New to MSC! Cruising Soon! Soooo Many Questions!

[1kaper]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:50 AM, NDG72 said:

We are cruising with MSC for the second time in a week, I had the same issue with checking in through their website in entering my credit card and uploading our pictures, but they still ended up emailing me our etickets. Later I was able to enter my credit card information and pictures through their App.

You need to download their App if you intend to connect to their Wifi in their ship, if memory serves me correct.

We sailed with them this past February. Their private island is nice, not as nice as Disney's or Royal Caribbean but we still enjoyed it. 

Service in the island for drinks was not the best, we had better luck getting drinks quicker at their light house bar.

 

The app does not work for Divina.  I tried before I left.  Only certain ships. 

We had to go to a webpage to use their wifi.  The person who's name the cabin is booked under needs to set up their account first.  I was having some issues so I just had her log into my device with her account since she is allowed 2.  

As for the original questions - I think most have been answered but to the food - I though the food was excellent.  I sailed Carnival in March and Divina in May.  The buffet on Divina was far superior.  The pizza is good on both but MSC takes the win for the best. 

[texangal39]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:26 AM, Nunagoras said:

I wouldn't say their food as "authentic to Italy" these days, because they serve mostly dishes from everywhere else, but it certainly is food that caters for a very international crowd with a definite contemporary Continental European flavour, IMHO, and comparing to here in Portugal it is like going on a nice wedding venue. Good to happily feed us for the day, but generally nothing to write home about. Comparing with RCI (in Europe) which is my unique cruising experience other than MSC, I'd say that they are more similar than different, apart the notorious American cultural heritage on RCI versus Continental European on MSC. MDR food seemed to me to slightly excels on MSC, especially desserts. Buffet offering was somewhat better on RCI, but again: Space wise nobody wins the RCI's Oasis class, and that pays dividends on the small details, and the dinner MSC buffet is usually quite "poor" making me to think that it is seen on them as such a "last opportunity" place for you to eat if you fail your MDR allocated time slot... Hope to have helped a little bit more.

Thank you for the clarification. And even though it isn’t authentic Italian cuisine, I’m still excited because I’d rather be cruising any day of the week 😁

[texangal39]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:31 AM, alohayall said:

On the Seashore (low passenger count), I never saw anyone at the Credit Card kiosk (Cruise Card Activation Point). You have from embarkation until 11 pm the following day to activate your account (per MSC website).

 

Their for-fee specialty restaurant, Butcher’s Cut, was excellent.  I am one of those who thinks MSC has the best pizza at sea.  It’s Neapolitan style, with a thin crust.  After eating it everyday for a week, very few others satisfy.  This is marinara on whole wheat. I totally did not miss cheese (but they do have excellent cheese).
 

Thank you very much for sharing! I’ve read many a post about the pizza on MSC.

[texangal39]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:34 AM, alohayall said:

Service is as good as any other line I have sailed. And I am just a peon in an interior cabin (but also Diamond level, thanks to their Status Matching Program).

 

When you come back, let us know what you thought.

 

Bon Voyage.

Thank you! I will post about my experience. I just got my email matching my NCL status.

[texangal39]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:28 AM, Essiesmom said:

I am going to post some pics i took on Divina.  The first is 12173, at the time I took them it was a standard balcony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next cabin was also a standard bella balcony, but it is one of a number of cabins on Divina that had a tub/shower rather than just a shower, so does not have a full couch, just a soft chair:  Cabin 8114

 

 

 

 

The next is 9201, now classed as a junior balcony:

 

 

 

 

 

EM

This is fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing these pics and giving me a good idea on the cabins. This was amazingly helpful and the cabins look nice 😍

 

[texangal39]

23 hours ago, Homosassa said:

To be specific, the family that owns MSC hails from Naples and much of the Italian food is Neapolitan.

 

That includes the pizza that meets the standards set by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

 

In the morning, check the pizza area for another MSC specialty. They have hot, gooey sticky buns for breakfast. They are the best!

