JT1962

There is a Grand Turk page on the MSC USA website that does have excursions listed. I don’t know if that is old and they may have gone there several years ago or if it’s preparing for new itineraries that they haven’t announced yet. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/destinations/caribbean/turks-caicos/grand-turk-island

If I understand the new plan correctly, there are three options, each usually in a separate dining room ( I’m not sure if these are the “Official” Princes terminology): 1. Traditional Early or Late Dining - No reservation needed since you will be assigned the same table / dining room each evening. 2. Anytime Dining - Just show up when you are ready to eat. No reservations allowed in that dining room / section. 3. Flexible Dining - You can make a reservation in advance for the time / table type you want, if available. So having only one dining room available for reservations outside of traditional dining sounds right. Based upon my recent experience on the Caribbean princess, the tables for two book up several months in advance for the preferred seating times. My cruise was not using the new dining plan, and even with 3 dining rooms available, most tables for 2 were only available prior to 5:30 or after 8:00 PM even when booking 3 months in advance.

I have taken 2 transatlantic cruises with MSC - Divina from Miami to Barcelona in May and Seashore from Genoa to Miami in October. Both had very few children and families. The passenger mix was a variety of Europeans, Americans and some from South America, primarily Brazil. I did find the food, service and entertainment to be lower standards than what I experienced on roundtrip cruises from the US. Not terrible, but noticeable below my previous experience. The menus had less variety and they ran out of several items before the end of the cruise. The entertainment tended to be more solo performers rather than production shows. The dinner service was slower as it seemed they had a large crew change over on both t/a cruises and many were still learning. On the Seashore they had closed one of the kitchens for the sailing, so the servers had to go to a different floor to get the meals.

I did this last year on the Seashore from Italy to the US. I went to guest services a few days before I wanted to actually depart and told them. They gave me a form to fill out saying that I was leaving the ship voluntarily and I would not be entitled to a refund. I received luggage tags in my cabin for the new disembarkation port. I’m not aware of any issues with getting off early in Europe.

Will this be the end of cruises from Charleston when Carnival leaves the current terminal? https://cruiseradio.net/proposal-for-new-charleston-cruise-port-falls-flat/

I was in Skagway recently on the NCL Spirit at the Broadway Dock. It appeared that they were using the same process as last year at the Railroad Dock, with passengers still not able to walk past the slide area. The Grand Princess was at the Railroad Dock Rear Berth and used shuttle buses to take passengers past the slide area. The Holland America Zaandam was at the Railroad Dock Forward Berth and using tenders to takeover passengers to / from the Small Boat Harbor Dock. i’m not an engineer, but it appeared things weren’t finished and there was still quite a bit of work to do.. I would think they would be using the shuttle bus and tender process for a while.

I have not cruised from Galveston before. Will this affect access to the cruise port? https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/pelican-island-causeway-bridge-galveston-texas/285-7ae769e4-136d-4a6d-bd9b-5778dfa6f1bd

Glad they are finally changing this to match what most of the other cruise lines are doing.

Never sail on any cruise line during spring break or near a holiday.

On the Seashore in October, you could choose the either of the two lower priced experiences - Geisha or Samiurai (I think those were the names). The highest price option that included lobster was a $ 20 surcharge.

Interesting. I requested a refund through my MSC concierge on Jan 25 for my MSC Opera canceled cruise and was told it would take 30 - 60 days. After 2 months, I contacted the concierge and she said she would check with her Supervisor. On Wednesday I called the regular customer service number and they said there was no record of a refund request, but they would expedite it. As of today, still no refund.

Voyagers Club was able to fix mine a few months ago. The error apparently has something to do with your voyager number between the app and the website.

On the Seashore In February they allowed us to go to our cabin to pick up our keycards and drop our carryons. I’m not sure if that process is in place on the Magnifica yet or not.

Pre-booking says it saves “Up to 20%”, but in most cases it is less. That is common in advertising for many businesses.

People either love or hate MSC. I’ve had mostly good experiences on the 9 cruises I’ve had with them in the last 30 months. Luckily, there are many other cruise lines to choose from.

Are your dates correct? Do you mean 2025 instead of 2024?

MSC should use Coxen Hole as well. Mahogany Bay is mainly used by Carnival Corporation ships.

You can keep re-submitting yours, but they may not take it. I believe they only allow one time to match. While I realize you submitted his card in error for your match, they may have that in their system as your one request for status match and it won’t allow them to enter anything else. Sadly, MSC’s IT systems and Customer Service are horrible and most have very little luck in getting obvious errors corrected. From the MSC website FAQs regarding Status Match: “You may only apply for a Status Match one time. Multiple submissions will not be accepted or approved. If you are a member of multiple loyalty programs, be sure to select the one with the greatest value to maximize your benefits.”

Ok, thanks. That sounds like the procedure used since the re-start after Covid. I was hoping they had changed to where you can go to your muster station to scan your card as soon as you board.

Thanks for the very detailed review and glad you enjoyed most of it. I’m also curious about the safety drill. It has usually been later in the afternoon (3:30 - 4;00 PM), and everyone does it at the same time. This causes lots of crowding on the stairs. It sounds like it may now be done like Carnival, where you go to your muster station soon after boarding to get your card scanned, rather than having to wait and everyone go at once. I’m hoping they have changed to that process, as it is much less chaotic.

Someone posted a few days ago asking for information on a possible passenger who went overboard on an MSC ship, but I can no longer find the post. I don’t know if this is related or not. Condolences to the family and friends. https://www.businessinsider.com/23-year-old-presumed-dead-falling-cruise-north-sea-2024

Hopefully never any of those 4 options, which would ruin it, in my opinion. Nothing too drastic according to this article: https://www.travelpulse.ca/news/cruise/msc-cruises-unveils-enhancement-program-for-ocean-cay “Guest facilities will be enhanced with the introduction of excursion centres to support watersport activities and island tours, a sea dive and snorkel centre, additional food and beverage outlets and other facilities. ”The MSC Foundation’s Marine Conservation Centre will be built as a base for biologists, coral reef experts and students. It will also house interactive pavilions, a lecture hall and coral exhibition tanks and provide MSC Cruises’ passengers visiting the island with educational opportunities about the importance of the marine ecosystem and the need to protect the world’s oceans.”

I am still waiting on a refund requested on Jan 25 for a cruise that MSC cancelled from Dubai to Rome. They said it would take 30-60 days to process.

I have eaten at Butcher’s Cut solo multiple times with no issues. There are usually a few other solo diners there as well. There is a limited menu at the Steakhouse and Seafood restaurant with the dining packages, but there are plenty of options and the amount of food is more than enough. This link has a good summary and copies of some of the menus: https://mytravelingbuddy.net/msc-seascape-dining-packages/

Butcher’s Cut is excellent and definitely worth trying, whether for lunch or dinner.