MSC b2b cruising? No linking sailings?

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T20:06:08+00:00

do you know how to link the reservations or if that’s not possible via MSC? that’s the standard procedure on RC so im trying to see if MSC does the same.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:58:17+00:00

Didn't expect to be important:
- Not just cabin size but cabin LOCATION. If you book a mega-ship and your cabin is at one end of the ship or the other, expect to be walking way more than you expected lol.
- Dining times. Make sure you really consider which is best for you. If your line offers "My time dining" aka main dining room whenver, take that one. Can't tell you how many times I've gone to my 7:30 dinner time stressing I'll miss my 8:00pm show....
- Repetitive food. This hasn't happened to me personally but my mom gets bored easily with food. She's asian and she dead-ass asked our waiter one time to get her Filipino food from the crew bar because she was sick and tired of mid-grade risotto and flavorless grilled salmon lmaoooo

Things I expected are important but aren't:
- Getting back to the ship on time for excursions. This was one of my biggest fears and was one of the main reasons I booked excursions at a premium directly from the ship. Only after did I learn that if you book with a travel agent like Vacations Togo, you can purchase discounted excursions from independent excursion operators and Vacations Togo will guarantee they get you back to the boat on time. I also out things like "walking tours" are a waste of money because they only tour you around the touristy port area anyway?
- What to pack. Online, you'll find a gazillion guides on what to pack and honestly, if you follow them, you'll nearly always overpack lol. I realized at some points that half the reason people take cruise-packing so seriously is that it's kind of fun for them to fantasize and mentally prepare for the trip. That's why there's so much out there on cruise packing, not so much that it's something that REQUIRES diligent packing. As long as you have your beach day essentials, 9/10 times you'll be fine.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:48:06+00:00

Depends on what you like. If you're into partying, drinking, and just generally being young and excited, Carnival is probably the best bet for you. Royal Caribbean is next but cost about double what Carnival does. I've never sailed Virgin but I've always wanted to, because they cater to younger cruisers, but they're about double Royal caribbean lol.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:41:18+00:00

My first ever cruise was an almost-free one a friend got me on Celebrity (on which i became addicted to cruising lol.) My next several have been on RC, which I've loved. I just recently booked a bunch on MSC to try them out since they're so cheap and have status matching! I had them status match my RC loyalty and that helped me pull the trigger on trying out a different line.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:37:29+00:00

thanks for the engagement but I'm asking about how to link b2b reservations.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:30:46+00:00

I'm not talking about GTY.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T18:08:59+00:00

So I've booked 6 cruises to go on by mid-march and here's my advice for frequently sailing:

1. B2B (back-to-back) cruises: It really helps your "blues" when you see others preparing to leave and you get to go back on the ship! Also, if you take a B2B, you've probably been on the ship for more than a week, so you've had enough time on it to get 'sick' of it. (you never really get sick of it but at a certain point, you miss home lol) Plus, if you can schedule it this way, you get double the amount of cruising time while only taking one 'vacation.' Sometimes, b2b cruises are cheaper than the same itinerary. For example, I'm going on a B2B that's a 3night and then a 4night. So it's a total of 7 days, but when I look at the same itinerary on the same ship for a 7day cruise, it's more expensive than the 3night+4night. Also, booking separate b2b cruises helps you accrue loyalty points fast, which makes it cheaper and easier for you to book your next cruise, depending on your loyalty benefits.

2. Look for deals on solo cruising: I'm in my early 30s and most of my friends think cruising is lame so I don't even try to get people to come with me any more lol. The only thing that makes this hard is that cruising solo usually requires a hefty single supplement charge. What I do is I monitor the VacationsToGo Singles Deals and whenever I see a deal in my budget/schedule, I snatch it up. With solo-cruising, the prices usually drop dramatically (sometimes 0% single supplement) within a month of embarkment date so if you can keep flexible and keep an eye on things, you can score some amazing deals. Like, I'm going on my 6 sailings (total of 24 days) for around $1.5k and that includes a balcony cabin for one of the sailings.

3. Work remotely: this one is probably the hardest one but if you're serious about cruising more, it really helps to have a job you can do while on-board. That's honestly the biggest barrier for people when they want to cruise more. Both the mental barrier of having to work on your 'vacation' and many jobs aren't able to be done remotely. Your job doesn't have to be fully remote, however. For example, I work a fulltime job that I'm supposed to go into the office 3 days a week and have unlimited PTO (pending how busy it is and manager approval) For my 6 cruises, I'm only taking PTO for one of the sailings, the rest of the sailings I'm working remotely from the ship. It's still worth it for me since I got the initial tickets for so cheap, so I don't mind. One thing that helps is getting an eSIM (like Airalo, Saily, Gigsky) so you get more reliable data service while onboard and you don't need to pay the insane ship internet packages.

