MSC advice for first timer (I know this is the Royal forum)

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yeah, not at price of $800  for 4 nights.

We done the Yacht Club twice, both on the MSC Seaside, September 2018 and October 2019, both from about $200 p.p. per day. Our two favorite cruises of the 47 we’ve taken. The current prices are almost twice that now so we are probably done.

We’ve done the Grand Suite on the Allure of the Seas and a Sky Suite on Celebrity Equinox, and the Experience on the Seaside blew these two out of the water value wise.

[JT1962]

9 minutes ago, JP350 said:

They charge extra for shrimp contrail and steak??? I’ve heard that the pizza is good as well. Call me crazy, but I like coco cay and it’s amusements, but the natural feel of castaway cay and labadee appeal to me.

Yes, they charge extra for shrimp cocktail and steak in the main dining room most nights. They did have steak & shrimp cocktail on Elegant Night for no extra charge and 5-6 entrees each night, including at least one beef entree. Some people would rather pay more for the cruise and not have to pay extra for steak or shrimp cocktail, but I sailed for $339 solo in a balcony cabin, so I had no complaints.

 

Everyone is different. I am long past the waterpark/amusement park phase of my life and would much prefer ships and a private island without those features. But some people want that.

Edited July 14, 2022 by JT1962

[beltsbear]

Nice ships. Bad food in main dining.  But worse than anything I have ever experienced are the announcements.   Whatever you are expecting….. it’s worse.  Super loud.  Longer than an 80’s remix of the song “rock me Amadeus ”. Interrupting dinner.  Sleep.  A nice conversation.  At some locations I had to cover my ears for five minutes, while paying to eat in a specially restaurant.  

[mpk]

I guess it's like Cats 😀   A lot of polarized opinions here...   It's like we're not talking about the same cruise line!

[JP350]

25 minutes ago, mpk said:

I guess it's like Cats 😀   A lot of polarized opinions here...   It's like we're not talking about the same cruise line!

Oh don’t get me started on cats. Don’t get me wrong I like the show, but it not really fit for a cruise ship especially if you don’t know the plot coming in. If you know and understand the plot before its ok, but if you’re coming in cold turkey just to see a bunch of cats singing their sob stories in a realty show format I get you’ll be confused. I don’t like the condescend version on oasis know even more than before. I think it really ruined the experience. I know the old one was long, but it was the full show and I read the book coming in I liked it.

[sgmn]

6 hours ago, Jimbo said:

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

Deleted because op now says he's interested in yacht club 

Edited July 14, 2022 by sgmn

[little britain]

5 hours ago, JP350 said:

Huh that’s different than I’ve heard. what so much better about the msc promanade what do you mean the entertainment is visual like more acrobatic acts

Promenade is 2 tier with restaurants and seating do you can overlook the promenade. 
It also has a huge LED ceiling which changes 

 

visual = singing, or dancing; not comedians telling jokes.

[little britain]

6 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yeah, not at price of $800  for 4 nights.

$800 for 4n in YC …. I’d bite their hand off!  

 

 

[little britain]

On Odyssey last week announcements were made in up to 5 languages.  I do not know why people think this is an issue. 

 

[kernow]

We love RCL and we now also love MSC. We've done 4 MSC, 2 Fantastica balcony and 2 YC with another YC booked (the trouble with YC is that it is so good you don't want to go back). We've also done GS and OS on RCL and YC beats them hands down (and is usually cheaper).

 

YC aside, the MSC ships are beautiful and very stylish. Entertainment is different and much more basic (shows) but still enjoyable. The new ships have a couple of Cirque style shows which are excellent but cost extra (£9). We think MDR and buffet food outside of YC is on a par with RCL but is probably more European hence the comments here from US guests. They do not have all the free snack type places like Cafe Promenade, Park cafe etc. The announcements don't bother us, we were told by the YC director in May that if there are 100 native speakers of any language then they have announcements in the language.

 

We've always found the service all over the ship good but it is not the over the top, in your face type of service found in the US, it's more discreet. If you are friendly to the staff and ask politely they are helpful.

I think if you go expecting it to be like RCL you may be disappointed but go with an open mind and you will probably enjoy it.

[GEORGIEGIRL]

11 hours ago, Jimbo said:

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

Yes, I completely agree. Typical C.C. response. Poster says one thing everyone chimes in about a completely different "Class" of cabin.

[little britain]

11 hours ago, Jimbo said:

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

I have only ever stayed in regular balcony cabins but I have been fortunate enough to be able to have visited and dine in YC in several occasions. 
Pics of regular balcony cabin (Bellissima): the shower door folds inwards to create more space which is clever. 
Another cool idea were the lifts 🛗 on Virtuosa: on the panel you selected what deck you wanted to go to then it said to go to lift A/B/C etc… so everyone in your lift was going to the same floor. 

My first full YC cruise is in January.

