Anyone with positives about the orchestra??

[FOURunderFOUR]

I am trying to keep an open mind. Maybe if I lower my expectations it won't be that bad? We are sailing 1/24 with our 5 young children and my parents so it is too late to cancel. We got an OV for an inside price and are barely paying more for the 7 of us than DH and I paid for just the two of us on a shorter cruise on RCCL with a balcony cabin the same time last year. So unless the experience is absolutely abysmal I won't be TOO upset. But I AM getting worried.....can someone with a positive experience reassure me? Do I need to bring my own bottled water and food on board? Is that even possible??

 

J

[Aicilies]

You're in for a big big big treat. /sarcasm

 

I have only headaches and heartaches. Wasted money and time. Absolutely no enjoyment whatsoever. The ship was not adapted for Americans at all (such as speaking English or change machines taking American money), it was very dirty (my allergies were horrible... I'm only allergic to dust and mold), the coffee was so old it didn't take to milk so I lived off of instant coffee, 5 hour wait to get on the ship, undercooked meat got really sick, food shortage... People fought over it... Free for all while leaving so there was a panic while leaving due no organization, every staff member looked the same and spoke no English, no entertainment...

[BonnieVA]

Oh, I feel for you. We are booked for an April cruise but, luckliy, we have not paid in full yet. I am cancelling & have already booked another cruise. MSC now does not allow pax to bring their own food onboard so you will have to make due w/ what you are given. I hope you can bring water.

 

I guess, if I were you, I would take a deep breath & hope that they straighten things out in the next few weeks. There will probably be much fewer pax on the ship so that will help. I do hope you have a great cruise - I have 4 boys so I know how important things like food availability (& edibility!) are when you travel.

 

Best wishes.

[WhoDat]

http://miamiherald.*****.com/trave...chestra-h.html

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Bonnie,

 

Did you end up on the Ruby by chance? I'm traveling the same dates as you and have been looking at her. Unfortunately, a solo balcony cabin is running twice as much :(

 

Cheryl

[BonnieVA]

Bonnie,

 

Did you end up on the Ruby by chance? I'm traveling the same dates as you and have been looking at her. Unfortunately, a solo balcony cabin is running twice as much :(

 

Cheryl

 

No, I went w/ NCL. I've only cruised 2x before (this past summer) & I love the NCL Freestyle dining concept. We were extremely happy w/ our NCL cruise in June so we're taking our boys on that line this April. Plus, it's probably more affordable than the Ruby ... but maybe someday ;).

[floridacruiser1]

Yes, I did sail on Jan 2nd. It is a shame the ship will get such bad reviews. I really think had we not had the long embarkation on Friday, people would not be as upset. If you are going with an open mind as you said you will enjoy it. Yes, it did take TOO long to embark, yes many of the staff did not speak English. The dining room nightmares I believe stemmed from the late disembarkation. The long lines Satuday am at the buffet were because the boat drill was postponed until 8:30am so everyone went to the buffet at the same time. There was no line at the buffet Sunday am. The long lines at disembarkation were because 90% of the ship did self assist to get off.

 

If you are taking kids... I think they did great with the kids. There is a playground which is open all the time. The kids club staff were very nice. Teen card was great (cash accpunt so they did not run up your room bill)!!! Special kids menu in dining rooms.

[WhoDat]

There was no line at the buffet Sunday am.

 

That's because alot of them were down by the exit door!!! Many gave up breakfast to be there!:D

[brownwy]

This ship is beautiful, but unfortunately that's the only one of 2 positive notes. If you did not book a balcony I'd advise you to pester the company to get one - apparently many passengers that paid for inside rooms got free upgrades to balconies which incensed those of us that paid full price for the balconies.

 

The variety show on the second night was very good, I enjoyed it very nuch and so did my 7 year-old. The show on the first night was very scary and left most of the children in tears.

 

The posts so far have been very accurate. Everything that you could think of that could be bad, happened on this ship. Things are so bad that my child is having nightmares that we had to abandon shiop and no one was there to help us so people drowned. For things get into the psyche of a child you can only imagine how horrible the experience really was for all involved.

 

I am a very adventurous traveller. Have been in a lot of very bad places, and got some very bad service. However, nothing can compare to this experience. As it turned out, the things I bought in the "duty free" store on board cost even more than they do in the stores on land, including taxes. Perfume is typically cheaper at the duty-free locations. I paid $65 for perfume that is available at Macy's for $50.

 

Things were so bad on this ship that the ship did not hand out the customary "comment cards" for us to rate the cruise and service - you had to ask for it at the purser's desk. They simply did not want to know.

