Thinking about giving MSC another chance - many questions

[mjonis]

It was a while ago that we were on MSC Divina.  Didn't have a great experience.  We both vowed the only way we'd do MSC again is if we could do the Yacht Club.

Since that was a little over 3 years ago, obviously my Voyager Club expired (I had status matched from Hilton Gold at the time).

 

We would only do the Seaside or Meraviglia as we have no desire to do Divina again.

 

1) I read that I would re-apply/register for Voyager's Club. OK, no biggie (will probably have to use a diff. email so they don't mess up the accounts).

2)  Can I re-status match again?  (I'm Hilton Diamond now).  I didn't see anything in the 1 page TC document that stated you could only status match once.

3)  I'm a State (not federal) government employee (USA) - not sure if I can combine discounts or how that works, but just figured I'd ask anyway.

 

OK, now to the more interesting questions:

 

1)  Does MSC still have issues with customer service (I would say incompetence where they screw up something and it's somehow your fault and it takes a lot of pain/time to get items squared away or refunded)?

 

2)  Debating about the 8 or 15 night cruises.  To be honest, I really liked the Divina itinerary we were on, but would try a diff. ship.  We've done Cozumel to death, although wouldn't mind going back to San Juan or BVI (St. Thomas).  The 15 night cruises seem to really be two 7-nights with Miami in the middle, so leaning towards the 8-night one.  Unless I can find an "interesting" (exotic) itinerary on Seaside/Meraviglia.

 

3)  We normally do balcony, but it seems that the Yacht Club deluxe suites are all booked/sold out for about as far out as I can see, so obviously those go very fast (we would prefer to go when it's colder here in New York, so Dec-Feb).  I was wondering about thoughts on possibly getting the Yacht Club Interior since we have access to the Yacht Club deck/pool area, plus there's a rather large price difference on some of the cruises.

 

4)  Pros/Cons of Seaside vs. Meraviglia?  I think I'm more about the Itinerary, but the ship would factor into the decision as well.  I like the Cirque du Soleil, but also liked the Seaside balconies, although we may not be able to get one (or afford one).

 

I haven't written a review for our last cruise on the Carnival Vista, but we had booked the Havana Cabana and really liked the "Havana-only" area, so I think the Yacht Club would resolve most of our issue with our past MSC cruise.  (Yes, the Yacht Club is better than Havana Cabana, based on what I see so far).  I'll just try to remember to not pre-order anything since I don't think anything except the Internet order went well last time.  (Certainly not the wine/canape order for the room and the drink tickets which I know have been discontinued).

 

I'll attempt to read more about the two ships to decide.  We'd probably be looking at a 2021 date (Dec. 2020-Feb 2021), or just wait a few more months to see what shows up for Dec. 2021-Feb 2022.

 

Thanks for any advice/insight.

[sidari]

Status match is supposed to be a one time only thing, with the VC you will likely start at the bottom again. Maybe you could try Aurea on either ship which would also give you a different experience.

Edited September 6, 2019 by sidari

[eastoftheboston]

I'm on the seaside in January and there are a few non-interior YC suites available, hop on our cruise! I previously cruised the Divina in the YC a few years ago and loved it. I think 95 percent of what people don't like about MSC is eliminated when you're staying in the YC. We had a great time. 

Good luck!

[Oxo]

I'm not trying to be smart or create. 

I just read a post stating that if you go on the YC 95% of your problems would be resolved.

If that is true,  MSC needs to take immediate action for all of those who do not cruise in the YC.

We have done 7 MSC cruises on 4 MSC ships never YC.

Yes,  there were problems, like other cruise lines we have cruised. However, we still cruise MSC.

How can the YC eliminate 95% of the non YC problems? This must be an overstatement. 

Our main concern was the food which we rated the lowest of all the cruise lines we use. 

Price was the best. 

Entertainment was very good! 

Service was slow in the MDR and bars. 

If the 95% statement is correct,  MSC really has a problem that affects a majority of their guests. 

Could this be 'pay n play? '

[capriccio]

6 hours ago, mjonis said:

3)  I'm a State (not federal) government employee (USA) - not sure if I can combine discounts or how that works, but just figured I'd ask anyway.

 

We have our first cruise on MSC coming up in January.  We status matched ahead of making the reservation so we could get the 5% voyagers club discount.  Then I read on line about the civil servant discount.  My DH is a retired fed but I know that state and local government employees also qualify.  Our TA confirmed that we were entitled to a single discount so obviously we took the 10%.  She then topped it off with a 7% discount (we usually get a 7 - 10% discount from her depending on the cruise).

