Possible last minute 2nd cruise? Is it really as bad as the reviews?

[3113Timmy]

Hello there, I am booked on the 10 day Med discovery from Rome to Barcelona on the Oceania Riviera on the 15th April.

 

I need to be back at work on the week starting 8 May. So I have a number of days free after the cruise ends on 25th April.

My current, and likely option, is to spend a week in southern Spain, visiting Seville, Gibraltar, Ronda and Granada, before taking the final four days of my vacation in Paris, visiting sites I didn't go to last time (Orsay Museum, Saint Chapelle, Giverny) and a spring revisit to Versailles.

 

However, it is in theory possible for me to do a 7 day MSC Divina cruise of the Greek Islands, Cyprus and Haifa in lieu. It costs very little.

The reviews of MSC, especially the food, have been downright dismal. However, I am a great proponent of seeing a lot in a small amount of time and from my perspective the main things are the destinations, although food is just about the most important thing onboard the actual ship. I have cruised on the Rhapsody of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) before; that's a mass market line and everything was perfectly acceptable, including the food and the service. It wasn't the Ritz, but it wasn't the dingy GRIMaldi Ferry either. I just get the feeling that coming off an upper-premium cruise I would get a very disconcerting experience.

 

What do you think?

[hamrag]

MSC Divina??? Not in the Greek Islands on any schedule I can see!

[3113Timmy]

Well one of the MSC fleet anyway!

[BklynBorn47]

I'm glad you posted this.  We have booked our first MSC cruise for the same reason.  Given the difference in cost, I expect a different experience but how bad can it be?
We are not great cooks and dining options where we live are quite limited, so I'm sure we will find the food onboard OK.

However, from the videos, the cabin size and lack of storage space (balcony cabin) is a concern.  After 20 days (other cruise line) I'm thinking that a lot of our stuff will just stay in a suitcase under the bed?  We tried to book a larger cabin but they were "sold out"  both online and checking by phone. To their credit they did answer the phone faster than any other line I've had to call.  

 
 

[Essiesmom]

I don’t know which ships you are looking at, but we had one tiny inside on Divina, and quite roomy balcony cabins on Divina and Seaside.  Also small OV on Armonia.    Thus I would avoid Armonia/Lirica class, and study the deck plans well on Fantasia class, especially on Divina and Preziosaa.  I have no experience on Musica class.  EM

[3113Timmy]

The ship that I would be considering (unlikely at this stage) would be the Lirica.

 

I can tolerate even the tiniest staterooms, but stodgy food is a different matter.

[LeCommandant]

MSC Lirica is a relatively small ship, so I think it is a good choice to avoid crowded areas 😉 You cannot really take into account comments of people who did a cruise on a larger MSC ship as the experience changes a lot. It is my feeling 😉 

MSC offers breakfast, lunch and dinner at the restaurant, with an Italian style. I really appreciate that because I like being served (if you want the buffet is also great).
For me quality is fine. The downside is the fact that they tend to do their best to sell extras (e.g., sirloin, lobster, etc), and you have to pay to get something from the grill. 

[BklynBorn47]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

I don’t know which ships you are looking at, but we had one tiny inside on Divina, and quite roomy balcony cabins on Divina and Seaside.  Also small OV on Armonia.    Thus I would avoid Armonia/Lirica class, and study the deck plans well on Fantasia class, especially on Divina and Preziosaa.  I have no experience on Musica class.  EM

I don't know enough about MSC to know which class our ship is in.

The Meraviglia is what we booked - the only one that fit our dates & ports.

There was an online video where a solo cruiser posted a tour of her balcony cabin.  Looked like a small closet and a few shelves/drawers.  We will manage though.  We are very efficient packers.  

[Nunagoras]

Well: With 7 MSC cruises under my belt and one RCI (Oasis Class), what I can say, as a retired market analyst, is that MSC, at least for me is rightly on par, if not a little ahead of RCI pretty much on everything else, except for that WOW factor the Oasis class is all about, including its unique entertainment! The Oasis Class is an experience of its own with nothing else to compare in the market. But again; it is only the details that detach it from the others. The remaining is both the companies hard and soft product as they can provide it, and here MSC wins by a relatively good margin. Ships are generally more clean, preventive maintenance seems better (and I was on Allure just out of a dry dock...), service might to be hit or miss on both but generally more professionally reserved on MSC, the Oasis Class buffet offering is quite unique as the Class itself might to be, but the MDR food felt a little bit better on MSC, cabins are larger on RCI, but again, Oasis class uniqueness at sea!... And I could continue nearly indefinitely...

