mcrimmins Posted October 30, 2022 #1 Share Posted October 30, 2022 We have 5 cruises with Princess and 1 with Royal. We were looking for a fall 2023 New England trip to see the colors. Princess has gotten pricey lately and MSC had a good promo. I called in and spoke to an agent who was in the US and booked the 11 day next October. I got the Veteran discount and they matched my Princess status all while I was on the phone. (I had my DD214 on my phone so easy to email) Very smooth transaction. We just got off a Mexican Riviera cruise on Princess where the ship was just under half full. Food was good as was the entertainment. It was a great trip that required a port change due to a hurricane. No complaints at all - only pricey. Time will tell. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casino Comp Chick Posted October 30, 2022 #2 Share Posted October 30, 2022 Me too. I have heard crappy food but great ships but I find peoples food tastes is selective. I will judge for myself soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
showingdiva Posted October 30, 2022 #3 Share Posted October 30, 2022 17 minutes ago, Casino Comp Chick said: Me too. I have heard crappy food but great ships but I find peoples food tastes is selective. I will judge for myself soon. Great pizza, great pasta, amazing panna cotta. Plentiful cheese and bread. You won't starve. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChattTenn Posted October 30, 2022 #4 Share Posted October 30, 2022 Hope you will enjoy MSC. We will be on our 2nd MSC later this year. Our 1st was on Divina last year with only 1900+ passengers it was very quiet, the food was very European due it was after the pandemic but believe it is better now. We are the Elite with Princess and got status match on MSC also got one free dinner at Butcher's Cut - very nice. MSC price is very good and with a free dinner it is better. Can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG_traveller Posted October 30, 2022 #5 Share Posted October 30, 2022 I also booked my first MSC Cruise recently. They have great solo prices. I'm not sure if they always do, or it is a promotion. Anyway, it's a four day out of Miami on the Divina, but I'm considering changing it to a seven day. Possibly on the Meraviglia out of Orlando. Does anyone know if those two ships are pretty comparable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellfree Posted October 30, 2022 #6 Share Posted October 30, 2022 1 hour ago, PG_traveller said: I also booked my first MSC Cruise recently. They have great solo prices. I'm not sure if they always do, or it is a promotion. Anyway, it's a four day out of Miami on the Divina, but I'm considering changing it to a seven day. Possibly on the Meraviglia out of Orlando. Does anyone know if those two ships are pretty comparable? A seven day cruise is always a better choice for us. We have been on both Mera and Divina several times. Just off Divina three weeks ago, did a B2B. Everything was wonderful, we feel food selections greatly improved, on evening menu they now offer “daily selections” along with four or five other choices, was great. In January doing a B2B on Mera. Hoping they too have what seems to be the new dinner menus. Comparing ships, hard to do, both beautiful, on MSC ships you rarely find a spot of rust. Divina is a more typical cruise ship plan whereas the Mera has a huge atrium which is gorgeous, really nice English Pub, steakhouse beautiful. Many cruisers feel Mera does not have enough outdoor space but we have never felt that way. If you have specific questions I “may” be able to answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleb84 Posted October 30, 2022 #7 Share Posted October 30, 2022 Good on ya! We will hopefully be joining you soon in booking MSC for the first time. Compared to the cost of other lines, it's worth a pint I'd say. Almost half the cost of one we have just done for the same time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcell Posted October 31, 2022 #8 Share Posted October 31, 2022 what Level did you book? Bella, Fantastica, Aurea or YC? If YC -- you will be fine. The rest, I think it is subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casino Comp Chick Posted October 31, 2022 #9 Share Posted October 31, 2022 20 minutes ago, xcell said: what Level did you book? Bella, Fantastica, Aurea or YC? If YC -- you will be fine. The rest, I think it is subjective. Food is always subjective so I take that with a grain of salt until I form my own opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HipHipOnAShip Posted October 31, 2022 #10 Share Posted October 31, 2022 19 hours ago, PG_traveller said: I also booked my first MSC Cruise recently. They have great