MSC vs NCL

[cruiseintoheaven]

The christening of MSC Seaview was on June 9th 2018 , just 2 weeks ago,

 

and the ship is on its 2nd Western Med Cruise.

 

You are right, the MSC Seaview is the sister ship of MSC Seaside.

 

They are almost identical besides minor differences (color scheme

 

of the cabins, etc).

 

 

 

Well I sure missed that ship’s sailing:)! That’s good though - gives it time for reviews to come in!

 

 

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[RDC1]

Is this still the case with Norwegian.???

 

It used to be so. However, I have been reading reviews where the dining room food has improved on Norwegian.

 

It was the case when we were cruising them. We would go to the specialties because the dining room was terrible. I don't know if this is still true. Have you sailed them recently?

 

My last NCL cruise was 2016 so there is the possibility that they have improved in the MDR since then. My experience then was that it was the worst of any other cruise line I have sailed in the last 5 years, mostly Princess, but some HAL, Celebrity, Royal and 1 MSC.

 

Found MSC to be a lot like Princess, with the exception of being a non-US cruise line (announcements in multiple languages) and larger ship size. Certainly a lot more like Princess than NCL.

[Beamafar]

How strict is MSC with formal night or are they super relax is NCL and HAL.

 

Not strict, at all. The dress code for the evenings (from 18.00) is a 'suggested' one, only, and is advised each day on the daily planners. "Tank-tops, bikini, bathrobes and bare feet in any indoor restaurants or buffet areas is not permitted at any time. No shorts in restaurants for dinner" is what's stated as not allowed.

[ready2cruzagain]

I would put MSC as closer to Princess then NCL. I have found food quality on NCL to be poor in the MDR. Most use the multitude of specialty dining venues on NCL. NCL is more geared towards families with more activities for children/teens (water slides, etc.).

 

My last NCL cruise was 2016 so there is the possibility that they have improved in the MDR since then. My experience then was that it was the worst of any other cruise line I have sailed in the last 5 years, mostly Princess, but some HAL, Celebrity, Royal and 1 MSC.

 

Found MSC to be a lot like Princess, with the exception of being a non-US cruise line (announcements in multiple languages) and larger ship size. Certainly a lot more like Princess than NCL.

Since you have not sailed NCL in 2 years I would say it is not fair to access their MDR food. I find their MDR food to be above Princess MDR on some nights and equivalent on others and when compared to Carnival, NCL's MDR food is way superior. Have eaten in all of the their specialty restaurants and I have no problem eating in MDR. My most recent cruise on NCL was 4 months ago.

 

If MSC's MDR food is as good as NCL's MDR then I will be very happy.

[RDC1]

Since you have not sailed NCL in 2 years I would say it is not fair to access their MDR food. I find their MDR food to be above Princess MDR on some nights and equivalent on others and when compared to Carnival, NCL's MDR food is way superior. Have eaten in all of the their specialty restaurants and I have no problem eating in MDR. My most recent cruise on NCL was 4 months ago.

 

If MSC's MDR food is as good as NCL's MDR then I will be very happy.

 

Since you say that I cannot compare their food since the last time I sailed them in 2016. Yet you are comparing their food to Princess, yet since 2016 your have been very active in NCL boards, some posts concerning Celebrity cruises, recent MSC activity, and a couple of Carnival posts in late 2016. When is the last time you actually set foot on a Princess ship?

[cruiseintoheaven]

My last NCL cruise was 2016 so there is the possibility that they have improved in the MDR since then. My experience then was that it was the worst of any other cruise line I have sailed in the last 5 years, mostly Princess, but some HAL, Celebrity, Royal and 1 MSC.

 

 

 

Found MSC to be a lot like Princess, with the exception of being a non-US cruise line (announcements in multiple languages) and larger ship size. Certainly a lot more like Princess than NCL.

 

 

 

This is good to hear as we are quite used to Princess. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

 

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[RDC1]

This is good to hear as we are quite used to Princess. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

 

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Since you are elite on Princess don't forget you can apply for status match on MSC (you can only apply once).

We got black card status for our MSC cruise (we are also Elite on Princess).

 

It includes qualifying you for a 5% discount

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Voyagers-Club.aspx

 

Now since you are in Yacht Club the status is not quite as beneficial since some of the benefits are included in Yacht Club.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Since you are elite on Princess don't forget you can apply for status match on MSC (you can only apply once).

 

We got black card status for our MSC cruise (we are also Elite on Princess).

 

 

 

It includes qualifying you for a 5% discount

 

 

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Voyagers-Club.aspx

 

 

 

Now since you are in Yacht Club the status is not quite as beneficial since some of the benefits are included in Yacht Club.

 

 

 

Yes - I definitely plan to apply for status match, even if some of the perks are redundant with YC perks, the 5% off is an added bonus!

 

 

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