No MSC for me!

[mafig]

Although I have only cruised twice and both times with MSC, does not make me oblivious to what goes on around me. My wife and I traveled to many places and experienced many different cultures.

 

I notice that in your signature you have not sailed MSC, and are relying on posts for your information, and what seems to be your belief that MSC is horrible. Having stayed in resorts many times, I promised myself to never again do that. You beg for service, the food is lackluster, and I dont enjoy lying on a beach for 8 hours, yet the price for these al inclusives are far superior to the cruise we took.

 

After speaking to other people on the ship, they pretty much expressed some shortcoming or another from other lines as well.

 

Unfortunately some, I REPEAT, SOME , of the italian way will not apeal to all. Yes, italians are not the most service oriented, so how can they instill this to their staff?

 

 

No I haven't cruised MSC. I wanted to. I gave them every opportunity to improve. However, I found a cruiseline (Celebrity) that had an itinerary I liked, at a time I liked (April 10, same as the Poesia cruise I was looking at) and CHEAPER.

 

The service words I used to describe MSC came from your review.:rolleyes:

 

"Yes, Italians are not the most service oriented, so how can they instill this to their staff." You wrote this.

 

Let me say that if you go on Carnival, most of the Captains are Italian. You will not find them in the bar picking up women.

 

For years Princess had a staff of mostly Italians in the dining rooms. They were gracious, police and utterly charming. (now it seems that they cannot get the Italians to accept these kinds of jobs). This was about 5 year ago or so. However, many of the head waiters and Maitre'ds are still there. I can assure you they are not rude to their guests. The fault of rude service seems to lie with MSC.

[oncruisecontrol]

I'm sure many people will agree that the last comment is so typically American that we hope they all stick to their own more downmarket cruiselines where they can be as obnoxious as they wish.Pity they all have to be tarred with the same brush , there are some more well mannered Americans ( I hope)

 

 

I emphatically do not believe that the quote to which you are referring is "so typically American". But, it does seem apparent that it is either/or:

1) the attitude of too-large a percentage of Americans

2) a small percentage of Americans that speak very loudly and claim

to speak for us all

 

I do not claim to know what the answer is, but I can say for sure that there are at least a few of us (Americans) that are worldly and do not have such attitudes.

[hat776]

In a previous answer I was trying to think of how to briefly describe the difference between American and European style of service.

Then this morning I read " the typical EAGER American style of service" and it summed it up perfectly.

Most Europeans would stand by and wait for you to signal them that you need something whereas the American would be so eager that he would constantly come over to see if you need anything, ask you how your day has been, what you think of the meal etc etc. and always with a big smile.

Mafig may I give you a piece of sincere advice - there are so many cruise lines that I think you should forget MSC. If the reviews or comments can affect you to this extent you'd go on the ship with a negative attitude and this would surely turn your cruise into a nightmare. You'd sub conciously find fault in everything and the whole thing would be a total waste of hard earned money.

[Edluvsbd]

