MaisonRose

On 10/15/2023 at 3:53 PM, vandals04 said:

Not until 8/2024 so we have plenty of time until final payment but the price has increased and there doesn't seem to be any studios available anymore.

You know what? I think that you got reeled in on a good fare & MSC is looking for a booking at the higher price.

During a sale I got a $695 BL2 balcony adjoining our friend’s cabin (we booked together). Then about a month ago we were changed to non adjacent cabins one deck higher & under the swimming pool.

So they sold our premium location to someone else at a higher price.

you can imagine how😡 I am.

sailing Nov 9      10 days Marseille to Luxor.

On 10/15/2023 at 3:46 PM, joe/jack said:

What does MSC allow you to bring on

board? Water,Soda ect: 

Almost nothing, not even water! When you disembark after your cruise you will definitely feel that you’ve been “nickeled & dimed “ to death.

Not very classy in that sense.

Susan

My only experience with this was Seascape last Dec, which made as many stops as a Greyhound bus.

Muster Drill was virtual but they did check that you did the visit to your Station.

😇  Susan 

Yes, thank you for correcting my mistake. It is indeed listed under internet: scroll down to Others.

Sorry.

Susan

On Seaview last Dec plus onward NOV 9. Website has a package of washing…stuff 20 or 40 items in a bag with list: it comes back clean & folded. My experience was very good with that.

The package is listed under Spa Experiences, strangely.

Susan

On 10/7/2023 at 9:13 PM, carolgeno said:

Web page for MSC Cruises states "Limited Time Offer" Drinks and Wi-Fi Included and up to $200 onboard credit.  When I booked my cruise no one asked me about this and I completely forget about it.  When I remembered I called MSC backed and requested this offer I was told that it costs hundred of dollars.  I have used this offer many times in the past and it was free.  To me when it states included that means it is included in the cruise price.  They are telling me no and I disagree.  Would love to hear your opinion.  I did talk to a supervisor was told it was not free.  I requested a call again tomorrow.  Again to me included me included in price not an extra fee.  

NCL has been pulling that trick, too.

3 hours ago, chobo2 said:

Hi

 

I am looking at MSC cruises but hearing mixed things about it. I been on Holland America and NCL and loved both of them. 

 

I am looking at a cruise that would be on the "MSC MERAVIGLIA" and I got some questions of what is included and not included.

 

I see it has things like bowling allies, some rope walk and think a water slide. Is that all extra costs?

 

When going through the booking you can upgrade to some "Fantastica" package what includes "Specialty restaurants package exclusive pre cruise offer.".  Yet it does not tell me what it means. Is it like NCL where you get a couple times to go into the Specialty restaurants free of charge?

 

Two ports of call is Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve Bahamas and Nassue Bahamas.

 

I am not sure if these are like private beaches for the cruise line but how does it work? Is food there included or do you have to go back to the ship or pay? If you got the drinks package do you get drinks included? If you don't have the drinks package are there some basic drinks like juice and water?

 

I trying to figure out how that all works.

 

On the drinks package, I seen some offers that include it, yet it doubles the price of the cruise. I know on NCL I could deselect that but it won't let me on MSC. Is that no possible?

 

Finally I am not sure if this is a thing or if it is on all cruise lines but I remember I could book on NCL website and then move my booking to say Costco travel later and get their bonuses and the bonuses from NCL. Can that be still done?

 

 

 

A really comprehensive look would be the YouTube VLOGS, just by searching MSC. BON VOYAGE.

16 hours ago, sambamama said:

If you can come in on the day for a NYC sailing and don't have to worry about hotel costs, then NY is OK. But Fort Lauderdale hotels are cheap compared to NYC ones!!!  But you must also think about what time of year it is.  I've sailed from the NJ port in March, and you lose a good day and 1/2 of good weather each way.  I would rather fly to FL and have the 3 days of good weather, thank you very much. It's actually easier for me to fly to Fort Lauderdale or Miami than to get to NYC or Boston as my town has a bus tyrant that has locked up mass transit and it is very difficult to easily get to Boston or NYC with luggage.  The local airport is only 30 minutes away.  I can actually get to JFK via mass transit much easily than Logan, which is almost impossible.  That's crazy -considering Logan is 90 minutes away.  I used to do Park and Fly hotels for Boston, but they have priced those out of the market if you are gone more than a week, and I don't have friends willing to drive me and pick me up.  The long term parking is outrageous.  I can find friends to take me to the local train station, so I take the train to NYC because I can't take the train to Boston.  (ridiculous, I know!)