 

Food taste is as relative as it can be. General sense of food quality can be measured quite strictly. And to put things its real situation; at least here in Europe the food you'll enjoy will to come from the same providers whatever ship you find because ships can only to work with whomever else their main ports gives authorization to enter their grounds. Oceania might to have such some relatively better ingredients here and there, but it will no doubt to come from the same vendors! In ship preparation and delivery may vary... But again: Different market tags for such a difference audience, right? And at a different price, obviously!... MSC ingredients will come from same RCI variety, no more, no less either.

 

Permit me two last notes:

 

It disgusts me the fact that most of the ones commenting here and on other social media outlets don't have a little clue about what is to restart an industry. Surely all of us have our own expectations, but again... Bear in mind we're not living normal times. Either way the Covid situation remains not 100% solved, and we have that ugly war on Ukraine... The world will need its time to recover... I'm not currently booked on any cruise, but even if I were, I'd expect some above the normal service inconsistencies. MDR menus are more compact right now. Buffet availability might to be hit or miss. This is something we must to cope with for the nearest future to come. To restart an industry is not like to press an app button on a smartphone... Wonderful if it was...

 

The Lirica class ships are the smallest ones in MSC fleet. As far as I'm concerned they don't have restarted those ships anyway. If you can find a nice deal on a larger ship, wonderful, if not, perhaps there are better solutions for you. That is my humble advise. Either way the Lirica class was refurbished quite recently, no bells and whistles surely, you'd have a nice time. Any cruise could be nice anyway!...

 

Have a nice day!...

[Oxo]

Opinions are very diversified. We cruised on the MSC Lirica back in Jan 2006 and again Apr 2006. It was the first MSC ship to port from FL. We are Diamond on MSC and cruised many times on many of their ships. In fact, we are on the Seashore in July 2022 on a B2B. 

 

We are not cheerleaders of any cruise line. We cruise quite often on many cruise lines. 

We like MSC and the other cruise lines for each provides a different experience.

As for Food. Very subjective. Yes, we have cruised MSC in Europe and the Caribbean. 

There is, in our opinion, no way that MSC's food is as good as or near any other cruise line. It is not American and not Italian. That is one of MSCs biggest shortcomings. Even recognized by the MSC Management Staff in recent articles. 

There is no other cruise line that gets so many poor reviews for food as MSC does. 

We don't worry about the food as there is always something to find.

 

When you compare the Oasis class ships or RCI, there is no true comparison to MSC. RCI is a class in its own. MSC is up and coming with all their new builds. C19 created shortcomings, too. For all the cruise lines. We were on Celebrity Edge in Nov 2021 and NCL Joy B2B in Nov and Dec 2021. Each of those ships were at a very low passenger ratio compare to what their full capacity was. However, never had big lines, long waits or poor food/service.

The world is not perfect. The cruise lines are not perfect. We cruise to enjoy a vacation.

We accept some of the shortcomings due to C19 and startups. 

Stay Safe and Happy Cruising!

 

[Greenhopster]

I have 30 cruises under my belt. 3 on MSC. I was panicked on my first one because of the reviews. Well the cruise was just fine. Didn't care for announcements in 3 different languages but the food, room, and shows were enjoyable. The cruise industry has changed. If you select the lower priced cruises your not going to get the same as Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, or Viking. But that's ok. I look for the relaxation, time with my wife, make a couple of new friends, and go to some interesting places. Pick the itinerary, pick the price, lock up the house, and go have some fun and quit critiquing everything.

[styles27]

Food is subjective and I’ve yet to starve on any cruise ship. I can always find something to eat that is just fine. I’ve yet to have 5 star food on any line we’ve sailed but it doesn’t stop us from cruising   
Our European cruise was so port intensive that we hardly ate on the ship at all.

 

I wouldn’t let food reviews stop me from booking an itinerary I want to cruise. 

[perakcruiser]

On 3/14/2022 at 7:52 PM, BklynBorn47 said:

Given the difference in cost, I expect a different experience but how bad can it be?

MSC is not bad at all, that claim is baseless. MSC will not serve you Filet Mignon (even you can be lucky on a Gala evening sometimes) and expensive seafood if you not pay for it in a "speciality restaurant". Yes, some dishes are better than others, as a MSC first timer you have to try what suits you. Buffet is spotless, nothing to complain. If you are familiar with "normal" Italian restaurant level of food you will be fine. 

 

Having said that, I find MSC fast food like Hamburgers not attractive, but I don´t choose this anyway. My fast food is Pizza which is great on MSC.

Edited March 26, 2022 by perakcruiser

[BklynBorn47]

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

MSC is not bad at all, that claim is baseless. MSC will not serve you Filet Mignon (even you can be lucky on a Gala evening sometimes) and expensive seafood if you not pay for it in a "speciality restaurant". Yes, some dishes are better than others, as a MSC first timer you have to try what suits you. Buffet is spotless, nothing to complain. If you are familiar with "normal" Italian restaurant level of food you will be fine. 