 

As Nunagoras has stated, besides the Neapolitan food, there will  be food available on board the Divina in the buffet that will include food common to any onboard European, Asian or South American guests. (which also probably is part of the complaints by the grits and gravy crowd that the food is bad). 

 

For breakfast, I loved hitting the English section for English bacon and the baked tomatoes, the section that had the various herrings and other smoked fish, looking at the Asia options, etc..

 

At lunch, the very rear of the buffet area would feature cuisine from a different part of the world.

 

My experience was pre covid and I don't know how many non North Americans will be on board ship at this point which means some of the cultural offerings may not be on the buffet.

 

 

Perfect! I appreciate the tips and description of what to expect. It sounds very nice. I’m a pretty laid back cruiser and know how to appreciate each line for what they bring to the table, so I’m really excited to see what I will appreciate and love most about MSC as I have a feeling this line will be my go to for specific reasons; just as the other lines I’ve cruises are. I cruise NCL for the party, RCI for the overall appeal to many when I’m with a larger group of friends & family, Celebrity for the food and romantic vibe, and HAL for the food and destinations.

[texangal39]

12 hours ago, rscales2 said:

I just booked a cruise a 17 days Transatlantic cruise my first time on MSC. I saw YouTube videos that said the Dining room was so - so. The Buffet was good especially Pizza and the Pasta. 

Please post when you get back and tell us all about it. I’d love to hear your experience. I booked a short cruise to give it a try and plan on booking a longer cruise to travel next year with them on one of their newer ships.

[texangal39]

8 hours ago, 1kaper said:

 

The app does not work for Divina.  I tried before I left.  Only certain ships. 

We had to go to a webpage to use their wifi.  The person who's name the cabin is booked under needs to set up their account first.  I was having some issues so I just had her log into my device with her account since she is allowed 2.  

As for the original questions - I think most have been answered but to the food - I though the food was excellent.  I sailed Carnival in March and Divina in May.  The buffet on Divina was far superior.  The pizza is good on both but MSC takes the win for the best. 

Thank you for clearing the app & wifi issue up. The MSC website says something about certain ships having the capability and it didn’t appear the the Divina was one of them, but I wasn’t sure. So, this is good to know; especially the tip about who should set up their account first.

[Homosassa]

I don't know if this still holds true, but I suspect it does.

 

On the day we were  at Ocean Cay, the offerings on board ship for lunch were slim. 

 

As we are not beach fanatics, we prefer to stay on board ship and enjoy the ship while others are ashore.

 

The buffet had very limited food offerings, the MDR is closed for lunch, and the gelato stand is closed.  This is because many of the crew are ashore working at the shore side facilities.

 

The MDR is open for dinner and has a full menu.

[MANDMTRAVEL]

5 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

I don't know if this still holds true, but I suspect it does.

 

On the day we were  at Ocean Cay, the offerings on board ship for lunch were slim. 

 

As we are not beach fanatics, we prefer to stay on board ship and enjoy the ship while others are ashore.

 

The buffet had very limited food offerings, the MDR is closed for lunch, and the gelato stand is closed.  This is because many of the crew are ashore working at the shore side facilities.

 

The MDR is open for dinner and has a full menu.

Where can you find gelato on the Seashore?

[Nunagoras]

18 hours ago, texangal39 said:

Thank you for clearing the app & wifi issue up. The MSC website says something about certain ships having the capability and it didn’t appear the the Divina was one of them, but I wasn’t sure. So, this is good to know; especially the tip about who should set up their account first.

Just to facilitate, as far as I know, the unique ships that currently serve the US market that are compatible with the app are the Meraviglia and the Seashore. All the others are considered old for that matter. Have a nice day!...

[texangal39]

3 hours ago, Homosassa said:

I don't know if this still holds true, but I suspect it does.

 

On the day we were  at Ocean Cay, the offerings on board ship for lunch were slim. 

 

As we are not beach fanatics, we prefer to stay on board ship and enjoy the ship while others are ashore.

 

The buffet had very limited food offerings, the MDR is closed for lunch, and the gelato stand is closed.  This is because many of the crew are ashore working at the shore side facilities.

 

The MDR is open for dinner and has a full menu.