 

For those Amex. cardholders that have made deposits on future sailings, you can try to get the charges reversed. No one should have to endure those conditions, much less pay for it. If you want to validate whether passengers are exaggerating their experiences, look no further than the company's desision to offer a credit for future cruises. That's a pretty drastic step unless there were colossal failures, which unfortunately, there were on this beautiful ship.

[FOURunderFOUR]

Thanks for all the replies, both good and bad. We sail in less than 3 weeks, so I do not know how much will be fixed by then but at this point there is nothing I can do about it. The cruise is bought and paid for so I can't cancel. My 5 young children are over-the-top excited and I don't think lack of iced water or cold dinner will dampen their enthusiasm. The lines may make things challenging for us, but we will manage somehow. I am going with an open mind and reminding myself how little we actually had to pay for this cruise. I will try to see things through their eyes and not get too bogged down with the negatives. our first stop is key west so if the food is as terrible as everyone says, we will stock up there. I could live on bread and soup and gelato! And if I lose a few pounds...even better! I am staying away from the boards until we return. I don't want to go into the cruise with all of the negative posts ruining my spirit. I hope (and pray) that I can come back (after the Steelers win the superbowl!!) and give you all a positive, glowing review.

 

Until then.....

J

[love2bonboard]

Oh, I feel for you. We are booked for an April cruise but, luckliy, we have not paid in full yet. I am cancelling & have already booked another cruise. MSC now does not allow pax to bring their own food onboard so you will have to make due w/ what you are given. I hope you can bring water.

 

I guess, if I were you, I would take a deep breath & hope that they straighten things out in the next few weeks. There will probably be much fewer pax on the ship so that will help. I do hope you have a great cruise - I have 4 boys so I know how important things like food availability (& edibility!) are when you travel.

 

Best wishes.

I just cancelled my cruise with them as well. I booked with Princess (they have really dropped their rates) and I ended up saving enough to pay for the fee for changing my airline tickets plus $150.00 in On Board Credit. Thanks Princess!

[Mooguy]

I just cancelled my cruise with them as well. I booked with Princess (they have really dropped their rates) and I ended up saving enough to pay for the fee for changing my airline tickets plus $150.00 in On Board Credit. Thanks Princess!

 

Did you book direct with Princess? Their cabins are going to start filling quickly with everyone jumping ship on MSC.

[TonyG2]

Well as much complaining as I have done about our recent 17day cruise, I think its only fair to also list the positives.

 

1. Cruise ship is beautiful

2. Cruise ship was well cleaned

3. Entertainment crew worked hard and did a good job.

4. The staff that was from Bali where very pleasant.

5. Gelato while not free was very cheap, we assumed the worse only to find out with a couple days left that a large helping was only $2.

6. They did serve tap/ice water at meals including seated meals at no charge.

 

And a side note, as far as what you can bring onto the ship (food/alcohol) just depends on who is checking your luggage in the screener. We brought on a lot of food from grocery stores...thank god...along with Coke. The only people I saw getting their liquor taken where the people who had it in the cardboard boxes that make a bit obvious. So I got the feeling that they would take it, if they knew it was liquor but wouldnt bother if they were not sure..just my opinion.

[babygirl722]

Thanks for all the replies, both good and bad. We sail in less than 3 weeks, so I do not know how much will be fixed by then but at this point there is nothing I can do about it. The cruise is bought and paid for so I can't cancel. My 5 young children are over-the-top excited and I don't think lack of iced water or cold dinner will dampen their enthusiasm. The lines may make things challenging for us, but we will manage somehow. I am going with an open mind and reminding myself how little we actually had to pay for this cruise. I will try to see things through their eyes and not get too bogged down with the negatives. our first stop is key west so if the food is as terrible as everyone says, we will stock up there. I could live on bread and soup and gelato! And if I lose a few pounds...even better! I am staying away from the boards until we return. I don't want to go into the cruise with all of the negative posts ruining my spirit. I hope (and pray) that I can come back (after the Steelers win the superbowl!!) and give you all a positive, glowing review.

 

Until then.....

 

 

 

We're doing a B2B starting Feb 7th and it's way too late for us to cancel without losing 50% of our money. I thought about cutting my losses and decided that as someone else wisely wrote, there are few things that MSC can't ruin, such as the beautiful weather and beaches in the Caribbean, relaxing moments spent with my family on the balcony while watching the Caribbean Sea pass by, and all of the great laughs I intend to have with the friends I'm sailing with. The rest I will just have to take in stride, I guess.

 

I will mention that I sent a letter to Sasso, the CEO of MSC USA and let him know my concerns and asked him what he plans to do to improve the passenger experience. I also called the corporate offices today and had a long talk with their head of passenger services. He seemed quite aware of all of the issues and is convinced that the kinks will be worked out very shortly. I reminded him that the issues were more than kinks and I followed up with an email that included a link to these boards. I do feel that they are taking the situation seriously and that they will work in earnest to make it a more pleasant experience. Hopefully, I'm not fooling myself!

