MSC vs. Royal Caribbean

[syracr]

Hello MSC'ers.

My Wife and I have been cruising for many years. Mostly on RCI. 

We have tried other lines, but always feel most happy on and RCI Ship.

We live near Port Canaveral and saw that the MSC Seaside will be coming here soon.

If this COVID thing ever gets resolved and we start sailing again, we might be tempted to tyr MSC no the Seaside.

I would like to hear form folks who have sales both lines and hopefully even the Seaside.

Some questions we have (that hopefully you al l can answer):

1. Does the cruise line serve Coke or Pepsi products?
2. What can we expect to be different between the MSC and RCI experience?
3. What class of RCI ships would you say Seaside is most like? (Oasis? Freedom? Voyager?)
4. Private Island. while we do like a lot of the upgrades RCI did to Coco cay, we still liked the simplicity of the old version. Labadee is fine. How does Ocean Cay compare?
5. We are not big Main Dining room people. Did MSC serve Dinner in the Buffet (it they will even still have one when they re-open)/

 

Any other companions pro/con would be deeply appreciated. 

Maybe thinking of these things will make you nostalgic and anxious to start cruising again.

 

Hang in there folks and thanks for reading this.

 

[cellfree]

We sailed Royal many years ago then tried Carnival and loved it and had been sailing Carnival exclusively until we discovered MSC about three years ago and now we cruise between Carnival and MSC. Have sailed MSC Divina and Seaside and Armonia and Meraviglia. Currently we have two MSC and two Carnival cruises booked. We thoroughly enjoy both experiences and have never had a bad cruise. But everyone is different and has different expectations. I would suggest if you want a Royal experience you need to stay with Royal (I say this because when MSC first came to Miami cruisers who were used to their particular line complained when MSC wasn’t exactly as they were used to) but if you are open to something different, try MSC, you may love it as we do. 

1) Coke but I have seen both on some ships

2) Hard for me to explain - really need to experience MSC for yourself

3) Not familiar with Royals classes - the Seaside is a beautiful ship - I was about to book her for a third time just before she was moved to Port Canaveral

4) Ocean Cay is “in the making” but lovely, you should be able to google pics of her, I booked the Armonia just this week as she is offering an itinerary that spends two days at Ocean Cay

5) MSC did serve dinner in buffet, although I expect buffet might look different I would still suggest dinner will be offered in that area for those who do not want the main dining experience

If I can help further, please ask. 

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, syracr said:

Hello MSC'ers.

My Wife and I have been cruising for many years. Mostly on RCI. 

We have tried other lines, but always feel most happy on and RCI Ship.

We live near Port Canaveral and saw that the MSC Seaside will be coming here soon.

If this COVID thing ever gets resolved and we start sailing again, we might be tempted to tyr MSC no the Seaside.

I would like to hear form folks who have sales both lines and hopefully even the Seaside.

Some questions we have (that hopefully you al l can answer):

1. Does the cruise line serve Coke or Pepsi products?
2. What can we expect to be different between the MSC and RCI experience?
3. What class of RCI ships would you say Seaside is most like? (Oasis? Freedom? Voyager?)
4. Private Island. while we do like a lot of the upgrades RCI did to Coco cay, we still liked the simplicity of the old version. Labadee is fine. How does Ocean Cay compare?
5. We are not big Main Dining room people. Did MSC serve Dinner in the Buffet (it they will even still have one when they re-open)/

 

Any other companions pro/con would be deeply appreciated. 

Maybe thinking of these things will make you nostalgic and anxious to start cruising again.

 

Hang in there folks and thanks for reading this.

