A cheap cruise is it worth it?

[Invincible]

We are not cruise virgins as we've already done 4 cruises but that still does of course make us novice cruisers. the ships we've been on up to now are Queen Victoria, Ventura, Constellation and Oriana. I've seen a cruise advertised at a very good rate for early in the new year on MSC Splendida but reading the reviews it doesn't sound good is it worth taking a gamble or given my previous cruise history will I be making a big mistake.

[hamrag]

We are not cruise virgins as we've already done 4 cruises but that still does of course make us novice cruisers. the ships we've been on up to now are Queen Victoria, Ventura, Constellation and Oriana. I've seen a cruise advertised at a very good rate for early in the new year on MSC Splendida but reading the reviews it doesn't sound good is it worth taking a gamble or given my previous cruise history will I be making a big mistake.

 

We have cruised 19 times, on 9 different lines varying between QM2 at one end of spectrum and Thomson at the other end. We have loved each one, for different reasons. Really it depends on your attitude, and what sort of things annoy. We have sailed on Ventura and also a Celebrity ship, but not MSC as yet (do so in September). Closest to MSC we have been on is Costa and most say the two lines are similar, although MSC generally regarded as the best of the two lines.

 

The downsides for most Brits are the Italian way, and the fact that English obviously is not the first language on board. Certainly all your daily sheets, and other in cabin notices are in English, but for announcements English is sometimes second and sometimes third.....does not bother us! The Italian way is "me first" i.e. they don't really do queuing....again didn't bother us, just jostle along with them and sharpen your elbows every day! Another thing is they love dancing, and much of the evening entertainment is dance based....but there are other attractions if dancing not your thing.

 

In the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising, the ship rating for Splendida is slightly higher than both Ventura and Oriana with the food and service rated better, and entertainment lower. Against Constellation it scores lower, and more so (as you would expect) than QV.

 

If the price is right, my advice would be go for it!

[Janet&Carl]

We are not cruise virgins as we've already done 4 cruises but that still does of course make us novice cruisers. the ships we've been on up to now are Queen Victoria, Ventura, Constellation and Oriana. I've seen a cruise advertised at a very good rate for early in the new year on MSC Splendida but reading the reviews it doesn't sound good is it worth taking a gamble or given my previous cruise history will I be making a big mistake.

 

 

I loved my MSC cruises, on the Splendida we had Yacht Club and were totally spoilt but I believe these suites sell very quickly, so if you are considering a luxury cruise at a cheap price you cant go wrong. I have read lots of Americans who haven't enjoyed certain aspects of MSC. I am Australian and the passengers I met onboard Magnifica and Splendida were mostly Australian or New Zealanders. I think thats because they seat you at dinner near your own nationality. We all had a fantastic cruise. We all enjoyed the food. We all enjoyed the atmosphere onboard. Most of us enjoyed the entertainment. None of us were party animals but had a great time. I personally dont think you can fault the crew or the ship and if you like European food you will do well on MSC. My girls (17 & 10) also had a wonderful cruise. Eventhough children are free on MSC it is not overrun with children.

 

Take into consideration that the majority of the passengers on our cruises spoke Italian/French/Spanish/German. The staff are also multilingual and may not understand you when you speak to them. They will always try to find someone who speaks English for you. Sometimes they shrug rather than try to tell you they dont speak English but that is not indifference - if they are approached with courtesy rather than arrogance they are very helpful. You may read on here bad reports but I think they are wonderful.

[Marley-Bop]

Hi

 

We have booked one of these bargain price cruises on MSC Splendida - sailing on 8th January from Barcelona.

 

Having read the reviews versus the price we paid, we are going with very low expectations and open minds. We have already planned to eat breakfast in the dining room and avoid a lot of the pushing and shoving in the buffets. We also like to use the stairs whenever possible so will try and avoid any lift situations too.

 

I think its just cultural differences and everbody seems to say the ship is beautiful so we decided to give it a go - You never know, we may end up pleasantly surprised :D

[Janet&Carl]

Hi

 

We have booked one of these bargain price cruises on MSC Splendida - sailing on 8th January from Barcelona.

