New to MCS and Vaccine Question

[shorti503]

We have only ever sailed on Royal Caribbean however at this time they have a vaccine mandate for anyone 12 and over.  1 person in my family can not get the vaccine as they are allergic to some of the ingredients.  In my research (because my family is going through cruising withdrawal) it seemed that mcs was one of the few that didn't have it as a mandate.  Is that still correct?  If it is correct and we are free to book a cruise what do I need to know!  What will be the big differences between MCS and Royal? What are your favorite things about MCS? Best family friendly ship? Thank you! 

[MonsterJoe]

Vaccines are required for 12 and over.

[styles27]

Maybe on MCS they’re not required but MSC is requiring vaccines for everyone 12 and over 😉😊

[SteelCruisin]

As I understand it , MSC is requiring vaccines right now due to the Bahamas having a vaccine mandate which expires October 31st....I expect it to be renewed so we will have to cancel our cruise at the end of November, but have our fingers crossed that the Bahamas doesn't extend their mandate.

[alyssamma]

46 minutes ago, SteelCruisin said:

As I understand it , MSC is requiring vaccines right now due to the Bahamas having a vaccine mandate which expires October 31st....I expect it to be renewed so we will have to cancel our cruise at the end of November, but have our fingers crossed that the Bahamas doesn't extend their mandate.

This is correct. Right now, they will let you book a cruise as non-vaxxed for Nov 1st onwards...but there is a good change the Bahamas will extend.

[shorti503]

Ok thank you all!  I will wait until after October then to see the status update from the Bahamas! 

[shorti503]

3 hours ago, styles27 said:

Maybe on MCS they’re not required but MSC is requiring vaccines for everyone 12 and over 😉😊

Haha yes!  Darn dyslexia! 

[Tapi]

15 hours ago, shorti503 said:

What will be the big differences between MCS and Royal? What are your favorite things about MCS? Best family friendly ship? Thank you! 

The question about the vaccine has been answered but I’ll answer this one. In my opinion, MSC’s ships do have a “wow” factor similar to Royal. They are big, modern and beautiful with tons of activities. But they do have a different feel being a European cruise line which is one of the things that I enjoy about them. I like the more international feel. 
 

We’ve sailed on Meraviglia twice (once in the Med and once in the Caribbean) and we’ve also done the Divina. We prefer the Meraviglia. Truly an outstanding ship with tons of things to do for the entire family. Kids were never bored. We also had a chance to visit their private island, Ocean Cay, on our last cruise. Not quite like Coco Cay (it’s a more traditional private island experience rather than being an all out amusement park like Coco Cay has become) but we absolutely loved it. It’s a tiny island but they’ve done a wonderful job with it. The only drawback is that vegetation is still young so there’s not a lot of shade. 
 

But overall, I truly love MSC, specially considering what they charge. 
 

 

[maureencruiser]

I'll add on to what Tapi says.  I have sailed MSC about 10 times, Royal about 50 times, I say that they are like cruising used to be.  Beautiful ships, good food, drinks, more like a traditional ocean liner.  No bumper cars, skating rinks, ropes courses, etc.  But, I physically cannot do all that stuff.  I'm on Divina now, had friends sailing Allure, out of the same embarkation port, same day.  A solo cabin on Allure would have cost me over $2,000.  I've got a solo balcony here for $500.  

In normal times, MSC in the Caribbean has a very European clientele, people loyal to MSC fly over to sail the Carib.  You get on the elevator, people are speaking German, Polish, etc.  Announcements are made in multiple languages.  Currently, of course, it's mostly Americans.  MSC also has their kids sail free promotion, which I believe is 12 or under.  For the price, try them once.  See what you think.  

 

[EllaDuChien]

5 hours ago, maureencruiser said:

I'll add on to what Tapi says.  I have sailed MSC about 10 times, Royal about 50 times, I say that they are like cruising used to be.  Beautiful ships, good food, drinks, more like a traditional ocean liner.  No bumper cars, skating rinks, ropes courses, etc.  But, I physically cannot do all that stuff.  I'm on Divina now, had friends sailing Allure, out of the same embarkation port, same day.  A solo cabin on Allure would have cost me over $2,000.  I've got a solo balcony here for $500.  

In normal times, MSC in the Caribbean has a very European clientele, people loyal to MSC fly over to sail the Carib.  You get on the elevator, people are speaking German, Polish, etc.  Announcements are made in multiple languages.  Currently, of course, it's mostly Americans.  MSC also has their kids sail free promotion, which I believe is 12 or under.  For the price, try them once.  See what you think.  

 

 

So true about the solo pricing difference!  I have a solo B2B on Divina in April that never would have been possible on Royal for the price.  This will only be my 2nd (& 3rd) cruise with MSC after 25 with Royal but I have really enjoyed the European feel to MSC.  Looking forward to seeing Ocean Cay as well! 

[maureencruiser]

19 hours ago, EllaDuChien said:

.  Looking forward to seeing Ocean Cay as well! 

 

Check out my review, I just posted pics of Ocean Cay, gorgeous!