rose102798

Does anyone know of an islands of Greece cruise that does not include a stop in Turkey?

I recall two formal evening's.

On 1/2/2023 at 9:14 AM, Nashna said:

We have been pleasantly surprised on recent cruises to find that the mainstream cruise lines are now offering non-alcoholic beverages, in particular, wine.  Does MSC offer this on their sailings.  We have the premium package.  

 

Also, on our last MSC cruise in January 2020, GF pizza was not offered.  At the time, the Hotel Director mentioned that it was being considered fleet-wide.  Does MSC offer this now?  

Yes, my son had grape juice on our yacht club cruise on Seaside.

On 12/8/2021 at 5:45 PM, Kelownabccan said:

This is to inform you that MSC Magnifica will be replaced by the brand new MSC Virtuosa for your upcoming cruise itinerary in Northern Europe.

MSC Virtuosa is one of our newest ships! Onboard you will discover next-generation technology, expansive pools, beautiful shops and restaurants under the longest LED dome at sea, and the first humanoid Robotic Bartender.

We apologize for this change and are confident you will enjoy MSC Virtuosa.

 

Suppose I should look at ship plans and pick one on the new ship....like aft balcony cabins.....as I doubt MSC will pick a  one I like but who knows....try for a Yacht club one....lol....

I just logged on to my booking and MSC has changed the itinerary and dates of travel without telling us. Same ship though - LOL.  Too bad we can't travel on those dates. 

This is the second time this has happened . . . same cruise.  Time to stop booking MSC!!

On 9/6/2021 at 12:43 PM, phissy said:

Looks like Splendida is being pulled from Mediterranean cruises scheduled for fall 2022.  Our cruise is gone and others say “error” when searching for booking info.

same

On 9/1/2021 at 10:40 PM, kidless said:

Our 12 night Splendida in Oct 2022 was also changed to a 7 night on Seaview guarantee cabin. Doesn't go to Casablanca or Rome. Most annoying if I were to book 7 night cruise in same cabin that I had on Splendida it's $700 cheaper!  Not happy just loved the original itinerary. Ugh

Were you notified that your cruise was changed? Curious because after not being able to log in to our booking, we called and they said that booking does not exist  . . . "but there are notes in the file from the reservationist that she booked it" ---- "there has been a glitch in the system and our 'systems' people are working to fix it -- you will receive and email when it is fixed and rebooked"  That was a month ago.

On 5/23/2021 at 3:09 AM, emmas gran said:

 On Splendida the YC restaurant is at the back of the

Liz ship not within the YC area so I doubt you could dine on the balcony ( you may get a pizza delivered from the buffet and they are good)

 

Can you please explain your words in bold above?  Are you saying that the YC on Splendida does not have a restaurant within the YC?

17 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Obviously your definition of much better snacks is different from mine.  Which is OK.  Everyone likes different things.  I happen to be fond of Pringles and chocolate-covered peanuts.  Not something I have at home.  So for me, it's a treat.

gotcha!

On 11/10/2019 at 9:37 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I don't give a damn about the alcohol as just about anything one wants to drink is readily available in the Top Sail Lounge, a few feet away.  I am not a happy camper about the snacks, though.  That was something that made Yacht Club special and a better choice than suites on other lines.  So, will take that into account when booking future cruises.  I'm sailing November 30 on Seaside and hope this has not spread to that ship.  Can anyone currently on the Seaside opine on this?

But there are much better "snacks" a few feet away in the Top Sail Lounge, too.  Better than mini pringles can. I'm confused.

We will be in San Juan on a Monday evening in June.  Ship doesn't dock until 5pm with departure at 1am.  4 adults and one 16 year old.  Any suggestions?  Originally wanted to do the forts but they close at 6pm.

We just got off the Seaside on Saturday . . . and all of that appears to be fake news.  Did not experience either one of those things.  Always ordered top shelf and did not pay for the venchi chocolate martini. (??)