So, meal options are limited while the ship is at the private island; duly noted! We plan to get off the ship as early as possible and stay the bulk of the day.

 

Now I’m crossing my fingers that the upgrade I bid on will come through; getting pretty close to the wire. But I’m not panicking. If I don’t hear back though, I think I will call and simply upgrade to a Premium Balcony if they are still available.

[texangal39]

2 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Just to facilitate, as far as I know, the unique ships that currently serve the US market that are compatible with the app are the Meraviglia and the Seashore. All the others are considered old for that matter. Have a nice day!...

Thank you you’ve been so very helpful 😀 BTW Portugal is one of my favorite countries. Not only is it a beautiful country that is very diverse in landscape, but the people are very kind, helpful, and welcoming. The people and food are my favorite things about Portugal. My favorite areas are Sintra, Nazare, Costa da Caparica, and various areas of Lisbon and all of the food I’ve ever had was amazing.

[1kaper]

1 hour ago, texangal39 said:

So, meal options are limited while the ship is at the private island; duly noted! We plan to get off the ship as early as possible and stay the bulk of the day.

 

Now I’m crossing my fingers that the upgrade I bid on will come through; getting pretty close to the wire. But I’m not panicking. If I don’t hear back though, I think I will call and simply upgrade to a Premium Balcony if they are still available.

 

How far out are you?  I heard back 4 days before my sailing.  I've seen similar posts elsewhere.  

I don't know if it has been mentioned - I thought the food was overall very good on MSC as I already said.  However.  Ocean Cay is the one exception.  We did not care for the buffet there.  The burgers were cold and dry.  The jerk chicken was good, tasty but not spicy.  There were also ribs, fries, salad.  Can't remember what else. 
From what I heard the food trucks cook the burgers fresh.  Had we known that, we would have just went there.  
I ate on the ship the second day.  We didn't end up getting off early due to rain but it was my plan to return to the ship to eat regardless.  
YMMV

[alohayall]

6 hours ago, MANDMTRAVEL said:

Where can you find gelato on the Seashore?

The chocolate shop had gelato for a few.  There was also ice cream or gelato (I can’t remember which) in the Jungle Pool area and possibly the bar by the pool.  I only got some at the chocolate shop, so my memory is a little shady on the other two places.

[Nunagoras]

3 hours ago, texangal39 said:

Thank you you’ve been so very helpful 😀 BTW Portugal is one of my favorite countries. Not only is it a beautiful country that is very diverse in landscape, but the people are very kind, helpful, and welcoming. The people and food are my favorite things about Portugal. My favorite areas are Sintra, Nazare, Costa da Caparica, and various areas of Lisbon and all of the food I’ve ever had was amazing.

...I have 7 cruises with MSC with an 8th on the making for 2023, if our world permits it to be a go... hence I know relatively well the product. I also enjoyed a cruise on RCI's Allure of the Seas, and several 1 to 3 days river cruises on smaller European companies. Cruising is so my favourite holiday travel way!... Hope to continue that way for the longer future!... And hope to continue helping here at CC!...

 

Meanwhile, many thanks to the wonderful description you made about Portugal!... We might not be that monumental like France or Italy... We might also not be as focused on nature like Norway or the Alaska... But by joining our landscape diversity with our kind and helpful people, we are, IMHO, one of the best and safest places for everyone to travel to!... Congrats for your choices that are, by the most part some of the most beautiful parts of the country to visit for people with very different interests!... For the ones that don't know: Costa de Caparica and Nazaré are mostly beach places, Sintra is either way a place where nature meets the historical places so nicely, and Lisbon, our lovely capital is a very nice city for a little bit more than a cruise day!... We have other very wonderful places to visit, both the northern part with Porto as being the 2nd most important city, Holly Mother of Fatima Shrine if one is religious, or even if not, and I'd to add also Azores, some wonderful islands on the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where nature shines at its best!...

 

Congrats for your kind words and have a nice day!...

[texangal39]

7 hours ago, 1kaper said:

 

How far out are you?  I heard back 4 days before my sailing.  I've seen similar posts elsewhere.  