[monicajay]

Thanks for all the replies, both good and bad. We sail in less than 3 weeks, so I do not know how much will be fixed by then but at this point there is nothing I can do about it. The cruise is bought and paid for so I can't cancel. My 5 young children are over-the-top excited and I don't think lack of iced water or cold dinner will dampen their enthusiasm. The lines may make things challenging for us, but we will manage somehow. I am going with an open mind and reminding myself how little we actually had to pay for this cruise. I will try to see things through their eyes and not get too bogged down with the negatives. our first stop is key west so if the food is as terrible as everyone says, we will stock up there. I could live on bread and soup and gelato! And if I lose a few pounds...even better! I am staying away from the boards until we return. I don't want to go into the cruise with all of the negative posts ruining my spirit. I hope (and pray) that I can come back (after the Steelers win the superbowl!!) and give you all a positive, glowing review.

 

Until then.....

 

 

 

We're doing a B2B starting Feb 7th and it's way too late for us to cancel without losing 50% of our money. I thought about cutting my losses and decided that as someone else wisely wrote, there are few things that MSC can't ruin, such as the beautiful weather and beaches in the Caribbean, relaxing moments spent with my family on the balcony while watching the Caribbean Sea pass by, and all of the great laughs I intend to have with the friends I'm sailing with. The rest I will just have to take in stride, I guess.

 

I will mention that I sent a letter to Sasso, the CEO of MSC USA and let him know my concerns and asked him what he plans to do to improve the passenger experience. I also called the corporate offices today and had a long talk with their head of passenger services. He seemed quite aware of all of the issues and is convinced that the kinks will be worked out very shortly. I reminded him that the issues were more than kinks and I followed up with an email that included a link to these boards. I do feel that they are taking the situation seriously and that they will work in earnest to make it a more pleasant experience. Hopefully, I'm not fooling myself!

 

Great initiative.

 

 

I'll look forward to your review after a B2B.

[Macy2]

 

The variety show on the second night was very good, I enjoyed it very nuch and so did my 7 year-old. The show on the first night was very scary and left most of the children in tears.

 

Brownwy,

Do you remember the name of the show that was scary? We will have our 2 young children on our 7 night cruise in April, and would like to avoid it.

[WhoDat]

the friends I'm sailing with. The rest I will just have to take in stride, I guess.

 

That is exactly what we did - took it in stride, as much as we could. Luckily we were always surrounded by people who were similar to us - able to laugh about it. NOT happy about it - but able to laugh. It still was the most unpleasant experience we have ever had on any type of vacation, and we paid them for it! I'd much rather been like at work where they pay me! LOL...Seriously, though, it's good to see someone from a future cruise expressing concerns to MSC and Mr. Sasso. Would love to hear when Sasso responds to you and what he has to say.

 

Golden Star for you, my friend!:)

[GSPLover]

 

The variety show on the second night was very good, I enjoyed it very nuch and so did my 7 year-old. The show on the first night was very scary and left most of the children in tears.

 

Brownwy,

Do you remember the name of the show that was scary? We will have our 2 young children on our 7 night cruise in April, and would like to avoid it.

 

The name of the show was "Celtic Spirit."

 

Second night's show was fantastic! Got a well-deserved standing ovation.

[kf657]

Well, we were fortunately able to cancel our April 11 MSC cruise and get ALL our money back. We re-booked on the Ruby Princess and spent exactly the same amount. I figured with using Princess' soda card, coffee card and even an ice cream card we will come out ahead. I would NEVER pay for beverages like milk for the kids. You are paying for the whole package and I was afraid of wasting my money. In this day and age why risk it?

[owl61]

My 5 young children are over-the-top excited and I don't think lack of iced water or cold dinner will dampen their enthusiasm. The lines may make things challenging for us, but we will manage somehow. I am going with an open mind and reminding myself how little we actually had to pay for this cruise. I will try to see things through their eyes and not get too bogged down with the negatives.

I hope (and pray) that I can come back (after the Steelers win the superbowl!!) and give you all a positive, glowing review.

Until then.....

J

Well, especially if it is the kids' first cruise we are sure you will have a great time watching them experience it. A glowing review is not likely, but it is not unlikely that someone like yourself will find a way to have a great time on the cruise. Lowered expectations can't hurt. By the way, I would not hold my breath for the Steelers to win the SB. Lowered expectations will serve you well there, too.