 

We've sailed with RCI twice (technically one of those cruises was just my wife, it was before we got married), and we've had 2 MSC cruises, the Seaside in 2018 and the Meraviglia last December. We sailed RCI's Adventure of the Seas in 2017 and loved it. But we give the nod to MSC because it's a much more European experience. Some people don't like that, and as @cellfree said, some longtime American cruisers complained about things on MSC that appeal more to a European clientele. FYI even though MSC sails from some US ports, the vast majority of passengers on our two cruises were European. I assume that is still the case. There is a sort of promenade on MSC that's similar to the RCI concept. And the Seaside is heavily weighted towards the outside, it's called "The ship that follows the sun" for that reason. That means fewer interior spaces than RCI, which some people don't like. The aft pool and deck are very small, that's the so-called South Beach area. But the ship is stunning and the crew are excellent. Also, MSC differs from RCI in that they offer different experience levels, with more perks at each level. The Yacht Club is terrific, we actually were in Aurea (one step 'down' from YC) on the Seaside and we loved having a dedicated sun deck and bar, never had a problem finding a deck chair. We are American but both love Europe so MSC is a perfect fit for us. But it's not the same as RCI. Hope that helps!

[shipgeeks]

We sailed Seaside B2B last January, and loved it so much we booked Armonia for April/May.  Prior to that we've sailed mostly on RC and Celebrity.  MSC is definitely our new favorite cruise line!

I think what we liked most was the passenger makeup.  Out of 4400 passengers, fewer than 700 were Americans.   The majority were Brazilian and European.  It just felt much less "hometown" and much more "away on vacation".

We thought the crew and officers were especially warm and friendly.  

Buffet had lots of variety at all mealtimes.

If you have any level of loyalty status with RC, apply for status match with MSC before you book.

There are four "levels" within the ship; each has its perks.  We booked the lowest level, Bella, because we don't use room service, and we want a set dining time in MDR.  Supposedly the desirability of cabins increases as levels increase; we were more than satisfied with ours.  You can study the chart re the levels in a post at the start of the CC MSC board.

We thought the private island, Ocean Cay, was by far the nicest one we've ever been to.  Just beautiful nature and aqua waters. No rides, no theme parks.

Another difference, compared to RC, is the evening shows.  No Broadway, no Rock, more like Cirque du Soleil, due to the language differences.  We thought they were very entertaining and well done.

Keep asking, if you think of more questions!  Yes, we are nostalgic and ready to book again!

[heatherb1958]

We love MSC , having sailed for many  years with RCI it was beginning to feel same old . 
Yes RCI ships are stunning and offer a lot of facilities but so do MSC . We like the MSC pricing structure , you pay for what you use, if you want free room service pay for a Fantastica xperience , if you like to use the Spa pay for an Aurea experience cabin and if you want butler service pay for Yacht club. 
MSC regularly did offers , pay for a Fantastica experience cabin and get a free premium drinks package . Aurea experience includes a drink package . 
The crew have been friendly but not in your face. 
We have 60 nights with MSC now and have future cruises booked , we are on the Seaside TA in March fingers crossed . Have been on Seaview, gorgeous ship. 

[deliver42]

I'm Emerald on Royal, and love their ships, but I've been on 2 MSC cruises and loved them so much that we are booked on the Seashore for Dec, 2021. The Seashore is Seaside on steroids, like the Freedom Class is Voyager on steroids.Size wise, The Seaside is more like the Freedom than the Oasis class. Give it a try, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[dexddd]

From what we've had an noted, Coke on US sailings, Pepsi in Europe.

[mafig]

5 hours ago, deliver42 said:

I'm Emerald on Royal, and love their ships, but I've been on 2 MSC cruises and loved them so much that we are booked on the Seashore for Dec, 2021. The Seashore is Seaside on steroids, like the Freedom Class is Voyager on steroids.Size wise, The Seaside is more like the Freedom than the Oasis class. Give it a try, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Every now and then I look at future cruises.  I started looking at March 2021, then April, then May, June, July....have to skip hurricane season and then I found myself in November 2021 and I see Seashore...with a pretty good price.

I have been on Divina and Seaside.  Not familiar with Seashore.  Is it out yet?  

What sailing are you on in December?  (2021)

Edited August 15, 2020 by mafig

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Another difference, compared to RC, is the evening shows.  No Broadway, no Rock, more like Cirque du Soleil, due to the language differences.  We thought they were very entertaining and well done.