 

Having said that, I find MSC fast food like Hamburgers not attractive, but I don´t choose this anyway. My fast food is Pizza which is great on MSC.

Thank you for confirming this.  So often I will read an awful review of a particular cruise, including "food worse than Golden Corral" and realize that I was on that SAME CRUISE & I thought the food was just fine. 

[cruzeluver]

Food is so subjective, and I have found reviews to be nearly useless except maybe in matters that are not subjective.

[AdrienH]

Dear Timmy,

 

Funny enough I am going on the cruise just before your's on the Riviera on April 4th and the only reason is (did already all the ports of call except one)  ... the food and the expected culinary experience that I heard, is awesome.

Now I have done in 2021, 2 MSC cruises (Grandiosa) as they were the only ones operating during Covid, one in a "normal" balcony cabin and one in a Yacht Club Suite. Now only the one Yacht Club you have decent meals?  Specialty restaurants are an alternative. Of course you won't starve but the combination after an Oceania cruise could be rather disappointing.
So honestly, go for your land tour, South of Spain and then Paris ... don't bother MSC.

 

[travelberlin]

I like MSC and I cruise oft with them. I also like Oceania and I have done some voyages with this company. Having said that, I would not book an MSC cruise after an Oceania cruise because the disappointment would be big. I would do it the other way around: first MSC and then Oceania but I understand this is not an option. No comparison in terms of food. Oceania is five stars in food, MSC just three IMHO.
In your case, I would prefer to stop cruising in Barcelona and to visit Barcelona and other Spanish places. For Barcelona at least two nights if you want to visit the main attractions. You do not have that many days, I would go to Seville and Granada and skip Ronda and Gibraltar. And then continue as planned in Paris.

As much as you want to visit many places quickly, what does it bring a short visit to Haifa? Israel could be part of another cruise for you in the future. 
Ivi

[RealNorwegianCruiser]

I believe one word in particular is important when it comes to MSC Cruises compared to other cruise lines. It is expectation. 

 

What you should and can expect from MSC Cruises.

 

Lets start with the obvious: MSC Cruises is not and will not be a luxury cruise line. It is not in the top level of the mainstream cruise lines either. Yacht Club is good, but it is not 5 star that either. It is good, but not top level.

 

And the price reflects that. You get what you pay for, and in my honest opinion: A little bit more.

 

MSC Cruises is good, but it is a mid level mainstream cruise line.

 

I got 2 MSC cruises under my belt, and got one more coming up now for easter. As a European family with a young child, MSC is a good product for us.

 

Expectations. 

 

This is my review. Pre Covid19 though.. 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637706

[3113Timmy]

Well I did the math, if I went on the MSC cruise I'd need to fly from Barcelona to Athens the same day that my Oceania cruise ends.

 

And MSC would make me do a PCR test in the 48 hours immediately before their departure. The logistics are just too unrealistic. Also my conscience will not allow me to have another week of cruise-related weight gain.

 

Maybe I'll have to save up for another Oceania cruise in the Greek Islands in future...... I'm only 42 so I've got many cruises left in me as long as I don't blow my bankroll.

[perakcruiser]

8 hours ago, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

MSC Cruises is good, but it is a mid level mainstream cruise line.

Maybe that is the reason I prefer MSC. I am a mid level mainstream guy and will always be, no matter if my bank account maybe shows that I am slightly above that 😄

 

8 hours ago, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

I got 2 MSC cruises under my belt, and got one more coming up now for easter. As a European family with a young child, MSC is a good product for us.

That is the other point, the kids friendlyness of the line has highest priority for me. Other lines even wanted to charge my younger kid at the age of one and charge quite hefty. 

 

 

[thepla]

7 hours ago, 3113Timmy said:

Well I did the math, if I went on the MSC cruise I'd need to fly from Barcelona to Athens the same day that my Oceania cruise ends.

 

And MSC would make me do a PCR test in the 48 hours immediately before their departure. The logistics are just too unrealistic. Also my conscience will not allow me to have another week of cruise-related weight gain.

 

Maybe I'll have to save up for another Oceania cruise in the Greek Islands in future...... I'm only 42 so I've got many cruises left in me as long as I don't blow my bankroll.

I'm not sure they're is 48 hour rule if you need a negative PCR at ship again.

 

Just got off virtuosa and did to a technical issue with cvs in Chicago we had to wait to board until results of test taken at airport upon arrival. They also had way to take PCR test at port.

