Hello guys and ladies, What’s MSC like compared to carnival?

[Gatordad1967]

11 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

LOL, MSC is a European skewed entry level cruise line attempting to gain foothold on this side of the pond.   Since I have sailed on MSC, RCI, NCL, Carnival, Celebrity and Princess I can make a comparison based on first hand experience.  The only comparison between MSC and Celebrity is the ship within a ship concept on many of their ships with the Yacht Club and the Retreat.  That's where the comparison ends, IMHO.

 

Never sailed Princess, no desire to.  Have sailed the others and they are all peers of each other.  Each has their plusses and minuses....... Celebrity is the same as the rest.... nothing special.

[CruizinSusan70]

10 hours ago, Gatordad1967 said:

Never sailed Princess, no desire to.  Have sailed the others and they are all peers of each other.  Each has their plusses and minuses....... Celebrity is the same as the rest.... nothing special.

I'll agree that all cruise lines have their plusses and minuses.  You obviously have not sailed on an Edge Class ship, a definite step above the four entry level lines.

[Gatordad1967]

11 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I'll agree that all cruise lines have their plusses and minuses.  You obviously have not sailed on an Edge Class ship, a definite step above the four entry level lines.

I have not and probably will not.  We were unimpressed with Celebrity this summer.  Probably will stick to MSC and NCL from now on.  or Royal if price is right.

 

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, Gatordad1967 said:

I have not and probably will not.  We were unimpressed with Celebrity this summer.  Probably will stick to MSC and NCL from now on.  or Royal if price is right.

 

Since retirement kicked in and the number of cruises per year increased substantially we don't limit ourselves to just one or two lines.  Currently have bookings on MSC, RCI, NCL, Carnival, Celebrity and Princess.

[Warm Breezes]

We just went on our first MSC cruise on Oct 2, 2022 on MSC Divina out of Port Canaveral.  We are also Platinum on Carnival with our last sailing on them being the Mardi Gras in Oct 2021.  I will start out by saying this was a free cruise for us through the myVegas games.  We only paid $298 in port fees and taxes for the 2 of us (plus gratuities) using 1.5 million in our gold coin rewards and received an extra large balcony with 2 loungers in addition to the normal 2 chairs and stool (cabin 12220).  It was also the first sailing after the port opened up after Ian and the ship was at most 1/2 full.  While we get some pretty decent deals with Carnival through their casino packages this was the best deal we have had so far through any cruise line.  They even status matched our Platinum status to Gold on MSC. 

 

Over all I would say the demographics were older on MSC with less of a party atmosphere than you sometimes find on Carnival depending on the cruise.  The dress code was the same.  They have a Captains Gala with free drinks that you no longer see on Carnival.  We were also invited to the past guest party since they status matched us to Gold.  I found the dancers and singers comparable to Carnival but the acrobatic acts they had were the best we have seen on a ship!  Better than the ones I have seen on NCL which I thought were good in the past.  The comedian and other shows like Love and Marriage were also comparable.  I thought the pizza on MSC and the buffet itself better than Carnival but I was getting tired of seeing the same items on the buffet by the end of the week.    I also thought meatloaf at the carving station was pretty strange.  I have never seen meatloaf on a carving station before anywhere.  I found the food in the MDR was comparable to Carnival.  They do have Surf and Turf on gala night with lobster and steak included.  I found the service also similar although they do make up the room 2 times a day instead of once a day that Carnival started doing.  We loved MSC's private island Ocean Cay.  Our cruise stayed there overnight so we had a light show from the light house that we could see from our balcony.  I liked this island much better that Half Moon Cay.  The casino was the smallest one I have ever seen on a ship.  We ended up breaking even at the Casino.  I normally come out a little ahead on Carnival but this was a free cruise!  I had no complaints!

Edited October 31, 2022 by Warm Breezes

[Gatordad1967]

14 hours ago, Warm Breezes said:

We just went on our first MSC cruise on Oct 2, 2022 on MSC Divina out of Port Canaveral.  We are also Platinum on Carnival with our last sailing on them being the Mardi Gras in Oct 2021.  I will start out by saying this was a free cruise for us through the myVegas games.  We only paid $298 in port fees and taxes for the 2 of us (plus gratuities) using 1.5 million in our gold coin rewards and received an extra large balcony with 2 loungers in addition to the normal 2 chairs and stool (cabin 12220).  It was also the first sailing after the port opened up after Ian and the ship was at most 1/2 full.  While we get some pretty decent deals with Carnival through their casino packages this was the best deal we have had so far through any cruise line.  They even status matched our Platinum status to Gold on MSC. 

 

Over all I would say the demographics were older on MSC with less of a party atmosphere than you sometimes find on Carnival depending on the cruise.  The dress code was the same.  They have a Captains Gala with free drinks that you no longer see on Carnival.  We were also invited to the past guest party since they status matched us to Gold.  I found the dancers and singers comparable to Carnival but the acrobatic acts they had were the best we have seen on a ship!  Better than the ones I have seen on NCL which I thought were good in the past.  The comedian and other shows like Love and Marriage were also comparable.  I thought the pizza on MSC and the buffet itself better than Carnival but I was getting tired of seeing the same items on the buffet by the end of the week.    I also thought meatloaf at the carving station was pretty strange.  I have never seen meatloaf on a carving station before anywhere.  I found the food in the MDR was comparable to Carnival.  They do have Surf and Turf on gala night with lobster and steak included.  I found the service also similar although they do make up the room 2 times a day instead of once a day that Carnival started doing.  We loved MSC's private island Ocean Cay.  Our cruise stayed there overnight so we had a light show from the light house that we could see from our balcony.  I liked this island much better that Half Moon Cay.  The casino was the smallest one I have ever seen on a ship.  We ended up breaking even at the Casino.  I normally come out a little ahead on Carnival but this was a free cruise!  I had no complaints!

Well said.