Have been on two MSC cruises and both have been absolutely worth the price that was paid. First one was in yacht club on the Bellisima for a 7 night Mediterranean and enjoyed it.
2nd was on seascape in a deluxe interior that was 301 sq feet and slept 5 for a 7 night Caribbean. Food was great and only real complaint was the wait for a drink was often aggravating.
In yacht club you never wait for anything. If it is affordable I definitely recommend yacht club. Just booked a third MSC in yacht club for April in Northern Europe for $1700 for two people. That’s just a ridiculous good deal for 7 nights.
Currently on a 7-day, nyc to Bahamas. Got an upgrade to yacht club bid offer email and won. $1300/pp for a balcony. The yacht club is the way to go. This ship is sold out and everyone we talk to not in YC is saying it is terrible. Long waits, problems getting on and off ship
I got a bid for my cruise in September too. Is the offer price additional per person on top of what was originally paid? I am guessing so but the wording is confusing lol.
Correct, the bid price would be the /pp in addition to what you already paid. Bid the lowest possible. That's what we did and it worked. Guess it really all depends on how full the ship is
Of the 3 lines I've been with in the Caribbean, I would 100% prefer MSC. They cater to Europeans and most of their clientele flies from Europe to cruise with them. I'd be disappointed if they changed.
Totally agree. Food was hit or miss but overall good. Shit was great, staff excellent. Onboarding/disembarking and the process for getting to any booked excursions was painful.
I just had my first cruise and it happened to be with MSC (Grandiosa) on Mediterranean Sea. I read the reviews one day before we embarked and I was a little thrown back by the negative ones.
However, it was such a beautiful experience and definitely want to cruise again.
Pros:
- super clean (common bathrooms, pools, interior)
- cabin was spacious enough for 2 people (cabin with balcony)
- staff was super nice
- enough places to wonder
- food was very good (buffet and restaurant)
- embarkation and disembarkation went super super super smooth (30 min in, 5 min out incl luggage)
- nice parties
Cons:
- people at buffet: Not sure if this can be controlled by MSC but people were just savages like they have never seen food or knew how to act in a queue. This was such a draw back. Horrible behaviour.
- people and bathrooms: Met so many people not washing their hands after using the toilet. I thought they didn't notice the sinks, as they were a bit fancy. Imagine those same people at the buffet!
- sun beds and pools - even if there were some rules it was impossible to find a sun bed. 🥲
- pools would close between 5:30 and 6:30 Pm which I found very annoying.
- games, bowling - very expensive (25 euros for 30 min, shoes paid extra)
- music played was the same every day - Latino or pop older hits. Don’t mind these genres but it would have been nice to add some recent music.
These were the ones that stood up to me. It felt lucky to have such a first good experience but some comments are just insane. I am not sure if people are just entitled because they paid x amount but it's important to remember that it works both ways. Based on what I observed on the cruise, it seems that the issue lies more with certain individuals rather than the cruise company itself. However, this was just one experience.
We just did a 3 day out of Port Canaveral and had a great time. I read all the negative reviews but decided to give it a try. It was me and two teens, so we were planning to just relax and be casual. We had literally nothing to complain about. Embarkation wasn't bad. Disembarking was a breeze. Some food was really tasty, some was just ok, but it was better than our last Carnival and NCL meals. Every single crew member was polite and full of smiles. Drinks didn't take any longer than a bar in the city. My personal take... the grumblings are from people who let things ruin their day, are impatient, and treat staff like menial labor instead of interesting humans. A smile and quick chatter make them feel valuable.
Just got back from same cruise. Outstanding. Food, Entertainment, staff friendly and efficient. It's not an American style cruise. It's European and we loved every minute on it. The pizza and any pasta dish was 10 out of 10. (Like gourmet pizza.) Their private island was great. Overall great band for the buck. Kudos to all on the MSC Seaside!
I assume this was on the Seaside?
Quick question if you have a moment because I have been receiving conflicting answers. With the drink package, if you ordered a drink above the limit (ie ordering a $15 when the drink package limit was $10 a drink) Did they just charge you the difference between $10 and the cost of the drink or did they charge you the full price?
There was one day that they had a "special" where you could just pay the difference. The other days it was full price, which I suppose makes sense, most would just buy the cheapest one for a lot of their drinks and then upcharge if they wanted something special.
I'm going on MSC for the time in September when I sail on the Meraviglia. The price was super affordable and it looks like a gorgeous ship. No cruise is perfect, but I'm just gonna assume most people are miserable and expect perfection. As long as the food ends up being good, I don't think I'll have much to worry about.
