Questions from a First Time MSC Cruiser

[styles27]

20 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

Day number 16 on the Divina. On sea days, the pool areas look like a refugee camp. Too few chairs with people sitting on the deck floor, or any ledge they can find. I have never seen a pool area this full and that is with people actually occupying the seating, not just towels. It has produced a surly group of passengers.

Exactly our experience which is why we used our balcony so much. Divina just cannot accommodate the crowds they’ve been having. That poor crew☹️

[mnpurple]

@Justmekaren918 I am in YC on Divina now. I haven't disembarked in Miami, but was on Seaview out of Naples and when we disembarked, the butler brought us to an area with YC luggage and then to the exit if the port.

 

You can not have meals from the restaurant brought to the cabin or Topsail (unless you're not well. They brought me oatmeal one morning). There is a room service menu and some continental breakfast items-we get croissants. There are also light items in the Topsail lounge and a breakfast/lunch buffet at the One Pool.  You can also order pizza, which is amazing! Oh, drinks can also be ordered to the cabin.

 

We are currently floating with Ocean Cay in view, and have tried approaching twice. The weather is not cooperating!  It has been a very bumpy cruise this week.  Fingers crossed we'll make it at some point.

[Markanddonna]

On 1/25/2023 at 7:37 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

If I had a dollar for every time someone suggested I sail in the Yacht Club, I might actually be able to afford to sail in the Yacht Club. While YC might be more affordable than the ship-within-a-ship experiences on other cruise lines, like Haven on NCL and Retreat on Celebrity, it is still a HUGE disparity in price versus a normal balcony cabin. It is hard to ever justify that kind of jump in price and if I did so, I would have to cruise less, because I could not afford to cruise as frequently as I do paying YC prices.

I also get irritated with the Yacht Club recommendations. It is pretty arrogant and haughty to suggest people pay three times as much for the YC experience. If you can't afford YC, it is best to disregard comments from those traveling in YC. It is like taking advice from those on Seaborne or other exclusive ships when sailing on a mainstream cruise line. There are other cruise lines that provide a nice product. We sailed on NCL and RCL this past year (2022) in a regular balcony and had a wonderful experience. MSC Divina has been such a letdown this current sailing and we have been on her precovid two times with good experiences. Not in 2023. 

[Homosassa]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:00 AM, shipgeeks said:

We have sailed only Bella, and plan to continue to do so.  No complaints, great cruises.

As a fellow Bella cruiser, I am disappointed that the Bella category appears to now only be a guaranteed cabin rate.

 

Guess I will have to go Fantastica to be able to select our  low deck as possible , amid ship inside cabin. I will definitely miss having the traditional assigned dining time of Bella.

[Homosassa]

On 1/24/2023 at 1:46 PM, Nunagoras said:

 

Because the answers in blue didn't copy, I am responding to the following answer that Nunagoras gave:

 

"I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity and once on Princess. I have some questions about MSC that I was hoping someone could answer. - While I haven't cruised any of those cruise lines, me thinks that NCL would to be ne nearest product wise to what you will see at MSC. X and Princess seem to be a superior product, IMHO.

 

 

 

Looks like my answer will also be in blue:  Having cruised frequently on Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and no longer cruising on the bottom cruise tier level of NCL, Royal Caribbean (reaffirmed two weeks ago when for reasons I will not go into, I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise) and Carnival,  I disagree that NCL is the nearest product wise to MSC.

 

I know people love to boast and compare about the Haven vs the Yacht Club, but as a cruiser who will not do either as if I want that luxury experience, I will sail on ships that offer that experience throughout the ship and not in a compartmentalized small area, I find that my Bella experience for on board entertainment, food (I prefer the Italian/European levels of seasoning and sweetness), and service to be far beyond what is offered on NCL.

 

As I can accept the MSC differences, I find MSC to be similar to HAL and Princess (Celebrity is slipping down) and - surprise! - Viking Ocean.

[KKB]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

Because the answers in blue didn't copy, I am responding to the following answer that Nunagoras gave:

 

"I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity and once on Princess. I have some questions about MSC that I was hoping someone could answer. - While I haven't cruised any of those cruise lines, me thinks that NCL would to be ne nearest product wise to what you will see at MSC. X and Princess seem to be a superior product, IMHO.

 

 

 

Looks like my answer will also be in blue:  Having cruised frequently on Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and no longer cruising on the bottom cruise tier level of NCL, Royal Caribbean (reaffirmed two weeks ago when for reasons I will not go into, I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise) and Carnival,  I disagree that NCL is the nearest product wise to MSC.

 

I know people love to boast and compare about the Haven vs the Yacht Club, but as a cruiser who will not do either as if I want that luxury experience, I will sail on ships that offer that experience throughout the ship and not in a compartmentalized small area, I find that my Bella experience for on board entertainment, food (I prefer the Italian/European levels of seasoning and sweetness), and service to be far beyond what is offered on NCL.

 

As I can accept the MSC differences, I find MSC to be similar to HAL and Princess (Celebrity is slipping down) and - surprise! - Viking Ocean.

This is a refreshing POV.

 

We find X & Princess tops in service & food, with RCCL/NCL a step below. 

RCCL & NCL excel in production shows (tho Eclass on X is giving them a run for their $)

 

We just did Carnival. Food was pretty good but a bit on the salty side. Service was fantastic. 

The do comedy best, hands down. 3 shows/night for 14 days??!!

But I always hesitate to judge an entire brand on 1 experience. 
For now, I'd put them in the middle of the my 2 groups.

 

Doing MSC Divina in a week--1st MSC cruise. 5+7 days. Glad I have a balcony. 

DS27 joining me for the 7 day leg. Will be interesting to hear his POV. 

