MSC World Cruise 2022????

[RICHARD@SEA]

Hi All...

 

I'm trying to find info on MSC world cruises & anyone's thoughts on a MSC WC ...I'm looking at the 2022 itinerary..

 

Thanks

[Stefan_Varong]

MSC is definitely a no go for me. Never seen so serious security problems, such a lack of respect for guests, and dirt as the only time I sailed with them. There are many others offering world cruises as well. I am booked on Costa leaving Venice in January 2022 for a 127 day world cruise. I hope corona restrictions won’t make the voyage impossible.

[Boytjie]

We did a 7-day charter on MSC and I won’t easily go back. Service was bad and food was 50-50: some great, some awful. 
 

The ship was nice, though, too bad the rest was so disappointing. Being stuck on that for months would be a nightmare. 

[RICHARD@SEA]

I'm sorry to hear of the experiences of the other cruisers on MSC.

I've sailed' on MSC ships for 10 years now - my last was just before covid 13 days.  The ships are either new or relatively new - offering a contemporary watered down Italian cruise experience.  I've been on cruises going back to the mid 1970's & know the different levels in regard to the lines today.  MSC is a European product which most Americans don't quite get. and MSC does have some work to do on getting the American consumer.

 

The crew are some of the hardest working I've ever seen - there is just not enough of them.  I laughed when I read someone didn't see an officer all week - w 3-4 thousand passengers do you really expect officers to be around???? There is a  Captains Cocktail welcome w all the officers attending.

The ships are extremely clean & even pre covid I would see crew constantly cleaning.  BTW Even with  all the hand sanitizing stations it was appalling to see the # of men that don't wash their hands after using the men's rooms.

 

I also saw several American passengers being down right rude, mean & unreasonable to stewards, officers & dining  room staff just because they couldn't  get their way.

 

For the fares charged MSC has good value. As far as the food  - that is subjective - but there is plenty of variety all over the ship - from excellent pizza to every imaginable ethnic food in the buffet.  each morning I had a continental breakfast of croissants, fresh fruit, HOT delicious coffee & a warm smile from my steward.  Im not usually a buffet person but I found having meals there more relaxing especially when in hot climates.  Any requests I made were professionally handled...even when asking for a banana when i saw none I asked a manager - he returned w 3 & every day thereafter made sure there were some available.

 

  Onboard they have some of the best Gelato outside of Italy(& chocolate shop).  Passengers can get the soft serve & dining room choices which are included in the fare or pay for the Gelato in the promenade  - funny but most nites  I was the only one there - people would ask me if it was good but  once they found out it was extra $$$ most all wouldn't buy.

 

I book a midship balcony cabin & have never been disappointed - I travel solo now, but previously w my partner.

As far as the man that  said he's booked on a Costa WC  that is his choice  yet I would never sail on a Carnivore Corp owned line & certainly not Costa(which prior to  being bought by carnivore was a good line).

 

I've sailed many lines from RCCL, CUNARD, HAL etc to high end lines pre Carnivore... I find a lot of people cannot enjoy what is available & prefer to complain.  Perhaps Silversea or Viking would be a better fit for them. (I love SILVERSEA).

[Stefan_Varong]

The man who is going to sail with Costa again is both European and aware that American expectations are sometimes not fulfilled on European lines, which I mostly see as cultural phenomena. Who is - as some reviewers here on CC - scared that not only English is spoken has just expectations that don’t fit. I live on a continent where dozens of languages are spoken and I don’t understand most of them, so my expectations in this direction are definitely different.
 
Of course it is my choice to go with Costa on the world cruise, but I’ve no reason not to go with them. Of course there are minor reasons to complain, but these are mainly the other side of the Mediterranean medal that adds so much to a successful holiday.
 
Back to MSC. I sailed the Fantasia and the ship itself was fine. If she would be sold to another line and trained staff and serious officers would be aboard I could imagine sailing on her again.
 
