First time on MSC seaside- my thoughts

[rlindholm]

Before we left, I read a few reviews that mostly seemed to be negative so I stopped reading determined  to go in with an open mind and looking forward to trying something new.  I have been on several Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises but this was a first time for MSC.

 

I'll start with the PROS:

- The ship is beautiful.  The sports bar area was very cool and ended up being where we spent most of our evenings.  There are lots of different themed rooms you can go to.  A jazz bar, dark and cozy, a billiards room with a pool table and tables you can play cards on, a fun  funky neon colored garage lounge...

  

-The staterooms were very nice.  We have always stayed in a balcony room of some sort but this time we tried an interior and it was fine.  There was plenty of room and storage.  I came prepared with charging blocks with extra USB ports but never needed them.  There is a USB port by the bed as well as two at the desk.  The showers are glassed in which I liked.  One thing I found interesting, the toilets are taller than usual which could be a great thing for some people with hip/knee problems.  But if you are short, your feet are going to be hanging when you sit. 😉

 

 

-Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze.  Easier than any other cruise I have been on.

 

-The nightly shows were great.  We had small children in our group and even they looked forward to the shows.  

 

-As long as you don't have to be right at the pool, there were always open loungers (mostly around the sides of deck 8), even on sea days.  I am not a "lay in the sun" type of person so I didn't pay attention to chair hogging but it seemed like the loungers mostly had bodies in them.

 

- There was always plenty of seating in the buffet area, especially if you don't mind sitting out side some of the time.  

 

-The pizza in the buffet was very good.  

 

On to the CONS:

 

-The biggest con for me was the lack of hospitality/customer service.  And it smacks you in the face right when you get on the ship.  Maybe if I had not been on another cruise line, I wouldn't have noticed.  But there is a marked difference between the interaction of staff and guests on the other cruise lines I have been on and MSC.  They don't make eye contact with you, they don't try and joke back with you, honestly its like they try and avoid you. I always thank people and there was rarely any acknowledgment.  No "your welcome" no head nod, no smile.  It was weird.    Many times they were just plain rude.  My husband asked our MDR waiter a question about breakfast hours, and while he was answering my husband asked another question and the waiter stopped and said in a confrontational tone, "Let me finish!" Awkward...  I think if I read a comment like this, I would probably jump to thinking that the person writing it was snooty and rude themselves.  But one of the things we love most about cruises is the interaction with staff, with your favorite couple of bar staff, the MDR staff, the room steward.  My husband brought along $200 in ones for tipping that he did not plan to leave the boat with.  It was really hard to find someone to give those to.  We did find one wonderful lady in one of the bars who was friendly and fun and talkative. She took excellent care of us and made sure we always had drinks and snacks.

 

I'm kind of on a soap box but the difference in staff got me thinking, why is there such a difference?  I mean, the staff is largely from the same countries as staff on other boats and in general, they are warm friendly people.  So is it the way they are treated behind the scenes?  They work very hard and maybe they don't get to cut loose behind the scenes like they do on other lines?  Or maybe its that the nationalities of the guests are so diverse.  People from different countries expect different things from staff and maybe its hard to navigate how to act around each nationality so you just keep your head down and do your job?  I don't know, but it makes me sad because they don't seem very happy. Maybe its lack of training and they don't understand slang or different types of humor?  Again people from different countries have different kinds of humor and it would be very confusing trying to figure it out whether someone is trying to be funny or just being rude.  The ship, according to our friend at the bar, is only a little over a year old.  Maybe they are still just trying to get the kinks worked out.

 

- There is a lack of consistency and/or knowledge.   You can ask 4 different people the same question and get 4 different answers and because of this you end up standing in the wrong lines trying to get help.  A couple of examples:

 

We were supposed to get drink vouchers with our fantasica experience.  One person went down to customer relations to get them, got them no problem.  (we booked under one booking so it should have all been the same).  We went down to get ours, were told, no you are not entitled to them.  We came back later to a different person and we got them.  But that person was very put out by us.  If they didn't make their deals so confusing it wouldn't be an issue.  There are just too many types of drink packages and promotions that they don't do a good job keeping up.  

 

They have a bucket of beer deal.  You buy 4 and the 5th is free.  My husband got the bucket a couple of times but one time they charged him for the 5th beer.  He told them the 5th should be free and the guy very rudely said "and why should it be free?"  Uh, because that's the deal you offer! Another bar staff stepped in and let him know, yes, in fact that is the deal we offer.  