[kernow]

11 hours ago, JP350 said:

We’ve sailed in suites on rccl. How do the size of the rooms compare like grand suites and junior suites 

We weren’t planning on it, but we’re now wondering if yacht club is worth it.

We had a JS on Anthem in Oct and a YC balcony on Virtuosa in May. Rooms were a similar size apart from no split bathroom on Virtuosa. There are a few full size suites in YC too if you want more space but YC is more about the whole experience rather than just the room.

[skyking]

MSC is Fantastic. 

 

I am not sure why people talk trash about the food on MSC when food is so subjective. 

 

We ate in the main dining room two nights on Meraviglia and the food was great, and in my opinion better than Royals main dining room food.   

 

The ship is beautiful with a great crew that goes out of their way for the guests.  

 

My one complaint was the Buffet, not the food itself but the lack of options.   Granted to sailed on the New Years cruise with over 2500 people and it was the first sailing since start back with more than 900 people. On Divina the buffet was amazing! 

 

Go and enjoy with an open mind, you will like it. 

[pretzlaff]

We have sailed twice and never again.  We did not like the on board experience.  Others above have made specific comments.

 

Let me warn you about the pre-cruise customer service.  It is horrid.  The call 'center' people are rarely helpful.  And the problem is that they will actually cancel your cruise and assign you to a different random one without bothering to tell you, so you have to call them to straighten things out. 

 

Even simple things like the last couple of years when some cruises needed health insurance.  You would call and they would not know if your cruise needed it.

 

Other simple example, I put in for a status match four times and never once heard back.

 

Please go over the the MSC board and have a look at the customer service issues.

[twangster]

MSC still won't give me any points for a Meraviglia cruise I took last summer.  On one call they told me my travel agent can go in their system and fix my loyalty points.  Why on earth would a cruise line allow TAs to modify the points in the loyalty program?  On subsequent calls they claimed I was a no show.   I had done a trip report here on CC but if they are going to jerk me around and claim I wasn't on the ship then I couldn't have taken all those pictures that I had posted so I updated all my pics to block them out. 

 

MSC customer service is terrible and they'll say anything to get you off the phone.  

 

One time sailing back into Port Canaveral on Divina we sailed past Allure and looking over at Allure I knew that is where I wanted to be.  I had more cruises with them booked but decided to cancel.  They acknowledged I was due refunds and confirmed the amounts.  Then they stalled and stalled more.  Eventually after months they claimed they had issued my refunds months ago but my credit card company was holding my refunds.  Utter BS.  I engaged my credit card company with this information and had them launch a chargeback.  Enough was enough.  The credit card company granted my claim and I got my refunds that way.

 

At times I've been frustrated with Royal but MSC customer service is ten times worse.  

 

On board my life wasn't in danger and I didn't hate the cruises while on board but they were just meh.  I was on a ship at sea enjoying the sea air but I found myself saying over and over "it's a cheap cruise, it's a cheap cruise".   I got to explore new ships and test the waters at cheap rates.  I don't regret sailing with MSC and when I see more cheap rates I am tempted.  

 

I do love their private island.  An overnight stay there was great.  I may sail them again just to visit Ocean Cay.  

 

We all have our own likes and dislikes and things that work and things that don't.  You won't know if MSC works for you unless you try it.  When the rates are similar I'd go with Royal everytime.  When Royal doesn't have cheap rates but MSC does it is very tempting to jump on board for a few hundred bucks.  They are better than staying at home and cutting the grass again.   

 

[PompeySailor]

6 minutes ago, pretzlaff said:

We have sailed twice and never again.  We did not like the on board experience.  Others above have made specific comments.

 

Let me warn you about the pre-cruise customer service.  It is horrid.  The call 'center' people are rarely helpful.  And the problem is that they will actually cancel your cruise and assign you to a different random one without bothering to tell you, so you have to call them to straighten things out. 

 

Even simple things like the last couple of years when some cruises needed health insurance.  You would call and they would not know if your cruise needed it.

 

Other simple example, I put in for a status match four times and never once heard back.

 

Please go over the the MSC board and have a look at the customer service issues.

Curious 

if it is that bad onboard, (your experience) why did you sail a second time.

Gluten for punishment maybe

 

Not disagreeing with any of your comments may I add 👍🏻

[Rusty_lock]

I'm with Twangster... Their customer service is beyond bad. When I went I to guest services to question a charge I couldn't identify I was treated with contempt.  

 

The ship was beautiful and I don't regret going but in every area of the ship the service pales in comparison to a typical Royal experience.

[pretzlaff]

53 minutes ago, PompeySailor said:

Curious 

if it is that bad onboard, (your experience) why did you sail a second time.

Gluten for punishment maybe

 

Not disagreeing with any of your comments may I add 👍🏻

 

I had to burn the deposit on a transatlantic that had been changed.