Amazing, isn’t it ! Each case is weird. I can fly from Marseille to Edinburgh for half the price of a car from my village to Marseille port, 60min drive. That car avoids a lift to RR, train to downtown & taxi to port.

It appears that once a cruise port is established all other services skyrocket.

I like the OP mentioning TAMPA which is more appealing than Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

20 hours ago, RD64 said:

@MaisonRose I was also booked on the NYC crossing and literally had to cancel at the last minute. It truly broke my heart. I have sailed HAL from NYC to Rotterdam and from Lisbon to Boston, and would welcome more of these East Coast crossings as well.

 

At present I am looking at a November Lisbon to NYC crossing on Norwegian. Although I have no desire to go with Norwegian - the NYC disembarkation suits me for a variety of reasons. Sadly the HAL Barcelona to Florida - leaving a few days later is not as convenient for me.

 

I would personally like to see a crossing to /from NYC  / Boston with the possibility of the Florida pre / post option. 

My husband nixed Rome-NYC on NCL GEM on Dec 4 since we sail Nov 9 to Egypt and finish that trip NOV 29. I hate the 12 hr flight back to DC, but he does have a point.

On 9/20/2023 at 2:50 AM, rafinmd said:

Would you consider Amtrak's Silver Service from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale?  I think there are things like the Voyage of the Vikings from Boston that might also be possibilities.

 

Roy

I did do that train trip (I love trains) and heard the click and clack for days) but I wouldn’t let that stop me except the fare.

11 hours ago, 0106 said:

I would LOVE a HAL ship to cruise from the port of Baltimore.  I think the proximity to BWI with many Southwest flights would be an advantage.  I wonder if the Vista class ships would fit under the bridge?  I prefer them to the Rotterdam class because we like a standard verandah cabin.

I see that Carnival Legend is doing a TA from Baltimore to Barcelona in April but dare I take that ship?

Here is the clearance on the Bay Bridge:

Each span features: Two main spans over the bay's two shipping channels: A 3,200-foot (975 m) long suspension section over the western channel with a maximum clearance of 186 feet (56.7 m) at the 1,600-foot (490 m) main span—high enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels and tall ships.

I confess that I don’t know any ship’s requirements.

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

I did fly into Newark once for a HAL sailing out of Manhattan. It was a very easy ride over to the piers. 
I did use the HAL transfer, but then I almost always do. 
Hi Ruth:

Last spring we sailed RCI out of Bayonne & EWR is about as close as you can get to a port BUT the traffic at that NJ TURNPIKE EXIT was quite congested since there are a lot of tractor trailers using those roads. Still it was pretty easy (tho slightly less so than FLL).

22 hours ago, rafinmd said:

True, although not much of a view from Brooklyn and even less than Bayonne.  Manhattan has also gotten quite busy with only 3 available berths, and I think getting a non-routine sailing in there is not always available.

 

Roy

We were certainly nonplussed on our Queen Mary arrival in Brooklyn in Dec 2021 & I’d think twice about using that location again. It was about out of the way as an industrial port can get.

Last Spring we were really excited that the Rotterdam was sailing out of New York, an easy train ride from our Maryland home. Booked & ready to go and then emergency surgery stopped us in our tracks. I adore HAL & I am never as happy on other lines, and we…are high status. But as we advance in age the trip to Florida has become a big and expensive slog. The overnight hotels in Fort Lauderdale must be the worst value in the USA, and that’s after the flight: going to Florida pre-cruise adds over $500 to the cost.

So missing the Rotterdam’s one-off New York-Rotterdam sailing was heartbreaking and I’m wondering if there are others out there who would welcome NYC or east coast departures? I looking forward to comments from fellow HAL fans.

Thank you.

Susan

Be sure to do some last minute checking just in case. I’m going to recheck at two weeks out and again at one week  & again the day before my Nov 9 trip.

in any case I have had five vaccinations and always keep the proof in my document case.

Also a foreign country might suddenly decide that they want proof.

Here in France I’m scheduled for a jab on Oct 20. The govt has just announced the new program.

On 9/17/2023 at 5:55 PM, VernRDH said:

Thanks.  I have tried multiple times but it doesn't come up. 🤔 I verified that my information is correct and I logged in but nothing shows. Is it possible there is a delay due to us booking late on Friday afternoon? Again haven't used a TA in forever so unsure of how this works.

