Back to Back or 2 different Cruise ships?

[drsel]

We have the option of 2 back to back 7 night  Cruises with different itineraries (Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on the same ship MSC Fantasia,  which is very convenient;

OR

2 Cruises (of 7 nights each) with 2 different itineraries (again Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on 2 different ships MSC Fantasia and MSC Poesia in 2 nearby (different) ports, with a 7N land tour in between the two Cruises

 

In the 2 back to back Cruises, the same shows, same entertainment, same activities and same cuisine will be repeated in the second week (2nd cruise) , whereas on a different ship there will be different shows, activities, entertainment and cuisine. Also a 7 nights land tour in between.

 

so which option should I choose?

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by drsel

[ldubs]

Without any details door #2 sounds better for the reasons you give.   

 

That assumes I would like both ships, both cruise itineraries, and the place I will be touring in between.   A consideration for me, which might not apply to you, is the total length of the vacation.  I personally do not enjoy vacations that are too long.  So, if we are talking about two 10 or more day cruises with 7 days in between, then I would not do that.  

 

The nice thing about this decision is you either choice is good! 

[drsel]

Thanks ldubs, it would be either 7+7=14 nights on the same MSC Fantasia or 7 nights on MSC Fantasia, 7 night in a hotel (land tour)  and then 7 nights on MSC Poesia, departing from a different port 3 hours away 

Edited December 4, 2022 by drsel

[CruiserBruce]

I am not sure the entertainment and menus will really be that much different on two different ships of the same line on 7 day routes.

[drsel]

18 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

I am not sure the entertainment and menus will really be that much different on two different ships of the same line on 7 day routes.

No doubt the back to back Cruises are very convenient and do not involve any travelling, but I expect the shows at least to be different on 2 different MSC ships

[LHT28]

Most cruise line will have the same shows across the fleet  just different performers

same with menus  they usually rotate the menu  over  a 7 or 14 day schedule

never been on MSC  so not sure how they  operate

 

If you do MSC & RCl or NCL  then indeed the shows & food will be different

 I would do the B 2B  ..we have done that for those  regions a couple of times  but  on 18 day cruises

YMMV

[cruisemom42]

I like a mix of traveling. Assuming your purpose is to see the sights -- and not just to relax onboard a ship and at the equivalent of a resort on land -- I think you'll see more and have complementary experiences if you do the cruise/land/cruise option. Assuming I had the time, I'd always choose 21 days over 14 days. The only thing the BTB has going for it (IMO) is the ease of not having to pack up and change rooms/locations/cabins.

 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, drsel said:

We have the option of 2 back to back 7 night  Cruises with different itineraries (Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on the same ship MSC Fantasia,  which is very convenient;

...so which option should I choose?

Not having sailed with MSC, I would take the B2B and spend the additional 7-days on land in your port city either at the start or the end of the combined cruises. That way you get the convenience of limited packing/unpacking AND get to see one area in more depth -- and do not have to figure out how to get 150+ miles between the ports.

[Essiesmom]

If I had the opportunity, I would do the two cruises with land tour between.  But you are going to have the same menus on both ships.  Every cruise line has the same menu rotation, although food could have subtle differences with different chefs.  And the menus could be in a different order depending on itinerary.  The shows might or might not be the same.  Different performers can make the same show subtley different.  EM

[donaldsc]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

We have the option of 2 back to back 7 night  Cruises with different itineraries (Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on the same ship MSC Fantasia,  which is very convenient;

OR

2 Cruises (of 7 nights each) with 2 different itineraries (again Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on 2 different ships MSC Fantasia and MSC Poesia in 2 nearby (different) ports, with a 7N land tour in between the two Cruises

 

In the 2 back to back Cruises, the same shows, same entertainment, same activities and same cuisine will be repeated in the second week (2nd cruise) , whereas on a different ship there will be different shows, activities, entertainment and cuisine. Also a 7 nights land tour in between.

 

so which option should I choose?

 

 

Definitely the Fantasia/Poesia because of the land tour.

 

DON

[pris993]

Several years ago, we booked two 7-day trips out of Florida, one on the Ruby Princess, one on a new Celebrity ship.  We had one night in Ft Lauderdale between the two cruises.  Enjoyed it and would do something similar, two different lines, different entertainment when on different cruise lines.  Also gave us a chance to compare the two lines at the same time.  We are actually elite on both, decided we liked Princess the best.  It was fun.  

[drsel]

I forgot to mention that the second Cruise of the back to back is cheaper by $164 ( for 2 adults) than the second Cruise on a different ship (Poesia).

 

So far it's a split verdict, but I am more inclined to go for two different Cruises even though it's $164 more expensive and also inconvenient to travel from one port to another.