 

Meraviglia's evening shows did include some Broadway and some Rock programming, but all were well done and entertaining.  Cirque du Soleil was available in the aft Theater as a special show (there were two different ones) that were extra cost.  One was a cocktail show and one was a dinner show.

 

The entertainment that I particularly found to be unique to MSC was a show put on by our Cruise Director (who was a cruise ship entertainer in the past) that was excellent and an afternoon Opera performance that was very well done with singers whose voices were well suited for operatic music.  

 

There were several individual music groups playing a wide range of types of music.  I didn't hear them all in 7 days, but the ones I heard were very good and entertaining groups.  

[sptrout]

Since Cirque du Soleil is bankrupt, it will be interesting what will be offered in the CdS Theatres. Maybe MSC will just hire the entertainers directly? I hope they survive bankruptcy and can restart their shows. The one that we had the opportunity to attend was very good.

 

We have been on RCL, but more recently on Celebrity and Princess. IMO, the entertainment in the main theatre, especially on the Seaside, was outstanding. We did not attend other entertainment venues unless we just happened to be walking by, but even then we found some good shows.

 

Others have mentioned that the passengers were mainly from outside the US even though in our case both of our MSC sailings were from Miami. I could not tell any difference in the mix from all our other Florida sailings. Funny, but there was a group of 6+ family members that just happen to sit near us during two or three shows. They were obviously of Asian descent. During the one of the shows the CD asked for applause from people from different countries, the group that I would have guessed were maybe Chinese were from Canada. Never know, but it makes no difference to me since I enjoy meeting people from all countries and backgrounds.

 

Ocean Cay is MSC's new private island. We really enjoyed our visit although as YC members we got special treatment. The island was brand new when we visited last December, I think that our ship was the 3 or 4th to visit. Should become even more impressive as all the new vegetation is allowed to grow. I hope there are no hurricanes in Ocean Cay's future. It had one minor hit already this year, hopefully the last. 

[deliver42]

Our sailing on the Seashore is Dec 4,to Dec 11 2021. The ship isn't out yet, but some details are on MSC's website.We are in an Aurea cabin. On the Seashore, Aurea passengers have a dedicated restaurant and deck area with a bar. Seems almost as good as the YC without the extra expense. This isn't to say I wouldn't prefer the YC if the rice were right No an inside cabin. The prices seem good to me and with only a $98.00 deposit, what an incentive, an extra 5% off and $100.00 OBC, I don't think we can go wrong.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/15/2020 at 3:52 PM, sptrout said:

Funny, but there was a group of 6+ family members that just happen to sit near us during two or three shows. They were obviously of Asian descent. During the one of the shows the CD asked for applause from people from different countries, the group that I would have guessed were maybe Chinese were from Canada. 

 

One of the things that I enjoy about visiting Canada is the Oriental influence that I experience during my visit.  Toronto and Vancouver, particularly, are cities that are special to me because of the impact the Oriental culture has made on the cities.  I have yet to find an Oriental restaurant in my area that can match the cuisine that I have enjoyed in Toronto.  

 

On 8/15/2020 at 3:52 PM, sptrout said:

 

Ocean Cay is MSC's new private island. We really enjoyed our visit although as YC members we got special treatment.

 

Ocean Cay promises to be an excellent private island.  Do you have an opinion about the YC Restaurant/Facility on the island?  

Edited August 16, 2020 by rkacruiser

[sptrout]

11 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Ocean Cay promises to be an excellent private island.  Do you have an opinion about the YC Restaurant/Facility on the island?  

The YC Restaurant is small and had a waiting line when we departed. By accident we arrived before they were open (11 AM I think) although there was nothing that said otherwise, so we just seated ourselves and enjoyed the view. It is an open air (but covered) restaurant with an indoor section that is very small, more like a typical bar area.

 

The menu, at least last December, was limited to three or four main entrees. We both had the mahi-mahi and it was very good. There are limited choices for appetizers and desserts, but we had no trouble finding what we wanted to order and without any regrets.

