If you were initially attracted by the low prices, what made you want to book again?

[Oxo]

I just don't understand people who would never cruise x, y or a cruise line. One bad experience could occur on any ship or line. We all have our favorites. 

Each ship/ line offers something for all people. 

To us there is no one cruise line that has it all. 

We are just glad that there are many cruise lines and ships to choose from. 

Each of us pick a line/ ship for different reasons. 

Just remember.

We have choices and differences. 

Happy Cruising!

[mapsmith]

We like :

Inexpensive

Italian

Great Food.  (Some of the best on the seas as long as you don't want steak at every meal.)

Friendly Officers and Staff.

They used to have the entertainers and officers eat with passengers.  One of the few lines that actually still has a Captain's Table some nights.

Not USA centric.  That is, more European than American.

 

[Gordoncruickshank]

On 9/22/2019 at 9:45 AM, Rabbi-Reefer said:

Because I currently sail with Princess, and we're used to the way they do things. The low prices are hard to ignore, so I'm wondering if that's the main reason people choose MSC.

We did 6 Princess cruises before we found Celebrity. Now after 20 Celebrity cruises we try MSC next month and have one booked on Azamara next year (along with another 4 Celebrity ones)

[perakcruiser]

9 hours ago, mapsmith said:

We like :

Inexpensive

Italian

Great Food.  (Some of the best on the seas as long as you don't want steak at every meal.)

Friendly Officers and Staff.

They used to have the entertainers and officers eat with passengers.  One of the few lines that actually still has a Captain's Table some nights.

Not USA centric.  That is, more European than American.

I would emphasize on this. And add the detail that they are certainly the most kids friendly line. 

 

But Italian is the key factor for us, the US companies are too american for us and the Germans too german. We sometimes sail with Celebrity and TUI Cruises also, but only on MSC I have the Italian holiday feeling that is priceless for me. 

[BermudaBound2014]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:21 PM, Cruiser Bruiser said:

Thanks for asking! I have been on Norwegian Getaway; otherwise my opinions.....

 

I never thought about the similarities between Meraviglia-class and Quantum class. Are they based on the same architecture?

 

 

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I love a good discussion. I have only been on Getaway and Breakaway and I 100% agree with you, the pools are insanely crowded. The away class has a very poor passenger to space ratio, however based on ship stats, the Meraviglia is more crowded than the original Getaway and Breakaway,  

 

These numbers certainly don't tell the whole story, but they are a fairly accurate predictor of how crowded the ship feels overall. the lower the number the more space per passenger:

Anthem: 35

Getaway: 30

Breakaway: 30

Meraviglia: 31

Seaview:31

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

I have not sailed Meraviglia, but her interior promenade is very similar to the esplanade design on Anthem and, unfortunately, it's a very poor design for moving crowds. I thought anthem felt much more crowded than the 35 ratio listed above due to the design of the esplanade. It's great for cool weather cruising though!

 

 I would hope that nothing feels more crowded poolside than the 'aways', but based on pictures of crowding and stats from the link above, Meraviglia doesn't look significantly better and with the esplanade design it might not be just the pools that feel crowded. I'm very cautious about sailing Meraviglia unless in the YC and look forward to you coming back on this thread and sharing your experiences. Lord knows that the prices on Meraviglia are hard to beat right now! 

[mickey89]

15 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

These numbers certainly don't tell the whole story, but they are a fairly accurate predictor of how crowded the ship feels overall. the lower the number the more space per passenger:

Anthem: 35

Getaway: 30

Breakaway: 30

Meraviglia: 31

Seaview:31

 

I believe you got it wrong, the higher the number the More Space per passenger, e.g

45,000 tonne ship / 1500 Passenger capacity  =  30

45,000 tonne ship / 1000 Passenger capacity   = 45

[Linda the Book Lover]

We sailed on the Seaside for our first MSC cruise. I am smitten! My husband and I will sail on her again in 2021. Right now I have a few cruises booked with my children and grandchildren. Excited about that! We loves MSC YC because it was calm with exemplary service in the YC. We have sailed in Suite and Haven class on other lines but I so enjoyed the YC experience especially the price.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 9/22/2019 at 11:36 AM, ronbe65 said:

A new private island.

The Meraviglia is the lowest quality product overall (along with Carnival Vista-class ships), but we know how to enjoy cruises. We'll focus on the itinerary.

