Mathguy42

MSC DOES NOT HAVE A NO TIPPING POLICY. They discourage the soliciting of tips by their staff. Nowhere does it say that tipping is prohibited.

and nowhere is it encouraged...

Tipping in Europe is not the norm, nor is it expected in most cases. Restaurants typically charge a 12.5% service charge so coining up is the norm.

MSC has a No Tipping policy and already a $12,50 per day service charge per person added. I would say our personal tipping above and beyond that would depend on the level of personal service received... Most Yacht Club passengers choose that option for the experience of NOT having to carry cash.

We booked an all-day excursion --independently of the cruise line---that will both hold our luggage securely AND drop us off at our destination. I'm sure you can do this whether it's the airport or elsewhere you're going...

Many thanks!

Many thanks! This is helpful.:)

We got ours already for a Sept 5th cruise. Our friends, sailing on same cruise, have yet to get theirs. Friday will be 20 days out so let's hope by then.

I'm considering maybe getting an internet package for our upcoming cruise of the western Mediterranean on the Fantasia. I have an iPad and smartphone. This would just be for e-mails and uploading photos. Any tips, suggestions appreciated. Do I really need the bigger of the two packages on offer? Thanks!

Just wondering if there's anywhere to find price lists for onboard store items such as brand apparel, fragrances, souvenir gifts etc. We are sailing the Mediterranean next month on Fantasia. I see lots of drink and other menus posted but not these? Could not find anything on MSC website. Thanks!

So the $12.50 per day is automatic and anything above that is discretionary, meaning basic tips are already included? But if you want to tip more you can do so? I thought MSC website said otherwise?

I';d like to suggest to CruiseCritic.com that you operate a separate page for MSC Seaside since most of the recent posts are about that ship and MSC is so much more than Seaside?

Seems that MSC has differences among all of its ships for same experiences, and it seems to depend on the location? So Yacht Club on Fantasia (Mediterranean) will have some differences to Yacht Club on Seaside (Caribbean) (e,g crepes included, but only one time thermal suite access?). I've also noticed differences in pricing for photography packages etc amongst the different ships and locations? Will try to review September cruise on MSC Fantasia...:cool:

This September cruise will be our first with MSC; just wondering if they schedule FOD gatherings or not?

we have a stop in Genoa also and are using a variety of online resources to research what's available including viator dot com and get your guide dot com, both of which offer better prices than ship excursions, and also get better reviews. Hope that helps and have fun planning your shore trip!

We're sailing on the Fantasia in September ex Barcelona. Got quoted $180 for 50 print photos on one of the few packages they are offering so it looks like the photo packages vary from ship to ship and location since Caribbean $99 package for 100 pics is much better value.

We're booked on an MSC cruise ex Barcelona in September and are being quoted $180 for 50 "printed photos." Says nothing about digital copies. I don't see a $99 package anywhere so maybe it's a different deal for the Mediterranean itineraries than is for the Caribbean ones?