 

I was told I needed to get names switched on excursion vouchers when we received them.  So I followed those instructions when I received them.  Stood in line at the excursion desk and then was told it was not possible or necessary to get the names switched.  

 

We spent half of the first day standing in lines trying to get things sorted out.  Not how you want to start your vacation.

 

- They need more elevators.  The ship is really tall and large walking up 10 flights of stairs is just not an option for many people.  There were always lines at the elevator and the majority of the time when an elevator did stop for you, it was already full.  The plus side is you do end up getting quite a bit of exercise.

 

-Food.  I'm not going to tell you the food is horrible like some of the reviews I have read.  Its not bad, its just got great.  I ate very little from the buffet so I can't comment too much on that.  I did get some very good chicken curry of some sort.  When we did eat at the buffet, it was mostly pizza which was very good.  

 

I had a couple of really good dishes at the main dining room.  The lamb and taziki sauce were great, mushroom ragout, prime rib, lava cake, to name a few.  But honestly by the end of the trip I was not ordering based on what I liked the best, I was ordering based on what I thought they couldn't screw up. They had an Italian night and being its an Italian ship, you would think it would have been great.  Nope. Also don't order the crepes.  Or the molotov desert.  IT was just a marshmallow with caramel sauce on it.  So if you cruise to eat, you will be disappointed.  Otherwise you'll be fine.  You just won't be saying "OMG that was delicious!!"

 

Breakfast, on the other hand, was consistently good in the MDR.  They have the hash browns down pat.  The chocolate croissant... mmmm.  I discovered birchermuelsi and ate it everyday. 

 

-They only have one soft serve ice cream machine and its in the buffet that isn't open all of the time.  And its not self serve, and a lot of time its not working or it is out of ice cream.  My kids and husband were disappointed in that.  

 

-One of the things we like to do most on a cruise is go the piano bar.  But on the Seaside the times were weird.  I think mostly it was at 4:30 which was while we were getting ready for dinner.  So we didn't end up going but we were sad we couldn't party in to the night at a hopping piano bar.  

 

-We also usually love the comedy club.  They only had shows 3 nights and it wasn't up to par with other ships we have been on.  However one thing I did like was that it was in the main theater so getting a seat was not an issue.  However back to inconsistency, on the app it said something about how it is improv and no two shows will be the same so they encourage you to go to multiple shows.  But then right below that it says that seats are limited so please limit yourself to one show.  What?

 

- I never saw bar staff walking around the pool deck taking drink orders.  So if you want a drink, you are going to have to get up and get it.  

 

- There is no sea day brunch.  The MDR is open from 8- 9:30 and then again from 12- 1:30.  

 

So would I go on MSC again?  Should you book an MSC cruise?

 

I most likely will not cruise MSC again.  Its not a hard no, but I will most likely stick to other cruise lines.  If I did book MSC again, I would try out the yacht club and hope service was better.  I look forward to the food on a cruise, especially in the MDR, so the mediocre  food would also be something I would take into consideration.  The lack of warm, welcoming staff is what would ultimately turn me away.

 

If you want a cheaper cruise, nice rooms, and care mostly for the beaches and excursions, then I think MSC would be a great option.

 

 

 

 

 

[mafig]

I enjoyed reading your well-written review.  Thank you for taking the time to post.

[Linda the Book Lover]

We sailed on May 25th and stayed in the Yacht Club. Your experience is very different from our experience because we decided to pay the extra and stay in the YC. From the second we handed over our bags until the day we were escorted off we had everything we asked for and more. Our only rude experiences were the spa, as there was no one to show us around after the first day and when I asked for help with the lockers the attendant was not very nice. The search for additional towels was answered with you need to get them all at the front desk. Ok, now I know the rules. My DH was disappointed when the spin class he signed up for was canceled because only two of them showed up and the instructor said he would not do the class with less than 6. Aside from that everyone was attentive, nice, and ready to chat you up. We decided to do MSC once again for my birthday in 2021and only in the YC. Yes, we have to reach in our pocket to pay more but the attention to detail and all it offered was well worth it to us. I am sorry for the cons but I am glad to hear you are willing to try MSC again and this time in the YC.

[rlindholm]

I understand paying extra for extra perks and we usually do that. If we weren't traveling with extended family members we would have booked yacht club. So things like the reserved seats at the theater, exclusive restaurants and pools,  and a priority elevator for yacht club members makes sense.  But you shouldn't have to pay extra for common courtesy and I think that is what gets me most about our experience.