 

Rule was, in our case 72 hours not 48, prior to port and board waiting for airport in Dubai result (or at pier) to board   I have no idea if this cruise needs one at pier also before boarding 

[CampNCruise74]

21 hours ago, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

I believe one word in particular is important when it comes to MSC Cruises compared to other cruise lines. It is expectation. 

 

What you should and can expect from MSC Cruises.

 

Lets start with the obvious: MSC Cruises is not and will not be a luxury cruise line. It is not in the top level of the mainstream cruise lines either. Yacht Club is good, but it is not 5 star that either. It is good, but not top level.

 

And the price reflects that. You get what you pay for, and in my honest opinion: A little bit more.

 

MSC Cruises is good, but it is a mid level mainstream cruise line.

 

I got 2 MSC cruises under my belt, and got one more coming up now for easter. As a European family with a young child, MSC is a good product for us.

 

Expectations. 

 

This is my review. Pre Covid19 though.. 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637706

As an American cruising family, you are part of the reason why we like to cruise MSC.  We like for our kids to experience other nationalities and people and customs, both staff and customers.  I believe the emphasis on the arts is higher than some other lines with MSC as well.  Respect and interest of these things are usually higher in European cultures than our sometimes self centered mindset here.  Complaints over the years about the multitudes of national languages in announcement, not enough salt in food, opera in the theater, etc are testament to things being different on MSC..  We like those differences.  Granted there are shortcomings, but those things make it a unique experience in its own right.  

[cellfree]

26 minutes ago, CampNCruise74 said:

As an American cruising family, you are part of the reason why we like to cruise MSC.  We like for our kids to experience other nationalities and people and customs, both staff and customers.  I believe the emphasis on the arts is higher than some other lines with MSC as well.  Respect and interest of these things are usually higher in European cultures than our sometimes self centered mindset here.  Complaints over the years about the multitudes of national languages in announcement, not enough salt in food, opera in the theater, etc are testament to things being different on MSC..  We like those differences.  Granted there are shortcomings, but those things make it a unique experience in its own right.  

Agree, these days it’s the two of us but glad your family can appreciate and enjoy MSC. We did cruise the Mera out of Port Canaveral a couple weeks ago, enjoyed it as we did pre-covid but it was less European and more American, we did miss the multi-cultural aspect, hopefully that will return on MSC ships out of US ports before too long. 

[hamrag]

On 3/26/2022 at 10:07 AM, perakcruiser said:

....MSC will not serve you Filet Mignon (even you can be lucky on a Gala evening sometimes) and expensive seafood if you not pay for it in a "speciality restaurant".......

Not true, in Yacht Club you may have such every night if you chose to do so! 😉

[Nunagoras]

On 3/27/2022 at 8:21 PM, RealNorwegianCruiser said:

I believe one word in particular is important when it comes to MSC Cruises compared to other cruise lines. It is expectation. 

 

What you should and can expect from MSC Cruises.

 

Lets start with the obvious: MSC Cruises is not and will not be a luxury cruise line. It is not in the top level of the mainstream cruise lines either. Yacht Club is good, but it is not 5 star that either. It is good, but not top level.

 

And the price reflects that. You get what you pay for, and in my honest opinion: A little bit more.

 

MSC Cruises is good, but it is a mid level mainstream cruise line.

 

I got 2 MSC cruises under my belt, and got one more coming up now for easter. As a European family with a young child, MSC is a good product for us.

 

Expectations. 

 

This is my review. Pre Covid19 though.. 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=637706

Yeah!... That's it! I wouldn't say it better for sure! Many thanks for the insight!

 

As you say: Make your expectations in accordance with the real product. If one doesn't pay 5* ship, how in earth would one receive 5* service? Never and ever!... Costa, Carnival, RCI, NCL and yes MSC are all of them 4* cruising these days, so their standards will be more similar than different to say the least. Same for challenges: They'll to be more similar than different. I'd make X to be 4*+ like Princess these days.

 

Surely: Final average full cost per passenger considered; if one books out of peak season in Europe, or if one is going out of an US port, MSC would to be among the cheapest ones one can find, just little bit above Costa or Carnival in some cases. Though; if one goes in Europe on peak season, MSC can be the 2nd most expensive of the market, just a little bit shy of RCI's Quantum and Oasis classes! So; it is in fact mid level mainstream lines as you so well describe them.

 

That said: MSC is not that bad. It suits my needs, though I can understand it doesn't suit anyone's needs. MSC is very multinational in their clientele base. Their shows are very visual by the norm. Their food will tend to reflect their market targeting. And as you say: Sometimes they'll even to give you such a little bit more value considering what you've paid for, but... One must to take all of that in consideration before booking!

 

Have a nice day!...