My first MSC booking did the same thing. UNTIL I was looking at the confirmation from my TA and the booking number was a link to MSC.

DONT know why, but you might try that.

On 9/1/2023 at 10:04 PM, busterboo said:

Is anybody going on a MSC cruise from South Wales that can buy some Med by MSC fragrance for me. It would be much appreciated as my wife loves it and I would like to surprise her.

Many thanks

J

Sorry to ask but what is Med by MSC?

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 a cable lock device that we routinely use to secure luggage to part of the train. 

 

Hank

Great idea. I got some on TEMU my new favorite on line store. Just got a set of AirTags for our upcoming trip to Egypt, too. Those cruise luggage tags with cable saved me: mine was still on the bag with my (French ) cell # which is how we got back together!

i spent a ten day visit to London with the few things in my backpack plus the $200 worth of replacement meds. At least I learned that I can pack lighter.

Susan

BTW I normally watch my bag during a train stop, but my seatmate was sleeping at Lyon & I didn’t have the heart to waken a stranger.

Is there a Venchi on the ORCHESTRA?  They  have exquisite gelato!

You might be stuck unless the NCL plan includes a half day bus wander around Marseille.

Sadly the sunny Marseille PROVENCE airport has very little to amuse you except some cafes and sandwich shops like Au Bon Pain. Technically your check in time might be 12:45 but you can’t choose the shuttle departure time, so take a good book. We’ll, you might see some famous people rush through on their way to their Villa in the hills. There is free public Wi-Fi.

IF you weren’t booked on the Airporttransfer  then the local shuttle to Les Terrassas du Port (shopping center, restaurants) could amuse you before catching a taxi to the airport. But then there’s pesky luggage involved.

On 8/15/2023 at 10:17 PM, Dancer Bob said:

Book the cruise transfer to Gare St Charles (the port shuttle is not recommended), or taxi/Uber if you wish. The Gare Routiere is adjacent to the train platforms.

There is a local train from St Charles to Aix. You’ll need to take the local shuttle port to train which has some iffy reports. You might try Uber (I just did and there is no pickup at the Port Croisières Marseilles) and trust me taxis around here are sometimes more expensive than airfares to London.

You might be stuck with that bus shuttle. But read this…

https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/organize-your-stay/practical-information/access-to-marseille-cruise-port/

This shuttle goes to Terrasses du Port, a shopping center. There is a city train there but I would use a taxi to the station.

I’m leaving from that port in Nov. & it’s an awkward problem getting to/from the cruise port, 8 km from the Gare St Charles.

22 hours ago, floridababa said:

Thank you

The TGV from Marseille St. Charles train station. 
Watch your luggage during stops ( someone mistakenly disembarked with my bag in July).

Try the Trainline UK website or Rail Europe to compare fares with https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/tgv

. The TGV stops at Gare de Lyon in Paris. Do pré book as fares go up or become unavailable the closer to your date. You can book 90 days out.

If you use public transport allow three hours to TGV departure/ two hours by taxi.

Bon Route,

Susan

On 6/2/2023 at 11:46 AM, patrice1 said:

 

The cabin, an outside, was lovely with plenty of storage. Everything worked Housekeeping came twice a day. In Europe, washcloths are not provided, but she brought me some every day once I asked.

The bars all had large coffee machines for espresso, cappuccino, etc. 

Some Orchestra questions tho w/ a short cruise you might not have noticed: we’re sailing Marseille to Luxor for 10 days. Is there a Library & a book exchange? I live near Marseille & could offer up lots of good English paperbacks & guide books.

Also are there games: dominoes, decks of cards,etc?

 Can you tell that I’ve sailed HAL a lot with lots of the above?

On Seascape last Nov there was a really good water boiler for tea. Did you notice that? ( it actually showed the temperature & produced a wonderful cup of tea).

Thanks to anyone who knows the Orchestra who will join in.

On 8/5/2023 at 6:54 PM, Morgsmom said:

The only good thing is that there is a hallway / passthrough right outside your cabin to go across the deck to their cabin

Well: an update. No miracles but my agent got me back to 12133 which like you said, at least 12134 is through the Lift passage. It is still under the pool/buffet deck but as you pointed out, preferable to separate decks.

Our holiday will be much more fun if I let go of my anxiety and go with the  flow.

Thanks to all of you for your support.

Susan

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Why?

 

Distance can be a good thing between traveling companions.

Age, mobility. The last thing these 80 Something’s need is to spend energy looking for each other. Sadly that’s what it comes to eventually!