Because for me, the main attraction on a cruise is first the shows entertainment and activities,  and then the sightseeing

[sparks1093]

18 hours ago, drsel said:

We have the option of 2 back to back 7 night  Cruises with different itineraries (Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on the same ship MSC Fantasia,  which is very convenient;

OR

2 Cruises (of 7 nights each) with 2 different itineraries (again Norwegian fjords and Baltics) on 2 different ships MSC Fantasia and MSC Poesia in 2 nearby (different) ports, with a 7N land tour in between the two Cruises

 

In the 2 back to back Cruises, the same shows, same entertainment, same activities and same cuisine will be repeated in the second week (2nd cruise) , whereas on a different ship there will be different shows, activities, entertainment and cuisine. Also a 7 nights land tour in between.

 

so which option should I choose?

 

I'm not sure that the cuisine or the entertainment will be vastly different on the same line. Different folks doing the same thing is the more likely result. I would still rather experience two different ships if possible so that is probably what I would chose.

[Essiesmom]

Not only are they two different ships, but different class of MSC ships, although built the same year.  EM

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Not only are they two different ships, but different class of MSC ships, although built the same year.  EM

That would make me want to chose the option more.

[drsel]

28 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Not only are they two different ships, but different class of MSC ships, although built the same year.  EM

Poesia is a second generation Musica class MSC ship while Fantasia is a third generation Fantasia class MSC ship.

So the design is completely different and i  expect the shows, entertainment and activities also to be completely different.

Nevermind the cuisine being similar, this is not very important to me

Edited December 5, 2022 by drsel

[navybankerteacher]

Of course these are utterly different options. One is boarding a ship and staying on board for two weeks. The other is boarding a ship for a 7 day cruise, then debarking and taking a week for land travel, ending at a different port before boarding a different ship.   I would prefer the second for the variety of different ships and the land travel between the cruises, but I have the time (and resources) to opt for three weeks rather than two, and the obviously significantly higher cost . Interesting that no one seems to focus on these differences.

[Essiesmom]

Other than mentioning the difference in cabin cost on the second leg, it doesn’t appear that the OP is concerned about the cost.  EM

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course these are utterly different options. One is boarding a ship and staying on board for two weeks. The other is boarding a ship for a 7 day cruise, then debarking and taking a week for land travel, ending at a different port before boarding a different ship.   I would prefer the second for the variety of different ships and the land travel between the cruises, but I have the time (and resources) to opt for three weeks rather than two, and the obviously significantly higher cost . Interesting that no one seems to focus on these differences.

 

Good point.  I'm thinking it is probably because the OP did not list cost or time as an issue.  

[crystalspin]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

So the design is completely different and i  expect the shows, entertainment and activities also to be completely different.

Nevermind the cuisine being similar, this is not very important to me

Why don't you head over to the MSC board and ask about entertainment etc ship to ship?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/

 

Larger lines seem to have the shows pretty similar ship to ship, per season.

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Why don't you head over to the MSC board and ask about entertainment etc ship to ship?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/

 

Larger lines seem to have the shows pretty similar ship to ship, per season.

He is already quite familiar with the MSC board.  EM

[drsel]

13 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course these are utterly different options. One is boarding a ship and staying on board for two weeks. The other is boarding a ship for a 7 day cruise, then debarking and taking a week for land travel, ending at a different port before boarding a different ship.   I would prefer the second for the variety of different ships and the land travel between the cruises, but I have the time (and resources) to opt for three weeks rather than two, and the obviously significantly higher cost . Interesting that no one seems to focus on these differences.

Yes, I have chosen the 2nd option (2 diff cruises) to experience a diff class of ships with completely diff shows & entertainment.

Maybe similar cuisine & activities.

 

Also the 7N in Hamburg in between the 2 cruises is necessary to fully explore Hamburg & do day trips to Lubeck, Bremen, Schwerin, Wismar, Lunebeck.

I had to cut down on extended land tours both before the 1st cruise & after the last.

Edited December 6, 2022 by drsel

[drsel]

6 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Larger lines seem to have the shows pretty similar ship to ship, per season.

From what I have seen in the past, different MSC ships (from the same port) have completely different shows, although the remaining activities & cuisine may be similar, just like in all cruise lines.

[crystalspin]

44 minutes ago, drsel said:

From what I have seen in the past, different MSC ships (from the same port) have completely different shows, although the remaining activities & cuisine may be similar, just like in all cruise lines.

Let us know how that was.

[Essiesmom]

If I had a week to spend in Hamburg, I would make make my way to Kiel or Brunsbeuttel and take a cruise through the Kiel Canal.  EM