runner2013

I have one more question for you Essiesmom, 

Do you happen to know if there is a deck you can walk all the way around to get some exercise? From what I can find it looks like maybe deck 7? 

thanks

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much for the info. 

11 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Welcome to the MSC board.  When you board you will be able to head for your cabin and drop off carryon bags, and pick up your cruise card.  On the card will be your dining room, time, and table number.  In the welcome paper you receive on boarding will be instructions as to where to go to change your dining time if not satisfactory.  As Fantastica experience, you will have a time and table assigned.  You probably requested early dining, but it is not guaranteed.  You didn’t state which ship, but some have two early seatings, ex. 5:30 & 7:30, with late at 9:30.  EM

We are on the Magnifica, doing a Caribbean 3-day trip

Hi all, 

first time MSC cruisers here, we just started our check in for our Oct cruise and are a bit confused about the dining time. We're used to RC and Princess which lets you pic what time you want to eat in the main dining room. There's nothing in the app that lets us pic either the late or early time. From what we can find it says the time is dependent on what type of experience we are, which was determined when we actually booked the cruise. 

We are the Fantastica experience, and per our invoice under the dining information the seating section says: Classic First Turn. 

Does this mean we are the early seating, which is what we want. 

If it isn't, is there a way to change it, perhaps when we first get onboard? 

Thanks in advance for any help. 

Much appreciated.

Just found your thread. Thanks for the honest review and great pics. Did you happen to notice if the mdr has tables for two for dinner. It's just my DH and I on our sailing in Oct and we're hoping to dine alone. 

I just found your review. Thank you for taking us along on your trips. Lots of good information for us. We are sailing on the Magnifica in a few weeks, so it was great to see what they had to offer. 

If I may ask, does Msc offer walk off disembarkation? DH and I are getting off and then going right over to Allure for another cruise and were hoping to leave asap.

Thanks  

Hi all, 

Apologize if this has been asked in the past. Can't seem to find the answer. 

I'm used to how Royal's double points work regarding solo sailing and spouse linked to my account also getting points but I'm not sure if Celebrity works the same way. 

If I sail solo on Celebrity, (just a basic inside, ocean view or verandah cabin), I believe I get double points, but will my husband also be given the points as well since we're married and our accounts are linked? Or will he stay at his current point value and I would have more because I went and he did not?

Any help greatly appreciated. 

We're looking at a cruise in Nov of 2025 on Brilliance of the Seas. Starts in Boston Ma and ends in San Juan. Any idea how to find which port we disembark at? I tried checking cruisetimetables.com but keep coming up empty?

On 6/2/2024 at 3:34 PM, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

I think you're mistaken. I sailed once on Celebrity without my wife. I got my points but my wife didn't get points. She wasn't there.

I'm not mistaken. At least when it comes to Royal. Celebrity, not to sure. Guess I'll have to try a solo on them and see what happens:) 

On 6/2/2024 at 3:53 PM, publicpersona said:

 

On Royal, a married couple in a household are the same level as the one with the higher number of points.

You are absolutely correct. When my husband and I got married he was given my emerald status immediately. All it took was a phone call to C&A society.  

Thanks, 

That's sort of what I figured but thought I'd ask anyway, 

Hi all, 

Longtime cruiser of several other lines but a newbie to MSC.  I've checked the fine print for the Voyagers Club and can't find what I'm looking for so I thought I'd try here. 

DH and I will be sailing on our first cruise with MSC in October. After that if he or I sail alone would the other of us also get the points because we're married or just the person who was actually on board? (Royal and Celebrity award the points to both since we're married, and I was hoping MSC did the same.)

Also, are you awarded 'double points" as a solo cruiser, or no?

TIA for the help

I did a solo 3 day trip to get DH and I to Diamond.  We're booked for our first cruise with the free drinks perks now. Definitely worth it.

Side to side!! I knew there was another term but I was drawing a blank😁

Thanks everyone for the help

Hi all, 

DH and I will be on Allure in Oct for a quick 4-day trip from Miami. Since we're going to be there anyway, we decided to book a 3-day trip before that on Msc . So my question for you all is does this count as a b-t-b since it's two different lines? We weren't sure if 'technically' to call it that it should be the same line. We've never done two in a row so we're having fun with saying 'oh we're doing a b-t-b " 🤣

(it really is the little things isn't it that make us smile)

Thanks

Hi all, 

First timers here sailing on MSC, does anyone know if there is a dining room open on the Magnifica for lunch on embarkation day? DH and I are not big fans of the craziness that seems to happen in the buffet area. 