Hi,

I've been following along with your wonderful review. I do have a question. I saw on the Sunday itinerary that you posted, that the Sports Bar hours are 1pm - 2am. Do you know, or did you get any sense that they may open it early, or can you use the TVs for an earlier football game?

DINING--

 

 

 

We ate all of our breakfasts and lunches (when not in port) at the buffets, and all of our dinners at the Seashore restaurant, except for our jaunt to Butcher's Cut. For inquiring minds, I did notice that deck 16 buffet was closed for dinners, with half of deck 8 buffet for buffet eaters and the other half for those assigned to that dining room.

 

 

 

As mentioned at the outset, I am a pretty picky eater but I found plenty to eat in the buffets. Of course, I also tend to eat a lot of the same foods (more so for breakfast) so if there was any lack of variety, I probably would not have noticed. The pizza is great as advertised, as are the various bread options. There was a carving station every day for lunch, although with some unusual meats such as lamb and veal. I concur with others' comments that there are many foods which many Americans may find unusual but there are enough options for your standard meat-and-potatoes folks too. Line cutters no worse than any other cruise.

 

 

 

We had anytime dining but went nearly every night around 8:30-8:45. By then, there would be no or little line and we were seated quickly. We had heard drink service could be slow so we'd usually bring drinks with us to dinner. The waiters had many different wine bottles nearby and would bring you something if you were thirsty. As with the buffet, the entree options were a little exotic for American tastes but I was able to find something I wanted every night. There is a "traditional favorites" menu but it's not offered on elegant nights or Italian night. That saved me several nights as I often ordered the NY Strip steak and/or rotisserie chicken off that menu when nothing appealed to me from the main menu. Portions were no smaller than on other cruises and pretty solid quality. Some people had said the crew was not amenable to changes but our waiter would provide salad with no dressing or combine plates, as requested. We had the same waiter, Barbara from Brazil, 5 of the 6 nights and she took great care of us. My concern of anytime dining is not getting the same wait staff every night as I like how they learn your tastes and idiosynchracies, but that wasn't an issue as we got the same waiter repeatedly and she made great suggestions about what to get (or avoid).

 

 

 

I chose Italian Night as our Butcher's Cut night because I had seen the regular dining room menu online before our cruise and knew nothing would appeal to me, and traditional favorites would not be available. You may recall that we ran into a bit of language barrier in scheduling this, although the waiter was trying to explain that he didn't know which night would be Italian night as it varied week to week. In any case, he got us the night and time we wanted, and even came over to say hi while we ate and ask if we had been the couple who wanted that night.

 

 

 

The Chef's Table was a gift from my GF's parents. As we all know, cruise lines generally oversell their products but this is one that was actually undersold. Their description said you'd get bone-in ribeye, a shellfish appetizer, a side, and a dessert. This was soooo much more than that. Now, we may have gotten lucky because nobody else had signed up so it was just the two of us, and wow, did they take care of us. The maitre d' himself served us. The assistant brought over bread and the maitre d' jokingly said don't eat that, I don't want you getting full on bread! He said if you don't like anything, let me know immediately and I'll replace it with something you do like. The sommelier came over and said you can pick a bottle of wine from the menu up to $70 or let me pick a good one for you-- we deferred to him and got a very smooth Shiraz. First course was a huge two level tray that included monster shrimp, lobster, stone crab, king crab legs, and oysters. Next came their signature course of some kind of hard boiled eggs and liver. He could tell I was not a fan and offered to get me a salad, which was a yummy replacement. Next course was a smoked tomato soup. Now come the entrees! You not only got several slices of the bone-in ribeye, but also filet mignon, with 4 sauces to dip them in. Next came something I'd never tried before, a huge cut of... bison! It tasted just like NY Strip but was very tough, the GF couldn't eat it as she'd reached maximum capacity. We somehow found room for dessert and I had cheesecake while the GF had lava cake. The maitre d' was grateful for our feedback, which was glowing. He mentioned lots of people were turned off by the price ($75 if booked online, $88 onboard plus 18% gratuity)-- I said you should sell it better as more people would buy if they knew what you all get! Sorry for the long description but I hadn't seen one in any other review and it deserves more publicity.