Happy cruising!

oh, dang. That's what we booked.... 
ETA: I see others have disagreed with you. I sure hope we like it. I will definitely write a small review once we sail and come back.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 9/23/2019 at 12:21 PM, Cruiser Bruiser said:

By contrast, Meraviglia has three outdoor pools and one indoor pool under a roof that opens. Additionally there's an aqua park on a completely different deck to keep the children somewhat segregated.

kids have their own pool and water playground on the NCL Getaway. So, they are segregated.

 

But the adult pools on the Getaway were a joke. Thankfully, we have no use for them because the water is too cold for us to enjoy them, and the music blasting in the pool area is deafening. No, thanks. We most certainly were hiding out on the kid's side, while our kid had fun, and we could read or play phone games in peace and quiet.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Beardface]

On 9/22/2019 at 10:59 AM, Rabbi-Reefer said:

So far, price seems to be the key factor. I'm not going to sail on a line just because it's cheaper than most.

 

There are plenty of reviews and vlogs out there that will help you get a good picture of what you can expect on this line.

 

A lot of people are going to say they are sailing because of the price, because for a lot of people, the price is the differentiator between MSC and the others.  I have no qualms saying I am looking forward to my Seaside sailing next year based on price, because my expectation is that the the experience itself will be close enough to my experiences with RCCL, NCL, and Celebrity that the large difference in price is going to more than make up for any small issues here or there.

 

At this point, all these mega lines are just different shades of the same thing, so if one is going to offer me a price nearly half of what the other is, I'm going to take it.

[BermudaBound2014]

3 hours ago, mickey89 said:

I believe you got it wrong, the higher the number the More Space per passenger, e.g

45,000 tonne ship / 1500 Passenger capacity  =  30

45,000 tonne ship / 1000 Passenger capacity   = 45

 

Yes, of course..LOW number = bad.

[Beardface]

18 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I love a good discussion. I have only been on Getaway and Breakaway and I 100% agree with you, the pools are insanely crowded. The away class has a very poor passenger to space ratio, however based on ship stats, the Meraviglia is more crowded than the original Getaway and Breakaway,  

 

These numbers certainly don't tell the whole story, but they are a fairly accurate predictor of how crowded the ship feels overall. the lower the number the more space per passenger:

Anthem: 35

Getaway: 30

Breakaway: 30

Meraviglia: 31

Seaview:31

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

I have not sailed Meraviglia, but her interior promenade is very similar to the esplanade design on Anthem and, unfortunately, it's a very poor design for moving crowds. I thought anthem felt much more crowded than the 35 ratio listed above due to the design of the esplanade. It's great for cool weather cruising though!

 

 I would hope that nothing feels more crowded poolside than the 'aways', but based on pictures of crowding and stats from the link above, Meraviglia doesn't look significantly better and with the esplanade design it might not be just the pools that feel crowded. I'm very cautious about sailing Meraviglia unless in the YC and look forward to you coming back on this thread and sharing your experiences. Lord knows that the prices on Meraviglia are hard to beat right now! 

As you said, the numbers don't tell the whole story.

 

The MSC Seaside has a ratio of 31, and the NCL Encore has a ratio of 32.  By those numbers, you'd think that the crowdedness of the ships would be similar, if not slightly favoring the Encore.  But when you look into it, the Encore only has one public pool on the top deck with about 1/3 of the outdoor space available without paying a premium where on the Seaside, you have far more leeway on where you can and cannot go with multiple public pools and a majority of the deck space available for use.  The Encore is going to feel like an insanely crowded mess up on deck.

[BermudaBound2014]

I don't disagree Beard. In many ways NCL and MSC appear to have the similar strategies; Build ships that hold more and more people in an attempt to attract the value driven consumer. 

 

On a side note; I believe MSC YC is much larger than NCL haven in terms of square footage so that is also something to consider in the ratio.  I would also agree that the  Seaside model has plenty of room to disperse the crowds. I'm not so convinced about Meraviglia as a common theme of the Meraviglia in reviews is over crowding.

 

However; when push comes to shove, I think we all know that both MSC and NCL fall into the budget cruising category, at least in North America. I think the key is expectations. IMO, MSC is the best value sailing in the Caribbean right now, but guests would be well served to align their expectations accordingly. This is not a line I would choose for a special occasion, I would, however absolutely choose MSC for a 'regular' holiday as long as their prices remain considerably less than the competition.

[sverigecruiser]

10 hours ago, Beardface said:

the Encore only has one public pool on the top deck with about 1/3 of the outdoor space available without paying a premium

 

But that means that if paying a premium the ratio will be very good!

[Wooshers]

21 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I don't disagree Beard. In many ways NCL and MSC appear to have the similar strategies; Build ships that hold more and more people in an attempt to attract the value driven consumer. 

