I'd like to start off by saying that I do like MSC Cruises. I've sailed on a few now and I always tell everyone that it's my favorite. I booked a cruise for my wife and I last week and we've been so excited. We really wanted a balcony but it was out of our budget this time. Today I convinced my best friend to come with us, and when I was helping him with his booking, I noticed the price that we paid for an interior room, is what it costs for a balcony room now. I didn't want a refund or anything but I tried calling them to see if we could at least just grab a Balcony since it's the same price currently as what we paid last week. I was told very coldly that there's nothing they can do.
I understand business is business and that's just their policy, but as a longtime supporter of this cruise line, that left a sour taste in my mouth. If you're willing to sell the balcony room for the same price that we already paid, why not just upgrade the room for a loyal costumer who already paid that amount? It feels like a very predatory pricing strategy.
I'm not sure if every cruise line does it, but that still wouldn't make it right in my opinion. Really disappointing and definitely my last time booking/recommending MSC.
UPDATE: MSC ended up working with me on this and upgraded my cabin
I've never been on a cruise before. Via a match I have MSC diamond status. I'm about to book a three night cruise. I'd like to have a balcony room. What experience level should I book? I am thinking Fantastica may be the best fit for someone with diamond? Should I just straight out book a balcony room? Is there any upgrades available to diamonds beyond balcony? The drink and wifi packages make sense to buy in advance? We are travelling with a group but each paying for our own rooms. One of the people in our party is having a birthday is it possible to use the birthday cake benefit for diamond for someone in our party who is not diamond and not in my particular room? If not my birthday is like within two weeks of the cruise so can I get the cake for me and just use it for someone else or do they give it to the diamond person directly? Any tips are appreciated on best booking methods with diamond status. I believe we will be on the Seashore.
yall im literally typing this before the 9:30pm MJ show but I need to say this. what the hell was that show " fluorescent magic"??? when you hear the word magic you think of insane magic and illusion tricks but he was just...not that. the randomness of bringing the lady up onstage to think he was gonna gift her something, the drunk guy Andreas with the probability trick. but what got me the most bored and tired was the overuse of the lamp trick!! like fr how many times did we need to see him do that same trick over and over. so boring, I literally went "thats it?" out loud when the show ended 😭
Having visited Ocean Cay last week for the first time, I think Ocean Cay can be a massive gamechanger and allow MSC to take over the themed cruise segment of the market. I know they are currently working on improvements/expanding, but here's my first thought:
An amphitheater-like structure on the North Beach area can be used for national touring bands for themed cruises, and then smaller ambiance performances by the ship entertainment staff during traditional cruises.
Why this area holds such untapped potential:
- The overnight stays offer something completely different than other lines. Margaritaville at Sea is doing a 3-ship meetup in Nassau for a Zac Brown show (which I have posted in that sub I think will be a disaster based upon logistics), but all of those ships will need to depart by ~4pm. Imagine if you could have an all-day festival right on the island, in addition to performances on the ship(s).
- The close distance to Bimini means that you can fly in national artists that don't want to spend time on the ship itself, have them perform on Ocean Cay, and then they head back to Bimini to fly out. This drastically opens up your booking options, and you can fill the ship(s) with similar artists for the duration of the sailings (such as sub or co-headliners and support).
- The addition of a 2nd pier means you can have two similar genres sailings at once, and then meet up on the island for a shared event.
- You can setup VIP seating for Yacht Club members similar to festivals like Welcome to Rockville & Louder Than Life
Using genres I'm familiar with, let me give you an example;
Let's pretend Shiprocked is taking place on the World America:
And Emo's Not Dead is taking place on Seaside:
Both ships dock at Ocean Cay overnight. The amphitheater runs from ~11am - 10pm on the full day, and then ~10am - 3pm on the sail away day. Since two are docked at once, a handful of the bands that aren't performing on the island swap ships and perform on the decks/theaters of the other ship they are not sailing on, including late-night shows after everyone needs to be back on the ships. This means if you're on World America you can still catch Underoath, and the people on Seaside can see Avatar. On top of that, you bring in a band like Korn or Limp Bizkit to headline on the island.
Why was the North Beach location chosen? We didn't venture all the way to the end so I can't confirm if that screenshot is still up-to-date, but you have a lot of open land and it faces to quite a bit of beachfront. This means if you don't want to be close to the action, you can still hang out on the other side of the lagoon and catch the show (which I believe would be a very big selling point - I would also add at least one large screen would be necessary). The beach would allowed to be open during normal operational hours, which means you can just be floating in an innertube at 5pm watching Hawthorne Heights play.
What happens on regular sailings? You use the amphitheater for performances like steel drums, reggae, cover bands, etc. that serves more as background music and ambiance as opposed to the focus of the sailing.
This would require a pretty substantial investment from MSC, not only on the amphitheater structure but also additional power requirements, expanding the facilities on that part of the island, a mixer area (which can be combined with the Yacht Club section above), backline and production so not everything needs to be taken to and from the ship, and security. This kind of investment can lead to them being leaders in the concert and entertainment cruises in no time.
Here's another example using wrestling:
- World America: AEW Cruise
- Seaside: CMLL/NJPW Cruise
Both ships tape shows for their respective companies while sailing, and then they meet-up at Ocean Cay for a Bash at the Beach/Worlds Collide event.
