JT1962

Most cruise line onboard credit is non-refundable if not used. Why didn’t you go to the casino on the last day to get the unspent onboard credit back? Very easy. Charge the excess OBC to your room card at any machine, then cash out the ticket, take it to the casino cashier and get the cash. You then have no balance due you and the cash in your pocket.

I didn’t experience those issues on the Jan 20 7 Day sailing. I ate at the MDR 4 days for breakfast and 2 days for lunch with no wait to be seated shortly after opening. I was out in 40 min or less each time. I never had an issue getting glasses, silverware or a seat at the buffet. Sounds like your sailing was more crowded.

All cruise lines have had cutbacks and reductions in staff. I was on the Divina last month and the only real difference I noticed from October was differences on the Voyagers Club Diamond amenities - I got a chocolate bar rather than chocolate ship and was told I needed to go to guest services to get my gift (I forgot to go, so don’t know what it was.). Service was a little slower in the dining room, but that could have been due to our group requesting to sit together and be added to the wait teams normal number of tables and the assistant waiter seeming to be new to the role. I think all of the cruise lines are struggling with staffing issues. MSC may be struggling more than some since they seem to have large fluctuations in passenger counts between the 3-4 day & 7 day cruises. I see reports of 4,000+ on some of the ships on the 3-4 day cruises, then 1,800 - 2,400 on a 7 day cruise the following week. That makes it difficult to properly staff the ship, since they can’t hire temporary employees for a full cruise, as a land based business might be able to do, or not schedule employees for a slower week. The obvious answer is do not book more passengers than the crew can’t handle, but that’s difficult to do when the cruise lines need all the paying passengers they can get.

I watched the video and will be on the Seascape in May and am looking forward to it. He seemed to like the things that interest me such as quality of the ship, nice cabin, decent food and entertainment. I generally don’t go to the night club or late night parties, but did on the Divina a couple of weeks ago with those at our table, and I observed nothing like what he mentioned. There were very few kids of any age on that cruise. Customs and standards are different around the world, so having families at a late night party may be common outside the US. The main thing I got out of the video was reinforcing why I don’t have an electric car, lol. He had to drive an hour in the opposite direction to charge his car because there was a delay getting into the port due to a marathon. He said MSC is not the cruise line for him currently. That’s fine. No cruise line is going to appeal to everyone. He didn’t care for his experience and is moving on. That’s what everyone should do if they don’t like something.

I purchased an annual medical travel policy with GeoBlue this year. It covers up to $ 500,000 In medical / medical evacuation coverage while traveling. It was $ 151 for me for the year based on my age. My main concern is a medical event / accident, possibly requiring a medical evacuation, where the cost could be $ 100,000+. Losing a cruise or flights that cost a few thousand dollars isn’t fun, but a $ 150,000 uncovered medical expense could be life changing. Allianz also offers annual travel policies that cover flights, hotels, cruises, etc., but the medical coverages are not as high. An annual policy is usually cheaper if you are doing more than 2-3 trips a year.

Reminds me of a neighbor from years ago. Every time I saw him he was telling me a story about how he got a free meal and coupons for a future meal by complaining at a restaurant. He did this everywhere he went and told everyone he came in contact with. Needless to say that I, and most everyone else in the neighborhood, avoided him if at all possible. Constantly complaining may be “profitable” by getting a few free items, but it’s definitely not profitable to one’s well being, mental health or social life, especially when it is the same issue over and over.

This will help:

I think your response just proved my statement. Continuing to hold on to anger, telling everyone about how you were wronged and trying to destroy the one someone feels is responsible only makes that person bitter and does nothing to resolve the problem. No company is perfect and MSC definitely isn’t even close. If I have a bad experience with any company (or person), I choose to not to business with them in the future and move on, lesson learned. Some seem to sadly make it their life’s mission to get “even” and destroy the one they feel wronged them rather than moving on and enjoying new experiences. If MSC is so terrible, I would not take 3 more cruises with them. I would just cancel and do something I enjoy. This is a good article that would help everyone: https://www.thesimplicityhabit.com/why-you-need-to-let-go-of-anger-to-improve-your-life/

I’m hoping the testing requirement for Grand Voyages ends before my May cruise from Miami to Barcelona on May 15. I am on the Seascape May 7 - 14 and don’t want to have to find a place to test as soon as I get off the ship so I can board the TA the next day. If still required, I can hopefully use an online proctored test, if those are still offered and accepted.