[CruisingFox27]

14 hours ago, Oxo said:

I'm not trying to be smart or create. 

I just read a post stating that if you go on the YC 95% of your problems would be resolved.

If that is true,  MSC needs to take immediate action for all of those who do not cruise in the YC.

We have done 7 MSC cruises on 4 MSC ships never YC.

Yes,  there were problems, like other cruise lines we have cruised. However, we still cruise MSC.

How can the YC eliminate 95% of the non YC problems? This must be an overstatement. 

Our main concern was the food which we rated the lowest of all the cruise lines we use. 

Price was the best. 

Entertainment was very good! 

Service was slow in the MDR and bars. 

If the 95% statement is correct,  MSC really has a problem that affects a majority of their guests. 

Could this be 'pay n play? '

Someone is vastly over exaggerating I'd say. We've sailed both areas and there's not a 95% Improvement in the experience. But then we've never had any significant problems with service or our experience when not in YC.

[Captain-John]

The non-YC experience isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, especially when referenced against the price.

 

Having sailed outside the YC on several Fantasia and Musica-class ships (granted the Musica-class don't offer a YC), the biggest problem I had on Meraviglia was the crowds in the non-YC areas.

 

I would struggle outside the YC on a ship designed the way Meraviglia is, but have enjoyed my time outside the YC on ships that 'flow' better for me - i.e. the Fantasia-class. So as always it's a cost vs. benefit equation. I'd happily sail outside the YC again for the right price (although not Meraviglia).

 

The YC experience is a 'step up' and generally very good, but not at 'any price.'

[CruisingFox27]

I'm going to be very interested in how busy the non YC areas are on Meraviglia next month Capt.

We've also found the time of year and itinerary really impacts non YC experience. Our non YC Autumn repositioning sailing on Divina was fantastic and a world away from our June/July experience from Miami. Fortunately on that sailing we were in YC and could escape but the main part of the ship was very busy. We couldn't believe it was the same ship! The passenger demographic was also very different and exacerbated the situation.

All of our sailings are usually out of season and we don't find the ship busy, even outside of YC, we'll see how we fare on Meraviglia and then Seaside. 

[Captain-John]

You're right CF, I suppose with the Baltic having quite a short season every sailing in that region is likely to be fully booked, so that no doubt had an impact on how busy we found Meraviglia.

Very curious to see how it is for you next month - although arguably the season for your itinerary is also pretty short.

 

I've been deliberately selective with the below photos - I do have some of relatively quiet areas too. But it wasn't fun battling down the promenade at times.

 

[Markanddonna]

We have just one MSC cruise under our belts but were matched to black, so that was nice. Our early booking online experience had some hiccups, but they were resolved before final payment. The onboard customer service was outstanding- so helpful and friendly. We didn't travel in the YC, but had a wonderful experience. Keep in mind the vast majority of passengers are NOT YC and most manage to have a great time. MSC is now one of our top favorite cruise lines!

[sidari]

MSC have copied and tried to re create the Oasis class Royal Promenade inside a narrower ship which will make it more crowded even at moderate passenger levels.

MSC would have been better bringing out more Seaside and Evo class ships instead of just making slightly larger versions of Meraviglia! Part of the issue is too many passengers for the size of ship.

[George C]

21 hours ago, capriccio said:

We have our first cruise on MSC coming up in January.  We status matched ahead of making the reservation so we could get the 5% voyagers club discount.  Then I read on line about the civil servant discount.  My DH is a retired fed but I know that state and local government employees also qualify.  Our TA confirmed that we were entitled to a single discount so obviously we took the 10%.  She then topped it off with a 7% discount (we usually get a 7 - 10% discount from her depending on the cruise).

Msc also offers ten percent discount to veterans 

[CruisingFox27]

It'll be interesting for sure to compare on our Meraviglia trip. There are only 2 NYC, Canada itineraries. Both of our short season sailings so far, the Baltic and Norway didn't feel busy. We were on Orchestra for both of those so no YC but both were fantastic. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Status match isn't very important if you are a government employee or retiree of any kind.  10% is better than 5% and also makes up for the other minor benefits of status.  I originally booked with the 5% as a Gold status match, but got my TA to switch it to the 10% retiree benefit (after final payment).  Took a few weeks, but I got the refund to my credit card.

[tcmagnum]

May I jump onto this thread and ask...What discount does active military (US Navy) get on MSC Seaside?

 

[cmdchiefthom]

12 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

May I jump onto this thread and ask...What discount does active military (US Navy) get on MSC Seaside?