[BermudaBound2014]

Very nice well rounded review. Thanks for sharing. 

[Mellylucy]

Thanks for sharing your experience and opinions!

[e2011]

Ditto on Yacht Club. We just got off the ship (June 1 sail date) and loved it. Yacht Club was amazing, food was spectacular and the staff was very friendly and fun. Prior to this cruise my favorite ships were NCL where we always stay in the Haven. Its a very high bar set by NCL but I will sail MSC Yacht Club again as the equaled or exceeded the NCL Haven in every category except rooms. My only negative is NCL offers serval types of rooms in the Haven. MSCO only offers 2 types in Yacht Club....standard and large. Nothing in between. And the chocolate bar on the Seaside was out of this world. All included with Yacht Club. 

[Linda the Book Lover]

5 hours ago, rlindholm said:

I understand paying extra for extra perks and we usually do that. If we weren't traveling with extended family members we would have booked yacht club. So things like the reserved seats at the theater, exclusive restaurants and pools,  and a priority elevator for yacht club members makes sense.  But you shouldn't have to pay extra for common courtesy and I think that is what gets me most about our experience.

I agree with you! Good manners should not have a price and I agree you should have received common courtesy.

[Reds4life]

I agree on the poor attitudes and overall unwillingness to help of the staff. I spoke with Kendall, the public relations "international host" and he said that many of the crew members are unhappy and didn't really understand ship life. He said they have had problems with new crew members on 8 month contracts being unhappy working there but agreed that it should not be affecting the guests. I think MSC must treat their staff poorly or something. The photo manager Andre and the assistant Maitre D from Romania were also very rude and unwilling to help so it's not just the lower level crew. We saved about a $1000 for a family of 4 so I can deal with their crappy attitudes for that much savings. I just put on my butthole hat and give it right back until I get what I want lol. 

[floridian1]

We are on the ship now and all of our interaction with staff has been fine...friendly enough. There are a lack of bartenders and staff in some areas..that is noticeable!

 

The yacht club food hasn't been great so far..but we are only day 2. NO way has it been spectacular so far..very underwhelming. The service has been great tho. Venchi has been a huge hit for us. Amazing drinks. I'll also be leaving a review next weekend.

Edited June 10, 2019 by floridian1

[max996]

22 hours ago, Linda the Book Lover said:

We sailed on May 25th and stayed in the Yacht Club. Your experience is very different from our experience because we decided to pay the extra and stay in the YC. From the second we handed over our bags until the day we were escorted off we had everything we asked for and more. Our only rude experiences were the spa, as there was no one to show us around after the first day and when I asked for help with the lockers the attendant was not very nice. The search for additional towels was answered with you need to get them all at the front desk. Ok, now I know the rules. My DH was disappointed when the spin class he signed up for was canceled because only two of them showed up and the instructor said he would not do the class with less than 6. Aside from that everyone was attentive, nice, and ready to chat you up. We decided to do MSC once again for my birthday in 2021and only in the YC. Yes, we have to reach in our pocket to pay more but the attention to detail and all it offered was well worth it to us. I am sorry for the cons but I am glad to hear you are willing to try MSC again and this time in the YC.

I concur with your comments. I said after our first cruise with MSC Cruises aboard the MSC Divina several years ago that I'd only cruise MSC in the Yacht Club, and I keep coming back to the YC. It's the best option, all things considered (including the price) of all the major carriers operating from the U.S. We loved Disney Cruises when our kids were younger and only cruised in the Concierge section, but the price of the YC, plus the Top Sail Lounge, the YC pool deck, and everything else you get with the YC made switching a no brainer given the skyrocketing price of DCL concierge lately. MSC has increased the cost of their cruises packages as well now that they have a foothold here in the U.S., but for me it still remains the best option for my family and I.

[Fredric22]

9 hours ago, floridian1 said:

We are on the ship now and all of our interaction with staff has been fine...friendly enough. There are a lack of bartenders and staff in some areas..that is noticeable!

 

The yacht club food hasn't been great so far..but we are only day 2. NO way has it been spectacular so far..very underwhelming. The service has been great tho. Venchi has been a huge hit for us. Amazing drinks. I'll also be leaving a review next weekend.

A bit surprised to hear your feedback about the food in the YC restaurant.  Having sailed somewhat recently, I will say that the pastas and fish dishes were absolutely spectacular.  If you are a meat eater only, the options were a bit more limited.  Looking forward to reading your complete review! 

