Clever fellas these cruise ship operators they let you pay for them to move the ship to the med

I've done this cruise myself, was amazing. MSC is brilliant for entertainment etc. Food is wonderful and lots of activities on board. my advice is give it a go. Thanks op.

Not been on MSC personally however the ship gets a 50% rating from 411 reviewers on cruisecritic. That's pretty low Reviews

Celebrity Eclipse that sails from the UK in summer gets 82% as a comparison. That's a big difference. Better to rely on the views of hundreds of reviewers than one off subjective views I would say. Have cruised 16 times and from speaking to other passengers that have tried MSC I've yet to meet any who would sail with them again.

Plus as this deal excludes the service charge (£120pp) and return flight the price isn't complete.

Have done a transatlantic repositioning cruise and enjoyed it but you have to enjoy your sunbathing with all those sea days.

Just come back from the cruise from the med to the Caribbean on the msc poesia no complaints at all very good value for money.

​and me!

Cruise nation have been amazing. Upfront with whats included and a stupid price..however i would not do an MSC cruise again..loud and rough Pontins on the sea at best...smoking by pools, food was ok. Entertainment was tedious as so many languages and not our taste at all. We had a fab time tho as found a place to enjoy our evenings on deck with a bottle of wine watching the surf..and lovely days in wonderful ports. The ship was clean and staff were polite and kind. If you are on a budget do it. If its a special special occasion Cunard to die for lol

Thank you for your open and honest experience... Does not sound like my bag at all... one to miss, me thinks!

Thank u WillieGophar!

I was on the Fantasia back in August , the first time I had ever been with MSC and I wouldn't go back. I completed the feedback form and told them even if i won 1 of the free cruises I wouldn't take it. I was so disappointed in them. The food was always cold and bland. They didn't ensure the dress standards were followed in the buffet, which meant the passengers didn't use the hand sanitiser and they would come in with bare feet in swim suits oh and 1 girl decided to dry her hair at the table while we were eating. The passengers were rude and would have knocked you down to get to the front of the queue. The staff were very pleasant but were surprised if you said "please" or "thank you" to them as they weren't used to it from the passengers. I would not recommend MSC to anybody.

Sold out at this price. Only outside cabins left at £679 pp.

Just a different product. Not P and O, Royal, Princess

Having been on a MSC cruise in November i would not be FIRST in line to travel again, a theatre show divided into 3 shows means much LESS entertainment, and only by their OWN people NO outside entertainers like MOST other cruise lines do, they allow smoking INDOORS in their casino and Bar, a Library room which is frewquented more by staff meetings than for reading or cards, quiz shows spoken in 5 languages slows it down greatly, and if too windy outdoors, decks are closed and outside by pools are closed and just NOT enough seating indoors the amount of people, no wonder they are HEAVILY discounting, trying to get people on board, FOOD is generally for their Italian customers

No but I'm looking for some for a pain in the neck

I clicked on the link and it's a cruise around Tenerife for £689. Nothing about Barbados or the Caribbean

For me, that's the best bit. The rougher the sea/ocean the better, doesn't affect me at all and gives me more to choose from when everyone else gets seasick

MSC is not the best cruise line

Looks like they have added a nights accomodation in Milan and flight back to the UK, and have increased price by £50 to cover this, which appears to be good value

It says £549 for me. Can you please post a direct link with £499

had very bad experience with MSC, wrong rooms, wrong luggage at rooms, wrong evening meal times, food options weren't great. I wouldn't go on MSC if they paid me. do the research before you book check trip advisor etc specifically for that ship

Not sure about other cruise lines but definitely with MSC

OMG!!! I can't believe I've done 6 cruises so far (4 MSC, 1 RC and 1 Costa) and didn't know about this

Just go to reception desk on the ship and say you would like the gratuities removed from your account.

I had no idea you could do that? How did you do that? You just told them you didn't want to pay? Please help.

this..msc was shocking..Cunard was lovely tho

I might just be being paranoid but the comments on this thread look pretty suspicious! Like those amazon reviews where people have got the product for free.

Some seriously poor stops and too many days at sea, hot for somebody but not for me

Not such a bargain. Prices gave gone up considerably. Doesn't include baggage charge or booking fee (per person) and you have to make your own way to Milan airport!