[Bigbob7777]

Sailed pre-covid.  I wouldn’t sail with them again if they were free.  They ran out of salt and coffee creamer the 3rd day of a 7 day cruise.  The main show had the same cast and sets for every show (…and that was minimalistic). The guy that sang the tenor; let’s just say my golden retriever could carry a tune better.

 

Pizza was excellent, but that is the only thing I can smile about.  Food, to us, was sizzler quality.

 

But maybe I’m too picky.  

[JP350]

9 hours ago, little britain said:

On Odyssey last week announcements were made in up to 5 languages.  I do not know why people think this is an issue. 

 

Yeah in the med. in the Caribbean announcements are only made in English, and when I went to the med for the very first time it’s annoying.

[exm]

It's definitely more European, but I don't mind. I'll take that over the Carnival crowd any time. Give it a shot.

[JP350]

4 hours ago, twangster said:

MSC still won't give me any points for a Meraviglia cruise I took last summer.  On one call they told me my travel agent can go in their system and fix my loyalty points.  Why on earth would a cruise line allow TAs to modify the points in the loyalty program?  On subsequent calls they claimed I was a no show.   I had done a trip report here on CC but if they are going to jerk me around and claim I wasn't on the ship then I couldn't have taken all those pictures that I had posted so I updated all my pics to block them out. 

 

MSC customer service is terrible and they'll say anything to get you off the phone.  

 

One time sailing back into Port Canaveral on Divina we sailed past Allure and looking over at Allure I knew that is where I wanted to be.  I had more cruises with them booked but decided to cancel.  They acknowledged I was due refunds and confirmed the amounts.  Then they stalled and stalled more.  Eventually after months they claimed they had issued my refunds months ago but my credit card company was holding my refunds.  Utter BS.  I engaged my credit card company with this information and had them launch a chargeback.  Enough was enough.  The credit card company granted my claim and I got my refunds that way.

 

At times I've been frustrated with Royal but MSC customer service is ten times worse.  

 

On board my life wasn't in danger and I didn't hate the cruises while on board but they were just meh.  I was on a ship at sea enjoying the sea air but I found myself saying over and over "it's a cheap cruise, it's a cheap cruise".   I got to explore new ships and test the waters at cheap rates.  I don't regret sailing with MSC and when I see more cheap rates I am tempted.  

 

I do love their private island.  An overnight stay there was great.  I may sail them again just to visit Ocean Cay.  

 

We all have our own likes and dislikes and things that work and things that don't.  You won't know if MSC works for you unless you try it.  When the rates are similar I'd go with Royal everytime.  When Royal doesn't have cheap rates but MSC does it is very tempting to jump on board for a few hundred bucks.  They are better than staying at home and cutting the grass again.   

 

That’s what I’m most excited about ocean cay. I think their island has huge potential as a more natural experience. That’s the same thing I said when I took carnival for the first time on a 4 night my mistake. “It’s a cheap cruise, I’ve it’s a cheap cruise” I’ve heard a lot of things on their customer service and it’s kinda scaring me, and their crew gets mixed reviews on friendliness. Wonder’s gonna be in pc that day and I don’t wanna have that feeling.

[JP350]

6 hours ago, kernow said:

We love RCL and we now also love MSC. We've done 4 MSC, 2 Fantastica balcony and 2 YC with another YC booked (the trouble with YC is that it is so good you don't want to go back). We've also done GS and OS on RCL and YC beats them hands down (and is usually cheaper).

 

YC aside, the MSC ships are beautiful and very stylish. Entertainment is different and much more basic (shows) but still enjoyable. The new ships have a couple of Cirque style shows which are excellent but cost extra (£9). We think MDR and buffet food outside of YC is on a par with RCL but is probably more European hence the comments here from US guests. They do not have all the free snack type places like Cafe Promenade, Park cafe etc. The announcements don't bother us, we were told by the YC director in May that if there are 100 native speakers of any language then they have announcements in the language.

 

We've always found the service all over the ship good but it is not the over the top, in your face type of service found in the US, it's more discreet. If you are friendly to the staff and ask politely they are helpful.

I think if you go expecting it to be like RCL you may be disappointed but go with an open mind and you will probably enjoy it.

Is all they have for food the mdr and the buffet? I kinda like the over the top service  I’ve always wanted to see the circ shows so that’s a plus. How’s the overall atmosphere of the guests like party or more toned down.

[JP350]

5 hours ago, little britain said:

I have only ever stayed in regular balcony cabins but I have been fortunate enough to be able to have visited and dine in YC in several occasions. 
Pics of regular balcony cabin (Bellissima): the shower door folds inwards to create more space which is clever. 
Another cool idea were the lifts 🛗 on Virtuosa: on the panel you selected what deck you wanted to go to then it said to go to lift A/B/C etc… so everyone in your lift was going to the same floor. 

My first full YC cruise is in January.

I will admit that the shower design is a good improvement, and carnival does the lift thing I’ve heard with the carnival horizon. The cabins look nice and functional, but are they around the same size as rccl.