punkrocknow

We did a good bit of research and reading on CC prior to going, so def went with an open mind.  If you only want American food, you will be pleased.  The pizza is honestly incredible.  Hamburgers were much better than other lines.  I actually like sampling all of the other foods available.  Wish we would have seen the discrete service that others have commented on.  It was entirely non existent on our cruise.  Servers just seemed to stand around talking to one another with no interest in assisting guests for the most part.  On a good note, our kids loved it. Kid so club staff was amazing and really loves what they do.  It showed.  Our party of ten had the same feelings.  Oddly enough ran into another couple (avid cruisers) who said they were one and done.  Unhappy with the lack of service and cleanliness. 

we REALLY wanted to like MSC.  We Tried to overlook so much.  When I read the complaints prior to going I just assumed these were hard to please Americans just wanting to complain.  However, we experienced a lot of the same issues.  We don't sweat the small stuff, but maybe we just got unlucky and got them on a bad week.

Agree with most here. We just got off Seaside yesterday. 10 of us... relatively seasoned cruisers. My wife and I, as well a two kids share Fantastica balcony. Embarkation is super fast. Ship is stunning. We all felt food was above average,  but that is a very subjective item. Most onboard were European with strong majority being Italian.  I loved hearing the language. So vibrant and made me feel like I was traveling somewhere besides the Caribbean. However, the cultures are quite different... a bit pushy at times and no awareness of personal space. No big deal really. Shows were good albeit a bit repetitive as others have mentioned.  MJ show was by far the best I have seen at sea.

Where MSC really misses the mark is on service.  They need to train employees better and work on some efficiency practices. Most bartenders seem to hate their job and we had a few actually give us attitude after asking for a drink.  This is even after us using all of the pleases and thank yous, etc. and when bars were not busy.  We all agreed we don't need fakeness employed by other lines, but there is simply no excuse to be rude.  There definitely is a trend among the staff.  Those damn data pads slow things down tremendously when ordering as well.  Dinner service is very slow and inefficient.  Hard to get mad because our server was running around trying to do his best.  They need more help.  Just be prepared to ask for a drink and not get it for a very long while.  We had multiple times where half our party had meals eaten before others were even served.

Lastly we noticed that Hygiene is a real issue.  I presume this is a cultural thing but hardly anyone used sanitizer getting on ship or prior to going in buffet.  Rarely used were the hand washing stations at entrance as well.  We always did and most times they were out of soap. Even saw an MSC employee use bathroom and not wash hands.  With potential for illness this was a large concern for us.

MSC offers a value, but there are things that need to be improved. It really could be a great alternative to higher priced lines.

I don't typically post, but an interesting observation...  Why do people feel the need to post thoughts and opinions on boards, social media, et al., yet at the same time claim they "don't care what others think" or, better yet, get upset when others offer differing opinions.  If you don't care, then why post anything at all?  Perhaps folks are looking for a bit of confirmation bias and expecting everyone to feel the same way.  Thankfully, that is not how this blue marble works.

Exactly... was hoping someone can share their real world experience with ordering non-alcoholic cocktails and then adding shot on side.  Seems like extra work for all involved but they are the ones who make the rules.

We just booked our first MSC cruise (Seaside) with included Easy Package for drinks.  Overall we are good with the limited selection as we are not big on sugary cocktails.  However, for the occasional frozen drink I have read that you can request a virgin drink and a shot of booze (I presume you simply mix yourself).  Per MSC drink packages, it seems this is certainly an option.

I have searched through the boards and seen a few suggest this, but was wondering if anyone has some real world experience with this.  How do the bartenders respond to such a request?  Do they roll their eyes and make it for you?  It seems silly that you would have to request two drinks and mix yourself, but these are the rules to the game I guess.

Good morning. We (6 of us) will be arriving in Roatan aboard NCL Escape in about 2 weeks. Have read many of the great reviews here and are planning to take the kids to DJ's to see the sloth/monkeys. I typically book excursions in advance, but have also waited until we arrive at port to scope a deal. Never been to Roatan, so was looking for a bit of advice. Thanks!

Haven on Epic - Last year, we did a spa suite on the Epic (Caribbean cruise) and the Haven perks were amazing. Walk to Haven was fine... I look at it as exercise. I agree with a previous comment on the Haven pool feeling a bit claustrophobic. We are on a boat so we can see water, not metal walls. We did spend every day in Posh, which is amazingly more relaxing than the regular pool areas. While they do sell passes for Posh, we were both surprised at how empty Posh was all the time. The Haven restaurant (Epic Club) was fabulous. We ate there every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner (with the exception of one night at Le Bistro, which we felt was not as good as the Haven restaurant). We had planned to dine at more specialty restaurants, but the service and food were so stellar in the Haven we didn't see the point of going elsewhere. They treat you like royalty.

Aft - My wife and I did the Western Med on the Gem (no true Haven on this one). Had an aft suite. While the cruise is port intensive, it is hard to beat lounging on your private aft balcony watching Italy get smaller. Really amazing. Cagney's was nice for breakfast and lunch.

Whether it is worth the extra coin is more of a personal choice than one we can help you with. I have been able to only do the suite life twice and wish we could do it every time. The money is long gone, but the memories of being spoiled have lasted. We are taking the kids (2 and 5) on the Getaway in a week and are in a balcony... of course, we wish we were in the Haven, but money doesn't grow on trees.

I would recommend you check out the roll call for your sail date for excursions. We did this cruise on the Gem a few years back and booked private tours with CC members. Not only did we have a great time and I am sure a far better experience than going through the cruise line (we had private van and guide for the 8 of us), we ended up saving money as well.