I just good back yesterday (Mar 13) from the Poesia Eastern cruise. And, I agree 100 % that this line is not gonna make it in the American market. Ship was beautiful and clean except for the public bathrooms. Port calls were great.. But, the atitude of almost the entire staff is amazingly aloof and stand off-ish.. !st time cruisers will love it and experienced cruisers will try to maintain an open mind initially.. Within a couple of days though, it becomes apparent that food is not anywhere near the quality of almost any other cruise line. Service is a joke and communications between cruisers and staff is almost impossible.. Public announcements or pre-show introductions in 5 languages gets old real quick too.. The theater was beautiful with only 2 poles.. Had great viewing from almost any seat. But, the shows were like "B" movies and lasted only 30 minutes. A huge disappointment.. Our Dining experience was far from satisfactory or enjoyable.. Tables were too close together which required the staff to constantly reach over people. Water was never refilled. On the 3rd night out we finally had someone ask if we wanted wine or a drinks. Dirty dishes were routinely left on the tables. On 2 seperate occassions I rejected my dinner and asked for another selection. My 2 best meals were the prime rib on the 1st formal night and boneless chicken breast some other night. The Italian food by this Italian cruise line was not very tasty at all.. And, "plate presentation" is definitely absent.. On the 2nd formal night, they waited until EVERYONE in the dining room was finished eating the main course before they brought out the flaming Baked Alaska for desert. Which by the way was the only desert selection for the night. Total time spent in the dining room that night was from 8PM until 10:20PM.. I'm sorry, thats ridiculous for a table of 4 people.. Gratuities are $12 per day per person and are automatically added to your bill. When we decided we were going to adjust our gratuities in proportion to the the quality of service, MSC made us fill out forms and meet face to face with ships Officiers in a designated place at a designated time. They did everything they could to try to intiminate and dissuade us from adjusting our gratuties. They were not interested in WHY.. We finally got so mad about it, when we signed the papers we officially reduced the gratuities to zero.. Nada, zippo just to show them that they were NOT gonna bully us.. In the end, we gave our cabin steward and his assistant generous cash tips and the waiter and bus-boy only token tips.. The resturaunt manager (can't spell mait tre dee) was an absolute worthless piece of crap.. He did not visit our table one time during the cruise or bother to say hello or good bye.. Even, AFTER speaking to him about the dirty dishes left on ALL the tables. Again, the aloof mannerisms were very apparent.. Maybe this is the way Italians are in their country.. But, I don't think so.. It got to the point that we were deeply affended by the staffs LACK of simple courtesy and professionalism.. Consequently, we will never cruise with or recommend MSC.. I'll stick with HAL, CCL, RCI, NCL and or Princess..... No more MSC for me ever again..

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

I just good back yesterday (Mar 13) from the Poesia Eastern cruise. And, I agree 100 % that this line is not gonna make it in the American market. Ship was beautiful and clean except for the public bathrooms. Port calls were great.. But, the atitude of almost the entire staff is amazingly aloof and stand off-ish.. !st time cruisers will love it and experienced cruisers will try to maintain an open mind initially.. Within a couple of days though, it becomes apparent that food is not anywhere near the quality of almost any other cruise line. Service is a joke and communications between cruisers and staff is almost impossible.. Public announcements or pre-show introductions in 5 languages gets old real quick too.. The theater was beautiful with only 2 poles.. Had great viewing from almost any seat. But, the shows were like "B" movies and lasted only 30 minutes. A huge disappointment.. Our Dining experience was far from satisfactory or enjoyable.. Tables were too close together which required the staff to constantly reach over people. Water was never refilled. On the 3rd night out we finally had someone ask if we wanted wine or a drinks. Dirty dishes were routinely left on the tables. On 2 seperate occassions I rejected my dinner and asked for another selection. My 2 best meals were the prime rib on the 1st formal night and boneless chicken breast some other night. The Italian food by this Italian cruise line was not very tasty at all.. And, "plate presentation" is definitely absent.. On the 2nd formal night, they waited until EVERYONE in the dining room was finished eating the main course before they brought out the flaming Baked Alaska for desert. Which by the way was the only desert selection for the night. Total time spent in the dining room that night was from 8PM until 10:20PM.. I'm sorry, thats ridiculous for a table of 4 people.. Gratuities are $12 per day per person and are automatically added to your bill. When we decided we were going to adjust our gratuities in proportion to the the quality of service, MSC made us fill out forms and meet face to face with ships Officiers in a designated place at a designated time. They did everything they could to try to intiminate and dissuade us from adjusting our gratuties. They were not interested in WHY.. We finally got so mad about it, when we signed the papers we officially reduced the gratuities to zero.. Nada, zippo just to show them that they were NOT gonna bully us.. In the end, we gave our cabin steward and his assistant generous cash tips and the waiter and bus-boy only token tips.. The resturaunt manager (can't spell mait tre dee) was an absolute worthless piece of crap.. He did not visit our table one time during the cruise or bother to say hello or good bye.. Even, AFTER speaking to him about the dirty dishes left on ALL the tables. Again, the aloof mannerisms were very apparent.. Maybe this is the way Italians are in their country.. But, I don't think so.. It got to the point that we were deeply affended by the staffs LACK of simple courtesy and professionalism.. Consequently, we will never cruise with or recommend MSC.. I'll stick with HAL, CCL, RCI, NCL and or Princess..... No more MSC for me ever again..

