Is the $5 extra entree charge true in MDR?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 minutes ago, nferr said:

 

All the other lines are also highest priced during school breaks. I'd love to see your comparison pricing against the other lines. It's not even close out of NY.

we sail out of Florida ports. And, yes, it's close.

 

Here is a sampling of our most recent past and future cruises (3 people):

 

Allure of the Seas April 2022 - $2,500 balcony, 7 nights

Enchanted Princess November 2022 (Thanksgiving) 10 nights balcony, $2,600, Southern Caribbean 

Oasis of the Seas April 2023 - $2,600, 7 nights, $150 OBC

MSC Nov 2023 $2,300 balcony, 7 nights 

Celebrity March 2024 - 8 nights, $2,600 ABC islands +$300 OBC

Enchanted Princess June 2024 - $1,700 inside, 7 nights

Carnival Horizon Nov 2024 (Thanksgiving) - balcony, $2,700 ABC islands (I only mention the ABC islands because I am willing to pay more for this itinerary compared to Western Caribbean and a little more than for Eastern).

 

As you can see, the difference between MSC and other lines isn't staggering. It is most certainly not dirt cheap. And this same balcony cabin for the November cruise is now $3,107. Regular balcony.

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, CruiseCruiseAndMoreCruise said:

That's interesting, as I was on the Meraviglia last week and this wasn't the case.  Perfect timing on my part as I had multiple entrees a few nights! 

started August 6

[nferr]

5 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we sail out of Florida ports. And, yes, it's close.

 

Here is a sampling of our most recent past and future cruises (3 people):

 

Allure of the Seas April 2022 - $2,500 balcony, 7 nights

Enchanted Princess November 2022 (Thanksgiving) 10 nights balcony, $2,600, Southern Caribbean 

Oasis of the Seas April 2023 - $2,600, 7 nights, $150 OBC

MSC Nov 2023 $2,300 balcony, 7 nights 

Celebrity March 2024 - 8 nights, $2,600 ABC islands +$300 OBC

Enchanted Princess June 2024 - $1,700 inside, 7 nights

Carnival Horizon Nov 2024 (Thanksgiving) - balcony, $2,700 ABC islands (I only mention the ABC islands because I am willing to pay more for this itinerary compared to Western Caribbean and a little more than for Eastern).

 

As you can see, the difference between MSC and other lines isn't staggering. It is most certainly not dirt cheap. And this same balcony cabin for the November cruise is now $3,107. Regular balcony.

 Come on. That says nothing. Give me current pricing, same days, same accommodations and same perks. Believe me, I've been pricing.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, nferr said:

 Come on. That says nothing. Give me current pricing, same days, same accommodations and same perks. Believe me, I've been pricing.

I don't have the time to do it all over again to satisfy your curiosity, but suffice it to say that I check ALL the cruise lines sailings for that week, compare all the perks, ships, amenities, shows, family friendly activities, etc. before picking the best priced offering. I do price shop and take my time. Our final choice may not necessarily be the cheapest, but it will be the best for the price. I am frugal and I spend my money wisely.

 

Customer service wise (shore side) MSC is losing to all other cruise lines at the moment. My personal example is the last cruise we attempted with MSC - we booked a Fantastica experience for ourselves and my parents so I could choose nearby cabins on the deck of my choice, and MSC moved us into guarantee rooms without so much as a notification. Thankfully, it happened before the final payment, so I cancelled and got us a similarly priced cruise on RCI instead. With cabins of our choice.

[keep on cruisin]

I have been on over twenty cruises. I understand adding a surcharge, but since many of us use cruising to try things we may never try elsewhere, but don't want to throw money away, thus has always been a part of cruising. 

No I would never order every item, but 2 is not uncommon.  Many times I will ask them to just bring the main and keep the sides, so that there is no extra  waist.

This may very well be a one and done MSC for us if this does not change.  