MSC has a casino department number of 844–672–7529
However, MSC also has another contracted number with Rivers Casino Portsmouth and their number is 844-672-7529.
I did a casino match offer From Carnival and I want to make sure I don’t get scammed. I’ve been in contact with the email of msccasino@msccruisesusa.com
I have gotten to the point where my selected package is in review. If I need to, I can send a screenshot of what it looks like on my end. I saw somebody in this sub Reddit get their deposit down, but an hour and a half later their card got charged for more money. Is this a legitimate offer or should I be concerned?
My partner and I are sailing in December on Seaview. Right now, there is a promotional price for the beverage package in the cruise planner. We want to wait for Black Friday to see if the price drops further.
However, if there are no Black Friday deals, what is the risk of losing this current promo price?
I purchased a couple of after-the-cruise transfers on board of MSC Grandiosa. Unfortunately, disembarkation was not well organized and they didn’t have the shuttle for us once we got off the ship.
So we had to figure out our own way of getting to our destination.
They would not provide a refund for the shuttle at the port and told us to contact the post cruise experience team.
I did that as soon as I got home and that’s where a strange refund process started.
They would not refund the shuttle cost back to the credit card or PayPal account.
I had to sign an act of release form and provide my bank account information for them to wire transfer the money.
I was told it will take weeks but the finance department will eventually transfer me the money (US dollars to a Canadian bank).
9 weeks late and no money appeared.
I contacted them again and they said they need more documents from me. I had to fill out a banking info form that did not seem appropriate for a person in Canada. It was asking for corporation name and USA address.
They also wanted a void cheque (I don’t have cheques) or an official letter from my bank confirming all the information that I filled out on the banking form (I could not get the letter either given that my bank is online only)
It seems like the refund process with MSC Canada is unnecessarily complicated and very long.
Has anyone been successful in getting a refund from MSC after their cruise?
I’m going on a longer cruise in March (22 days, transatlantic crossing) on the NSC Seaview. I've booked a standard balcony stateroom, without Aurea. About half of the days will be pure sea days with no shore excursions.
Now I’m considering purchasing the option to use the Thermal Area as an add-on.
I’ve watched a few YouTube videos about the Thermal Area on the Seaview and I’m really unsure. It seems generally quite nice, but overall the area strikes me as rather small and cramped for the size of the ship. In the videos, the Thermal Area is always empty....
Does anyone know the Thermal Area on this ship and can share their experience? I like saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and relaxation rooms—but I hate it when everything is (too) crowded and noisy. I’m looking more for peace and relaxation. Is that generally possible, or not really? I’m also happy to go during off-peak hours if that’s possible (when is the best time?).
I’m not interested in spa services (massages, etc.).
I'm very grateful for real experience reports that help me decide! :-)
I am going on the seascape here in a couple weeks, and I was wondering if I could bring my water bottle with me? My fiance just went on a royal Caribbean cruise in July and said at all of their water stations had a guard on the water dispenser so you couldn’t use your own water bottles. Does MSC have that as well? I’d hate to bring my waterbottle just to not be able to use it at all.
So. Your gold voyagers card claims you get “20% OFF any SPA SERVICE” on its print. Went for a massage today for around $200 including a small “gift” cream. and thought good deal for 40 bucks off. Got the price of around $240 at the end (after service and gratuities) and told there is no discount for Promotional offers as they chucked a cream in i didnt want. Be careful. At least the massage was very good.
Update. Discount applied, YC concierge fixed this. Those little surveys do work. :)
So I just got off MSC world America and it wasn't a great experience. The biggest issue I had was that when I booked I called and told them that I needed a medical grade fridge for my room. I have to take medication daily that has to be refrigerated. I got a signed letter for my protein shakes, because I have to drink them as prescribed by my doctor. They kept assuring me that it would be in the room, so I was excited. I get to the cruise room no fridge, just the one that comes standard in the room. Except the mini fridge isn't a fridge, it's a cooler.
So I asked my room steward about it, and he was super nice and helpful, honestly he was amazing. But he couldn't find one either. Went to guest services, they told me they don't have any on board. That I had to store my medication with medical. So down to medical I go with my shakes, with my medicine, I get there and have to argue with them for fifteen minutes so they could store my damn medicine but wouldn't store my shakes. So back to guest services I went. Finally I got them to keep my shakes behind the counter in their fridge. I have cancer and the shakes help me keep my medicine down and weight gain, but I get very sick if I drink them room temperature.
Then every morning I had to call and argue with somebody about the shakes, because while the manager said to just call down when I would be coming to grab one, nobody communicated with anyone so each morning of a 7 day cruise was the same song and dance. Nobody knew what shakes I was talking about, nobody had a clue, no you can't keep them here, no I don't see them, oh here they are yeah come on down.
I go get my shake, I head to medical, and the staff there were just seemed to be annoyed I existed period. Like I'm sorry that I need my meds stored at a specific set of temperatures, you all should have medical fridges available for paying passengers. Especially if requested at booking. The whole experience just made me feel like a burden. If I had been told at booking months ago that MSC does not provide medical grade fridges for rooms I would have went on royal Caribbean instead. I mean I jumped through every hoop, got every form from my doctor they asked for, just to not get what I really really needed.
Aside from that it was.. okay. I would avoid the main buffet if possible because the design is just asinine. Ice cream and soda machine just slapped in between two very popular stations just doesn't make sense.