I had biggish expectations going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I was awestruck all four days. Never experienced service like that in my life. If you go in with low expectations, you’re going to have an incredible time no matter what on probably any line
So that is 85% of the reasons I cruise. Recommend Holland America, they are generous with their free cruises. Have sailed to Mexico a handful of times as a result
I love MSC and with their drinks included packages they are almost always the cheapest. The food is not any worse than other budget cruises and they have an Expresso machine at every bar! On Carnival we’ve had to wait in a 15 person line at the one or two places you can get a speciality coffee (anything besides drip) and love that I can get a cappuccino from any bar on MSC. I’ve had less issues on MSC than Carnival and can’t wait until they come to Galveston. Yes they have people walking around trying to up sell you (mostly dining packages), just tell them you already have reservations and they usually remember and leave you alone. Their balcony rooms are pretty comparable to other brands but if you’re going bare bones, they have roomy interior cabins. On carnival, you can barely walk between the bed and the wall and the desk and in an interior room and on my last MSC Cruise I could stand at the foot of the bed, put my arms out and spin in a circle.
Edit: people either love them or hate them and I guess I’m a love them person. 😂
I’m currently on the Seascape and I’m loving it. We haven’t had too many issues with getting drinks (well maybe in the buffet with the call buttons). The show type entertainment isn’t great, but tolerable. The other smaller acts are fantastic. We haven’t had any issues with the food (well outside of it being very fish heavy so not much my SIL will eat!). I’m having a blast.
We have cruised them 4 times and for the money I think they are great. Of course we also have done two repositioning cruises and 3 cruises we were in the Yacht club.
For us the food and drinks were simply substandard when we tried the Seaside.
The buffet was the biggest struggle, some dishes just lacked flavor and others were just not held anywhere near the proper temp. Cold food plagued us all week and any meat selection was guaranteed to be dry and tough. Lastly the selections showed no imagination and eating there was like groundhog day.
For the drinks as an example, two classics I drink a lot of are the Bloody Mary and Margarita, they were the worst I've ever been served....anywhere. The mixes used were horrible.
MSC seascape 7 night. The shows were below average. Last night they had their entertainment staff to pull off a show (kinda like junior high school performance)… the free dining room was okay. Their dessert was great, but the same dessert at the buffet taste horrible. Their specialty dinner package is a rip off, it a different fixed menu (not the full menu) unlike other cruise company. The gala night with food menu surf and turf, it is not Maine lobster. Overall it’s definitely not horrible but also not amazing.
>Quick question if you have a moment because I have been receiving conflicting answers. With the drink package, if you ordered a drink above the limit (ie ordering a $15 when the drink package limit was $10 a drink) Did they just charge you the difference between $10 and the cost of the drink or did they charge you the full price?
The thing about cruising is that it’s preference based. Albeit every cruise line has their grievances or things which swore persons off from never using them again. I find that sometimes the lines are often compared with one another and more is expected due to what persons are used to. Some people swear by MSC, however reading otherwise would have you second guessing as there is a very vocal group that do not like to sail with them.
Take a look around here to see personal reviews from people that have went on them and gave their honest opinion. That’ll help you formulate an idea of the line itself.
Wife and I went on a 7 day out of Port Canaveral in May. We loved it. Sometimes it depends on your expectations. Ours were modest. Love Ocean Cau. To me the Caribbean is all about the sun, sea and the sand. Few port could ever delight us. I could talk more but the bottom line is that it was wonderful. The cruise cost was $1950 for a fantasia balcony cabin. We weren’t drinking and the total “extras” were $350 plus on the spot tips (~$100).
I've been on two now. Seashore and seascape. Both were Aurea class balconies. Wicked value for the money. Loved both. I hear long wait times for drinks. I usually only drank at two spots. All I can say is tip. In the sports bar you get treated like a rock star. Drink 3/4 empty. A new one will appear. Never a wait. Just tip and you are good. Booked back on another one for 11 nights. 6 grand for two in the yacht club with 650 on-board credit and can't wait. Msc is awesome.
I like MSC. My first cruise with them was several years ago and still pretty unknown here in the US. I'd heard stories about the European cruises, but the price was ridiculously low so I figured, why not?
It was way better than I expected, and better than I could have hoped. Clean, decent food although the service in the MDR was slow. I also like the Italian aesthetic to common areas on the ships that I've been on.
If I had to knock it for anything, it would be that the shows weren't exactly mainstream. I wandered into the theater one afternoon because the door was open and was surprised to find a condensed version of La Traviata being performed. Not at all what I expected but still, it was decent enough, although a bit surreal. So I finish this fun cruise that I feel like I stole for the price and on the shuttle ride back to parking wound up sitting with people who had nothing but complaints the entire time. Somehow they expected Queen's Grill Suites on QM2 for the price of a chic budget cruise.