 

The YC Restaurant is about as far from the ship as is possible so be sure to get on the tram at each end unless you want a nice walk. 

 

At the time of our visit the YC "galley" was a food trailer a few yards away. I would guess that this is/was temporary since there is a large building close to the YC Restaurant (may not be related at all, just a guess).

 

Very nice way to spend a part of the day.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 8/14/2020 at 1:04 PM, cellfree said:

We sailed Royal many years ago then tried Carnival and loved it and had been sailing Carnival exclusively until we discovered MSC about three years ago and now we cruise between Carnival and MSC. Have sailed MSC Divina and Seaside and Armonia and Meraviglia. Currently we have two MSC and two Carnival cruises booked. We thoroughly enjoy both experiences and have never had a bad cruise. But everyone is different and has different expectations. I would suggest if you want a Royal experience you need to stay with Royal (I say this because when MSC first came to Miami cruisers who were used to their particular line complained when MSC wasn’t exactly as they were used to) but if you are open to something different, try MSC, you may love it as we do. 

1) Coke but I have seen both on some ships

2) Hard for me to explain - really need to experience MSC for yourself

3) Not familiar with Royals classes - the Seaside is a beautiful ship - I was about to book her for a third time just before she was moved to Port Canaveral

4) Ocean Cay is “in the making” but lovely, you should be able to google pics of her, I booked the Armonia just this week as she is offering an itinerary that spends two days at Ocean Cay

5) MSC did serve dinner in buffet, although I expect buffet might look different I would still suggest dinner will be offered in that area for those who do not want the main dining experience

If I can help further, please ask. 

You sound like the person to ask. We were on an MSC cruise once many years ago. MSC Seaside? Ice cream 24/7? Pizza 24/7? Bingo? Trivia? Shows?  We have been considering the Seaside, the prices are super low.

[cellfree]

We were on the Seaside February and November 2018 and were about to book it again and it was moved to Port Canaveral. We have also been on the Armonia and Divina (first MSC ship to come to USA) and Meraviglia. We enjoy all of the ships and there of course are differences on all. Yes, prices are super low right now. We booked MSC in Feburary (Armonia) and May (Meraviglia) and are looking forward to both, hoping they will sail! Not sure what ship you were on years ago but you cannot beat the prices. And as you know MSC has their own flavor which you can enjoy if open  to it. Not sure if I can answer any specific questions about the Seaside for you as it has been a couple years. But a beautiful ship. In the past we always found the "all in" program that included the Easy Drink Package adequate for us. With the current sale we booked the great sale price and will add the Easy Package for $450 (I think) for the two of us.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/16/2020 at 5:16 PM, sptrout said:

The YC Restaurant is small and had a waiting line when we departed. By accident we arrived before they were open (11 AM I think) although there was nothing that said otherwise, so we just seated ourselves and enjoyed the view. It is an open air (but covered) restaurant with an indoor section that is very small, more like a typical bar area.

 

The menu, at least last December, was limited to three or four main entrees. We both had the mahi-mahi and it was very good. There are limited choices for appetizers and desserts, but we had no trouble finding what we wanted to order and without any regrets.

 

The YC Restaurant is about as far from the ship as is possible so be sure to get on the tram at each end unless you want a nice walk. 

 

At the time of our visit the YC "galley" was a food trailer a few yards away. I would guess that this is/was temporary since there is a large building close to the YC Restaurant (may not be related at all, just a guess).

 

Very nice way to spend a part of the day.

 

The description of your experience closes mirrors mine in January.  I arrived late during the serving hours and I had to wait among others.  Even then, I was seated at a coffee table type area on the portico with 3 others who had completed their lunch and was just "hanging around".  Nice people, I was welcomed by them to join them, pleasant conversation, but----a YC expectation type of experience?  That facility is one on Ocean Cay that MSC needs to redevelop; maybe rebuild.  Great concept as an amenity for YC guests.  The execution of the experience leaves something to be desired, however.