 

I've received the 10% military discount on my last Seaside cruise as well as my upcoming 11 night Divina cruise in  February, and 14 night Seaside B2B coming up on the 28th, both in the YC.

[shipgeeks]

28 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

May I jump onto this thread and ask...What discount does active military (US Navy) get on MSC Seaside?

 

Our TA got us the veteran's discount (10%).  Our confirmation shows our Black Card numbers, which we had applied for previously, so presumably once aboard we will get the perks associated with that.

Thank you for your service!

[mjonis]

Thanks all.  If you're wondering here's my previous review/experience with MSC, so it seemed the YC (for us) would've solved a lot of the issues (not all).  I believe a few folks who were in YC or Aurea experience had better experiences as well.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2348089-divina-12616-10-night-exotic-cruise-review/?tab=comments#comment-50533932

 

 

[mjonis]

Thanks for the info @ronbe65.

 

I'm sure the YC will be better than Vista Havana area, but it was the only thing that Carnival has that is "close" in the sense of restricted/dedicated pool, hot tub, bar area.  I think that's one of the big points that are important to us, so YC definitely.

 

I like the open design (or whatever you call it) of Seaside, so I'm leaning towards that, although I read (even recent reviews) about the sewer smell or whatever that is still in the rooms.  However, I will admit, I've not gone through the CC reviews of just the YC rooms.  I noticed that for Mereviglia, anyway, YC room lead to a more positive experience.  The rooms are a tad larger, but then again, how much time does one spend in room? 

 

Also, thank you for the Nov and March/April for Caribbean info. 

 

I forgot about the MSC private island now, so that would be a plus as well.

 

Thanks again!

 

[mickey89]

I am alarmed that UK Active Military don’t get the 10% discount that is afforded to our American cousins. Maybe their service is inferior............I don’t think so !

[WannaCruise365]

On 9/7/2019 at 6:38 AM, Markanddonna said:

We have just one MSC cruise under our belts but were matched to black, so that was nice. Our early booking online experience had some hiccups, but they were resolved before final payment. The onboard customer service was outstanding- so helpful and friendly. We didn't travel in the YC, but had a wonderful experience. Keep in mind the vast majority of passengers are NOT YC and most manage to have a great time. MSC is now one of our top favorite cruise lines!

 

[WannaCruise365]

After 33 Princess Cruises (plus Celebrity, RCI and Carnival Cruises) sailed the Seaside (not YC) a few weeks ago. Loved it, as stated above things are a bit different on each cruise line. Definitely will sail MSC again. Looked into the YC but a bit $$$. 

[CruisingFox27]

On 9/12/2019 at 6:31 PM, mickey89 said:

I am alarmed that UK Active Military don’t get the 10% discount that is afforded to our American cousins. Maybe their service is inferior............I don’t think so !

 

I understand (I vaguely recall reading it on here somewhere) that it's standard for active and retired military personnel to receive a discount on things in the US, along with government and federal employees. Which isn't something that other countries do generally, therefore MSC offer it to be inline with everyone else. 

[Dolebludger]

We were on a music cruise in 2013 on the Poesia (?) but not in the YC because there isn't one on that ship. It was OK, but I wouldn't choose the experience if it weren't for the music. We were on another music cruise on the Divinia and in the YC. It was night and day. The Divinia YC was less crowded than the Regent cruises we've taken. And with these large MSC ships, the YC priority embarkation and disembarkation is a must for us. Cruises on all lines, especially lux lines like Regent are priced through the roof these days. So has the cost of air, especially business/first, and we just won't go economy anymore due to lack of space. We might just not be taking a cruise in the near future. But if we do, I'm pretty sure it will be in the MSC YC.

[L2float]

I'm a little late to the party, but I wanted to chime in. We have had 3 MSC cruises. Before MSC, our favorite line was Celebrity. We have sailed Fantastica balcony, Aurea Suite, and will be in YC November. Both of our previous MSC cruises were wonderful. We enjoyed the food, entertainment, service, etc. I read about the negative experiences and think either I'm lucky or oblivious! We feel like MSC has a charm that other lines we have been on lack. Maybe it's the European flair. We always start out at the bottom on a cruise line and work our way up. We book a cheap cruise, and if it's good at the bottom, we feel confident in raising the investment! We had a great time during our Fantastica and Aurea voyages and can't wait for YC! There is a catch, however. We have only sailed small ships. Our November MV will be our first large ship.  We thought YC would be the ideal way to test the waters. I can't wait for the experience and to share it on CC. We have booked 3 more MSC cruises on MV, Seaside, and Seaview. I'm hoping our November experience makes us want to keep our future reservations!