MSC vs Celebrity?

[neptuno]

I was wondering if MSC deliberately chooses an industrial pier to save money?  

[ollienbertsmum]

I am hanging around trying to get some ideas before booking an MSC cruise.  I am almost there.  I had an NCL and a MSC option for my upcoming cruise, MSC seemed to win on price but at the end of the day the itinerary (the reason I cruise) won the day.  NCL had better port times than MSC.  So you do need to keep your eye on that.  Price cuts can be made by shorter port stops.  Less money in taxes and possibly more money in on-board spending for the cruise line.  

 

I am keeping my eye out for something that attracts my attention.  Norway is high on my agenda.  I think I should be booking something now for next year.  I am interested in how the YC category mixes with a balcony it really is enough for us. I am more of the thought that I pay less for accomodation and get two cruises than paying for a high premium cabin.  

[helenb]

We are Celebrity Elite, but have only ever sailed concierge class or regular balcony with them. Last June we tried MSC Yacht Club on Seaside and we were blown away. For about the same price as a Celebrity balcony cabin (not concierge class)  we got a much bigger, more luxurious balcony cabin, and all of the exclusive areas and wonderful service, plus included drink packages/gelato/minibar! There was just no comparison to the value for what we paid. 

 

We are sailing Edge in a IV cabin this coming June, mostly to try it out and because of the unique itinerary. But that 7 day cruise is costing us more than the 7 day YC cruise we just booked on Seaside for June 2020. Granted, one cruise is in Europe while the other is in the Caribbean, but even so, there's just no comparison to what you get for your money in MSC YC.

 

This being said, we would NOT want to sail MSC without YC. The rest of the ship is loud and crowded, and I rarely see good comments about the main dining rooms. We left the YC area for gelato, for some of the shows, for the Venchi bar and for trivia. It was fine leaving YC for those things, but we were always glad to return to the haven of YC! 

[gimletgal]

On 1/14/2019 at 9:59 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Do they offer the Wall Street Journal?

Yes. The WSJ was one of the options.

[mafig]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 12:14 PM, neptuno said:

I was wondering if MSC deliberately chooses an industrial pier to save money?  

 

I've been to that pier on other cruise lines.

[jules815]

20 hours ago, helenb said:

 

 

This being said, we would NOT want to sail MSC without YC. The rest of the ship is loud and crowded, and I rarely see good comments about the main dining rooms. We left the YC area for gelato, for some of the shows, for the Venchi bar and for trivia. It was fine leaving YC for those things, but we were always glad to return to the haven of YC! 

 

Yes!  Walking around the ship it seemed a little loud and crowded.  Nothing at all compares to YC.  I would sail in a YC interior before a regular balcony or even one of their non-YC "suites."  If I couldn't be in YC, I'd go back to Celebrity or RC.  

[kelmac]

20 hours ago, helenb said:

We are Celebrity Elite, but have only ever sailed concierge class or regular balcony with them. Last June we tried MSC Yacht Club on Seaside and we were blown away. For about the same price as a Celebrity balcony cabin (not concierge class)  we got a much bigger, more luxurious balcony cabin, and all of the exclusive areas and wonderful service, plus included drink packages/gelato/minibar! There was just no comparison to the value for what we paid. 

 

We are sailing Edge in a IV cabin this coming June, mostly to try it out and because of the unique itinerary. But that 7 day cruise is costing us more than the 7 day YC cruise we just booked on Seaside for June 2020. Granted, one cruise is in Europe while the other is in the Caribbean, but even so, there's just no comparison to what you get for your money in MSC YC.

 

This being said, we would NOT want to sail MSC without YC. The rest of the ship is loud and crowded, and I rarely see good comments about the main dining rooms. We left the YC area for gelato, for some of the shows, for the Venchi bar and for trivia. It was fine leaving YC for those things, but we were always glad to return to the haven of YC! 

Hi Helen,

 

I would pretty much agree with you 100%.  We are Elite Plus with 30 cruises on Celebrity, and we still consider it our "go-to" cruise line.  We usually cruise in inside cabins, as we cruise four to eight times a year (more as of late, as my wife just retired).

 

We spent seven days on the Seaside last spring in the Yacht Club, and it was amazing. (Yes, they have inside YC cabins.)

The rest of the MSC Seaside was beautiful, but crowded.  I think the standard MSC cruise experience is more like an international version of NCL.  Tons of people and kids, with all sorts of things going on.  And like NCL, the standard food is basic at best.  By the way, when we do cruise NCL we eat every evening meal in one of their great alternative restaurants, using their ultimate dining package.  NCL with all their upcharges is more expensive than MSC.

 

Next fall we are bundling four cruises together in a kind of "New ship/Upscale" theme.  Our first ship is the MSC Meraviglia in the YC; inside cabin @$2,902 for both of us, all inclusive.  Next is the Crystal Symphony; OV cabin @ $3,564 total costs, all inclusive for two people.  Third spot is the Celebrity Edge; inside cabin @ $2,353 for both of us, no perks.  And last, is the Nieuw Statendam; inside cabin @$1,238 total cost no perks, once again for both of us.  All of these cruises are 7 nights long and none of them include "pre-paid" gratuities.

 

I would put the Edge in last place in the "which cruise is a good deal" category.  You can look at our upcoming cruise list in our signature and we only have that one Celebrity cruise.  Very strange for us, but we've learned to put our loyalty on hold when our favorite line is out of whack with the rest of the industry.

 

Celebrity and their pricing will come back to us soon, I'm sure.

Kel