Food is a highly subjective topic. Ask 10 people about the same dish and be prepared for 10 different responses. For this reason I won’t spend too much time on it. Overall I found the food on Seaside to be adequate but nothing special. There were some standouts, like steak, pastas, deserts, and bread. I found all those to be fairly exceptional especially the steak we enjoyed in Butcher’s Cut one evening. The variety could sometimes be lacking and other more American-centric lines do offer more nightly choices on the menu. None the less no one will starve and you could always find something that interested you. Within the Yacht Club, we enjoyed our own restaurant that was open seating and available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Essentially you dine when you want (within the open hours) and with whom. Funny enough, we ended up dining at the same 2 to 3 tables the entire cruise, always in Arthur’s section who was one of the best and most entertaining waiters in all my years of cruising. Wow did we luck out getting him our first night onboard, although I’m sure the other Yacht Club waiters were exceptional as well. Other options within the Yacht Club were a small buffet adjacent to the Top Sail Lounge bar, and the Grill up on Deck 19 by the pool. I enjoyed the fresh grilled specialities at the Grill, yes even lobster and lamb chops, but oddly enough if I wanted a simple burger I had to dine in the more former indoor restaurant or go to the general buffet for the ship. My cravings for a burger did lure me more than once to the Marketplace Buffet, where I found them pretty good along with excellent fries. In the main buffet we never had a problem finding a seat and the option to sit outside was welcomed in great weather. Towards the back of the buffet they had dispensers for soda, beer, and wine. All automated. Just wave your card or wrist band over the control panel and it would activate. Because we were in the Yacht Club all our beverages were included, but were they not you would have been charged at that point. One feature MSC has deployed to gain market share in North America is a status match program. Before your cruise just submit your highest status at a cruise line or hotel chain, and MSC will match it. My Elite status on Princess was matched with Black on MSC, currently their highest level. This entitled us to a complimentary dinner in a speciality restaurant. We chose Butcher’s Cut being steak lovers, and we were not disappointed. It was an excellent dinner beginning to end. Another favorite option sometimes after dinner or even in the afternoon was Venchi the chocolate bar onboard. Many chocolate items (such as the chocolate ships) are made right onboard, and it’s fun to watch them getting made. There is even a wall of chocolate, although it was never working the entire cruise. My favorite was a chocolate/strawberry milkshake made with their excellent gelato. Just decadent especially with the fresh and real whipped cream on top. The best part, it was all included being part of the Yacht Club. Service generally goes hand and hand with any dining experience, so I’ll mention that overall I found the service to be excellent. This was especially true in the Yacht Club where everyone was beyond polite and helpful, and always seemed willing to do whatever it took to make you happy. Around the rest of the ship service was great as well, with a crew that smiled and generally seemed happy to assist you. Another nice feature of the Yacht Club was our own Concierge Desk. They basically handled any request, so there was never a need to wait in the line at the general Guest Services or Shore Excursion desks.

It looks like MSC allows embarkation at most ports on its Mediterranean cruises? Just wondering how this works in terms of roll calls and so on?

Thanks for the responses. Our cruise is next September.

No, we are not worried about the political situation. If it's not resolved by then we plan to go ahead unless the cruise is canceled by MSC. We've been to southern Spain many times but this will be our first time in Barcelona. Very much looking forward.

On our disembarkation day, we have a 3pm check in at a rental apartment. We are looking for luggage storage options as the apartment owner uses an agency to hand over and cannot guarantee safe luggage storage. Not looking to end an excursion at the airport and wonder if there are any downtown options? Or port options at MSC?

We are disembarking Barcelona and wonder if MSC will hold luggage safely until 3pm even though disembarkation is early morning? Has anyone any experience taking a disembarkation day shore excursion with MSC? How did that work out with your luggage, drop-off areas, etc?

You get a container of shampoo and body soap, even in Aqua Class. How egalitarian. Aurea class has its own personal toiletries. Go figure, I just can't figure that Yacht Cuib is supposed to be the best ship-in -a shop experience. with this kinds of deal. Oh wait, you can BUY branded Italian toiletries on board! Whyever didn't I think of that? Now that might have something to do with it,

That is awesome, and certainly tips the scale for us in favor of going on MSC Yacht Club. Thanks for your responses!

Looking at the MSC Yacht Club i have a deal-breaker question. Do you get charged the 15% service charge per beverage on this so called all-Inclusive experience?

yes this is also on the agenda. Turkish Air now offer direct flights to Istanbul that are much more reasonable than flights to Rome. It doesn't look like we will end up cruising with you but enjoy your cruise and thanks for the heads-up!

We are narrowing down some choices. We want to visit the Greek islands, especially Santorini, as that has been on our bucket list for a while. We've been to Istanbul before and loved it, but so far we are down to Celebrity out of Venice or Rome. The Venice one is with Pied Piper which gets excellent reviews as an organizer. The Rome one is not a gay or gay escorted cruise but has a stop in Sicily which also intrigues us. We are looking at late August or September 2016 so it's way to early to make a decision and we'll see if any specials come up over the next few months. We usually do 2 or 3 nights near port of departure/arrival before and after each cruise.

We are planning an eastern Mediterranean cruise for 2016. A big attraction is the Classical/ Historical sites we get to visit. I was just wondering if Celebrity offers an enrichment program on their Mediterranean cruises, for example historians or classical art experts who provide lectures about the next port of call? If anyone has any experience of this I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences, quality, level of exposure etc. Also usually, are those lectures scheduled for evenings, so that they don't clash with day excursions, as they do on some other lines? Thank you.