 

I will mention that I sent a letter to Sasso, the CEO of MSC USA and let him know my concerns and asked him what he plans to do to improve the passenger experience. I also called the corporate offices today and had a long talk with their head of passenger services. He seemed quite aware of all of the issues and is convinced that the kinks will be worked out very shortly. I reminded him that the issues were more than kinks and I followed up with an email that included a link to these boards. I do feel that they are taking the situation seriously and that they will work in earnest to make it a more pleasant experience. Hopefully, I'm not fooling myself!

I applaud your initiative in writing to the CEO and calling corp offices to register your concerns as well as those of your fellow posters. I encourage others who have either had a bad experience or who are booked for a future cruise to do the same. Email is effortless.

There is absolutely no excuse for the abysmal level of service on the part of crew and staff that I read about on this site. It appears MSC employees are totally oblivious to the wellbeing of the paying passengers. Food can be sometimes be a matter of expertise or budget. Service, on the other hand, is a matter of desire and competent management. It can and should be remedied immediately. Not in a month or a week , but now. This is the message that Sasso and other senior corp officers must receive.

[babygirl722]

I truly believe that there are way too many people in the world that complain (and rightfully so, I might add) about service issues but don't take it to the next step. It's important to let senior executives know what's wrong with the companies they are managing. Perhaps I'm naive, but I do believe that if more people took the initiative, we'd see improvement. So, I suggest that those of you that have not yet cancelled and not yet sailed, please, write a letter.

 

BTW, I have heard back from the Sr VP of passenger services, who did fix a problem I had with my cabin assignments. I'll let you know when and if I hear back from Richard Sasso.

[Mic-Mac]

I don't know if I will get a reply or not but I did write expressing my concerns. I mentioned that I have also traveled in second and third world countries! I asked them to let me know what MSC is planning to do to correct the problems -- FWIW.

 

Babygirl, are you going on the Feb. 14 cruise? Do you have teens sailing with you? I have one teen and a tween.

[Louise34]

We are sailing her on Jan. 17th, and I just called my travel agent re: all the negative experiences. She is aware of all the comments, and people wanting to cancel, so she will be sailing the Orchestra this Friday for a 2 day evaluation to address all the problems. I will call her on Monday for her result and will post the outcome here. Word is certainly getting out, and I am happy to see my agent will experience for herself to better serve her clients.

[Cosmo's Dad]

The only positives I can speak on are the facts that the ship itself is beautiful. Disjointed in flow but beautiful. If you are a cigar smoker as I am the cigar bar was a welcome escape from the dreadful service. There was no beer served in this bar only high priced top shelf liquors...ok but i prefer a good beer with my cigars. Smuggle in your own snacks however. If you miss your dinner or are hugry after it is closed tough luck. The only cruise I truly believe one can lose weight on.

 

If you are bringing your children...keep a very close eye on them. While I was waiting in the line (one of many) at the customer service desk there was a woman frantically trying to get the staff to find her child. Apparently their 2nd seating dinner ran well past the 11:00 chekout at the childcare center and they just disappeared. No word as to where the children were taken to. The staff seemed genuinely unconcerned that several parents had no child. Security took along time to respond to the desk as I recall. Remember I saw all of this while waiting in a very slow line. Eventually the children were found in the theater waiting to be picked up.

 

DO NOT EAT THE BREAKFAST SAUSAGES!!! Unless of course you really like Slim Jims. Seriously they were just one of the horrible foods served. We did not see our room steward until the morning of disembarkation. Only because we were leaving and he was pounding on doors to evict people promptly at 7a.m.

 

The compulsory muster was a joke. Due to the extreme delay boarding the muster was rescheduled to 8:30a.m. the morning we were in port at Nassau. We did not leave our rooms (as a test). Later I overheard several passengers say they got off the ship before the muster and no one seemed to care.

 

Watch your bill. While in the slow line at reception (the one with the frantic parent) I had the opportunity to listen to about 10 patrons in front of me demanding that the tips be CORRECTED. They were charged the $12 per day per person (2 day cruise = $48.00 total) as if they were an the 7 day cruise ($84.00 per person).

 

As others have written the boarding and disembarkation issues were abyssmal.

 

Here is a practice I thought was weird. At the bar when you order a drink the bartender cannot ring you up. The register is facing the floor so that the waitress can ring you up. There several times I was told I could not be served until someone was available to swipe my card. Very stupid.

 

Avoid this cruise line like the plague.

[DavidA23]

Having just returned from the weekend cruise on the Orchestra, I will say that most of the negatives recorded on CC were well deserved. However, I still believe that there is no such thing as a bad cruise, just some better than others - barring illness or extreme weather. The positives from our trip included a beautiful ship with a very nice cabin. We got away from the daily grind for a few days and saw two excellent shows. Although the food was mediocre for a cruise, it was far superior to what I would have had at home. We had a good time in spite of the all the negatives. Go have fun, expect some difficulties, just enjoy the moment.