MSC with kids?

[LovetheCubs]

Looking for anyone that has done any MSC cruises with kids. We are looking at the Seaside so I know no one has traveled on it yet. However, is there enough on the cruise to keep a 6 and 10 year old entertained? MSC seems like a classier line than say Royal or Norwegian. Just didn't know if they embraced kids or if they were an afterthought? Thanks!!

[Homosassa]

MSC as a corporation is all about families and children (the charity the corporation supports is UNICEF).

 

While I have never cruised on MSC with a young child, I can tell you that I have observed very active children's programs and there will also be activities throughout the day for families. (One poster on here recently complained about all the family activities throughout the day because his children were upset that he didn't participate. After all, how can one dump the kids and have "adult" time when the kids actually want to spend time as a family?)

[RoLoHa]

I took my granddaughters on Divina they were 9 and 12 at the time. They had a great time even with the bad weather we encountered. My only complaint was about a couple of craft activities scheduled which did no allow kids participation. Both my girls are crafty and would have enjoyed the activity especially since pool and slides all closed. No exceptions could be made....

 

 

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[Homosassa]

Actually, as an adult, I loved the fact that MSC does make sure there are family and kids activities, but also ensures there are strictly adult activities.

[PGPrendy]

My family and I enjoyed our MSC Divina cruise in March 2017. We traveled with our two sons, 6 years old and 2 years old, and the crew and guests embraced them. My older son especially enjoyed the 4D theatre, mini-bowling, and watching his dad in the F1 simulator. The kids club staff were very friendly as well. Having sailed Disney, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean, I think MSC is a great cruiseline for children. Enjoy your cruise!

[riclop]

Looking for anyone that has done any MSC cruises with kids. We are looking at the Seaside so I know no one has traveled on it yet. However, is there enough on the cruise to keep a 6 and 10 year old entertained? MSC seems like a classier line than say Royal or Norwegian. Just didn't know if they embraced kids or if they were an afterthought? Thanks!!

Rcl will have more for kids.

[YellowDog]

Adding my voice to the choir. We had our 5yo kids on the Divina in December and the we thought the kids club was fantastic. The young women they have running it were terrific. My kids actually looked forward to it and ate dinner with them at least 4 of the nights (they loved going to the buffet with the kids club much better than 2 hour dinners with mom and dad in a stuffy dining room) :). The put on shows and danced and got front row seats every night in the theatre. The kids club all went to the shows together walking through the whole ship as a group holding hands and singing on their way to the theatre. They would walk through one of the lounges and everyone would cheer for them. My son loved the kids talent show where they got be on the big stage in the theatre. What is funny is that when you look at the kids club its not overly impressive (no WOW factor like Disney) but the counselors there more than made up for it. We are going on the Seaside next March as a result.

[travelhound]

I guess I'll be the contrarian here.:)

 

We were just on the Divina over spring break/Easter week. One of the staff said there were over 1000 kids that week and it probably added to the overcrowding and chaotic feeling, but MSC's kids' club was my least favorite of my dd's 7 cruises. To be fair, until she was in kindergarten this year, we've steered clear of traditional school break times and we've been spoiled by a lower number of kids on board. That makes for a more personal club experience.

 

My dd is six and as an only child and she looks forward to the kids' club on ships. First, I thought the security was lacking. If she had been 3 or 4 I don't think I would have felt safe leaving her there. Now she knows enough to not wander off or go with people other than us. Security on the other ships she's sailed required both my card and hers to be swiped at drop off and pick up. MSC just had us sign a log book and say a name. No id, no cards, no security. I thought that was weird, especially with so many kids at the club. The number of the kids attending the club made drop off and pick up lines HUGE. I'm not sure they have enough staff to handle the amount of kids that were there every day. The staff was nice enough, just overwhelmed.

 

Since we had late dining, dd got screwed out of the evening hour play time, which is usually her favorite. The evening time seems to be set up for people dropping kids there for the whole night or having early dinner with them and then bringing them to the club around 8. If you are not signed up to have the club take them to the buffet at 6:30, then you can't drop the kids off until later. All of the fun events/parties/parades started at 8:30, which is when our dinner began. I didn't take her on vacation to ditch her every night for dinner and she loves dressing up and going to the dining room but that meant she missed out on the kids' club. She's only been on NCL and RCCL where we had open dining times and that worked better with evening club time.

 

She did a few day time activities when we were at sea, but that was only two days. She was really looking forward to doing the parade to the pool in the afternoon of the first sea day. I had my camera in hand and was a little freaked out when she didn't show up. I ran up to the club and saw her dancing in the club room. I asked if they were still taking them downstairs and was told that because a couple of the three year olds were crying, they couldn't take her group to the pool for the parade. So, know that your six year old is in a group with three year olds. That's a big leap in age. DD was really disappointed to find out they weren't doing the parade. She never really asked to go to the kids' club like she has on other ships. When I asked her, sometimes she said no, sometimes she said ok. It never really clicked for her on MSC.

 

As for things to do, I'm sure they'll find fun, they're kids on vacation! We were never lacking for something to do. Your six year old won't be able to go on the waterslide, but the 10 year old will. The pools are always fun. There's a sport court (although we never found time to go there.) We didn't buy the arcade pass, but we did pay for bowling one time. There always seemed to be a line, but it was fun when we got up there. It's $8/pp/per game, so if you think you want to do it more than a few times or add the car and 4D, get the room pass. Our dd loved the theater shows, but that may be an oddity for a six year old. However, if you have them at the kids' club at 9:00, they bring them to all of the shows anyway. BTW, the shows on MSC are fantastic - the best I've seen in 34 cruises.

 

I don't think kids are an after thought, it's just a different experience. I found the customer service to be less direct and not as "ass-kissing" to the kids. (Sorry for the crude reference, but I can't really think of another way to say it. You know, when they call our dd "princess", know her name in the dining venues, talk directly to her, etc.) Our dining room waiter was great, but he was a standout. The Seaside looks beautiful and I'm sure you'll have fun. To some degree, you make your own fun. I just found MSC to be underwhelming for us.

Edited May 1, 2017 by travelhound

[Shorty52]

Looking for anyone that has done any MSC cruises with kids. We are looking at the Seaside so I know no one has traveled on it yet. However, is there enough on the cruise to keep a 6 and 10 year old entertained? MSC seems like a classier line than say Royal or Norwegian. Just didn't know if they embraced kids or if they were an afterthought? Thanks!!

Booked Seaside cruise in February. My son, daughter in law and twin 4 year old girls will be joining us. Looking forward to seeing the activities they have for the girls. My TA said they will definitely NOT be bored