[max996]

20 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

A bit surprised to hear your feedback about the food in the YC restaurant.  Having sailed somewhat recently, I will say that the pastas and fish dishes were absolutely spectacular.  If you are a meat eater only, the options were a bit more limited.  Looking forward to reading your complete review! 

Food is very subjective. What one person finds delicious, may completely gross out somebody else. So I think we have to take everyone's opinions about the food with a grain of salt. I like the food we ate in the YC, but the steaks were obviously not Ruth's Chris (as an example). We've cruised on 3 different cruise lines, and none of the food we've had was spectacular. But it was all good, in my opinion. The service we have received in the YC restaurant (Seaside and Divina), however was fantastic.

[SailBreakaway]

On 6/9/2019 at 3:03 PM, e2011 said:

Ditto on Yacht Club. We just got off the ship (June 1 sail date) and loved it. Yacht Club was amazing, food was spectacular and the staff was very friendly and fun. Prior to this cruise my favorite ships were NCL where we always stay in the Haven. Its a very high bar set by NCL but I will sail MSC Yacht Club again as the equaled or exceeded the NCL Haven in every category except rooms. My only negative is NCL offers serval types of rooms in the Haven. MSCO only offers 2 types in Yacht Club....standard and large. Nothing in between. And the chocolate bar on the Seaside was out of this world. All included with Yacht Club. 

 

I am planning on writing a thorough review, but wanted to weigh in here.. I echo e2011 101%, in all of their comments and observations, as we WERE also devout Haven goers until our also June 1 sailing.  I will tell you that my wife and I are sold on MSC and the YC.  I'm going to make this super easy to read with bullets, but I must tell you other than our Butler and Room Steward (aka Ass't Butler) who was nonexistent completely and couldn't comply with simple requests (I will dig into this in another review) this was an amazing experience:

 

 Pros:

1.  The crew was GENUINELY happy, friendly, outgoing, eager to please, and sociable.  Not just in the YC, but throughout the ship. The difference I noticed is this was a genuine friendliness, it was not forced like I've been seeing (and hearing directly from crew) from NCL in recent years.  We met some of the best folks ever on the sea in our 13 voyages.  

 

2.  Service was second to none.  Attention to Detail (exceptions below) was outstanding, and people were genuinely EAGER to ensure we were happy, which we consistently were.

 

3.  Embarkation/Debarkation, Entertainment, Shows, all were just the best in 13 cruises.  Period.  

 

4. Food - The food quality was very good.  There were a few 'misses' (I hope they get the Lobster Bisque straightened out, it was a complete train wreck) but they were truly just a couple in 7 days.  The Seafood day in YC with Lobster and fresh fish offerings on the buffet and dinner were just outstanding.  NCL, you truly need to send a scout out to the YC with a thick note pad.. You're seriously missing the boat (no pun intended).  Overall we were very happy with the quality and offerings. My wife is a Vegan, and she was always satisfied with her meals and offerings and the consistent labeling of the vegan/veggie offerings.  Thanks MSC, that made such a difference.  

 

5.  Drinks - See below.  Once I got the hang of ordering drinks on MSC, and were found some OUTSTANDING mixologists (they were far more talented than standard bartenders), we were set!  The Venchi Martinis...buckle up!... some of the most amazing things I've ever experienced!!!!

 

6. The Ship... Bellissima!!!!! What a design.  Beautiful, clean, well designed, and far exceeded what I expected from YouTube Sloggers, etc.. The camera does it no justice.

 

7.  Aurea Spa... Two treatments and two days in the Thermal Spa, this was on par with NCL, which has what I thought was the best on the sea and land.  I'd offer that the design would benefit from an upper deck expansive window view for the spa with more lounge chairs for relaxation, but other than that, it was outstanding.  My wife was so pleased with the staff and their attention and friendliness as well.  We got an entire tour of the facility on a port day when it was slow, which was nice of them.

 

The Cons 

 

These were the only two cons, and the first one was substantial.

