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I'm a bit surprised by this, because it looks like the Bellissima is selling well, I would have thought they'd have a bit more of a plan in place by now. Not much news about MSC out of the area, but I did see this article that's perhaps illuminating about the process that MSC follows in the area: https://www.portstrategy.com/ps-directory/taiwan-international-ports-corporation/homeport-cruise-season-kicks-off-at-keelung-with-dual-homeport-voyages-by-msc-bellissima/1490777.supplierarticle > An understanding reached with MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato to consider Taiwan for currently open routes led to the decision to open 30 cruise voyages (60 calls) for MSC Bellissima at Port of Keelung this year It kinda reads like Taiwan made a push to bring MSC into the area more frequently, that it wasn't MSC leading that charge. So perhaps that means MSC is getting some sort of incentives to bring the Bellissima to Keelung more often? Overall just seems like MSC is still figuring things out in Asia.

In a real emergency, this is how it would go. I appreciate that it seems like MSC is the only line that's trying to prepare passengers for what the actual experience might look like (i.e. elevators are down, there's a crush of people trying to board lifeboats, etc.).

On our last Aurea sailing, we had only shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

Is this an issue with just your specific booking or is the cruise itself canceled? What notice did you get from MSC?

Presumably the reason the Virtuosa canceled even this Barcelona-London cruise is because MSC is leaving the Middle East with a skeleton crew and won't rehire most of their staff until they reach London. In the case of the Toscana, that April 15th sailing out of Barcelona will already be well into its new rotation. I think there's less likelihood that it is canceled.

I have only seen soft serve available one time, I just never seemed to be in the buffet when they were serving it. My recommendation to everyone is to simply buy gelato from the several locations selling it. It's only a few bucks. Just go in assuming that if you want ice cream, it's going to be a few dollars a day extra.

Lots of reviews of these cabins on the Facebook groups (i.e. "MSC Euribia Forum" and "MSC Euribia Cruisers … Past, Present and Future")

Many reviewers of the aft aurea suites complaining about noise on deck 9 because a speaker vibrates against the room. But deck 10 and above are apparently not impacted by the sound from the Carousel Lounge. I can't speak to the noise from the Marketplace Buffet.

I should clarify: our experience on both the Seashore and Seascape is that the kids were broken up by age, but there were just quite a few kids in an age group.

Any other cruises you could try? Costa has a sailing out of Palma that day. It's fairly to get from Barcelona to Palma. Obviously you need another one-way flight in the mix but maybe that's the best way to salvage this trip?

It might be partially a function of space, but also probably staffing levels and even the whims of the kids-club director on a particular ship factor in. Basically, I expect your mileage may vary. Best bet tho is to ask the schedule for the week and try to work around that.

Kinda the same, depending on the time of day. We dropped off our kids during a popular port stop, and our kids had the kids club to themselves and were able to play with legos and even got some prized time with the game consoles. But during dinner and sea days they pretty much usher the kids around from group activity to group activity. I think it's the only way they can efficiently handle a larger number of kids.

You can follow the current Seashore cruise director on Instagram (@endrigo_martin). He posts frequently on Facebook in the "MSC Seashore Cruisers … Past, Present and Future" group. Just recently posted the following: Hello Dear guests! Your Cruise Director here Endrigo Martin! Here are the theme nights for our 7, 4 and 3 day cruises! 7 Day Glow Party Tropical night Sunshine (70s and 80s) Silent party Rock night White Party Pop hits 4 Day Glow Party Tropical night White Party Sunshine (70s and 80s) 3 Day Glow Party White Party Sunshine (70s and 80s) 1 Gala/formal/elegant night on the 7 day cruises.

I've had trouble with the reps on the phone, because they don't know how to override the system. But still probably the best bet. I'll try the hang-up-and-try-again approach if I get a rep that can't help.

Maybe I wasn't explaining correctly, the Meraviglia-class YC connecting rooms aren't available unless you have 4 passengers. If you specify 1-3 passengers, these rooms won't show up as available.

I would like to book connecting YC cabins on the Virtuosa for 5 people in total (with 3 younger kids), but (and this is a common problem in any class of cabin with MSC) the only connecting cabins in YC are for 4 people, meaning I'd need 8 total in my party to be able to book the 2 connecting cabins. Adjoining cabins do not work for us, we need connecting. How do folks work around this? Is this something MSC customer service would handle?

That's not correct. The cruise lines charge what they can charge. Regardless of the amenities onboard. In Disney's case, the simplest explanation for why consumers continue to pay Disney prices, is that people will stand in line for an hour on a short 3-day cruise just to get a photo with a Disney princess. The brand appeal is that strong with Disney. But for anyone that's not a Disney fanatic, their prices are absurd.

I've been on the Seascape sold out BTW, and it's manageable. First day the buffet is bonkers, then things settle down. I would probably only sail Aurea or Yacht Club to have the private enclaves, but I don't think you'll have any trouble finding quieter spaces if you're willing to walk around a bit.

I didn't look into your specific sail dates, but it's been pretty common for the Seascape to be sailing completely sold out.

We did Concierge on the Wish, thought it was wildly overpriced / significantly less value than MSC Yacht Club. One and done with Disney Cruise Line for us. Also agreed that Royal with Icon is ludicrous. A non-suite option for our family isn't much cheaper than a 1-bedroom Concierge stateroom on the Wish on a per-day basis.

Not many threads about sailings out of South America, even with MSC running 5 ships down there this winter. I'm not seeing many posts on Facebook either... are folks using other social media sites or message boards to discuss MSC cruises below the equator? Curious about the New Years cruise on the Grandiosa. Wondering where the ship docks at Copacabana, for instance.

Hey, whatever works, right? 😅

Definitely reading some better reviews for Seashore after their awful start in Port Canaveral. Glad they've figured things out.

Just the Seascape moving to Galveston, or will they add a 2nd ship there as well? I can't imagine there's enough variety of itineraries that are possible to accommodate 2 ships.

Exactly, the name would make no sense without the spa package.