Hi orinocojazz. It's the Crown Princess (cruise 3712), booked through Broadway Travel. £499pp was for an inside cabin (which the cruise in this post will be) so we upgraded to a balcony which was £699pp.
Prepaid tips are quoted as £75pp (for the week) but I will probably get these removed, as I always tip individually as and when deserved.
Car parking for the week (8 days, actually) right on the dock (so no transfer or long walk) was £92 using a company called CPS (cruiseparking.co.uk).
Post back if you'd like any more info.

Price raised to £549 plus all added costs on top

I have done 2 cruises with MSC & both times have had the gratuities removed and just paid those I thought worthy. No problem.

Gratuities are not mandatory, yes they are automatically added to your on-board account but if you prefer you can have them removed.

And don't forget the drinks!

Isn't there some crazy rules regarding obligatory service charges/ tips on cruise ships I remember reading?

Personally, having done it, it was really enjoyable. Very relaxing, with the option of lots of activities.

These are called repositioning cruises.
Always good value if you happy to stay on a boat & not bothered about stopping off at places

Clever fellas these cruise ship operators they let you pay for them to move the ship to the med

Flight home about £170 plus 1 stop.
The hotel for 2 nights stay doesn't look good.
Shame was interested

This is a cracking deal for the number of days cruising and included flights.
Yes, flights back from Genoa are extra, but to put this into context, I've just paid £499 for a 7-night cruise from Southampton to Guernsey/Bordeaux/Bilbao/La Coruna on 6th May.
Heat from me!

Another trick from Cruise Nation. The offer advertised says including flights. This is untrue . +£78 Per Person + £24 Per Person + 2.5% Credit card booking.
More sharp practice from Cruise Nation

It's no Boaty McBoatface though is it

We go on a fair few cruises (5 in 2016). We have been with MSC 3 times and it's fair to say you get what you pay for. They are cheap for a reason. We have just returned from a 7 night Dubai on one of their bigger ships. Over 4000 Italians pushing, shoving, not holding doors, and generally being rude was not fun. You will meet the most unhappy bunch of staff on any cruise line here and the passengers look just as miserable. On the plus side they have bigger than average staterooms, the best photos packages, the best drink and Internet packages at sea. Restaurant food is poor compared to other lines, buffet good. They do pizza and coffee very well, but they are Italian so they need to get that right . Gratuities can be removed from room but look after the few people on board that give you good service, they get paid f all. My advice save your money up, pay the extra and go with Royal Carribean or NCL...

Not been on MSC personally however the ship gets a 50% rating from 411 reviewers on cruisecritic. That's pretty low Reviews

Celebrity Eclipse that sails from the UK in summer gets 82% as a comparison. That's a big difference. Better to rely on the views of hundreds of reviewers than one off subjective views I would say. Have cruised 16 times and from speaking to other passengers that have tried MSC I've yet to meet any who would sail with them again.

Plus as this deal excludes the service charge (£120pp) and return flight the price isn't complete.

Have done a transatlantic repositioning cruise and enjoyed it but you have to enjoy your sunbathing with all those sea days.

hot from me too!

Sailed on Carnival Disney and Msc Divina this past December and would highly recommend Msc obviously not Disney but not Disney price , this is an excellent deal we were in port in St Maarten and the Poesia was there as well ship looked really nice and whilst I can't speak for the ship itself the entertainment on Divina was excellent . I would recommend the prepaid photo package I think it was 39.00 for 10 photos and a DVD ,you will pay well more on the ship and also the pre paid drinks vouchers again this will save money

Totally agree, thanks again!

No problem best advice I could give is if budget allows go for a balcony room.

Thank-you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, appreciated! Think we might book, seems a good deal! Regards

For me personally both were excellent and never heard any complaints from other passengers.

Thank -you for info, was the entertainment any good and service?

Have only been on 2 cruises both with MSC so can't really compare. Speaking with other passengers MSC is probably not as formal as Cunard etc but I preferred that. Always found something nice to eat buffet style, wide choice of pasta as MSC is Italian owned. All passengers agreed for the price it was very good value.

Just come back from the cruise from the med to the Caribbean on the msc poesia no complaints at all very good value for money.

Even if you try to visit these places backpacking is gonna cost you more...Hot!

I've done this cruise myself, was amazing. MSC is brilliant for entertainment etc. Food is wonderful and lots of activities on board. my advice is give it a go. Thanks op.

...plus a flight home from Genoa to add on too I assume?

Also "Booking fee (£0 - £29) & Baggage charges (£0 - £70) may apply (varies by supplier)."