 

[Nunagoras]

On 8/9/2023 at 5:43 PM, JamieLogical said:

As far as "cut-backs" go, this feels like a very mild and sensible one compared to some of the cut-backs on other cruise lines. At least you still have the option for a second entree. On lines that have just closed the buffet for dinner or late-night snacks or gotten rid of evening turn-down service, you don't even have an option to pay extra for access to those things. Also, I don't really know what percentage of passengers this will impact at all. Why do you need two entrees at dinner? Especially if you can still get multiple apps and desserts if you need more food.

Well: In certain days, you need to transform a vegetarian entree on a starter and order your regular entree just to counteract food allergies. I hope those instances to be dealt properly. Meanwhile not entirely against these rules. Ships are understaffed right now and food waste might to be a problem they need to sort out in spite of increasingly stricter environmental rules elsewhere. Ultimately there will be more balanced workflow and ship overal management.

[quattrohead]

So if you order a Big Mac and a Quarter pounder from the M devil, you pay for both meals, right ????

 

I am sure that if you ordered a meal you did not like, they will bring you a second choice no charge.

And yeah, have a walk to the buffet if you need more.

[Beaver1975]

36 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

So if you order a Big Mac and a Quarter pounder from the M devil, you pay for both meals, right ????

 

I am sure that if you ordered a meal you did not like, they will bring you a second choice no charge.

And yeah, have a walk to the buffet if you need more.

Thank you so much for the brilliant insights.

[mvh]

16 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

oh, please, lowest fares, my behind. We can only cruise during school breaks, which doesn't afford us low fares. Our November's cruise fare is right up there with the rest of the cruise lines. And if I were to book it now instead of last year, it would have been way more than other cruise lines, and might I add -  unjustifiably so.

So why didn't you book a different cruise line? Was it the only cruise availabe? Your statement makes absolutely no sense. 

[Pizzasteve]

1 hour ago, quattrohead said:

So if you order a Big Mac and a Quarter pounder from the M devil, you pay for both meals, right ????

 

I am sure that if you ordered a meal you did not like, they will bring you a second choice no charge.

And yeah, have a walk to the buffet if you need more.

McDonalds doesnt add a new service charge after you have ordered and paid in full for your meal.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

6 minutes ago, mvh said:

So why didn't you book a different cruise line? Was it the only cruise availabe? Your statement makes absolutely no sense. 

I booked it last year. MSC added the service charge this week. How could I have known last year when I made a booking that MSC would sneakily add a service charge for 2+ entrees this year? Are you posting for the sake of posting or...?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, quattrohead said:

So if you order a Big Mac and a Quarter pounder from the M devil, you pay for both meals, right ????

 

I am sure that if you ordered a meal you did not like, they will bring you a second choice no charge.

If McD's sold their product as an all inclusive, I'd be very surprised to see an additional charge for a second burger.

[perakcruiser]

I have also ordered a second entree from time to time, especially no appetizer/soup/salad, but a pasta and a fish/meat dish. Which is the traditional Italian dinner, so I think there will be quite a shitstorm in southern Europe for them. 

 

On the other hand many people order too much and this is not good. But that is also because the size of the dishes is unpredictable. Sometimes very small, sometimes so big that you would not need any other course.

 

For me it is not a big thing, if I really leave one night the restaurant not full, the buffet is always available. Just hope that MSC keeps the food improvements from the last two years. 

[morpheusofthesea]

8 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I booked it last year

Yes this can be a problem. Many cruise lines are doing the same thing. Princess has changed their drink packages, etc.. So we have a choice, cancel and demand a refund of a nonrefundable payment or accept the new charges. We have another predicament. Booking so far in advance to get a lower price on a limited number of prime cabins on a new ship relying on Spring Break dates of this year and finding out we booked the wrong week for next year. Our deposit is $7,024 (nonrefundable) on a $28,000 'once in a lifetime' cruise. We haven't your 'luxury' of choices.

[Homosassa]

17 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

I have also ordered a second entree from time to time, especially no appetizer/soup/salad, but a pasta and a fish/meat dish. Which is the traditional Italian dinner, so I think there will be quite a shitstorm in southern Europe for them. 

 

 

The pasta is the prima course and the fish/ meat dish is the segunda.

 

MSC is used to offering its pasta dishes as the smaller prima course  for those who wish to eat traditionally. 