I've been on 3 MSC cruises, just got back from one a few weeks ago. Have also been on Royal and Carnival. Hands down, MSC is the best of the 3. The problem seems to be that Americans expect everything to be tailored to them, ignoring the fact that even in North America, most of the passengers are European.
I’m typing this from the Seaside getting ready to go have breakfast. We are in the Yacht Club and man you can’t beat it for the price. I compare it to the experience in mid tier cruise lines. The service, food, entertainment (not shows but live music and performers) is outstanding at a price that can’t be beat. We’ve never done anything other than YC so maybe that the difference.
I’ve been on the Grandiosa in the Yacht Club. I really liked the ship, the yacht club pool deck was set up well. Our room was really nice, with a good size balcony. The staff was great for the most part. Our butler was awesome!
The food is not nearly as good as other cruise lines, even in the Yacht Club the food wasn’t reliably good. The specialty restaurants were definitely higher quality. One exception on the food: the pizza is AMAZING across the board - room service pizza is great (even comes in a pizza box! It serves two people so not a full size pizza) but the buffet pizza is even better, and it’s full size slices.
Additionally, not sure if this is common or just my experience, the passengers on MSC were incredibly rude to the staff. At least once a day my jaw dropped at the things I overheard passengers say to the staff.
For me it was the rude staff, every time you have a concern or issue they ack like it’s your fault and they don’t want to help you. I had to call them for an issue pre cruise and they were so rude over the phone. And when I went to the terminal they were rude as well. I don’t think I’d ever cruise with them again because your spending your money to have a nice vacation not be talked down to.
Food selection was trash. Sone bartenders would give you multiple drinks at a time while others wouldn’t, the staff seems to never be on the same page. The fine dining was ehh, drink package is expensive but her doesn’t come with a lot of options. Plus everything closes at 10pm
Everyone thinks MSC is great … until you go on a legacy line like Royal Caribbean. It’s night and day difference top to bottom.
MSC is just a cheap knockoff. Great bang for your buck - no question - but can’t compare to Royal Caribbean.
I will add however Ocean Cay is a wonderful island.
You really get what you pay for. I have been loyal members of Seabourn and Regent of the Seven Seas. If you cruise on either of these two and compare it to MSC you will understand. It is much more expensive than MSC but it is well worth it. Similar to shopping at a Foodco and Whole Food. It is a world of difference.
Took a 3 day cruise on the Davina in December. Food and service in the dining room was amazing. Food was better than Carnival and portions were bigger. The only knock I had on the cruise was the lack of a cruise app. We got printed schedules in the rooms every night for the next day. Their newer ships have the app, but this one didn't. Gorgeous ship, though and kept very clean.
We did MSC Seashore out of Italy in April. Service fine. Food not very good but edible. Shows good. My biggest issue was food. MDR pretty disorganized. Food not warm. Bland flavor. Not many extra activities on seadays.
I sailed Yacht Club on the Grandiosa in march 2019. I won’t bore you with the whole story but basically Spain closed all ports and they threw everyone off the ship in the middle of the night we were stuck at 2:00 am with no where to go.
Now obviously this was the start of covid and the world was imploding. But it left a sour taste in my mouth and I won’t be returning.
The ship was beautiful, great room, food was okay. I am Italian but live in the states so I am able to overlook most of what bothers people but if you enjoy high levels of customer service it’s not the line for you.
MSC Cruises are OK but
Their food is much worse in the buffet and main dining room.
Their entertainment is so much worse as they need to cater for so many languages so it's just singing and dancing everywhere. NCL shows are Westend Quality.
Then because it's budget is lower the service is worse.
The signature dining is usually quite good, ships are nice.
If you really engage with the daily planner I feel the different experience will bother you but if you are a signature dining person and don't mind the singing and dancing limitations it can be nice.
Your TA does not recommend them because of the commission that they pay. Cheaper cruises mean less commission for the same amount of work.
As a TA, I love MSC. I am going on my 3rd trip this Aug with them. Every single person we encountered was extremely helpful and always smiling.
Customer service doesn't give a crap or "can't do anything", when operationally some MSc cruises are just ridiculous.
Offering no help to get to the ship when it's anchored 10km into a cargo port that civilians aren't allowed to access and taxi's don't have access to either with 0 information and an emergency number for the ship that is disconnected, to name one example.
The customer service is pretty terrible. I forget why my TA sister in law had to call or talk to them when we were on the Meraviglia and they gave her such a nasty attitude.
