Preziosa - Caribbean cruise - Very short Review

[mickey89]

 

Recently returned from our second Preziosa 14 night cruise out of Barbados. What a difference from the first cruise just 11 months ago, extremely disappointed. MSC has degraded a previously successful product, no longer can anyone call it a  quality product or value for money. The YC restaurant, Palmeraie served food that was frequently inedible the the MaitreD failed to address serious deficiencies. There were 8 British couples in the YC on our cruise and everyone said never again due the the quality of food on offer. It is a real shame as the service from the YC staff was exemplary with the exception of the YC Director and the Palmeraie MaitreD who both need a refresher course in customer relations.
 

Don’t waste your well earned money, MSC have serious problems not only in the general categories but also now in the Yacht Club.

[electro]

What about the rest of the cruise? How was the entertainment in the theatre? 

What about the music in the bars and lounges?

 

[niko40]

7 hours ago, mickey89 said:

 

Recently returned from our second Preziosa 14 night cruise out of Barbados. What a difference from the first cruise just 11 months ago, extremely disappointed. MSC has degraded a previously successful product, no longer can anyone call it a  quality product or value for money. The YC restaurant, Palmeraie served food that was frequently inedible the the MaitreD failed to address serious deficiencies. 

So why was the food inedible and what was so wrong throughout the restbof the ship could you explain in a bit more detail.

Surely if it was so bad there are other dining options or was all food inedible on the whole ship on a plus side you didnt put on any weight.

[Boschmann]

9 hours ago, mickey89 said:

It is a real shame as the service from the YC staff was exemplary with the exception of the YC Director and the Palmeraie MaitreD who both need a refresher course in customer relations.

We had a similar experience in YC on Meraviglia, also mainly with the dining.  I recently cancelled two non-YC Preziosa sailings due to concerns, but have kept one Preziosa YC sailing hoping for a more typical of the past YC experience.  Was the YC director and maitre d' fairly new, or was it more to do with the new menus/food preparation?  I'm concerned MSC is spreading experienced staff too thin with all the new ships.

[mickey89]

7 hours ago, niko40 said:

So why was the food inedible and what was so wrong throughout the restbof the ship could you explain in a bit more detail.

Surely if it was so bad there are other dining options or was all food inedible on the whole ship on a plus side you didnt put on any weight.

 

The Yacht Club supposed to be the premier package on MSC costing twice to three times that of the rest of the ship.  The food within its confines was extremely poor, meat served was unable to be cut with a knife, full of sinew obviously of questionable quality. On numerous occasions the Waiter would advise against the meat choice saying "it's not good".  The vegetables served with almost every meal were aubergine and asparagus cooked to an inedible mushy mess. The sea food offered most of the time was tasteless and overcooked so most people stayed clear. The other dining options were 2 Specialty Restaurants with cover charges in excess of £50/pp and the general Buffet for the masses which resembled an extremely over populated canteen serving fast foods typical of McDonalds and was chaotic to say the least.

We did take numerous meals in their Butchers Cut restaurant which were excellent but it hit our pockets very hard.  As previous stated we cruised the same ship almost a year ago, the decline in the food quality is extraordinary.

[mickey89]

6 hours ago, Boschmann said:

........but have kept one Preziosa YC sailing hoping for a more typical of the past YC experience.  Was the YC director and maitre d' fairly new, or was it more to do with the new menus/food preparation?  I'm concerned MSC is spreading experienced staff too thin with all the new ships.

 

I think you will be disappointed with Preziosa today.  We did have a change of YC Director towards the end of our cruise and there was a definite improvement but the food quality remained.  Most of the YC were the cream of MSC staff for sure, the butlers always impressed. The dining room staff were short on the ground at times but I believe the main staffing problems are in the kitchens. Time between courses are mostly unacceptable which leads to frustrations and many complaints.

[niko40]

Were booked on her in September but arura experience  will be our first with MSC going with an open mind but looking forward to trying a new cruise line.

[sidari]

Mickey ... The food issue is not just confined to Preziosa, friends who sailed Meraviglia from NYC to Miami having also done the previous sailing to Canada with both sailings in the YC also said that there were food issues and were not the only ones to mention it. For ourselves over Xmas 2019 we also had some quite poor meals in the Panama Dining room which is used for Aurea guests, the meat was in the main tough and a so called Lamb chop came with almost a third of it with fat attached! the food in the Buffet at times was better than the Dining room with a decent amount of choice.

It seems that MSC in pursuit of getting out new ships have dropped the ball once again on the quality it was providing, my other half is a trained Chef and can turn out better food than what was provided on Meraviglia.

 

[Cruiser Bruiser]

5 hours ago, niko40 said:

Were booked on her in September but arura experience  will be our first with MSC going with an open mind but looking forward to trying a new cruise line.

