Premium drinks with Fantastica in the UK?

[Belliniginfizz]

It’s worth mentioning though that this deal is on all Fantastica cabins except family cabins.  The family cabin is a balcony plus a small interconnecting inside cabin - yet even though I am paying pretty much the equivalent of 2 full adult fares in each cabin (we are 2 adults and 3 children), the drinks package is exempt as it’s seen as 5 people in one cabin (even though I have been informed we will be assigned 2 cabin numbers!).

[rattla]

2 hours ago, Belliniginfizz said:

It’s worth mentioning though that this deal is on all Fantastica cabins except family cabins.  The family cabin is a balcony plus a small interconnecting inside cabin - yet even though I am paying pretty much the equivalent of 2 full adult fares in each cabin (we are 2 adults and 3 children), the drinks package is exempt as it’s seen as 5 people in one cabin (even though I have been informed we will be assigned 2 cabin numbers!).

Yeah that’s a bit weird.  Normally quite a bit cheaper to have Super Family cabin I had seen, but just priced up a super family for 4 at £5,600.  Yet I could have 2 balcony’s for £5,800, plus the later had premium drinks and the former didn’t!  For £200 difference, I think I would pick 2 adjoining cabins over a super family anyway even without drinks, so with drinks included it’s silly!

[ssmea03]

15 hours ago, sidari said:

MSC appear to have lost their minds!

I think it's really just a numbers game, fantastica is by far the largest class on any ship, the UK is obviously not selling enough fantastica cabins, maybe there has been a surge in bella after doing away with the 12 vouchers? Someone has decided Brits (and irish) need a bigger carrot than easy (the NA promo). The only people that they piss off are the few folks that just book aurea for the drinks, it is the second smallest class aboard (ignoring wellness) perhaps 500 at max capacity.

The UK offer is an excellent one, take it, but if you like aurea keep watching for a chance to upgrade.

Edited January 6, 2019 by ssmea03

[Beamafar]

The very best scenario would be to book a Fantastica cabin and get upgraded to an Aurea one (which happens very frequently);   you get to keep the Fantastica benefit AND get MyChoice dining!  

[sidari]

During this current cruise the vfm has gone, shows have been poor, many complaints about the food and the poor entertainment team.

Music in the bars now played as though it's a Carnival cruise and you have to shout at each other to be heard, the band that plays in the black and white lounge sing the same songs every night. There is no longer any quiet areas of the ship where you can sit and have a drink and talk.

The buffet currently has no black tea left so if you don't like decafinated, organic or fruit tea you get none!

The sweets in the buffet are the same as when we sailed Divina in 2013, a definite lack of imagination on the ship in many ways 

A few regular MSC cruisers have said that the ship lacks any heart and I have to agree with them.

Compared to the Xmas cruise this one rates well down in comparison.

With regard to Aurea in my opinion, MSC have shot themselves in the foot by giving it the worst drink package, the people we spoke to who were also in Aurea said they would not book it again, and there are many who are on their first MSC cruise who will not be sailing with them again.

I have seen crew members arguing with guests about drink packages mainly the Easy and D.O.U.

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by sidari

[Belliniginfizz]

2 hours ago, rattla said:

Yeah that’s a bit weird.  Normally quite a bit cheaper to have Super Family cabin I had seen, but just priced up a super family for 4 at £5,600.  Yet I could have 2 balcony’s for £5,800, plus the later had premium drinks and the former didn’t!  For £200 difference, I think I would pick 2 adjoining cabins over a super family anyway even without drinks, so with drinks included it’s silly!

I’ve looked at adjoining balconies, as as you say, the difference in price is negligible and with the drinks offer makes much more sense.  Unfortunately, interconnecting balconies are almost as impossible to find as family cabins, and my children are just a bit too young for us to have in the next cabin with no interconnecting door. 

Tempted to complain to MSC about the ridiculous family cabin exemption, but pretty sure I will get nowhere!

[Beamafar]

Dave ... sorry to hear the second leg of your cruise hasn't been so good.  We had a similar experience last year on Orchestra (though we didn't do B2B - it was an 11 night cruise).  The first half went well but, from Christmas night on, it went downhill.

 

(Apologies to the OP for going off-topic - the post I'm responding to at least had on-topic content, unlike this one  ).