 

 

 

Of course, the Venchi/gelato shops bear mention. I believe they were 4 of them around the ship and they were very popular for good reason. Lots of different flavors plus you can choose the bars with the premium drink package. I grabbed a milkshake one day with it too.

 

 

 

Next up to cover... what I'd call the aspects of the cruise some folks might find "unusual".

I know this review is from a long time ago, but wondered if you wouldn’t mind answering a question about the Chef’s Table. Was it only available on certain nights? Sea days? Etc?

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1st time MSC cruiser, are there any secret spots I should look for on-board ship??

 

 

 

george35

Would they be secret if someone told you about them? [emoji16]

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Carbs not calories is the plus of ultra

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We had a couple's package on Splendida, summer 2016. We were booked with Aurea experience, hence we each had a massage included; we could choose from the entire list on offer, except for 1 of the massages (I don't remember which one as excluded).

 

We requested and obtained a couples massage, which indeed took place side by side in a spacious, relaxing room.

 

We both chose the balinese massage, which we enjoyed. Our recollection is that time went by rather quickly, i.e. the massage was for X minutes, and was done in X minutes, 00 seconds. I got the impression that the staff's and the spa's time is at a premium - which it is on a cruise ship - and this is quite different from what we feel at our usual spa at home, where we are regulars and are certainly not rushed.

 

We have not done any other massages on MSC because of our perception as detailed above. We may be amenable to give it a whirl on our next cruise, though.

Thank you for responding.

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Hmmm...reading all 40 reviews from June and July (I WOULDN'T CALL THOSE OLD NOW...WOULD YOU?)....ABOUT 40% OF THE REVIEWS WERE 1 AND 2*....NOW why on earth would I want to believe these reviews....after all...they are about 1 or 2 months old....actually some of them were last week and the week before...:confused::confused::'):'):')

Are you speaking of the reviews on cruisecritic.com? I stopped reading them because I think unfortunately most of them are troll postings. I looked two days in a row and both days there were 5-8 more 1* reviews from new members and that was their first post and most of them haven’t posted again. Trip Advisor has the same problem. Some companies pay trolls to provide bad reviews on the competition.

I was glad to find this Facebook site. Seems more reliable.

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Also interested in anyone's experience with this. Couples spa packages: which did you choose?

We have never understood (or subscribed to) this silly "loyalty" thing. Perhaps that is why MSC will be our 15th cruise line :). Variety is nice, fun, and keeps cruising fresh. It is the very differences between lines that enhance the experience. In fact, we have hundreds of days on Celebrity and would hope that MSC does not ever try to be another Celebrity :). MSC simply needs to be MSC!

 

 

 

MSC is the "new boy on the block" for many North Americans...despite having been around in Europe for many years. They have a unique approach to cruising with their different "Experiences" and Euro/Italian atmosphere. That is their niche and where they should stay...until such time as it no longer fits their business plan.

 

 

 

Hank

Cruise Critic needs a “like” button. Agree so much with this! Variety is the spice of life.

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Question: are you using the “MSC for Me” app?

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Hi Cruise Critics!

 

 

 

This cruise has been a long time coming…489 days to be exact, but who’s counting?! Hubby and I are first time cruisers with MSC. We have been cruising since 2002, mainly with RCI, and a few with DCL in between. We are long time Oasis class fans, we love our suites, we adore Coastal Kitchen, so full disclosure here…it will be hard not to make comparisons. However, we are going into this cruise with an open mind and we are looking forward to new experiences from MSC.