solo prices. I'm not sure if they always do, or it is a promotion. Anyway, it's a four day out of Miami on the Divina, but I'm considering changing it to a seven day. Possibly on the Meraviglia out of Orlando. Does anyone know if those two ships are pretty comparable? The two ships are VERY Different. Worth researching to see if you have a preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrimmins Posted October 31, 2022 Author #11 Share Posted October 31, 2022 We booked Fantastica. We don’t need a lot of frills on a cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ready2cruzagain Posted November 1, 2022 #12 Share Posted November 1, 2022 19 hours ago, mcrimmins said: We booked Fantastica. We don’t need a lot of frills on a cruise. You will be fine in Fantastica. We have sailed on 9 cruises with MSC and getting ready to sail our 10th on the Meraviglia in January. We have always booked Fantastica, I don't need a butler on a cruise and never been disappointed in the "common steerage" area. The staff on MSC (at least on the Divina, Seashore and Seaside which we have sailed) are awesome and bend over backwards to make you comfortable. We have sailed Carnival, NCL, Princess and Celebrity and mostly sail only MSC anymore. The food on MSC as others have said is very subjective. Never had a problem finding something we like. If I tried something and didn't like it our waiters would always be bringing us more food. Love the Thermal Spa on the MSC ships, worth the extra for us. Actually a decent price compared to other cruise lines. Our 11 day cruise the spa package is $195 pp. Enjoy your cruise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tierun Posted November 1, 2022 #13 Share Posted November 1, 2022 10 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said: You will be fine in Fantastica. We have sailed on 9 cruises with MSC and getting ready to sail our 10th on the Meraviglia in January. We have always booked Fantastica, I don't need a butler on a cruise and never been disappointed in the "common steerage" area. The staff on MSC (at least on the Divina, Seashore and Seaside which we have sailed) are awesome and bend over backwards to make you comfortable. We have sailed Carnival, NCL, Princess and Celebrity and mostly sail only MSC anymore. The food on MSC as others have said is very subjective. Never had a problem finding something we like. If I tried something and didn't like it our waiters would always be bringing us more food. Love the Thermal Spa on the MSC ships, worth the extra for us. Actually a decent price compared to other cruise lines. Our 11 day cruise the spa package is $195 pp. Enjoy your cruise! My wife and I always book Aurea for the spa thermal access. We find it worth it with the priority embarkation and my time dining. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ready2cruzagain Posted November 1, 2022 #14 Share Posted November 1, 2022 15 minutes ago, Tierun said: My wife and I always book Aurea for the spa thermal access. We find it worth it with the priority embarkation and my time dining. Usually when I am ready to book (I just booked yesterday for a cruise in January), all the Aurea cabins are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewbieCruiser2015 Posted November 1, 2022 #15 Share Posted November 1, 2022 This feed is making me feel better. Some of the reviews of MSC are so scary. It’s our first MSC cruise (only been on one RC ). So we are not experienced. Glad to hear some good reviews. Thanks!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted November 1, 2022 #16 Share Posted November 1, 2022 You have to understand that more people complain on here than throw compliments. Welcome to MSC and enjoy your cruise. We've been on 3 with a 4th booked, and we've been on all the lines except HAL and Virgin. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ready2cruzagain Posted November 2, 2022 #17 Share Posted November 2, 2022 11 hours ago, NewbieCruiser2015 said: This feed is making me feel better. Some of the reviews of MSC are so scary. It’s our first MSC cruise (only been on one RC ). So we are not experienced. Glad to hear some good reviews. Thanks!! Go into it with the thoughts that it IS different. I believe that is why we fell in love with MSC. They are not the same ole Carnival, NCL, etc. Their food is different, but delicious, once again, that is subjective. You couldn't ask for a more friendly crew! The ships are beautiful and I dare you to find a spec of dirt or rust! They take pride in their ships. Go with an open mind that it is NOT Carnival or any of the other cruise lines and you will love it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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