 

Agree with some of you frustrations:

• ship is beautiful
  
• port calls were great
  
• plate presentation lacking
  
• waiting for the baked alaska..too long
  

Luckily we did enjoy most of the meals, good, but not great. (especially lack of variety on vegetables, seems all we had was potatoes and asparagus, or carrots)

 

As for service it was hit and miss, waiters in MDR were very attentive, water always full, table cleared immediately (were you in IL PALADIO or LE FONTANE) Aparently IL PALLADIO had better responses. Buffet staff did take a while to clear tables.

 

Dont count MSC out yet,as you may have noted, the majority of travelers were European. After speaking to some italians, they mentioned that MSC in the Mediteranean, are usually booked 2 years in advance (they are number 1 there) Therefor Europeans wanting to stick to familiar lines and not American oferings will continue to use MSC as their Caribbean line.

[jemingway]

In a previous answer I was trying to think of how to briefly describe the difference between American and European style of service.

Then this morning I read " the typical EAGER American style of service" and it summed it up perfectly.

Most Europeans would stand by and wait for you to signal them that you need something whereas the American would be so eager that he would constantly come over to see if you need anything, ask you how your day has been, what you think of the meal etc etc. and always with a big smile.

Mafig may I give you a piece of sincere advice - there are so many cruise lines that I think you should forget MSC. If the reviews or comments can affect you to this extent you'd go on the ship with a negative attitude and this would surely turn your cruise into a nightmare. You'd sub conciously find fault in everything and the whole thing would be a total waste of hard earned money.

 

 

I appreciate the information, but I don't think I'll have a problem with MSC. We are going with friends from Trinidad and England. I was just unaware that there was such a difference.

[boca7]

You are so right on, I can`t believe some of the embarrasing comments from Americans, it`s so not like us, to make such stupid,ignorant & insulting statements. You are an embarassment to our country, if your not happy, just say so, do not insult, which you are doing. I`m sure to get a ton of return insults in return but I had to have my say. Sometimes I wonder that due to the bargain prices we have been offered that there not attracting the right consumer.

[B744]

I appreciate the information, but I don't think I'll have a problem with MSC. We are going with friends from Trinidad and England. I was just unaware that there was such a difference.

 

Hey John, we sure had a great cruise on the Poesia. Would love to book a longer one with MSC, it was so relaxing on the ship.

 

To the O.P, I enjoyed the food in all venues. We ate in the buffet, Main Dining Room, Katio Sushi Bar, and the Grill. I thought it was delicious. Tasted wine in the Wine Bar, that was great, the shows were pleasantly different lasting just 30- 35 minutes, I really enjoyed those. The S 32 disco was also great, and how 'bout The Zebra Bar Live entertainment, Jazz at Bar dei Poeti? Not much I can find to complain about the MSC Poesia. I went to have a great weekend and that I did. Put me on the Magnifica, Fantasia or Splendida will ya?

[jemingway]

Hey John, we sure had a great cruise on the Poesia. Would love to book a longer one with MSC, it was so relaxing on the ship.

 

To the O.P, I enjoyed the food in all venues. We ate in the buffet, Main Dining Room, Katio Sushi Bar, and the Grill. I thought it was delicious. Tasted wine in the Wine Bar, that was great, the shows were pleasantly different lasting just 30- 35 minutes, I really enjoyed those. The S 32 disco was also great, and how 'bout The Zebra Bar Live entertainment, Jazz at Bar dei Poeti? Not much I can find to complain about the MSC Poesia. I went to have a great weekend and that I did. Put me on the Magnifica, Fantasia or Splendida will ya?

 

 

Yes, I would highly recommend MSC.;)

[camofwilliamsburg]

If you are thinking of doing Poesia again, we are doing a nice 11 day on Nov 1-11 and are looking for a nice group to share some excursions with. If you have any interest in this cruise pls let me know. I have done extensive research on each port and have lined up a few private excursions. The cost goes down for each of us if we have more people in each tour. That cruise is priced very well, and going to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; Carteghena, Columbia, Cristobal, Panama; and Puerto Limon, Costa RIca. NIce blend of port stops for history, culture and beach stops!