I'm booked on Preziosa in September, too. I wonder if we are on the same cruise? I would strongly encourage you to keep that mind open and form your own impressions based on your own expectations. Cruising is highly personal. Your perception of the cruise will be as varied as the number of passengers on the ship. I've only sailed Magnifica and Armonia thus far, but I've never had a bad meal on MSC. Frankly, in my opinion I the food is comparable to the other cruise lines I have sailed. And the sirloin steak is available every night of the cruise. It's hard to serve a bad sirloin.

[heatherb1958]

9 hours ago, niko40 said:

Were booked on her in September but arura experience  will be our first with MSC going with an open mind but looking forward to trying a new cruise line.

We are also on Preziosa in September , 2nd to be precise, will be our second time on her . We had a lovely time on her last September that is why we booked again. 

The food in the MDR can be hit or miss but on the whole we enjoy it and like you say it is nice to have a change of cruiseline . We got the Premium drinks package included in our booking , for a similar cruise with RCI they wanted at least £500 per person more !! 
 

The comment about the buffet being like McDonalds is far from the truth , there is such a variety and cater for all, vegetarian, ethnic corner with stir fries etc.  , fresh carved meat every day  and the pizza OMG , the best . Yes it does get busy but it is huge and often people don’t go to the back where it is much quieter and easier to get a seat. Timing is important too. 
 

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by heatherb1958

[niko40]

4 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

We are also on Preziosa in September , 2nd to be precise, will be our second time on her . We had a lovely time on her last September that is why we booked again. 

The food in the MDR can be hit or miss but on the whole we enjoy it and like you say it is nice to have a change of cruiseline . We got the Premium drinks package included in our booking , for a similar cruise with RCI they wanted at least £500 per person more !! 
 

The comment about the buffet being like McDonalds is far from the truth , there is such a variety and cater for all, vegetarian, ethnic corner with stir fries etc.  , fresh carved meat every day  and the pizza OMG , the best . Yes it does get busy but it is huge and often people don’t go to the back where it is much quieter and easier to get a seat. Timing is important too. 
 

 

Yes were on the 2nd September yes we looked at anthem 14 night with rci but would have been nearly £1000 more pp for that even with our D+ discount.

We got arura experience but got our ta to through in premium drinks pkg upgrade for free so we paid £1600 pp which i thought was a good deal.

Im sure we will find some food edible lol

But as long as drinks are flowing im not to worried.

[mickey89]

8 hours ago, niko40 said:

 

Im sure we will find some food edible lol

But as long as drinks are flowing im not to worried.

 

Cattle class is value for money, you pay little and get a fair deal.  Yacht Club is the premier end, you pay a lot and get a poor deal.  If you wish to feed yourselves on salads and beef burgers you will enjoy MSC.  You can always snack ashore.  In this life you definitely get what you pay for, except for MSC YC.

[heatherb1958]

9 hours ago, niko40 said:

Yes were on the 2nd September yes we looked at anthem 14 night with rci but would have been nearly £1000 more pp for that even with our D+ discount.

We got arura experience but got our ta to through in premium drinks pkg upgrade for free so we paid £1600 pp which i thought was a good deal.

Im sure we will find some food edible lol

But as long as drinks are flowing im not to worried.

I posted on the roll  call last night. 

[niko40]

2 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

I posted on the roll  call last night. 

Yes i did see maybe we have cruised before i have done a lot  of Royal cruises over the years so our paths could of crossed.

If not they will this time

[niko40]

1 hour ago, heatherb1958 said:

I posted on the roll  call last night. 

Yes i did see maybe we have cruised before i have done a lot  of Royal cruises over the years so our paths could of crossed.

If not they will this time

[niko40]

I think refering to people that chose to cruise in other levels rather than YC as cattle class  is very derogatory. We would have booked YC  if available but to be honest by the sounds of it im glad we didn't waste our money.

 

[emmas gran]

Hi Mickey you may remember we cruised Preziosa last year before you and I said the food was it’s letdown.

Since then we have done Splendida, Meraviglia and are currently on Bellissima (all YC) and with each cruise there has been improvements in the food. Food is subjective but we go with an open mind, last night I ordered  “chicken Oscar” it was very dry and when the Maitre d’ asked if all  was well I made the comment about the meat. Immediately he wanted to get something else but I asked for extra sauce and was able to eat it.

We are travelling with friends who have done various cruise lines including Seabourn and NCL Haven and they have no problem with the food .

I am not posting this for any other reason than to say things are improving on the ships we have sailed

 

Liz 

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by emmas gran

[mickey89]

Hi Liz.......I recall you saying the food on your Preziosa cruise last year was a letdown.   We were generally happy with the Palmeraie restaurant and hoped that it was going to improve further but I can tell you that it has declined considerably.  The MaitreD was an absolute disaster, very defensive every thing not his responsibility and was plainly rude to many passengers. The YC Director was the the headless leader (Ulf Radermaker) who failed to remedy any of the complaints from YC passengers. He was replaced for the last quarter of the cruise resulting it significant improvements but the food quality remained sub standard. The food quality being set by head office purchasing and they have gone down market where all cuts of meat are concerned. I have a future cruise booked next year in the YC on Splendida which replaces Preziosa in the Caribbean and are seriously considering cancelling and forfeiting the deposit.  I personally don’t believe MSC will improve so will definitely return to Celebrity, it is so much better.

