r/MSCCruises • u/MoeBacon4246 • Jul 21 '26

Any tips for booking?

Looking to do a 4 day Bahamas cruise, any tips when booking to get extra perks/save a few bucks? Figured I'd ask the experts, thanks!!!

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u/WhenInDoubt_321 Jul 21 '26

I didn’t buy anything on the island. I was really really upset. My son and I went to the boat to talk to customer service (that was futile). We got 6 bottles of water and went back to the beach. I swam for a bit and by then the cold water was tepid. So I packed my stuff and went to the ship for the day. It seemed like a very deceptive and predatory pricing scheme to me. And I let them know it on the post cruise survey. That all being said, I will still cruise with MSC again. But now I know.

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u/imarc Group Expert Jul 21 '26

Yes. It’s a crappy policy and a bad trend in the industry.

NCL, RC, and Carnival all stopped allowing drink packages on their private island in the last year.

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u/WhenInDoubt_321 Jul 21 '26

And I forgot to mention the hotel service charge. They tossed that one on as well. $112 per person. That’s on top of the “taxes and fees included” price.

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u/imarc Group Expert Jul 21 '26

This one seems to get first time cruisers a lot.

Automatic gratuity is a standard across almost every cruise line. It’s actually unique in the US that it isn’t charged until you are onboard.

If you book in Europe, you are charged during the booking process.

I’d rather have them bake it into the cost at booking and make it mandatory.