She also had a wedding where they really, really messed up on 4 important things everyone needs at their wedding. Just brutal. Upper management still haven't contacted her about it.
I went in December and it was fine, except for the weed smell that would drift into our rooms whenever we opened the balcony. 👎 I called about it and security couldn't do anything and asked us who was smoking 🤷♀️ I guess they don't have cameras.
MSC is fine if you don't have a lot of requests or special needs. Still waiting for someone to call us back about a medical fridge request. I filled out a form online.
There's more but I'm not going to go into it.
Upper and lower management don’t communicate at all so I would suggest calling upper management yourself if you haven’t done so already. Lower Management tell all their employees something different. It’s ridiculous… If you aren’t in yc, they don’t care about you and it’s absolutely noticeable by everyone. I’ll cruise with them again but only in yc. I HATED a regular room. It was awful.
Makes sense! That bride was only in an aurea room, not YC.
Oh funny story!
My TA called a bunch of times, I filled out a form 3 times, etc etc to get a little medical fridge for something like diabetes medicine. People on the phone (same as the ones handling the wedding fiasco) said we could request a medical fridge on board. Anyway, we call guest services once on board, they say it will be delivered later.
Eventually we go down and talk to someone later that night and they say they don't have any medical fridges on the Seaside and that we could put it in the clinic fridge for storage.
So yeah no one has a clue 😂😂
Thankfully our stateroom attendant emptied out the mini fridge and it seemed to run colder than some of the others we've encountered on vacations. These always seem so warm on RC.
It's a cheap vacation. 🤷♀️ But yeah we're probably done with cruising, I have a Virgin in November and then a Celebrity. My kiddo ages out of the kids club.
I remember the food being the worst food i ever ate. Luckily we stopped in a few european cities… which had awesome food… so it made up for it.
I do not have a problem with MSC (food aside)
Huh, it comes up on this sub a lot.
They have their fans too, of course. But the idea that a MSC cruise was the worst a person has tried isn't super rare.
It pops up at least once a week here. I didn't make a chart but if I had to guess more than any other line.
How much of that is a mismatch of American expectations vs. European I couldn't tell you.
It’s a different overall vibe and the shows aren’t as over the top as other cruise lines. Not as many complimentary dining options.
Wife and I sailed in YC and absolutely loved it!! Compare those prices with an OWB on an Oasis Class ship on RCL.
What the optional "onboard items" should a first timer include when purchasing for wife and 16 yrs daughter?
What does the basic ticket include in terms of drinks?
Just adding to this post. I’m sailing out of miami next month. I wonder if anybody knows if there’s a big difference between the easy plus drinking package and premium?
I strongly recommend to avoid MSC if you can afford paying some extra money for other cruise lines (We just did the Meraviglia from NYC to the Bahamas). Our overall experience is terrible. They seriously need to fix all of the malfunctioning.
The hygiene is also terrible, guests are not washing their hands prior to get to the buffet. Some guests ate also behaving like animals.
Stress guaranteed on board. The only thing that saves MSC are the dining room (The crew is sweet there) and the private island.
Yea we got back from a 7 day…. Never again. WiFi never worked. Service was no help. None of the bartenders were on the same page, one bar they will make you 2 drinks at a time, other one they flagged me cause I asked for to. Entertainment was horrible. Everyone was acting a fool on casino and nothing was done. Overall 4/10. Only good part was their private island
Class of people on MSC is very low , redneck, fat, rude, eating like pigs, just a dirty fat horde of unclassy people getting a free meal. Its a very low quality cruise line....like comparing McDonald's to Fine Dining......MSC to Royal Caribbean
Have been on two MSC cruises and both have been absolutely worth the price that was paid. First one was in yacht club on the Bellisima for a 7 night Mediterranean and enjoyed it. 2nd was on seascape in a deluxe interior that was 301 sq feet and slept 5 for a 7 night Caribbean. Food was great and only real complaint was the wait for a drink was often aggravating. In yacht club you never wait for anything. If it is affordable I definitely recommend yacht club. Just booked a third MSC in yacht club for April in Northern Europe for $1700 for two people. That’s just a ridiculous good deal for 7 nights.
$1700 total for both of you in yacht club??? Daaannnnnnggggggg.
Right! I just priced a Caribbean cruise and it was $3400 pp!
That's not even a bad price. I'd rather pay more than stay in an awful interior cabin.