[CruiserG79]

On 2/9/2020 at 11:21 AM, mickey89 said:

 

Cattle class is value for money, you pay little and get a fair deal.  Yacht Club is the premier end, you pay a lot and get a poor deal.  If you wish to feed yourselves on salads and beef burgers you will enjoy MSC.  You can always snack ashore.  In this life you definitely get what you pay for, except for MSC YC.

 

Whenever i read things like that, i am glad i never tried the YC myself so far...

 

Done two MSC Cruises in the "Cattle Class" now and it was a great experience on the Preziosa and on the Meraviglia. Even foodwise and considering that it's hard to imagine, that the food in the YC is that bad.

 

The "Cattle Class" buffet isn't just burgers and salad btw. plus the "Cattle Class" has dinner on every evening too and we always enjoyed the food being served.

 

If normal people read this forum they often must think that it is YC or nothing. But that's so not true.

 

Maybe MSC is not for everyone, but you get very good value for your money... Yes, you said that for the "Cattle Class" but with saying it like that, i have the feeling your expectations, even for the YC, are far away from the reality.

 

Oh... And i am doing my third MSC cruise this year. Imagine... An interior cabin with 4 people and i am sure we are going to enjoy it a lot.

 

Sorry for being grumpy but the posting from mickey89 did upset me quite a bit.

[mickey89]

So sorry it upset you. The phrase "Cattle Class" is an euphemism which highlights the overcrowded nature of the non-YC part of their ships.  Wow..... 4 people in an MSC Inside cabin typifies the cramped nature of MSC. I would highly recommend their laundry package, one of the best deals at sea, as your cupboard space will be at a premium. Hope you enjoy, you deserve it ........

Edited February 12, 2020 by mickey89

[sidari]

3 hours ago, CruiserG79 said:

 

Whenever i read things like that, i am glad i never tried the YC myself so far...

 

Done two MSC Cruises in the "Cattle Class" now and it was a great experience on the Preziosa and on the Meraviglia. Even foodwise and considering that it's hard to imagine, that the food in the YC is that bad.

 

The "Cattle Class" buffet isn't just burgers and salad btw. plus the "Cattle Class" has dinner on every evening too and we always enjoyed the food being served.

 

If normal people read this forum they often must think that it is YC or nothing. But that's so not true.

 

Maybe MSC is not for everyone, but you get very good value for your money... Yes, you said that for the "Cattle Class" but with saying it like that, i have the feeling your expectations, even for the YC, are far away from the reality.

 

Oh... And i am doing my third MSC cruise this year. Imagine... An interior cabin with 4 people and i am sure we are going to enjoy it a lot.

 

Sorry for being grumpy but the posting from mickey89 did upset me quite a bit.

G79 ... Not sure why you would be upset by the comment, it is often used on many ships by people poking fun at themselves. At Xmas 2017 we had an Aft Aurea Suite on Seaside, one of the people we got to know before we sailed who happened to be in the YC said we were in Ballast Class, we took it as it was meant as a joke and we remind that person from time to time about the New class on Seaside.

[douggw]

On 2/12/2020 at 12:15 AM, CruiserG79 said:

 

Whenever i read things like that, i am glad i never tried the YC myself so far...

 

Done two MSC Cruises in the "Cattle Class" now and it was a great experience on the Preziosa and on the Meraviglia. Even foodwise and considering that it's hard to imagine, that the food in the YC is that bad.

 

The "Cattle Class" buffet isn't just burgers and salad btw. plus the "Cattle Class" has dinner on every evening too and we always enjoyed the food being served.

 

If normal people read this forum they often must think that it is YC or nothing. But that's so not true.

 

Maybe MSC is not for everyone, but you get very good value for your money... Yes, you said that for the "Cattle Class" but with saying it like that, i have the feeling your expectations, even for the YC, are far away from the reality.

 

Oh... And i am doing my third MSC cruise this year. Imagine... An interior cabin with 4 people and i am sure we are going to enjoy it a lot.

 

Sorry for being grumpy but the posting from mickey89 did upset me quite a bit.

 

Don't apologize for being grumpy!  I agree with you 100%.  Seems that 95% of everyone complaining about MSC are from the YC!  Been on one MSC cruise and 8 Carnival along with several other lines.  Not a bad cruise in any of them.  Most have been inside rooms, possibly an Ocean View here and there if it wasn't too much more.  Usually 4 in a cabin.  It's a vacation people...you are not at work.   Booked Preziosa for Sep 2020.  

[deliver42]

I've been in the YC on MSC and in cattle class, and enjoyed them both.I found the food to be satisfactory in the MDR and LeMuse. The food in the buffet was hit or miss, but always found something to my liking.