 

1.  "Lezle" the Butler and Ass't Butler (Room Steward): NONEXISTENT.  I am going to keep this short for this post, and will go into great detail in another thread, but we in essence had a balcony room without a Butler and a mediocre Room Steward,.  Our Butler was lazy, didn't know what the job really is, or doesn't honestly care, needs a lot of retraining, or all of the above.  He inbtorduced himself on days one, and the language barrier to English was almost impossible.  I called to get clothes pressed, he picked them up and dropped them off.  We ran into him in the Top Sail Lounge and he would ask how are you doing? That's it.  Never asked what we liked, preferred, didn't ask to escort us to any shows, dinner, or anything.  I told him on day 6 that I was concerned he fell off the ship on first port day and was going to file a missing persons report on him (I don't think he understood a word I said).  We met some amazing new friends in the YC on the trip, and their description of their Butler and Ass't experience was amazing.  Their likes were noted and anticipated (a perfect example, ordered late night snacks two nights, and for rest of cruise they were there waiting for them).  Escorted them to dinner, shows, helped them with unpacking, and on and on.  Our Room Steward/Ass't butler couldn't even fulfill a simple request of two additional towels per night.  She left dishes accumulate and piled up in the room (behind main door) for days until I had to show her the dishes and politely asked her to please remove them.  No towel animals, mini bar wasn't restocked with items we used more, and we were never asked what we like (as our friends did on day 1).  It goes on and on, but it's to the point where I paid for a substantial service I did not receive.  It didn't ruin the trip, as we are pretty self sufficient people, and don't really complain, but it was disappointing.  

 

2.  Bartenders: Very simply, they need a lot of training, quality control oversight by  management, and standardization.  I blame this on Management, not the Bartenders.  Example: Tanguray and Tonic with a Lime was met with, would you like ice with that? I explained the drink, and got Gin on the rocks.  I found that if you ask for something like a recipe, explain it to them, it will get done right, and in EACH case (except one) the servers genuinely wanted to get it right for me, which to me means a lot, and says Management needs to do their job and train/oversee their people.  

 

** Oh one more thing, if you have a credit of 4 cents like me, and head down to disembark, when you get to the security agent to swipe you off the ship, you will get sent to a line of 25 people with unpaid bills to wait in, as you can't get scanned off until the balance is exactly zero.  The night before I settled with he YC concierge, she said you have 4 cents credit, I said just close it out it's fine, she said it will get refunded to the CC on file and you're all set.  I got sent to the standard line of 25 people for 20 minutes after being escorted down by YC staff which was supposed to be a painless and easy Disembarkation experience.  Make sure you're bill is at ZERO and they "close you out" before you leave the ship.  After waiting for 20 minutes in the line and having to get back in the regular line of disembarkation that I got escorted past the first time, all she had to do was click on one button on the screen and I was good to go.  That was frustrating, but now I know!!! It's an MSC thing.

 

Overall, they won my heart and my business.  See you in the YC in November and February on Meraviglia (and sooner if I can).  

 

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by SailBreakaway
typos

[DMH15]

8 hours ago, max996 said:

Food is very subjective. What one person finds delicious, may completely gross out somebody else. So I think we have to take everyone's opinions about the food with a grain of salt. I like the food we ate in the YC, but the steaks were obviously not Ruth's Chris (as an example). We've cruised on 3 different cruise lines, and none of the food we've had was spectacular. But it was all good, in my opinion. The service we have received in the YC restaurant (Seaside and Divina), however was fantastic.

So true about subjectiveness.  

 

My faves in YC on Seaside in May were:

 

spaghetti bolognase

lamb chops

pastries

 

and the hot choc in venchi.  Especially the orange flavored.  

[eroller]

I enjoyed the review.  Very balanced and fair.  Thanks for posting.  

 

The common theme I see on the MSC board is that those that sail in the YC are very pleased, but those that don't (which is the vast majority of the ship) are disappointed.  This does not sit well for MSC if they ever want to attract more than one-time cruisers.  I read too many "one and done" MSC reviews.  

 

Personally I've sailed on MSC in non-YC (DIVINA and OPERA) and in YC (SEASIDE).  I enjoyed them all but can certainly understand people's disappointment.  If you're expecting Carnival, NCL, or Royal Caribbean you might find MSC lacking.  Personally I'm glad MSC is different and does things their own way.  I don't want a carbon copy of the other cruise lines.  This being said, there is no excuse for rude or discourteous behavior from the crew.  I really think this stems from a lack of qualified leadership, a lack of training, a lack of empowerment for the crew to resolve issues, and just the overall culture of MSC.  Most will agree the hardware of MSC is fairly top notch, it's the software that truly needs attention.  They also over complicate things in their quest for onboard revenue.  The hassle-factor needs to be reduced, and if you spend half your cruise waiting in lines to resolve issues you will never return.  That is something that sticks in the brain and is fairly unforgivable.  Vacation time is precious and MSC needs to realize that.       

[daisy-mae]

10 hours ago, eroller said:

.  If you're expecting Carnival, NCL, or Royal Caribbean you might find MSC lacking. 