 

 

 

We booked the Seaside back in March 2017. Usually, Hubby and I try to get away once per year (kid free) and since Symphony of the Seas is still in Europe, the concept of the Seaside intrigued us, especially the “ship within a ship” concept of the Yacht Club. Having tried the Royal Suite Class program with RCI on Oasis and Quantum class ships, we are very curious to see how the Yacht Club experience compares. Price wise, it was a no-brainer. After MSC’s discount for teachers (10%), and further TA discounts, our price for two adults, in a Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony suite, was less than the cost of a Junior suite on Harmony of the Seas for the exact same week, with MSC YC offering much greater on board suite benefits.

 

 

 

So, here we find ourselves, many months later, ready, and excited to see all the things the Seaside has to offer.

 

 

 

Who’s sailing?

 

 

 

It will be Hubby and I only on this sailing, and we are celebrating our 16th anniversary on board.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise stay:

 

 

 

We will be arriving in Miami on Friday for a Saturday departure on the Seaside. Our pre-cruise stay will be at the InterContinental Miami. The main reason we chose this hotel was because of the location and proximity to the port. In addition, we have also heard many wonderful things about this hotel and wanted to try it out for ourselves.

 

 

 

Itinerary:

 

 

 

Our Eastern Caribbean sailing takes us to the following:

 

Miami, At Sea, At Sea, Philipsburg (St. Maarten), San Juan (Puerto Rico), At Sea, Nassau (Bahamas), Miami

 

 

 

As far as excursions go, the ship is the destination for us. Since we have taken the Eastern Caribbean sailing many times, Hubby and I decided we would spend time exploring the ports at our leisure and have not booked any excursions in advance.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise purchases:

 

 

 

As for pre-cruise purchases, the only thing that we pre-purchased is the Premium Internet package. As of two weeks ago, this package was $127.90 for 6GB and allows for up to 4 devices to be connected at a time. Because we are staying in the YC, that already includes all our beverages around the ship and access to the Top Sail Lounge and Restaurant, so we have not purchased any additional beverage packages or specialty dining.

 

 

 

Pre-cruise thoughts:

 

 

 

In the spirit of a live blog, I would love for this to be an interactive blog. I tend to update several times a day, I’ll be happy to answer any questions along the way and will do my best to find out anything you might be wondering. Don’t hesitate to ask. Over the months leading up to this cruise, I have learned from many here on this forum about MSC and this is my way to pay it forward.

 

 

 

In addition, for those who are interested, and assuming the ship’s Wi-Fi holds up, I will also do my best to bring the cruise to you Live on Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002 on the app or from a computer - here.

 

 

 

One favour I am asking...I will do my best to include as many pictures as I can in this blog. If you are responding to a post with pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply. It just makes for easier scrolling through the thread.

 

 

 

With all that out of the way…we’re off to Miami!

Happy Anniversary. Hope you enjoy your cruise. Following along as we will be celebrating our 20th in October on MSC Seaside YC.

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We will be sailling 1st time with MSC on seaside for our 20th anniversary this october. Happy anniversary, have a blast!

Hey same with us. 20th Anniversary 10/27/2018.

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No. Clicquot must be purchased by bottle (I don't know about new ships with champagne bar). By the way its very cheap compare to other cruise lines. MSC is mass market cruise line so they don't care Crystal

I saw Cristal on a Champagne Bar menu that someone posted. I did not see the champagne that we actually wanted and are allowed to bring on other lines. Grand Damme. That’s why I asked the question. Now I’m just not sure for which ship it was posted and I can’t find it again. Hmmmm.

Thanks for the response.

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Your server or the wine sommelier will be able to get it for you. You can also order it the day before and have it waiting for you.

Thank you :)

We were wondering if anyone knows from experience if you can order and purchase the higher end bottles of champagne at the dinner table in the yacht club. Or if we purchase from champagne bar and carry it in? Guess we will find out when we get there.

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