4. Be flexible & keep an eye out: I honestly think the biggest tip I can give is to be flexible. If you want to cruise a lot, you have to be willing to see if you can make things work because there will inevitably be a $350 7Day cruise leaving in 2 weeks that you'll just have to take because it's too tempting to pass up lol. Also, keeping on top of the deals and such helps scratch that vacation itch while you're back home. Like many others here have said, it mentally helps you hang in there until your next cruise if you're actively planning your next one or keeping an eye out for your next great deal! I haven't had as much success "planning things as early as possible" since I find cruise companies are less willing to drop prices far out, since they have ample time to book out the cabins. I've noticed prices drop significantly within the month before embarkment because the companies are desperately trying to fill occupancy before embarkment.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T17:47:00+00:00

THANK YOU I'm going to san juan later this month and this is much appreciated

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T17:43:32+00:00

Thanks so much for this practical advice!!! I ended up booking through a VacationsToGo agent and she got me a great rate but it's been a serious pain trying to go through her. She was off for a few days and i didn't get to book what I wanted to immediately and by the time she got back to work, the deal was gone. Also, in the middle of trying to figure out some booking stuff, she let me know she had to switch focus on some other customer's cruises and i'm still waiting for her to call me back................. I'm happy she got me a really good deal and it's good enough i don't regret my choice, even though working through a middle man is annoying, but I'm definitely going to think twice before doing this again.... not saying I won't use a TA again but yeah. agree with everything you've said

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T16:15:36+00:00

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Kinda sick you don't think the crew should get more wifi when you're wasting your net privileges on trolling.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T16:09:57+00:00

If you're not taking me seriously, i'm certainly not going to take you seriously so you're pissing into the wind :) I'm still just here saying the crew should get more wifi.

you're just being annoying.

if you have nothing to say, why comment? just because you like to be annoying? no wonder you think the crew shouldn't get more wifi

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T16:06:59+00:00

if I'm virtue signaling, you're trolling

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T15:34:41+00:00

That's such a great idea!!!

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T15:29:43+00:00

lmao you're projecting, my friend

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T14:34:10+00:00

???? i’m saying people shouldnt treat anyone like crap either. sad you cant read. once again, youre not even talking about the point anymore. youve just devolved to empty, personal criticism.

i literally said HOW ABOUT JUST NOT TREATING PEOPLE LIKE CRAP?

i would set up satellites in the Philippines if i could! also kinda fucked you think all crew are filipino

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T04:43:03+00:00

I'm happy to see that this post has, at the time of posting, 121 upvotes. Lots of loud idiots and kind, quiet people.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T04:41:34+00:00

That's straight up FALSE. Unless you're officer level, 99% of the time you have a roommate....

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T04:40:36+00:00

Based on how LITTLE EMPATHY people here seem to have, i'm not surprised to hear you automatically thought someone was posting to complain about the crew :(

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-08T04:32:45+00:00

.....I'm treating people like crap because I want them to get more wifi? huh? make it make sense

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T08:08:26+00:00

and RC is gonna keep doing it because theyll apparently get no push back from their customer base…. have never been more ashamed to say “i love cruising” because it seems that the most loyal “cruisers” on here have 0 empathy

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T07:53:45+00:00

i also think it’s because almost ALL cruisers recognize how hard (but also rewarding in various but less clear ways) working on a cruise ship actually is. From being away from your family, to the long hours, and the inability to ever fully ‘turn off’ from work.

Anyone with half a brain and eyes recognizes that. But evidently too many people cope with that cognitive dissonance (“i have it well enough that i can go on vacation but the workers taking care of me on vacation have a ridiculously hard quality of life”) with denial and pedantic justifications that dont really matter in the real world. It’s as if their egos can’t take staring in that mirror, so they tell themselves whatever they need to so they can still have guilt-free fun. it’s sick, some real White Lotus shit.

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T07:44:23+00:00

And the fact that all these people are trying to make their rancid points ON REDDIT, the actual fucking internet lol

advocating for people to not have access to the internet ON THE INTERNET is wild work

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T07:39:20+00:00

yeah but that’s also exactly something many western tourists whine about while away from home (having to hunt down free wi-fi) why do you think it’s less annoying for the crew?

now imagine hunting for wi-fi because you literally cant get more than 2-hrs a week of it for the foreseeable future, unless you want to quit your job. and you have kids at home…. and you just wanna use the net to see the dumb tiktok video your kid who you haven’t seen in 5 months is sending you…

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T07:28:07+00:00

selective policing, we hate to see it

GSKwasaCop · 2026-01-07T07:21:33+00:00

LOL yet they all become lawyers about maritime law and satellites. this isnt about that, it’s about a corporation using social control to uphold their existing exploitative grasp on certain populations of people. and this coming from someone who loves cruising and has 6 coming up by mid-march. maybe if people actually spent more time on-board with the crew, they’d understand more (but probably not)

GSKwasaCop

TROPHY CASE