 

Having read the reviews versus the price we paid, we are going with very low expectations and open minds. We have already planned to eat breakfast in the dining room and avoid a lot of the pushing and shoving in the buffets. We also like to use the stairs whenever possible so will try and avoid any lift situations too.

 

I think its just cultural differences and everbody seems to say the ship is beautiful so we decided to give it a go - You never know, we may end up pleasantly surprised :D

 

 

On our cruise the lifts were only bad at the end of a show in the theatre - and after life boat drill, at all other times there wasnt a problem even before dinner, there are 4 banks of lifts so there seemed to be plenty of space

 

Here are some menus including the lunch menus for the dining room which may interest you http://www.msccruisesagent.com/menus.aspx

 

also I have seen this which may interest the doubters .......... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (October 21, 2009)– MSC Cruises received “Best Big-Ship Luxury Enclave for MSC Yacht Club” and “Best Kept Secret,” honors in the 2009 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards. The awards honor the world’s top cruise lines and highlight the best of the best in cruising.

 

 

Personally I am a fan of MSC :D

[Janet&Carl]

If you follow the lead to the menu you get all sorts of information that they give to agents. You can even find out the prices and inclusions of all the drinks packages here

 

http://www.msccruisesgetforms.com/

[Marley-Bop]

Janet&Carl

 

Thank you so much for the links and info :) The menus look fantastic and im sure we wont go hungry.

 

I really am looking forward to it now, maybe it is one of the best kept secrets after all!

 

Angie

[Zambezi]

We are not cruise virgins as we've already done 4 cruises but that still does of course make us novice cruisers. the ships we've been on up to now are Queen Victoria, Ventura, Constellation and Oriana. I've seen a cruise advertised at a very good rate for early in the new year on MSC Splendida but reading the reviews it doesn't sound good is it worth taking a gamble or given my previous cruise history will I be making a big mistake.

 

No, it's not worth it.

 

Avoid at all costs

[woodofpine]

A very good deal combined with flexibility to absorb a 'continental' Italian crowd environment on board (a very nice ship) then you ought to enjoy yourself. There will likely be a few things that will be different and might disappoint slightly (or not at all), but if you don't obsess over them - again you'll have a good time.

 

If holding MSC to the precise standards or expectations of P&O or X is a likely exersize of your mind, then I'd not do it.

[OK Rancher]

I travel to get away, relax, and enjoy the ports. I also enjoy conversations with fellow passengers. MSC, like Costa has a primarily Eurpoean clientele, and, as such, there are many languages and cultures. If you are okay with not having english as the first language spoken in announcements and experiencing different cultures, and understand that you will not being able to talk with all of the passengers, then I say go for it. When I sailed on Costa, I felt that this is what it must be like for non-english speakers who travel on Carnival, Royal Carribean, Holland or Princess.

[Satincruz]

If you are okay with not having english as the first language spoken in announcements and experiencing different cultures, and understand that you will not being able to talk with all of the passengers, then I say go for it. When I sailed on Costa, I felt that this is what it must be like for non-english speakers who travel on Carnival, Royal Carribean, Holland or Princess.

 

A very astute observation :cool:

 

And it must be even harder for them, since the other lines DON'T make any announcements in their native languages ...

[AmoMondo]

A very astute observation :cool:

 

And it must be even harder for them, since the other lines DON'T make any announcements in their native languages ...

 

Indeed it must be!

[Janet&Carl]

. If you are okay with not having english as the first language spoken in announcements and experiencing different cultures, and understand that you will not being able to talk with all of the passengers, then I say go for it.

 

Understand also that English is not easy for all of the staff :):):) and some speak no English at all. Brush up on your Italian - you will love walking into the dining room hearing bonjourno or bona sera being called out - it gives a totally welcoming feel

[Pushka]

We travelled on the Oriana in the early '80's and it has taken us 30 years to venture on a cruise again. Cheap is not worth it.