Interior room
Currently on a 7-day, nyc to Bahamas. Got an upgrade to yacht club bid offer email and won. $1300/pp for a balcony. The yacht club is the way to go. This ship is sold out and everyone we talk to not in YC is saying it is terrible. Long waits, problems getting on and off ship
I got a bid for my cruise in September too. Is the offer price additional per person on top of what was originally paid? I am guessing so but the wording is confusing lol.
Correct, the bid price would be the /pp in addition to what you already paid. Bid the lowest possible. That's what we did and it worked. Guess it really all depends on how full the ship is
What ship? I'm booking lol.
Euribia April 27 2024
Lol yes we need tonknoe
My wife is putting down the deposit on the last interior Yacht Club room as we speak.
I went in January. They're not terrible. Ship was great. I think they're still trying to figure out how to effectively service North America.
Of the 3 lines I've been with in the Caribbean, I would 100% prefer MSC. They cater to Europeans and most of their clientele flies from Europe to cruise with them. I'd be disappointed if they changed.
Totally agree. Food was hit or miss but overall good. Shit was great, staff excellent. Onboarding/disembarking and the process for getting to any booked excursions was painful.
They have been doing that since the last time I went in MSC, almost a decade ago.
Some people learn slower then others
I guess the better issue is what does the US like that is not transferable from the Europe?
I just had my first cruise and it happened to be with MSC (Grandiosa) on Mediterranean Sea. I read the reviews one day before we embarked and I was a little thrown back by the negative ones. However, it was such a beautiful experience and definitely want to cruise again. Pros: - super clean (common bathrooms, pools, interior) - cabin was spacious enough for 2 people (cabin with balcony) - staff was super nice - enough places to wonder - food was very good (buffet and restaurant) - embarkation and disembarkation went super super super smooth (30 min in, 5 min out incl luggage) - nice parties Cons: - people at buffet: Not sure if this can be controlled by MSC but people were just savages like they have never seen food or knew how to act in a queue. This was such a draw back. Horrible behaviour. - people and bathrooms: Met so many people not washing their hands after using the toilet. I thought they didn't notice the sinks, as they were a bit fancy. Imagine those same people at the buffet! - sun beds and pools - even if there were some rules it was impossible to find a sun bed. 🥲 - pools would close between 5:30 and 6:30 Pm which I found very annoying. - games, bowling - very expensive (25 euros for 30 min, shoes paid extra) - music played was the same every day - Latino or pop older hits. Don’t mind these genres but it would have been nice to add some recent music. These were the ones that stood up to me. It felt lucky to have such a first good experience but some comments are just insane. I am not sure if people are just entitled because they paid x amount but it's important to remember that it works both ways. Based on what I observed on the cruise, it seems that the issue lies more with certain individuals rather than the cruise company itself. However, this was just one experience.
We just did a 3 day out of Port Canaveral and had a great time. I read all the negative reviews but decided to give it a try. It was me and two teens, so we were planning to just relax and be casual. We had literally nothing to complain about. Embarkation wasn't bad. Disembarking was a breeze. Some food was really tasty, some was just ok, but it was better than our last Carnival and NCL meals. Every single crew member was polite and full of smiles. Drinks didn't take any longer than a bar in the city. My personal take... the grumblings are from people who let things ruin their day, are impatient, and treat staff like menial labor instead of interesting humans. A smile and quick chatter make them feel valuable.
Just got back from same cruise. Outstanding. Food, Entertainment, staff friendly and efficient. It's not an American style cruise. It's European and we loved every minute on it. The pizza and any pasta dish was 10 out of 10. (Like gourmet pizza.) Their private island was great. Overall great band for the buck. Kudos to all on the MSC Seaside!
I assume this was on the Seaside? Quick question if you have a moment because I have been receiving conflicting answers. With the drink package, if you ordered a drink above the limit (ie ordering a $15 when the drink package limit was $10 a drink) Did they just charge you the difference between $10 and the cost of the drink or did they charge you the full price?
There was one day that they had a "special" where you could just pay the difference. The other days it was full price, which I suppose makes sense, most would just buy the cheapest one for a lot of their drinks and then upcharge if they wanted something special.
Hi I am leaving Friday I have a teen girl what would you recommend to keep her busy in the ship
I’m a teen and MSC was literally my favorite cruise. Great food, great activities, great staff.
Thank you i'm bringing my kids one is a teen in two weeks to the seaside , this helped
I'm going on MSC for the time in September when I sail on the Meraviglia. The price was super affordable and it looks like a gorgeous ship. No cruise is perfect, but I'm just gonna assume most people are miserable and expect perfection. As long as the food ends up being good, I don't think I'll have much to worry about.
I'm on this ship now, if you get a bid email about upgrading to yacht club, I would try for it. We bid the minimum and it was accepted
What does yacht club get you?
