Will be on MSC for first time vs. Norwegian

[Captain-John]

Oh yes it's a marketing gimmick, but I don't book a cruise without it and usually get more than my money's worth. Any booking I look at whether it be NCL or any other line I always look at the price which includes a pckage rather than the cruise only fare.

 

It's the same '50% off'/second guest goes free nonsense. The only figure that counts is the bottom line and what that includes, no matter how they dice it up and condescend to customers/assume they are stupid enough to buy into the hype.

 

[JamieLogical]

I learned LONG ago when pricing out a cruise, to go all the way to the check out screen for the "final" price and then add on the daily service charge, if tips aren't included, to get the real final price. Gratuities on NCL's "free" drink package are a killer most of the time. Celebrities sticker price always looks higher, but when you get the always included drink package and tips, the bottom line price is often lower or quite completive with NCL. MSC does seem cheaper than both, with the free wifi and drinks and even the daily service charge tacked on.

[styles27]

15 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Oh yes it's a marketing gimmick, but I don't book a cruise without it and usually get more than my money's worth. Any booking I look at whether it be NCL or any other line I always look at the price which includes a pckage rather than the cruise only fare.

 

It's the same '50% off'/second guest goes free nonsense. The only figure that counts is the bottom line and what that includes, no matter how they dice it up and condescend to customers/assume they are stupid enough to buy into the hype.

 

A gimmick that a surprising number of people fall for.
Maybe they don’t do the math but I do. 😉

 

[Seas2mountains]

On 1/19/2023 at 4:24 PM, RobertDuff said:

We have a free cruise through a casino for MSC. We have cruised 4 times and only on NCL. From what is available and our schedule, it looks like we will cruise on the Seascape out of Miami. For those who have been on both, what differences will we see, from the embarkation, dining, excursions, to disembarkation?

Thank you!

If you are in the Yacht Club, you will have an amazing experience especially with the YC restaurant, Top Sail and the One Pool. If you aren’t in YC, you should read the recent reviews on CC for the ship so you know what to expect. 
 

We are frequent NCL cruisers and we love the YC but would not cruise MSC without being in YC. We will be back on NCL and while we love the Haven experience, we tend to choose Club Balconies and feel comfortable without the Haven, too. 
 

We have never seen so many people packed in a hot tub and it can get really crowded in lounges and common areas compared to what we have experienced on many NCL cruises. The buffet on MSC did not seem to have as many options as we saw on NCL.

[xcell]

If you are doing MSC -- try to hit their private island, Ocean Cay.

 

As per your other questions -- it's a new ship for you -- treat it as an adventure (plus it was free).  Go in open minded and you will find a way to have fun.

 

 

[michelle028]

First time on MSC - are the menus the same fleetwide?

Also does anyone have a recent copy?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 1/21/2023 at 10:53 AM, JamieLogical said:

MSC does seem cheaper than both, with the free wifi and drinks and even the daily service charge tacked on.

not free, though.

 

Right now I am pricing the same cruise (7 days, Seascape, Thanksgiving) to bring my MIL with us:

 

for a 2 person cabin the "free" drinks and wifi are $180 pp.

for a solo sailing - the "free" drinks and wifi are $324 pp.

for a 3 person cabin - $143 pp, even for a minor

 

When i booked this cruise for ourselves (2 adults, 1 minor) a couple of months ago, the "free" package cost us $90 per adult, or $60 per person. Totally worth it at that price point, even though not free. We are not big drinkers at all.

 

I had to forgo this package for my parents because they don't drink and don't need wifi on this cruise, so paying $180 pp for a "free" package is unreasonable. Of course, for someone who drinks a lot of alcohol on a cruise $180 for drinks and wifi will be a great bargain, but it's not for us. Needless to say, MIL isn't getting the package either.