[AmoMondo]

We are not cruise virgins as we've already done 4 cruises but that still does of course make us novice cruisers. the ships we've been on up to now are Queen Victoria, Ventura, Constellation and Oriana. I've seen a cruise advertised at a very good rate for early in the new year on MSC Splendida but reading the reviews it doesn't sound good is it worth taking a gamble or given my previous cruise history will I be making a big mistake.

 

Hi Invincible

 

You've had some good advice here already.

 

I'm not going to say whether it would be worth it or not as I have no idea of your preferences and tastes. If you were to explain to us what are the "must haves" and "nice to haves" for you to enjoy a cruise, then I may be able to provide some specific comments.

 

General observations/comments - it certainly won't compare to Cunard but then neither will the price!

 

Some of the Brits & Americans (but not all) seem to be out of their comfort zone on European MSC sailings, particularly if they are mono lingual. Please bear in mind that English speakers will be in the minority, so this will be very different aspect from your cruises on Britsih and American lines. It is not only the practicalities of language you need to consider but the different behaviours of your fellow passengers. If you are used to holidays on the continenat where you have eaten and resided where the locals do, you will know the experience of feeling like a "foreigner" and also know whether it is something that bothers you, please you or doesn't matter at all. If your only experience of travel in Europe has been on English speaking ships and to resorts where they cater for Brits, it may come as an unpleasant surprise to you, to find yourself in the situation of being ba monority that is not specifically being catered for.

[Invincible]

Thank you everyone for your replies the've been very helpful and I have to say I'd probably be happy to go but my wife is not so sure. In reply to AmoMondo in particular what we both enjoy and ask for on a cruise is simple, we want good food, good service, good entertainment and a good variety of activities. We have travelled to Europe on land based holidays a number of times though neither of us has a second language it's never been a problem for us and is certainly not a reason for us not to travel.

 

Maybe I need to talk to my wife again.

[Capricruiser]

Thank you everyone for your replies the've been very helpful and I have to say I'd probably be happy to go but my wife is not so sure. In reply to AmoMondo in particular what we both enjoy and ask for on a cruise is simple, we want good food, good service, good entertainment and a good variety of activities. We have travelled to Europe on land based holidays a number of times though neither of us has a second language it's never been a problem for us and is certainly not a reason for us not to travel.

 

Maybe I need to talk to my wife again.

 

Keep in mind that the food served aboard is mostly Italian. Chances of finding Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding on the menu is nil. If you're used to travel on the continent, then you shouldn't have any problem in the food area. Service is always good and as for entertainment, you may like it and you may not; like food, everyone's tastes are different.

[cinanina]

We chose MSC mostly considering the price/itinerary. We have small children and since children don't pay it became less expensive than most other options. We have to travel in summer because of the school so it was extremely stressfull and overall a bad experience. We really tried hard to no get annoyed at small things - we were already aware of the risks and were very prepared for it. We enjoyed the itinerary but other than that found the experience negative. Food was OK.

The cabin was dirty, the staff was very stressed and often not helpful at all. There's too many people in the ship. Difficult to eat at other times to avoid confusion because the restaurant/buffet times are very strict and if you go when there are less people (eg at 18h30 to dinner) they will have one of the buffet lines closed :confused: (why oh why do they enjoy to have stress all the time?)

Pool area became banned after I saw teenagers spitting in the pool (you can only imagine what they do else) - it seemed hell with all the crowd around and loud music

Kid's club also out of our options since my son decided he did not want to go anymore - we tried twice, the second time with a lot of insistance from our part and he usually adores all types of children's activities :cool:

I could go on and on but I dislike doing it since after all I don't really want to admit it but we had the holidays in hell :eek: with lovely views...

When we got home my husband said it, it becomes tiring to have to put up with the staff, worrying all the time not to stress or offend them, it should perhaps be the other way around, it's them who are working and they could make some effort of trying to understand or help us.