 

 

Uh Oh ... I was hoping for a notch above those three cruise lines.

[eroller]

6 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

 

 

Uh Oh ... I was hoping for a notch above those three cruise lines.

 

 

Personally I would pick MSC over Carnival in a heartbeat.  Probably NCL as well depending on the ship.  Royal Caribbean for me though would win out.  I really enjoy their product and find it superior to MSC.  

 

Keep in mind MSC is definitely mass-market, just like the other three.  Like any cruise line there are differences, some better, some worse.  

Edited June 16, 2019 by eroller

[deliver42]

To me, the biggest problems with MSC are corporate induced. Drink packages that change, come and go willy nilly, guest services that have no power to do anything to help a passenger with a problem, and they still do know what kind of line they want to be. Our second Divina was not as enjoyable to us as the first one. On the first cruise, in 2015 it was different than the American lines. They changed it to Americanize it, and lost the individualism they had.

[daisy-mae]

16 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

 

Personally I would pick MSC over Carnival in a heartbeat.  Probably NCL as well depending on the ship.  Royal Caribbean for me though would win out.  I really enjoy their product and find it superior to MSC.  

 

Keep in mind MSC is definitely mass-market, just like the other three.  Like any cruise line there are differences, some better, some worse.  

 

My main beef with Royal Caribbean is the design of their ships -- everything seems to be focused inward, away from the sea. My purpose in cruising is to enjoy the ocean rather than spend time in a shopping mall or amusement park.

[eroller]

Just now, daisy-mae said:

 

My main beef with Royal Caribbean is the design of their ships -- everything seems to be focused inward, away from the sea. My purpose in cruising is to enjoy the ocean rather than spend time in a shopping mall or amusement park.

 

 

I love the design of Royal Caribbean ships. It’s a primary reason I sail on them.  For me I find plenty of connection to the sea, as much as any other mega ship from any number of cruise lines.  

 

The great thing about this industry is there is plenty of choice.  If Royal is not to your liking there are an abundance of other choices.  Something for everyone!   Now if you just don’t like ships well then cruising might not be for you!  Lol. 

[daisy-mae]

Au contraire, I love ships and enjoy the exceptional value that cruising represents. It's clear that every line has its supporters and detractors. One can only learn so much by reading these boards; the real test will come in a few months when we take our first MSC cruise....

[floridian1]

2 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

Totally agree. The food in YC did not live up to the hype (and price), slow service.

However we had an amazing host there. Julia was a star.

We enjoyed the cruise in YC, but it wasn't the best option available.

Food is not subjective, tastes are.

Just an example. The bakery items we saw in the YC and in the buffet were... basically the same. But one note: they were fresher in the buffet. 🙂

 

Osso Bucco in YT (Left) and in MDR (Right):

 

 

 

I agree with you 1000% this was our experience too. We stopped by the buffet towards the end of the cruise and for instance the croissants tasted 10x fresher in the buffet than what they were serving in the YC. The dinners were terrible in YC...worst dining experience we have ever had in out 10+ cruises.

[toocruisin2]

23 hours ago, deliver42 said:

To me, the biggest problems with MSC are corporate induced. Drink packages that change, come and go willy nilly, guest services that have no power to do anything to help a passenger with a problem, and they still do know what kind of line they want to be. 

 

This more than anything I have read on CC has prevented me from booking on MSC. We tend to book far in advance, and have cruises booked into Sept 2021; I have never had a reason to believe that Disney, RCL, NCL or Carnival would look to change the deal after the booking is made and the deposit is paid. And for all lines we've cruised we have found on-ship guest services to be very helpful, and always polite even when they couldn't help us. 

 

I do see that many folks are reporting that MSC honored YC booking perks even after they made changes to their packages, so that gives me hope that MSC is adjusting the way they roll out changes. It would be nice to have a definitive statement from MSC that the deal we booked is the deal we'll get. That's my take anyway. 

[astera]

Thanks for the great and in-depth review, rlindholm. Your second sentence caught my attention early on as I too have been on Royal Caribbean a couple of times and am considering giving MSC a try.

 

My biggest worry is that MSC is a bit like Costa, and last year I made the mistake of going on my first cruise with them to check out their flagship: the Costa Diadema. Big error in judgement that was.

 

I wouldn't even be looking at MSC if it wasn't for their new ships, Seaview and Seaside, which caught my attention. Putting aside any employee attitude issues or the quality of food, how would you compare the ship itself and everything it has to offer to what you've experienced with Royal Caribbean?