What a pathetic statement. Maybe some anger counseling would be in order. Hoping to destroy a company because it didn’t meet your expectations leads to a miserable life.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have allowed you to pre-purchase items for use onboard (excursions, dining packages, etc.) prior to sailing using your OBC for several years. Carnival started allowing this in the last year or so as well. Not sure about NCL or other lines. MSC does not allow this yet, but I’m hoping they do at some point.

Good to know. Hopefully you won’t have to follow up with the maître d’ once you arrive on board, but don’t be shocked if you do. 😊

MSC charges double your bid for an upgrade, if accepted, regardless of the number of people in the cabin (1, 2, 3, etc). With MSC, it’s best to book what you really want originally rather than hope for a deal on an upgrade bid, especially if solo.

Inaugural sailings rarely goes smoothly. Hopefully being a seasoned traveler, you had a good travel insurance policy that will reimburse you for some of the issues.

I just logged in and checked my booked Cruises. I have a cruise in May of this year from Miami to Barcelona and April 2024 from Dubai to Rome that were both listed as a Grand Voyages that now shows POS. I assume that means rePOSitioning. Maybe the longest segment possible is still called a Grand Voyage and the shorter segments of the same cruise are called POS for repositioning. The name change could also be a marketing change since people may search for a repositioning cruise and not realize it’s called a Grand Voyage on MSC

mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com Hit or miss whether you will get a reply or they will honor your request. If not, just see the maître d’ on the first night of your cruise and see if you can be moved.

I was just on the Divina for seven days two weeks ago and for 19 days in October and loved it. Still in great shape, perfect size, lots of entertainment options in the evenings, etc. There is a charge in the sports bar for food ( $ 5-6 for wings, I think), but people said they were great. I assume we had the new menus, since they were different than Meraviglia last January. New items included chicken & waffles, meatloaf, pulled pork Mac & Cheese, etc. They also had classic items listed each night at no charge - shrimp cocktail, N Y Strip Steak, etc. Some of these had a charge on Meraviglia in Jan 2022.

That’s what I have considered trying, but I have not done it yet. It would just be much simpler if they would let you book solo and charge you double. But nothing is simple with MSC.

I had the same issue when trying to book the Divina May 15 TA as a solo in December. It would not let me book solo online or by calling MSC. . I contacted a travel agent and she was able to get me booked after several calls and eventually getting an MSC Rep who said she knew the “trick” to get it booked. Most of the reps appear to just see the same availability we see on the website, but a few that are more knowledgeable have learned to override some of the issues. The problem is, travel agents or callers cannot request a specific person when calling, apparently, and it may require multiple calls to get connected to someone who can actually assist. I also do not understand MSC‘s policy on solos compared to other lines. They seem to either offer a great discount or won’t let you book at all. Most cruise lines charge solo cruisers the full double occupancy rate for the cabin, but MSC doesn’t seem to do that, even if cabins are still available. There are times that I would be willing to pay the double occupancy rate, but have been told that they would not allow me to book solo, even if I paid the double rate. Another quirk of MSC, I guess.

Several issues going on currently with the MSC website for me, as usual. Web Check In does not seem to be working properly, some cruises I was looking at are not showing as available, others will not allow solo booking at any price, etc.

It will be interesting to see if the other itineraries remove Skagway. It seems the ongoing rockslide issues affecting the Railroad Dock may affect 2023 cruises as well. https://www.cruisehive.com/holland-america-cruise-no-longer-visiting-popular-alaskan-port/93931

That seems to be another glitch in the infamous MSC website/ IT systems. I have 4 current bookings, all showing the same message, but Early Dining was requested and listed on the booking confirmation email. The same thing happened on my recent Divina sailing, but I was assigned Early Dining on the cruise.

They usually have organized games for kids on South Beach. The times / location will be listed in the daily planner for Ocean Cay on the day you are there. You can rent mats or two are included if you get a cabana. Rentals are up to 20% cheaper if you book online before your cruise.

there seems to be a current issue with the web check in on the MSC site. Another of the infamous MSC IT issues.

The same thing with one of my upcoming cruises. Two that are later in the year show that I am all checked in and just waiting for the 20 day window to get the documents. The one that is much closer says I have not entered all information yet, everything is in there. I called MSC and they told me there is a second passenger listed in the room that is not completed their information and I needed to call my travel agent. It is a . I called MSC and they told me there is a second passenger listed in the room that is not completed there information and I needed to call my travel agent. It is a solo booking. .