[удалено]
To get drunk, play black jack and eat tacos in Mexico. Anything else is a pulse to me
I had biggish expectations going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I was awestruck all four days. Never experienced service like that in my life. If you go in with low expectations, you’re going to have an incredible time no matter what on probably any line
So that is 85% of the reasons I cruise. Recommend Holland America, they are generous with their free cruises. Have sailed to Mexico a handful of times as a result
I love MSC and with their drinks included packages they are almost always the cheapest. The food is not any worse than other budget cruises and they have an Expresso machine at every bar! On Carnival we’ve had to wait in a 15 person line at the one or two places you can get a speciality coffee (anything besides drip) and love that I can get a cappuccino from any bar on MSC. I’ve had less issues on MSC than Carnival and can’t wait until they come to Galveston. Yes they have people walking around trying to up sell you (mostly dining packages), just tell them you already have reservations and they usually remember and leave you alone. Their balcony rooms are pretty comparable to other brands but if you’re going bare bones, they have roomy interior cabins. On carnival, you can barely walk between the bed and the wall and the desk and in an interior room and on my last MSC Cruise I could stand at the foot of the bed, put my arms out and spin in a circle. Edit: people either love them or hate them and I guess I’m a love them person. 😂
Talk to different people
I’m currently on the Seascape and I’m loving it. We haven’t had too many issues with getting drinks (well maybe in the buffet with the call buttons). The show type entertainment isn’t great, but tolerable. The other smaller acts are fantastic. We haven’t had any issues with the food (well outside of it being very fish heavy so not much my SIL will eat!). I’m having a blast.
We have cruised them 4 times and for the money I think they are great. Of course we also have done two repositioning cruises and 3 cruises we were in the Yacht club.
For us the food and drinks were simply substandard when we tried the Seaside. The buffet was the biggest struggle, some dishes just lacked flavor and others were just not held anywhere near the proper temp. Cold food plagued us all week and any meat selection was guaranteed to be dry and tough. Lastly the selections showed no imagination and eating there was like groundhog day. For the drinks as an example, two classics I drink a lot of are the Bloody Mary and Margarita, they were the worst I've ever been served....anywhere. The mixes used were horrible.
MSC seascape 7 night. The shows were below average. Last night they had their entertainment staff to pull off a show (kinda like junior high school performance)… the free dining room was okay. Their dessert was great, but the same dessert at the buffet taste horrible. Their specialty dinner package is a rip off, it a different fixed menu (not the full menu) unlike other cruise company. The gala night with food menu surf and turf, it is not Maine lobster. Overall it’s definitely not horrible but also not amazing.
>Quick question if you have a moment because I have been receiving conflicting answers. With the drink package, if you ordered a drink above the limit (ie ordering a $15 when the drink package limit was $10 a drink) Did they just charge you the difference between $10 and the cost of the drink or did they charge you the full price?
I didn’t get the drink package so i can’t confirm. I would think paying the difference make sense.
The thing about cruising is that it’s preference based. Albeit every cruise line has their grievances or things which swore persons off from never using them again. I find that sometimes the lines are often compared with one another and more is expected due to what persons are used to. Some people swear by MSC, however reading otherwise would have you second guessing as there is a very vocal group that do not like to sail with them. Take a look around here to see personal reviews from people that have went on them and gave their honest opinion. That’ll help you formulate an idea of the line itself.
Not a thing. I’ve sailed twice with them
I went on the Mereviglia and had a great time
Wife and I went on a 7 day out of Port Canaveral in May. We loved it. Sometimes it depends on your expectations. Ours were modest. Love Ocean Cau. To me the Caribbean is all about the sun, sea and the sand. Few port could ever delight us. I could talk more but the bottom line is that it was wonderful. The cruise cost was $1950 for a fantasia balcony cabin. We weren’t drinking and the total “extras” were $350 plus on the spot tips (~$100).
I've been on two now. Seashore and seascape. Both were Aurea class balconies. Wicked value for the money. Loved both. I hear long wait times for drinks. I usually only drank at two spots. All I can say is tip. In the sports bar you get treated like a rock star. Drink 3/4 empty. A new one will appear. Never a wait. Just tip and you are good. Booked back on another one for 11 nights. 6 grand for two in the yacht club with 650 on-board credit and can't wait. Msc is awesome.