I don't know if it has been mentioned - I thought the food was overall very good on MSC as I already said.  However.  Ocean Cay is the one exception.  We did not care for the buffet there.  The burgers were cold and dry.  The jerk chicken was good, tasty but not spicy.  There were also ribs, fries, salad.  Can't remember what else. 
From what I heard the food trucks cook the burgers fresh.  Had we known that, we would have just went there.  
I ate on the ship the second day.  We didn't end up getting off early due to rain but it was my plan to return to the ship to eat regardless.  
YMMV

We are 2 weeks out; just far enough away to seem like a long time, but close enough to make me giddy with excitement! 😁 I’m a very “plan it” type because I like to put bows on things, but I also like to leave some days open to do whatever feels good; planned spontaneity if you will 😊

 

Oh, sounds like we have something to look forward to on Ocean Cay. Jerk chicken, ribs, and salad all sound good to me and I also love a good turkey burger so I’ll see if the food truck can accommodate me. The sailing we are on is only for 3nt/4 days so we will not be overnighting at Ocean Cay … unless we end up not stopping in Nassau because of too many ships as has been reported on another sailing. Although, I wouldn’t be sad about that because I’ve done Nassau so many times I’ve lost count 😉

Looking forward to departure day already!!🥰

[texangal39]

5 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

...I have 7 cruises with MSC with an 8th on the making for 2023, if our world permits it to be a go... hence I know relatively well the product. I also enjoyed a cruise on RCI's Allure of the Seas, and several 1 to 3 days river cruises on smaller European companies. Cruising is so my favourite holiday travel way!... Hope to continue that way for the longer future!... And hope to continue helping here at CC!...

 

Meanwhile, many thanks to the wonderful description you made about Portugal!... We might not be that monumental like France or Italy... We might also not be as focused on nature like Norway or the Alaska... But by joining our landscape diversity with our kind and helpful people, we are, IMHO, one of the best and safest places for everyone to travel to!... Congrats for your choices that are, by the most part some of the most beautiful parts of the country to visit for people with very different interests!... For the ones that don't know: Costa de Caparica and Nazaré are mostly beach places, Sintra is either way a place where nature meets the historical places so nicely, and Lisbon, our lovely capital is a very nice city for a little bit more than a cruise day!... We have other very wonderful places to visit, both the northern part with Porto as being the 2nd most important city, Holly Mother of Fatima Shrine if one is religious, or even if not, and I'd to add also Azores, some wonderful islands on the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where nature shines at its best!...

 

Congrats for your kind words and have a nice day!...

For those who haven’t been to Portugal and to add to what Nunagoras said, the Holy Mother of Fatima Shrine is very moving. It brought tears to my eyes to be there and hear our guide tell the story with such reverence and passion. It is a must visit for anyone who goes to Portugal for sure.

 

I haven’t done the Azores, but plan to make it my thing to do when I go next year. It’s one of my fly & stays that I’m most looking forward to.

[texangal39]

Well the charge hit my credit card sometime last night while I was asleep, so we are now in the premium balcony, so we gained a little more space in our cabin and on our balcony for a small amount of money 😃

[Nunagoras]

11 hours ago, texangal39 said:

For those who haven’t been to Portugal and to add to what Nunagoras said, the Holy Mother of Fatima Shrine is very moving. It brought tears to my eyes to be there and hear our guide tell the story with such reverence and passion. It is a must visit for anyone who goes to Portugal for sure. Absolutely!...

 

I haven’t done the Azores, but plan to make it my thing to do when I go next year. It’s one of my fly & stays that I’m most looking forward to. Even if you only visit S. Miguel, the largest of the islands, which capital is Ponta Delgada, you're going for a real treat!... I recommend you to book in advance a full day excursion that goes to eat the famous "Cozido das Furnas" which is a Portuguese stew cooked on by volcanic heat on land, which is a unique delight!... You might find some interesting itineraries. Once we are forbidden to link to TA's websites, I'll abstain to link one for you. Either way, they're easy to find online!... Be very welcome to Portugal again!...