[pmacher61]

MSC is a low cost mass market cruise line offering poor food and bad service. Even at a low cost, it is a waste of moeny and time to cruise MSC. There will always be a few fans. I surmise many, not all, have not tried the competiton enough times to have a credible opinion. For credible opinions and data people browsing these boards would do well to see the reviews area of this web site where the data clearly shows MSC trails its competition in all major areas.

[Deckhandoug]

We chose MSC mostly considering the price/itinerary. We have small children and since children don't pay it became less expensive than most other options. We have to travel in summer because of the school so it was extremely stressfull and overall a bad experience. We really tried hard to no get annoyed at small things - we were already aware of the risks and were very prepared for it. We enjoyed the itinerary but other than that found the experience negative. Food was OK.

The cabin was dirty, the staff was very stressed and often not helpful at all. There's too many people in the ship. Difficult to eat at other times to avoid confusion because the restaurant/buffet times are very strict and if you go when there are less people (eg at 18h30 to dinner) they will have one of the buffet lines closed :confused: (why oh why do they enjoy to have stress all the time?)

Pool area became banned after I saw teenagers spitting in the pool (you can only imagine what they do else) - it seemed hell with all the crowd around and loud music

Kid's club also out of our options since my son decided he did not want to go anymore - we tried twice, the second time with a lot of insistance from our part and he usually adores all types of children's activities :cool:

I could go on and on but I dislike doing it since after all I don't really want to admit it but we had the holidays in hell :eek: with lovely views...

When we got home my husband said it, it becomes tiring to have to put up with the staff, worrying all the time not to stress or offend them, it should perhaps be the other way around, it's them who are working and they could make some effort of trying to understand or help us.

 

Thanks for coming back and sharing your experiences, I remember how apprehensive you were about sailing MSC

 

Sorry It didn't work out very well...

[Invincible]

Once again everyone thank you for your replies FYI we've made a decision and we're going to make the booking and travel with an open mind, this cruise does also tick 2 other boxes for us which swayed us on our decision. It leaves from Barcelona and we've always wanted to see Barcelona so by leaving the UK a day early we can overnight there and see some of the city before boarding and secondly we wanted to try an inside cabin on a short cruise to see if my wife could cope with a cabin with no natural daylight (me, I'd sleep in the corridor to be on a cruise), being only 7 nights in the middle of winter this gives us that opportunity for not a lot more than we'd pay simply for a long weekend in Barcelona. I did say 2 things but there is a third, all the ports we will be visiting are new to us i.e. places we've never been to before.

[lawton54]

I'm glad you had the opportunity to weigh the pro's and con's of this sailing before making your decision. That, I feel is the purpose of this forum, to let people share their advice and experiences FREELY without constant contradiction so that someone trying to make a choice can make an informed one. If you know going in that it is going to be "very different" than what you have experienced in the past you won't be so dismayed when things do pop up. I personally think your attitude of using MSC as a reasonable means of transportation to new ports of call will serve you well. That is what I most brought away from my sailing with them, that I probably wouldn't have gotten to see certain parts of the world if not for that sailing.

[Satincruz]

.... (me, I'd sleep in the corridor to be on a cruise) ....

 

LOL

 

AND TOTALLY AGREE!

 

I think you'll have a great cruise. And if you can, I highly recommend adding on even 1 or 2 extra days for Barcelona. It's a great city with so much to see--and very friendly people.

[woodofpine]

gives us that opportunity for not a lot more than we'd pay simply for a long weekend in Barcelona.

 

Attitude is everything... View it as an opportunity to watch how vigorously a boatload of Spaniards and Italians can stress the H out of a crew!:D Transit between points... whatever works. If you go anticipating an entirely bizarre and loathsome experience then you'll almost certainly be pleasantly surprised! What to they say? Reasonable expectations are just disappointments and resentments in waiting.

 

Have fun!

[hamrag]

Attitude is everything... View it as an opportunity to watch how vigorously a boatload of Spaniards and Italians can stress the H out of a crew!:D

 

I have witnessed Americans doing exactly that (extremely loudly)on most cruises I have been on!;)