[ssmea03]

On 1/5/2019 at 9:51 AM, cruiser man 60 said:

What's MSC stance if you have previously booked a fantastica or Aurea cabin añd they are nods including deluxe drinks package, will they add in to your booking if you call up or do you need to cancel and rebook?

You never got deluxe with Aurea, you got classic. If you booked before November 12th 2017 you will still get classic, if it looks like you got downgraded to easy call msc before you go and get it fixed, don't wait until you board.

[ssmea03]

41 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

(Apologies to the OP for going off-topic - the post I'm responding to at least had on-topic content, unlike this one  ).

I think Sid got us mixed up with his "almost time" thread. However chatting it over with DW, we've decided b2b, at least on the same ship, are to be avoided, and long cruises in general.

[sidari]

We have previously done three 20 night cruises with not many issues, one of those three were on this very same ship, repetition is a big issue on this current cruise.

For the op, the Classic with Aurea or Deluxe upgrade has not been an issue with regards drinks, nor has it been in our current Fantastica cabin where we have the Classic package.

[Beamafar]

Dave ... have the price limits been increased to take the increases in drinks prices into account?

[rattla]

3 hours ago, Belliniginfizz said:

I’ve looked at adjoining balconies, as as you say, the difference in price is negligible and with the drinks offer makes much more sense.  Unfortunately, interconnecting balconies are almost as impossible to find as family cabins, and my children are just a bit too young for us to have in the next cabin with no interconnecting door. 

Tempted to complain to MSC about the ridiculous family cabin exemption, but pretty sure I will get nowhere!

The actual balconies are able to be opened up of course if you can’t have a door interconnecting, but that may not be ideal for you depending on the age of your kids.

[sidari]

Bea ... Basically you get what is in the package you purchased as before, the system appears to be set up so that bar staff know what you can or can't have in the respective packages.

There are menu folders in each bar that tell you the codes and what is included.

[Beamafar]

2 minutes ago, sidari said:

Bea ... Basically you get what is in the package you purchased as before, the system appears to be set up so that bar staff know what you can or can't have in the respective packages.

There are menu folders in each bar that tell you the codes and what is included.

 

Yeah ... I was wondering how we'd know what was included, without constantly having to ask the waiters.  God be with the day when the menus with asterisks existed.  It was going to be different for us as we've never sailed US-based ships before, so were unfamiliar with the price limit system, but this change wasn't anticipated.

[sidari]

Bea ... So far any issues I have witnessed have been with the Drinks on us package, our next door neighbours have it and have had a few problems getting some drinks. From what I can gather some bar staff have wrongly given them certain drinks which are not included and caused issues at other bars when they have been refused them.

[ssmea03]

10 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The very best scenario would be to book a Fantastica cabin and get upgraded to an Aurea one (which happens very frequently);   you get to keep the Fantastica benefit AND get MyChoice dining!  

8 hours ago, Beamafar said:

So out of curiosity, mainly to see if I could book from Canada, I did a dummy booking. Basically it's a hurricane season offer, presumably MSC think Brits will ignore hurricanes if they ply them with enough booze. 

 

 

[citizenfrank]

6 hours ago, ssmea03 said:

 

True, though by the 20s of the month it is virtually over.

Some Brits with an unlimited booze package would cruise in a blender! 

[Beamafar]

The offer isn't only on Caribbean cruises!  Plus, it's on cruises in the Caribbean outside the hurricane season.

[citizenfrank]

Yes which makes it even better Bea!

Not long for you now ….packed?!?!

[Beamafar]

Can't even look at the packing, yet, Frank.  I find it hard to pack for warm weather at this time of the year LOL  Tickets should be arriving in the post today ... that usually works (though I've already received them thru' email and that didn't!).  Hoping to get it done in the next couple of days before the 'flu bug gets going around ... apparently the season has been delayed because of the unseasonably mild weather.

 

We still have most of the Christmas decorations to take down, too!  And to top it all, I slept in 'til 11am this morning (unheard of, for me!) and am now like a slug!

 

Now ... just to be (almost) on-topic - the Classic package was included in our fare (though not only for Fantastica bookings); we've upgraded to Deluxe, which seems to be something similar to the new Premium one, except we'll have the mini-bar and room service food included (gelato is free for everyone on Armonia, so not being included in the new packages is not an issue on this ship). 

