Never sailed MSC and considering Fjord cruise - Advice?

[Eli_6]

Hello,

I have sailed Carnival, RCCL and NCL.  My husband and I are big fans of Carnival Havana area and this got me interested in the Yacht Club on the MSC.  (Same ship in a ship idea only the Havana doesn't have it's own dining.) I have also been wanting to take a Norwegian Fjords or Iceland cruise.  Originally I had booked an inaugural TA on Carnival's newest ship the Mardis Gras for my 40th birthday.  My husband is bemoaning this trip so much (nervous about it being only the second sailing, says 15 days is too long away from the kids, doesn't want 5 days straight at sea, thinks crossing the Atlantic will be rough, his ship builder friend said not to take an inaugural as they still will be working on the ship, etc.) that I have started considering doing a 7-9 day Norwegian Fjords cruise or Iceland cruise instead.  MSC seems to have the best options in terms of what works with our schedule and is not off-the-charts expensive.  I also like the idea of the Yacht Club.  

 

Has anyone been on either a Fjords or Iceland cruise on MSC? What did you think?  Are you still able to properly see the Fjords with the Meravaglia (sp?) being so large?  Any advice?  Will we be out of place as Americans?  

 

The yacht club sounds amazing, by the way.  

Edited November 14, 2019 by Eli_6

[perakcruiser]

46 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

Has anyone been on either a Fjords or Iceland cruise on MSC?

Yes, not just with MSC, the Norwegian fjords cruise is a must. MSC is doing it for ages already and they doing it very good. 

 

But Norway is not the Antartica, the size of the ship does not affect the route. Some changes are expected in the future, better don´t wait with this cruise.  

 

48 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

Will we be out of place as Americans?  

No, you will be the 10th or 15th strongest nationality group of 50 :D

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

I agree that the fjords in Norway is a spectacular itinerary. In our top three for certain. We did not sail MSc to norway, but the YC with its forward facing views in TSL will be exceptional on this trip.

 

I do believe that gieranger may be effected by the size of Mera. It seems the bigger ships stop in Hellsynic (sp) instead (and folks then train or boat to get to Gieranger). Make sure your itinerary stops in flam and alesund if possible, as these are Some of the most gorgeous places we’ve ever experienced.

 

We are headed to the Chilean fjords in 2021 as I’ve read they are also amazing. Experiencing fjords by cruise ship is (imo) the absolute best of both worlds. 

 

[CruiseIreland]

Hi Eli_6. We sailed on Meraviglia in the fjords last August and it was fantastic. All nationalities on board. The fjords are spectacular. The ship stops in both Hellesylt and Geiranger so no worries there - it is just that they alternate the order each time so double check before you book non-ship tours. We took non-ship tours for a fraction of the price of ship tours. Meraviglia was a lovely ship, good food too. By the way, I agree with your husband and his friend about TA and inaugural cruises. I recommend a couple of days in Copenhagen either pre or post cruise. It's expensive but worth it. Enjoy. Ken

Edited November 14, 2019 by CruiseIreland

[CruisingFox27]

The Norwegian Fjords are stunning, we sailed MSC Orchestra there in may. Orchestra doesn't have YC but it was a fantastic experience.