TIA

One other question, 

Is there any type of walking track on the Magnifica ?

Thanks

Hi all, 

We ended up using a TA. We did the status match to Gold, and received our loyalty #'s as well. We're excited to see what MSC has to offer. I downloaded the app and was surprised, there are several notable differences between MSC and other apps we've used for Royal, Celebrity and Princess. 

No ship map, check in isn't allowed until 30 days out, and no way to pull up what your loyalty status benefits are being the three that stood out for me. Not a big deal though, we'll learn as we go. 

Any recommendations as far as activities or venues we should make an effort to check out? We're open to pretty much anything. 😁

Hi all, 

Hubby and I have a cruise with RC booked for October and we're looking at doing a short cruise before that on Msc for the first time to see how the line is for us. Since we are Diamond on Royal, and he is retired military my question for everyone here is: would it be better to book directly through the cruise line or use our travel agent?  Would it make a difference as far as any perks we would be eligible for? 

Also, if we were to book directly with Msc, can they take the Status Match info over the phone or will we still need to submit it online after the trip is booked. 

Any advice greatly appreciated. 

Thanks

18 hours ago, dockman said:

way too much drama all around for my taste.....travel can be stressful even when all is perfectly clear and in order.....seems a lot of extra stress to finance a cruise...guess i am old fashioned that i simply would not book a cruise if i had to finance it.

I agree. I'm so used to being in control when I book and pay that it would be foreign to me to do a lay away type thing. However, If the right situation presented itself I'd be open to looking into it  it there was no other way. 

11 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I don't know if I was dreaming this, but somewhere....I read...that Princess does have an installment plan.

 

Sometimes I have a hard time separating what I read on the computer and "reality".  

 

Of course, I didn't take a screen shot nor would I ever do this.

Way back when the buddy was trying to figure out why his charge card was being charged after the final payment date, he called Princess directly to inquire and they had no idea what he was talking about. Come to find out, Princess Promotions paid for the trip up front and is still billing him now. So maybe Princess doesn't offer the pay up front option,   and it's just the Princess Promotions department, which isn't actually part of Princess that does it? 

If anyone knows for sure, please let me know. Who knows, maybe it might be something worth considering? 

Hello again all. 

Just thought I'd let you know DH's friend returned to Ft.Lauderdale yesterday safe and sound. He said they all had a great time and would do it again in the future.( Although I think he'd use a more 'traditional' method to book the cruise vs. Princess Promotions). 

Turns out P.P. paid for the entire trip up front and the buddy is making payments from his credit card until next April. So the confusion as to what the charges were are finally explained. 

Anyway, all's well that ends well I guess. 

Happy Sailing to the rest of us😁

Hi all, 

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

I'm happy to report DH's buddy made it onto the ship and is having a great time. He did some sightseeing in Italy the day before embarkation and is enjoying his time on board. 

He still plans to talk to the Next Cruise people regarding his 'future cruise' situation he was told he signed up for by Princess Promotions, (whether or not they can help him, he doesn't know)  but otherwise he says he is satisfied.

If I heard more i'll report back. 

P.  

HI all, 

Well, 

It's go time for dh's buddy. They all leave this afternoon for Italy.  They received their cabin assignments, are all checked in on the app, and I believe made all their dinner reservations as well. 

Not sure if the buddy ended up getting travel insurance or not, didn't want to ask and seem like I was beating a dead horse.

They arrive on Sunday, (flying from United States) and don't board until Tuesday the 2nd. Supposedly they have tours booked for the Vatican and one other place. They also have transportation arranged from the hotel to the pier on embarkation day which makes me feel better. My final piece of advice was to bring copies of everything, just to have. You never know what you might need. 

The buddy did also say Princess Promotions paid for the entire cruise upfront and will be taking payments from his credit card until sometime next year.  So, I guess that situation was straightened out as well. 

Anyway, that's all I've got. 

If the buddy happens to contact DH while sailing i'll be sure to let you all know. 

To anyone else who may be hopping on this sailing, safe travels and have a great time😁

I want to say there are a few policies you can buy close to the sailing date, but the options included in them are not the best.  

If/when I hear anything else I'll be sure to come back here and let you all know. 

Thanks for your input and advice. As always much appreciated.