[citizenfrank]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

Can't even look at the packing, yet, Frank.  I find it hard to pack for warm weather at this time of the year LOL  Tickets should be arriving in the post today ... that usually works (though I've already received them thru' email and that didn't!).  Hoping to get it done in the next couple of days before the 'flu bug gets going around ... apparently the season has been delayed because of the unseasonably mild weather.

 

We still have most of the Christmas decorations to take down, too!  And to top it all, I slept in 'til 11am this morning (unheard of, for me!) and am now like a slug!

 

Now ... just to be (almost) on-topic - the Classic package was included in our fare (though not only for Fantastica bookings); we've upgraded to Deluxe, which seems to be something similar to the new Premium one, except we'll have the mini-bar and room service food included (gelato is free for everyone on Armonia, so not being included in the new packages is not an issue on this ship). 

Well the weather is poor here, so I'm guessing it is the same for you!

You are 'late' with the old operation of decorations away, but I do not envy you that job, mine were down the 27th & so I feel smug now lol

Yes a last bite of the old 'deluxe cherry' will taste sweet, I'm the same next time in March & cannot wait to enjoy the option again albeit for the last time in that format.

Current reviews suggest few issues whilst on board & using the deluxe benefits so that is one less thing to worry about.

Are you staying over there pre or post cruise?

I'm assuming, though this is a fatal flaw in my personal make-up lol, that you will be flying Aer Lingus?

Frank 

[Beamafar]

Aer Lingus it is!  Direct flights, so staying one night pre-cruise and 2 nights post-cruise to fit in with the flight availability dates.  Pre-clearance in Dublin, too ... YAY.  

 

DH is currently busily taking down the decorations.  It's a tradition to wait 'til Jan 6 here ... we have 2 names for that date - "Little Christmas Day" and an Irish one "Nollaig na mBán" which literally means "Women's Christmas Day" and is so called because of the Irish men taking on household duties for the day (which would have been a big thing in years gone by!  )  I still did a special "Nollaig na mBan" lunch yesterday  - DH can't even boil an egg!

 

We've 2 YC cruises booked for later in the year (so the subject of this thread doesn't arise here, either) and are 'entitled' to the old Deluxe package then, as well.  I just wonder how long MSC will 'grandfather' this in.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Beamafar

[CruisingFox27]

13 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Aer Lingus it is!  Direct flights, so staying one night pre-cruise and 2 nights post-cruise to fit in with the flight availability dates.  Pre-clearance in Dublin, too ... YAY.  

 

We've 2 YC cruises booked for later in the year (so the subject of this thread doesn't arise here, either) and are 'entitled' to the old Deluxe package then, as well.  I just wonder how long MSC will 'grandfather' this in.

 

Surely, this to last for a long while, we booked an Aurea repo for Feb 2020 which includes the old AIB&R package. I didn't book Easy and that's not what I'm expecting to receive - 4 weeks with 4 cocktails to choose from, no thank you

Edited January 7, 2019 by CruisingFox27

[Beamafar]

Judging by the way they have the different packages outlined in the menus (on Divina, anyway, according to Sidari) it looks like they're prepared to honour the package that was included at the time of booking.  The crew will get well used to handling the various connotations and complexities until the time that it will no longer be needed.  Well, hopefully that will be the situation.

 

Between these major changes to the drinks packages, the sneaky downgrading of benefits for Black Card holders, the fact that a new, higher tier has still not been introduced and the way prices are going, I really don't know how I feel about continuing with MSC after 2018.  It may depend on whether I achieve a 30% discount voucher in the casino on Meraviglia;  I'll be very reluctant to pay the crazy prices they're charging for 2020 at the moment.

[CruisingFox27]

Hopefully so, I'm sure they are getting used to handling it now. My only concern is the date being so far in advance but I'm sure many people will have booked for 2020 in 2018, with packages to be honoured. It just seems a long way off to me.

 

We feel the same, I've wanted to book this repo for a long time but couldn't make it fit. It appeared on the website at the beginning of November and I booked on 8th (phew)! Going forward, it may have to be very special Aurea with upgrade or YC offers. Or you'll find I'm stalking you to the casino to work out how the voucher system works 😉