[summer66]

Our cruise was the Eastern Med from 24 April to 1 May. We loved the food - found it well presented and with lots of choices. Three of us are American and one European but we were all looking for a European experience. The servers and stewards were mostly from Latin American countries just as we found on Celebrity and Cunard. The food wasn't quite as fancy as on our last Celebrity Med trip, but much more interesting than on our Baltic cruise on Cunard.

[drblue]

Our cruise was the Eastern Med from 24 April to 1 May. We loved the food - found it well presented and with lots of choices. Three of us are American and one European but we were all looking for a European experience. The servers and stewards were mostly from Latin American countries just as we found on Celebrity and Cunard. The food wasn't quite as fancy as on our last Celebrity Med trip, but much more interesting than on our Baltic cruise on Cunard.

Hello Summer66,

I just recently also travelled on the Celebrity Equinox with my wife and 2 year-old son. Now, we are booked on the Eastern Med cruise on the MSC Magnifica. Since you mentioned that you have done both cruise lines, could you point out some of the similarities or differences that you found between the two?

I am not necessarily trying to establish that one is better than the other - just trying to have the appropriate set of expectations so we can enjoy our vacation.

 

Could you tell me if there were features or procedures on the MSC Magnifica that you thought were well done?

 

I will certainly appreciate your info.

[cmcc74]

Mindful of the negative reviews, we booked an eastern caribbean cruise on the Poesia for March 2010. I was aware that there would be limited info re the ports on the ship, so took the info we'd need with us. Boarding the ship was smooth, fast, very organized. All staff were very accommodating and polite. They have rules to make things go smoothly, ie. requiring guests to present their room keys when picking up pool towels, but these rules didn't inconvenience us, and were understandable. The meals were fine, relaxed, tasty, and the waiter would always bring an alternative if we didn't care for our meals. We liked searching around the ship, finding our favourite places to eat. We had no difficulty getting on or off the ship at ports, in fact it was more organized and went smoother than on our previous (3) cruises. We've booked another cruise with MSC for this fall.:o

[hat776]

MSC is such a mystery - you get such conflicting opinions. Is there really such a difference between ships or do crews change from one ship to another or do senior staff change or ........... ?

[jemingway]

I think it is because it is different from what most Americans expect, since they are the majority on this board. I thought MSC was great, but if you have rigid expectations, you will be disappointed.

[Stefan_Cruise]

Hello!

 

In the past I travelled a lot with msc (4 cruise). But service and the food-quality is getting worser and worser.

 

best regards

 

Stefan

[alanwexford]

I'd agree with stefan regarding the food quality but found the service fine.

 

Staff were friendly and helpful most of the time. The Buffet Bora Bora on Splendida is a bit of a nightmare for anyone with infants. There's a serious lack of baby chairs.

 

Also entertainment is very poor when you compare it to other cruise companies.

 

Things that stand in MSC favour are that children cruise free (just pay some taxes) and the ships are so new.

[hat776]

On Splendida we felt that the Buffet left alot to be desired - but the MDR was very good. In fact we ended up never trying the 'always available' as the choices were very tempting. On our last night we asked for the spag. bol. as we decided we had to try it on an Italian ship.

[Capricruiser]

I don't agree with Stefan Cruise that the service and food quality has deteriorated. On my Splendida cruise in January the service was excellent and the quality of the food in the MDR very good (with one or two very minor negatives). I never eat in the buffet except for breakfast and an occasional hamburger so I can't comment on that, other than to say that in all my cruises on both MSC and Costa the buffet is never great, both from a food standpoint and the ambiance with too many people, noise, kids, chaos, etc. I do know that in 2009 MSC for the Mediterranean cruises decided to eliminate the more expensive items from the MDR menus such as choice cuts of meat, lobster, etc. as a cost-cutting measure. To reduce wastage, portions were also reduced, which was a good idea (asking for seconds of an item is always acceptable however).

[AmoMondo]

I agree with Capricruiser about the buffets -i always eat in the MDR.

 

i haven't noticed a decline in food quality or service, but have noticed variations from one ship to another. The food was actually the best I've experienced it on my last cruise on the Sinfonia. like restaurants ashore, a lot depnds on the chef and other staff employed at the time.

 

There have beeen somethings that were once free of charge no longer included but I think that is just a sign of the times and something many companies in the leisure market are doing to survive at the moment.

[jemingway]

On our recent Poesia cruise, the buffets were great.