Have my comments in blue and have a nice day!...

[texangal39]

On 6/8/2022 at 4:34 AM, texangal39 said:

Well the charge hit my credit card sometime last night while I was asleep, so we are now in the premium balcony, so we gained a little more space in our cabin and on our balcony for a small amount of money 😃

Got the email today confirming our upgrade and the new cabin in a better location… mid-ship with cabins below and above it! Yaaayy!! Now I’m just watching the clock and counting days 😁

[texangal39]

On 6/8/2022 at 10:12 AM, Nunagoras said:

Have my comments in blue and have a nice day!...

Thanks for the tips! I can’t wait to get back to Portugal. My trip next year is really going to be about me spending time determining if I’d like to relocate there. I’m considering the country as my new home. I am planning to stay for 2 or 3 months to get a feel for the country and how it is to have a regular life there. My current job is remote (work from home), so location doesn’t matter as long as I have good internet service. Like a normal working person, I intend to work Monday through Friday and do some weekend trips to the Azores and other areas of the country.

[bernard530]

On 6/4/2022 at 4:46 PM, Homosassa said:

Many of the complaints about MSC food seems to be because people go n board expecting Olive Garden, Carrabas, and Pizza Hut food.

 

They are shocked to find that Italian food is very different from the stuff served in those restaurants.

Best comment I've read.  LOL

[Nunagoras]

13 hours ago, texangal39 said:

Thanks for the tips! I can’t wait to get back to Portugal. My trip next year is really going to be about me spending time determining if I’d like to relocate there. I’m considering the country as my new home. I am planning to stay for 2 or 3 months to get a feel for the country and how it is to have a regular life there. My current job is remote (work from home), so location doesn’t matter as long as I have good internet service. Like a normal working person, I intend to work Monday through Friday and do some weekend trips to the Azores and other areas of the country.

WOW!... Muito obrigado; or many thanks to the confidence we're showing on us. We are a nice people! Yeah, we're sort of bureaucratic at times... For example: You'll have such a hard time to get a simple universal health care number, needed to have your Covid vaccines in order... But after those little first time annoyances you'll highly enjoy to stay with us. Several "techie nomads" choose Portugal to live these days. The Web Summit convention is here to stay. Our Eurovision 2017 organization was a huge success. State taxes are on the high side of the pound... But to compensate we're quite safe to live in. I enjoy to be a Portuguese!... And we tend to be sort on the modern side of the pound. If your workflow can to be done on a 100-200Mb fiber to the home point, you'll have access to that pretty much everywhere. If you need somewhat on the 1-2Gb, then that is restricted to certain Lisbon or Porto locations and a few very specific ones elsewhere...

 

Have a nice day and a nice weekend! I know, this is not the best place to talk about foreign countries, but feel free to ask any particular questions if you want!...

[texangal39]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

WOW!... Muito obrigado; or many thanks to the confidence we're showing on us. We are a nice people! Yeah, we're sort of bureaucratic at times... For example: You'll have such a hard time to get a simple universal health care number, needed to have your Covid vaccines in order... But after those little first time annoyances you'll highly enjoy to stay with us. Several "techie nomads" choose Portugal to live these days. The Web Summit convention is here to stay. Our Eurovision 2017 organization was a huge success. State taxes are on the high side of the pound... But to compensate we're quite safe to live in. I enjoy to be a Portuguese!... And we tend to be sort on the modern side of the pound. If your workflow can to be done on a 100-200Mb fiber to the home point, you'll have access to that pretty much everywhere. If you need somewhat on the 1-2Gb, then that is restricted to certain Lisbon or Porto locations and a few very specific ones elsewhere...

 

Have a nice day and a nice weekend! I know, this is not the best place to talk about foreign countries, but feel free to ask any particular questions if you want!...

Thank you for the information and the offer to answer my Portugal questions! I’m focused on Lisbon and am researching the areas I want to do my short term rental in and will make my arrangements in the next 2 to 3 months and plan to contact a real estate agent to handle everything in the next few months. I will reach out via message if I have any questions for you so we don’t derail this thread any further 😃