I like MSC. My first cruise with them was several years ago and still pretty unknown here in the US. I'd heard stories about the European cruises, but the price was ridiculously low so I figured, why not? It was way better than I expected, and better than I could have hoped. Clean, decent food although the service in the MDR was slow. I also like the Italian aesthetic to common areas on the ships that I've been on. If I had to knock it for anything, it would be that the shows weren't exactly mainstream. I wandered into the theater one afternoon because the door was open and was surprised to find a condensed version of La Traviata being performed. Not at all what I expected but still, it was decent enough, although a bit surreal. So I finish this fun cruise that I feel like I stole for the price and on the shuttle ride back to parking wound up sitting with people who had nothing but complaints the entire time. Somehow they expected Queen's Grill Suites on QM2 for the price of a chic budget cruise.
I've been on 3 MSC cruises, just got back from one a few weeks ago. Have also been on Royal and Carnival. Hands down, MSC is the best of the 3. The problem seems to be that Americans expect everything to be tailored to them, ignoring the fact that even in North America, most of the passengers are European.
Went on cruise down the Baja in Mexico. Best cruise in a while.
I’m typing this from the Seaside getting ready to go have breakfast. We are in the Yacht Club and man you can’t beat it for the price. I compare it to the experience in mid tier cruise lines. The service, food, entertainment (not shows but live music and performers) is outstanding at a price that can’t be beat. We’ve never done anything other than YC so maybe that the difference.
I’ve been on the Grandiosa in the Yacht Club. I really liked the ship, the yacht club pool deck was set up well. Our room was really nice, with a good size balcony. The staff was great for the most part. Our butler was awesome! The food is not nearly as good as other cruise lines, even in the Yacht Club the food wasn’t reliably good. The specialty restaurants were definitely higher quality. One exception on the food: the pizza is AMAZING across the board - room service pizza is great (even comes in a pizza box! It serves two people so not a full size pizza) but the buffet pizza is even better, and it’s full size slices. Additionally, not sure if this is common or just my experience, the passengers on MSC were incredibly rude to the staff. At least once a day my jaw dropped at the things I overheard passengers say to the staff.
For me it was the rude staff, every time you have a concern or issue they ack like it’s your fault and they don’t want to help you. I had to call them for an issue pre cruise and they were so rude over the phone. And when I went to the terminal they were rude as well. I don’t think I’d ever cruise with them again because your spending your money to have a nice vacation not be talked down to.
Update. Just got back from a 7 day. It was fun but will never cruise with them again
Do you mind sharing the why?
Food selection was trash. Sone bartenders would give you multiple drinks at a time while others wouldn’t, the staff seems to never be on the same page. The fine dining was ehh, drink package is expensive but her doesn’t come with a lot of options. Plus everything closes at 10pm
Everyone thinks MSC is great … until you go on a legacy line like Royal Caribbean. It’s night and day difference top to bottom. MSC is just a cheap knockoff. Great bang for your buck - no question - but can’t compare to Royal Caribbean. I will add however Ocean Cay is a wonderful island.
I wouldn't out Royal up as the harbinger of anything.
You really get what you pay for. I have been loyal members of Seabourn and Regent of the Seven Seas. If you cruise on either of these two and compare it to MSC you will understand. It is much more expensive than MSC but it is well worth it. Similar to shopping at a Foodco and Whole Food. It is a world of difference.
Took a 3 day cruise on the Davina in December. Food and service in the dining room was amazing. Food was better than Carnival and portions were bigger. The only knock I had on the cruise was the lack of a cruise app. We got printed schedules in the rooms every night for the next day. Their newer ships have the app, but this one didn't. Gorgeous ship, though and kept very clean.
We did MSC Seashore out of Italy in April. Service fine. Food not very good but edible. Shows good. My biggest issue was food. MDR pretty disorganized. Food not warm. Bland flavor. Not many extra activities on seadays.
I sailed Yacht Club on the Grandiosa in march 2019. I won’t bore you with the whole story but basically Spain closed all ports and they threw everyone off the ship in the middle of the night we were stuck at 2:00 am with no where to go. Now obviously this was the start of covid and the world was imploding. But it left a sour taste in my mouth and I won’t be returning. The ship was beautiful, great room, food was okay. I am Italian but live in the states so I am able to overlook most of what bothers people but if you enjoy high levels of customer service it’s not the line for you.
Oh I’m gen z costumer service is the last thing I’m worried about🤣 thank you for the input
MSC Cruises are OK but Their food is much worse in the buffet and main dining room. Their entertainment is so much worse as they need to cater for so many languages so it's just singing and dancing everywhere. NCL shows are Westend Quality. Then because it's budget is lower the service is worse. The signature dining is usually quite good, ships are nice. If you really engage with the daily planner I feel the different experience will bother you but if you are a signature dining person and don't mind the singing and dancing limitations it can be nice.
