Marketplace
I think this is a pretty good deal as it incls flights
Scoopon 16 Nights Cruise Incl Flight from $2549 from Melbourne or Sydney
50
Related Stores
closed Comments
From memory you can opt out of the daily gratuities saving u some $$
I am looking for a flight to Europe at the moment … would be great when you would be able to extend the time in Europe and fly back later :-). The cruise sounds a little bit boring (mainly on sea and not many interesting cities).
Not so sure if I would invest >$2.5k in a voucher from scoopon… but that's just personal choice.
seems quite good, economy flights would be pretty unbearable though
With emirates at least.
Emirates are one of the best in the business.
Yeah, in business.
Wouldn't be worse than flying Scoot cattle class to Singapore..
I recently flew with Scoot to singapore and I have no complains given the cheap price. Given you need to pay for the food (or buy at the airport before flying) and no movies (bring your own laptop to watch movies), the experience was smooth.
economy flights would be pretty unbearable though
Yeah, would be really suck to be one of those financially less fortunate losers that can only afford economy class.
Wait, what are you doing here business flyer?
Are cruises actually any good though? I've never been on one, but cruise ships aren't quick and this trip takes in Brazil and Spain/Portugal. I imagine the Atlantic crossing would take a good part of the 16 days leaving limited time at the destinations and a sh*tload of time wasting around onboard the ship.
cruise ships aren't quick
a sh*tload of time wasting around onboard the ship.
That's the whole point of going on a cruise……………
Thanks, realise that, but I was looking for someone to persuade me that the likely 8-9 days of being stuck onboard the ship weren't going to be a waste of time. If it really is just hanging out at the casino, bar, and getting massages then that's fine, it's not for me.
Go with a hot girl, then its fun.
or two…
Just returned from a cruise out of Sydney around New Caledonia and Vanuatu and had a great time. Lots to do on board, plenty of entertainment at night with comedy clubs, broadway type shows, bands, piano bar, duos and solo singers, house music, etc, and lots of different things during the day (trivia games, golf, gym, pools,water slides etc). Great food available in restaurants or buffet style, and nice spots to snorkle, swim and tour on the islands. All for about $100 to $150 a day depending on the cruise line you choose. It may not be an adventure like backpacking around (fill in the blank), but its great if you have had a busy year and just want to relax for 8-10 days, eat well, and enjoy a show at night.
Reviews of the ship
http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=364
http://www.cruisereviews.com/MediterraneanShippingCruises/Or…
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?E…Below seems to a recurring theme:
Talking to other Australians and New Zealanders (English speaking people) the general impression was that as a group we were left lacking and the question was raised quite a few times:
Why bother to market MSC Cruises in Australia and New Zealand when we felt ignored compared to the Italians and Germans on board?
For the price we paid it was a good deal, but for MSC to successfully compete in Australia and New Zealand, more consideration needs to be given so that English speaking passengers feel equal.and
Food is good in the Restaurants,drinks are very,very expensive all over the Ship…Refuse to pay the Service charges added per day,7 Euros each…because the Staff do Not get this…we Had to write a letter saying we would not pay it and simply tipped the Waiters,Bar and cleaning staff ourselves !!! If you get a deal like us then use MSC,if you are paying full price don't touch them with a Bargepole,spend you hard earned where you get a bit more respect !!!
I've sailed MSC Splendida and found it very good value. There are some things better and worse than other lines, but all in all very good value.
Given flights are usually around the $2200 mark to split continents like that, the cruise is probably around $700/person for 16 nights (after the gratuities and port fees) so looks like a good deal, and with 9 cities you still see a fair bit in that time that you wouldn't be able to otherwise in any affordable manner.
I can attest to the lack of English spoken by staff on such cruise lines. They cater mostly for the European crowd (German/Italian/French).
About the only other group noisier I know, would be the Israeli's.Value is ok, given how much it normally costs to fly anywhere from Australia and back.
Lack of English speaking staff ? OMG. Do they live in 19th century ?
No, they just cater more to the european 'Bogan' group. :)
I have been on MSC Fantasia which is a much bigger and better ship than being offered here. I would say it was just OK. Food was good but not great. There was not a lot of activities to do on the ship. Most passengers don't speak English and there are no manners. Lifts were overcrowded and would continually buzz the overloaded sound. Waiters could not have cared less . The cruise staff spoke little English so you felt in your own. You have to pay for drinking water. Rather than this cruise there are much better lines like Royal Carribean that offer true five star transatlantic crossings and also do have a reposition cruise like this one from Brazil to Europe at a similar price including flights with no compulsory tipping , lots of activities, American cruise staff who speak English and an amazing loyalty program for repeat cruisers.
On the last cruise I went on earlier this year there was a french couple who came on the Holland America Ship because they hated the MSC cruise line offerings. They had been on many ships and rated MSC as the worst going around for both food and company of other guests.
Price is pretty good though with the airfares thrown in and I would consider it if it was another cruise line.
anohter $560 of fees to bay on boarding. still seems reasonable price but the flights in economy would be a killer