 

On a side note; I believe MSC YC is much larger than NCL haven in terms of square footage so that is also something to consider in the ratio.  I would also agree that the  Seaside model has plenty of room to disperse the crowds. I'm not so convinced about Meraviglia as a common theme of the Meraviglia in reviews is over crowding.

 

However; when push comes to shove, I think we all know that both MSC and NCL fall into the budget cruising category, at least in North America. I think the key is expectations. IMO, MSC is the best value sailing in the Caribbean right now, but guests would be well served to align their expectations accordingly. This is not a line I would choose for a special occasion, I would, however absolutely choose MSC for a 'regular' holiday as long as their prices remain considerably less than the competition.

 

I'd say Carnival is the best value atm personally.  While I liked my time on MSC there were things lacking that I found fulfilling with a Carnival cruise and prices are very similar if not beaten by Carnival in some cases.  If you're talking a $5000 "budget" cruise in a YC then I could see that but I personally don't consider it a "regular" holiday. Obviously value is subjective though...If you give me a week off work, feed me, give me clean towels, and let me spend all day looking at the ocean then I am very content with my life choice. Obviously others have a different criteria of what's important to them.

 

To answer the OP original question it would be the price/value.  But for me personally it's pretty much how I choose any vacation and the reason I've stuck with MSC and Carnival cruises since I started in 2013. I'm picking Armonia in May because they are one of the few lines to keep cheaper pricing at the beginning of May, also I really dig the itinerary.  Been wanting to spend some time in Key West and this delivers and I wanted to check out their private island and it delivers that as well.  

Edited September 26, 2019 by Wooshers

[marco]

We've sailed on the "Divina" 3X and the 4th is booked.  We think the dining experience and staff are pretty comparable to most other lines.  Entertainment is better, Pools are better (one is adults only, one has an open/close atrium roof and both of those are quiet areas.) Cabins are bigger and laid out better,  if you are a M&G officianatto, theirs is the best at sea, if you don't have the drinks package, their bar prices are about 20% lower than other lines we've been on.  If you are top tier repeater, their perks are worth while.  They offer the best pizza at sea and thier top tier officers and staff are much more engaging with passengers than other lines we've been on.  Again, this has been our experience on the only on the "Divina",  and only sailing out of Fla.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

On 9/24/2019 at 3:56 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I love a good discussion. I have only been on Getaway and Breakaway and I 100% agree with you, the pools are insanely crowded. The away class has a very poor passenger to space ratio, however based on ship stats, the Meraviglia is more crowded than the original Getaway and Breakaway,  

 

These numbers certainly don't tell the whole story, but they are a fairly accurate predictor of how crowded the ship feels overall. the lower the number the more space per passenger:

Anthem: 35

Getaway: 30

Breakaway: 30

Meraviglia: 31

Seaview:31

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

I have not sailed Meraviglia, but her interior promenade is very similar to the esplanade design on Anthem and, unfortunately, it's a very poor design for moving crowds. I thought anthem felt much more crowded than the 35 ratio listed above due to the design of the esplanade. It's great for cool weather cruising though!

 

 I would hope that nothing feels more crowded poolside than the 'aways', but based on pictures of crowding and stats from the link above, Meraviglia doesn't look significantly better and with the esplanade design it might not be just the pools that feel crowded. I'm very cautious about sailing Meraviglia unless in the YC and look forward to you coming back on this thread and sharing your experiences. Lord knows that the prices on Meraviglia are hard to beat right now! 

Good points. The numbers are interesting because I have a feeling they don't tell the whole story. I was just on Magnifica, which is a 32. The pools were very busy as you would expect on a Greek Islands cruise, but they weren't overwhelmingly crowded. (i.e. I always managed to find a lounger in the shade, even if it sometimes took a little patience.) That number is a little smaller than HAL's Eurodam, for example, which is a 34. HAL's ships feel roomy, generally, but HAL passengers don't flock to the pool so those areas feel less crowded. But, I think passenger interest is affecting crowds. Both Magnifica and Eurodam felt similarly uncrowded inside the ship by contrast.

 

Comparing Encore (32) and Meraviglia (31), I think the huge amount of space that NCL ships give over specialty restaurants (9 on Encore; 4 on Meraviglia) and limited-use facilities like race tracks and laser tag course contribute to NCL ships feeling much more crowded. So is that Encore 32 really a 32?

[lakelorain]

We originally sailed MSC because of the status match, price and discount.  We returned because of the beauty and cleanliness of the ship, friendly officers, great pizza and other Italian food, International guests and fun.

Edited September 27, 2019 by lakelorain