 

If the pasta is order as the prima, it shouldn't be considered a second entree (segunda). 

[mvh]

56 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I booked it last year. MSC added the service charge this week. How could I have known last year when I made a booking that MSC would sneakily add a service charge for 2+ entrees this year? Are you posting for the sake of posting or...?

So even if you get 2 meals per day, it's $35. How is that more than the other lines? This is so minimal it's ridiculous. Show me one other line that is apples to apples that will cost you less, or even close. If you can find it, you should have booked it because the one you currently booked just went up $35. Unless, you order 3 or 4 plates per night.

[4sallypat]

43 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

The pasta is the prima course and the fish/ meat dish is the segunda.

 

MSC is used to offering its pasta dishes as the smaller prima course  for those who wish to eat traditionally. 

 

If the pasta is order as the prima, it shouldn't be considered a second entree (segunda). 

I enjoyed ordering 2 appetizers / salads and 2 entrees as the portion sizes were small on a eastern Mediterranean cruise I took in June '23.

 

If the portion sizes goes up, then I won't have to order an extra salad and entree...

 

The only surcharge I paid was the T-bone steak dinner I ordered - €15 extra. 

That was the only menu item that had an extra charge in the MDR.

Well worth it - only needed 1 to fill me up.

😆

Edited August 11, 2023 by 4sallypat

[morpheusofthesea]

Had a couple tell us their experience at Teppanyaki was not up to what they had in the past. Reduced the accompanying garnishes to one each., eg. one mushroom, one stalk of asparagus, one......Could that just be because they bought a package?

[Edhoff]

Surf & Turf for $5, Order me 2 to go.

[Squirrelcop]

On 8/9/2023 at 11:18 AM, mvh said:

This should have been done years ago. No one needs 2 dinners. The excuse that you just wanted to try a little is b.s. If that is truly the case it's only going to be $5. 

Honesty who are you to tell me how many dinners I need ??   It’s not uncommon for me to order two entrees every night on a cruise and I finish all of it.. no waste!  Been doing this over 25+ years of cruising.  You should speak for yourself, not everyone. 

[morpheusofthesea]

35 minutes ago, Squirrelcop said:

Been doing this over 25+ years of cruising.

Us too. Just about 50 years of cruising. Part of the 'charm' of cruising.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 8/9/2023 at 2:20 PM, south-carolinagirl said:

Just to elaborate, it is for 2nd entrees only.  I know this sounds ok to most but in May we cruised with three 23 year olds and they all ate two entrees every night (no charge on Carnival).   Glad appetizers and desserts are not affected.  

There are quite a few people who have jobs where they burn calories as if they were teens!  Right now I have a friend in a physical rehab center that was losing weight on their calorie count, and he actually needs to gain weight from being I’ll.  
 

what I’d prefer is that we not be given such huge portions but be allowed a second entree if we are still hungry.  Granted I don’t remember MSC having too big of servings but it’s been a while.  
 

if I’m charged for a second entree because the first was inedible there will be a very long discussion.  And yes, my very first steak on MSC had a gravy on it that wasn’t cooked:  it tasted like raw flour!!! 

[cublet]

3 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

There are quite a few people who have jobs where they burn calories as if they were teens!  Right now I have a friend in a physical rehab center that was losing weight on their calorie count, and he actually needs to gain weight from being I’ll.  
 

what I’d prefer is that we not be given such huge portions but be allowed a second entree if we are still hungry.  Granted I don’t remember MSC having too big of servings but it’s been a while.  
 

if I’m charged for a second entree because the first was inedible there will be a very long discussion.  And yes, my very first steak on MSC had a gravy on it that wasn’t cooked:  it tasted like raw flour!!! 

Hello,

 

I'd put MSC portion size on the same scale as P&O - substantially smaller than RCI.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[emmas gran]

I posted this to be informative not to start the arguments the ensued!!

[blueslily]

Everyone is aware that this $5 surcharge is not for all 2nd entrees on the menu and its not rolled out on all MSC ships, right?  There are some interesting posts in this thread.  Totally agree with one thing here. Change is always possible, at any time in life.

 

Have a good weekend everyone. Happy cruising.