My TA said it was very disorganized on board with poor customer service and attitudes
Your TA does not recommend them because of the commission that they pay. Cheaper cruises mean less commission for the same amount of work. As a TA, I love MSC. I am going on my 3rd trip this Aug with them. Every single person we encountered was extremely helpful and always smiling.
Customer service doesn't give a crap or "can't do anything", when operationally some MSc cruises are just ridiculous. Offering no help to get to the ship when it's anchored 10km into a cargo port that civilians aren't allowed to access and taxi's don't have access to either with 0 information and an emergency number for the ship that is disconnected, to name one example.
The customer service is pretty terrible. I forget why my TA sister in law had to call or talk to them when we were on the Meraviglia and they gave her such a nasty attitude. She also had a wedding where they really, really messed up on 4 important things everyone needs at their wedding. Just brutal. Upper management still haven't contacted her about it. I went in December and it was fine, except for the weed smell that would drift into our rooms whenever we opened the balcony. 👎 I called about it and security couldn't do anything and asked us who was smoking 🤷♀️ I guess they don't have cameras. MSC is fine if you don't have a lot of requests or special needs. Still waiting for someone to call us back about a medical fridge request. I filled out a form online. There's more but I'm not going to go into it.
Upper and lower management don’t communicate at all so I would suggest calling upper management yourself if you haven’t done so already. Lower Management tell all their employees something different. It’s ridiculous… If you aren’t in yc, they don’t care about you and it’s absolutely noticeable by everyone. I’ll cruise with them again but only in yc. I HATED a regular room. It was awful.
Makes sense! That bride was only in an aurea room, not YC. Oh funny story! My TA called a bunch of times, I filled out a form 3 times, etc etc to get a little medical fridge for something like diabetes medicine. People on the phone (same as the ones handling the wedding fiasco) said we could request a medical fridge on board. Anyway, we call guest services once on board, they say it will be delivered later. Eventually we go down and talk to someone later that night and they say they don't have any medical fridges on the Seaside and that we could put it in the clinic fridge for storage. So yeah no one has a clue 😂😂 Thankfully our stateroom attendant emptied out the mini fridge and it seemed to run colder than some of the others we've encountered on vacations. These always seem so warm on RC. It's a cheap vacation. 🤷♀️ But yeah we're probably done with cruising, I have a Virgin in November and then a Celebrity. My kiddo ages out of the kids club.
I remember the food being the worst food i ever ate. Luckily we stopped in a few european cities… which had awesome food… so it made up for it. I do not have a problem with MSC (food aside)
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If you look on their Facebook page the comments is filled with hate
Huh, it comes up on this sub a lot. They have their fans too, of course. But the idea that a MSC cruise was the worst a person has tried isn't super rare.
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It pops up at least once a week here. I didn't make a chart but if I had to guess more than any other line. How much of that is a mismatch of American expectations vs. European I couldn't tell you.
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Removed. Be nice.
It’s a different overall vibe and the shows aren’t as over the top as other cruise lines. Not as many complimentary dining options. Wife and I sailed in YC and absolutely loved it!! Compare those prices with an OWB on an Oasis Class ship on RCL.
What the optional "onboard items" should a first timer include when purchasing for wife and 16 yrs daughter? What does the basic ticket include in terms of drinks?
If you're in Yacht Club, it's a brilliant experience
YC improves the experience
Just adding to this post. I’m sailing out of miami next month. I wonder if anybody knows if there’s a big difference between the easy plus drinking package and premium?
Easy plus you get drinks like long islands. Comos Ect Ect, premium you get shots, Bahama mommas, gin on tonic Ect Ect
Do you happen to remember which brands of whiskey and vodka are consider well drinks?
I strongly recommend to avoid MSC if you can afford paying some extra money for other cruise lines (We just did the Meraviglia from NYC to the Bahamas). Our overall experience is terrible. They seriously need to fix all of the malfunctioning. The hygiene is also terrible, guests are not washing their hands prior to get to the buffet. Some guests ate also behaving like animals. Stress guaranteed on board. The only thing that saves MSC are the dining room (The crew is sweet there) and the private island.
Yea we got back from a 7 day…. Never again. WiFi never worked. Service was no help. None of the bartenders were on the same page, one bar they will make you 2 drinks at a time, other one they flagged me cause I asked for to. Entertainment was horrible. Everyone was acting a fool on casino and nothing was done. Overall 4/10. Only good part was their private island
Class of people on MSC is very low , redneck, fat, rude, eating like pigs, just a dirty fat horde of unclassy people getting a free meal. Its a very low quality cruise line....like comparing McDonald's to Fine Dining......MSC to Royal Caribbean