms of quality. It really is only personal taste and the name of the winery and demand of cause. I do not see myself as wine expert, but I am able to tell you which is the MSC house wine Cab Sauv when blind tasting it with some $10 wines 🙂 But yes, if it comes to discern the $10 wine from the $50 wine, 9 out of 10 will fail. Or more 😄

Demand is too high, not enough ships. This is especially true for MSC, but also for others. The 20 years old Armonia is full most of the time in the Eastern (!) Med, asking now for prices unseen from MSC before outside summer holidays. Maybe the delivery of World America has ease the situation a little bit, at least for the US market. In Europe it is hopeless, Carnival took away so many ships from Costa and Aida, MSC cannot take all the guests 😄 Obviously on a 4 nights cruise the chance for the parties is 57.14 percent 🙂

Then make sure you choose one of the newer MSC ships, that is Meraviglia onwards. As usual there are not "many" options, but there is the buffet and the pool grill. Not much difference to what you are used to from other lines. The time frames for the shows are always set up in a way that they don´t clash with the dinner times, no matter how many seatings.

Orchestra Armonia Poesia Splendida Preziosa (my favorite ship) Meraviglia Armonia again Virtuosa Seaview Virtuosa again Musica (finally as Diamond) This year I hoped for the World Europa, but routing and pricing set us for a third round on Armonia 🙂

That is very kind of you and deserves a thumbs up instead of pummel. But what are you talking? Do you have any idea what a worker a McD, PizzaHut, Dominos, ..., makes a month in Jakarta or Manila? It is not $900, but $200 and no free pizzas or accommodation. And zero tips. 900 a month from which you easily can save 800 is a dream salary which is why so many Indos and Pinoys dream about a job at a (western) cruise line. But no Malaysians, almost no Thais. But with a monthly salary of $900 you are also extremely attractive on the marriage market in Indonesia and Philippines, that is why even these young folks are usually already married and have kids. That is the really brutal thing, not being able to see your wife and kids for many months, not what you consider a tiny salary.

No, it is Italian setup (sometimes in Spain also), that leaves other Europeans stunned and confused as you 😉

In my opinion it is pretty simple, you book Aurea because of the cabin (as Aurea is the only option to get one of the best cabins on the ship) and you book YC because of the experience. And you book the best cabins in YC to combine the two things 🙂 @texangal39 Congratulations, especially for the World Europa cruise. I hope you start in Naples, but anyway, do yourself a favor and some detailed research about the destinations to make this a really great experience.

Interesting! In other languages MSC uses a stronger language: "For this reason, MSC does not recommend tipping individual employees as we believe in equal opportunities for all." But your point #4 certainly is a good definition. If you want to make a personal gift to someone, it is not the business of the cruise line and anyway it does not hurt others. Certainly completely anti-social behavior would be to delete the DSC and give all the money to one person.

This is normal, but usually MSC adds more slots. Just check regularly before the cruise and then head straight to the excursions desks and try to book or get on the waiting list. If this fails, which I don´t think, then plan B. I don´t know. I always took the free port (not MSC) shuttle bus to town center. From there it is a 1,5 km walk to the train station. I would not count on any taxis, but Uber, Bolt and others are available if your parents can´t do the walk. Not sure if they are allowed to enter the port area. This I also don´t know. But for all of North Africa the answer "It depends on your negotiation skills" is never wrong. Speaking some French also helps. No, no, no! Amalfi coast is a totally different world, it is one of the best places of all Europe! Not just an ordinary beach. Great in April as well as November. Actually my first advice after many cruises in the Med, choose Naples as your starting or ending point. And then enjoy some days in the area that has so much to offer. If you like pasta, a visit to the pasta capital Gragnano is a must. On the ship on one or two nights MSC is generous and offers dishes with pasta from Gragnano in the MDR, in YC of cause you can have it every day. Go to Gragnano and buy some for home. Strolling along the „Sentiero degli Dei“ (path of the gods) is breathtaking. My mom had no problems at age 72, but if it is suitable for your parents you need to check. If not you still have the road trip from Salerno to Positano (and onwards to Sorrento for Capri). Whatever, yes, Pompeii and Naples itself, sure, great, a must, but don´t limit yourself to that. I would not be surprised if you rate at the end of your trip the Amalfi coast as No. 1 of all you have seen.

Maybe. But you will not know before arriving in Florence and look out for MSC staff in the airport. Child seat rules are indeed a problem (everywhere in Europe). Be prepared that you maybe only can use trains and local busses. Which is not a big thing, there is a bus from Florence airport to Pisa you can use and kids under 4 are free on this bus as well. MSC excursions can be done will kids and your little one is free here as well. If your ship departs at 8pm you should check in until 6 pm. If you arrive later then that, call them. Embarkation time in Livorno has zero meaning, you can show up anytime until 6 pm. Correct. Don´t be too optimistic that the baby will stay in the baby club alone the whole two hour slot 🙂 Yes, no problem. Here I would consider the MSC tour Aix and Avignon. Handle this individually is already a hassle without kids. If your budget allows you only one MSC tour on this trip, choose this one. By no means the pace of the MSC tour is too fast for the kids. No problem. My impression of Tunisia is that no one cares about the car seats there. Or any other driving rules. Yes, but all the Italian wines you will get in Naples also. Certainly also Barolo, Chianti, ... No use to buy them in Florence already. Allow me my harsh opinion that there are no local wines in Barcelona that are worth the hassle to be brought home. Of cause Marseille is different, I fully understand that you want to shop wine in France. The ship docks very close to the town center, there is a lot to see on a stroll that can easily be done with the kids, no need to plan anything. Beach in April is not really attractive.

As you know for most guests the daily gratuity is mandatory and even has to be paid before the cruise. Just US pax can theoretically remove it. Why is MSC doing so? Because US pax contrary to Europeans do not remove it. If they would, MSC would immediately make it mandatory also. The whole discussion is completely irrelevant, MSC collects the daily gratuity and collects the 18% extra service charge on board. If MSC allows certain nationalities to cancel the daily gratuity because they think these people will not, that is their risk, but surely they have the numbers to know how big this risk is.