Food on MSC was eatable, but for sure not of better quality and pretty far away from the real Italian kitchen. Watered down? Yes, perhaps - with a lot of water. However, I got on a diet when I had breakfast in the buffet and had a greasy plate. The next one was dirty as well. This mustn’t happen of course, but even worse: the staff wasn’t interested how dirty things were. The minimal reaction I expect in such a situation is that plates would have been taken away and replaced by clean ones. I expected too much and took bananas and oranges instead. The last morning I spoke with a Dutch couple who had experienced exactly the same.
 
Worst are definitely the safety concerns based on what happened when I was aboard. In Haifa everybody without ship excursion was told to go to the atrium. I went early for having a coffee down there and stood by this soon very close to the staircases. More and more people were pressed into the atrium. Nobody was allowed to leave the atrium, but who walked down the stairs or arrived by lift was pushed into the atrium as well just opposite to my spot. A real man hunt with extreme rude staff in the role of the hunters. Soon parents took their children onto the shoulders, because there was no space left on the ground. I am generally not fearful, but looked where to escape to - just in case. It was just luck that nobody got panic, otherwise many death and hundreds of injured passengers would have been the result. Confronted with these and many more facts MSC didn’t even respond.
 
Perhaps MSC is good enough in transporting containers, but for sure me never again!

[RICHARD@SEA]

MSC vs Costa.....

 

After living in NYC for 40 years , speaking 3.5 languages(ENGLISH , Spanish, French & the half is Chinese) and travelling globally since I was in my teens I always  travel anywhere with the only   expectation is that it will be a different experience for me.

I'm also realistic about corporate policy & quality.

Its unfortunate you had the experience w/ MSC  but with my several cruises w/ MSC & many many other lines since the 1970's Ive never seen anything remotely like that aboard  a MSC ship.

 

So much drama on these boards at times....enjoy your cruise on costa

[Will K.]

Ditto:

 

I had been in the customer service hospitality for over 30 years and I have never seen a cruise line care less about it's customers pre-cruise.  The only reason I am going on our 11/22 cruise with them is that they refuse to refund even though they created many of the problems including moving handicap passengers away from their helpers and then refusing to move them back or together.  MSC has the WORST corporate culture around and it's not because they are European.  Good customer service transcends all nations.  They just suck.  Going back to Celebrity where I belong.

 

 

[Eric79DAM]

a World Cruise on MSC, no thank you. The food is terrible, being french that's a big thing for us. We get better food in hospitals however the ships are beautiful,  that's about it !!!

[RICHARD@SEA]

WOW, OUCH, I mean REALLY???

 

Fortunately MSC has rescheduled the WC 2022 Itinerary for 2023 so Ill book that.

 

As far as the lines...to each their own....food is subjective .  I no longer cruise for the grandness of it but rather an escape to sea or an alternative to air travel.  I found plenty of choices in the various dining areas & tend to eat ashore when in port. (And being Canadian French is certainly not the same as being a native Parisian).  Ive lived in NYC my entire adult life & have travelled extensively  - I know great, good & really bad food.

 

I find most of the newer ships today are quite tacky & more akin to a shopping mall rather than an ocean-going vessel. But my midship balcony cabin always seems to deliver.

 

I realize I wont be onboard Silversea or Viking but the itinerary is great for me & MSC has consistantly provided me with a professional well run holiday.

 

As far as officers & staff  - I've never seen harder working people all around the ship.  I certainly stopped sailing on Celebrity years ago when a captain took the ship out & headed into a hurricane causing a 1 day arrival into our first port...people & furniture tossed atound the mostly shutdown ship for 24 hours...we arrived in Bermuda w dents in the bow due  to the pounding seas.  BTW 3 other ships that were to  sail from NYC that day stayed behind & missed the hurricane completely - so solong Celebrity.

 

I know I'll be on a large ship w a couple of thousand passengers....but going around this wonderful planet will make up for any short comings I may encounter.

[Will K.]

Stay far away from MSC

[RICHARD@SEA]

On 1/22/2022 at 11:41 AM, Will K. said:

 

I am still watching this world cruise on MSC - the itinerary fits me & I like the MSC product...the international experience is more to my taste....probably because  I'v travelled a great deal & am from NYC!!!!