MSC Cruises has changed crew mailing service policy limiting the delivery of packages for cruise ship employees onboard their ships sailing in Europe. According to a fellow crew member who shared a screenshot of an official MSC Cruises post, each employee is allowed to receive 2 packages per month with a maximum weight of 3 Kg or 6,6 Pounds per package.
The reason why MSC Cruises is limiting package delivery for crew is “to support the continuation of this service” the document reads.
All crew is advised to respect the guidelines which also include:
- - No packages from outside Europe will be accepted due to customs regulations
- - Essential items only
- - No food items are permitted
- - No perishable items are permitted
- - Do not contact the agents about your mail, they will not respond to queries. The parcel will be delivered to the ship on reception to their address.
- - Agents and crew office are not responsible for lost or damaged packages.
- - You order at your own risk.
And while on other major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival the crew can order as much as they wish, it is not clear the exact reason why MSC Cruises have decided to limit the package delivery. This service is quite essential for the crew especially now when they are restricted to go out in ports and do their shopping. Apart from the crew shop on board, delivery service is the only way the crew can receive their essentials.
Royal Caribbean Group has a limit for crew packages of 25 pounds in the USA, and no limit on how many they can receive per month. Carnival Cruise Line has also no restrictions for crew packages delivered to the ship.
According to a Royal Caribbean crew member onboard Anthem of the Seas sailing out of Southampton, the HR Manager has arranged a warehouse for crew packages and they are receiving 3 to 4 pallets each embarkation day.
We hope that this is MSC Cruises decision is only temporary and the crew will once again receive packages as much as they want.
Update:
After we posted this story a crew member send us a message explaining all hurdles and challenges regarding package delivery and handling.
"If you lose your packages neither HR or crew purser will do nothing for you. I buy for 100€ stuff. Then I have been transferred from another ship to another ship (from Seashore to Virtuosa). Before transferred. I explain to crew purser about my amazon order. Explained to us that it will be automatically moved to Virtuosa. Till today nothing has come after 2 Genova port stops. They don't care at all. Their guidelines are so cruel. Worst, when they receive the packages. They don't keep in the office. Your package is outside without surveillance. Anyone can still your packages like happen in Seashore. They Just threw all over 100th packages in the corridor. Do not contact the agency because, or we lose our packages because they threw in the corridor or they seized your package because of the weight. Sometime if you order more 3kgs, their is a risk you don't receive your packages.” The crew member said.