(He has sailed all these lines too)

Just paid final payment on MSC Preziosa in May for Ireland/Scotland & Norway for 21 days, so hoping I like it! Was such a fantastic deal I had to try! Pretty easy to please so here's hoping.

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by KKB

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

As a fellow Bella cruiser, I am disappointed that the Bella category appears to now only be a guaranteed cabin rate.

 

Guess I will have to go Fantastica to be able to select our  low deck as possible , amid ship inside cabin. I will definitely miss having the traditional assigned dining time of Bella.

Fantastica has assigned dining time, as well, right?  It's only Aurea that has mtd.

[Match Game 72]

25 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Fantastica has assigned dining time, as well, right?  It's only Aurea that has mtd.

Yes.

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Fantastica has assigned dining time, as well, right?  It's only Aurea that has mtd.

Good to know.

 

The two MSC cruises I had booked post covid were both cancelled  due to problems with Covid restart and I haven't made it back to MSC.

 

I am waiting for the seven day or longer itineraries to reappear and my dream, the Armonia sailing out of Tampa (yes, I know you are pushing for Baltimore which would also work well for us with a visit to daughter and son-in-law in Howard County, MD).

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

 

 

Doing MSC Divina in a week--1st MSC cruise. 5+7 days. Glad I have a balcony. 

DS27 joining me for the 7 day leg. Will be interesting to hear his POV. 

(He has sailed all these lines too)

Just paid final payment on MSC Preziosa in May for Ireland/Scotland & Norway for 21 days, so hoping I like it! Was such a fantastic deal I had to try! Pretty easy to please so here's hoping.

 

 

 

If you have any options to stream or do on demand of the Smithsonian's Channel  "Mighty Ships," Season 2, episode 6, features the Divina.

 

What struck me was the Captain's description of the Divina (MSC) experience as words to the effect (don't remember exact quote) of an upscale experience at affordable prices.

 

Before covid, this was a good description of the MSC experience.

 

As things hopefully start to get back to normal with the international mix of passengers and getting a handle on the booze cruise crowd that was attracted to MSC because of the low restart prices, it will once again become the standard for MSC.

[mnpurple]

I will apologize to the OP about my answer to another question in this thread about YC, especially after I read back that you don't have interest in YC. However, I don't feel my comments are "arrogant or haughty" and my timing was off.

 

I have learned that life is all about choices, what i chose is based off my experiences. I don't need to explain why to people here. You may decide to buy a brand new car more often or wear nice jewelry or whatever your expenses you CHOSE. Not my choices. I cut back in some areas and splurge in others. While something want to believe differently, most people who spend more on a particular cruise are pretty normal people getting away from the stresses and difficulties of life, pure and simple.

[Nunagoras]

5 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Because the answers in blue didn't copy, I am responding to the following answer that Nunagoras gave:

 

"I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity and once on Princess. I have some questions about MSC that I was hoping someone could answer. - While I haven't cruised any of those cruise lines, me thinks that NCL would to be ne nearest product wise to what you will see at MSC. X and Princess seem to be a superior product, IMHO.

 

 

 

Looks like my answer will also be in blue:  Having cruised frequently on Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and no longer cruising on the bottom cruise tier level of NCL, Royal Caribbean (reaffirmed two weeks ago when for reasons I will not go into, I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise) and Carnival,  I disagree that NCL is the nearest product wise to MSC.

 

I know people love to boast and compare about the Haven vs the Yacht Club, but as a cruiser who will not do either as if I want that luxury experience, I will sail on ships that offer that experience throughout the ship and not in a compartmentalized small area, I find that my Bella experience for on board entertainment, food (I prefer the Italian/European levels of seasoning and sweetness), and service to be far beyond what is offered on NCL.

 

As I can accept the MSC differences, I find MSC to be similar to HAL and Princess (Celebrity is slipping down) and - surprise! - Viking Ocean.

WOW!... Many thanks to your wonderful words!... Yeah! MSC for me is sort of refined, but, even though by the videos, X or even better Princess might to be the better comparison to MSC, the price tag would to make me to think them as a far superior product!... Now, I know out of topic, but just out of curiosity: Why do you think X is slipping down?...

[Homosassa]

3 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Now, I know out of topic, but just out of curiosity: Why do you think X is slipping down?...

Hopefully the slipping is a temporary  where Celebrity is having the same problem as MSC.

 

Restart prices for Celebrity were comparatively low to their prices before Covid. Those prices were combined with drink packages and passengers that usually would sail lower down in the cruise experience tier have been sailing Celebrity.

 

The passengers on board affects the overall cruise experience and there are many on board that  use behavior learned from the other cruise lines. 

[Nunagoras]

21 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Hopefully the slipping is a temporary  where Celebrity is having the same problem as MSC.

 

Restart prices for Celebrity were comparatively low to their prices before Covid. Those prices were combined with drink packages and passengers that usually would sail lower down in the cruise experience tier have been sailing Celebrity.

 

The passengers on board affects the overall cruise experience and there are many on board that  use behavior learned from the other cruise lines. 

Yeah, understand! And there are those ones coming discontent with the current state of the art on the mainstream, but obviously there is a learning curve elsewhere. I believe that the market will to change at all levels on the next 2-5 years to come. Time will tell what the extent of that change will be. Have a nice day!...

[KittyCruz]

On 1/24/2023 at 6:20 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

There are plenty of great non-Yacht Club reviews out there.

 

MSC being "different" is often the cause of the bad reviews. There are legitimate complaints and there are "...my favorite cruise line does things differently so I'll never sail MSC again..." complaints. It's important to separate the two.

Right before Covid, we did MSC non yacht club and really enjoyed it - we had booked an aurea suite and enjoyed the perks that came with it (thermal spa access, room service)

The big qualm I saw in reviews that we read when researching were people (US) were not used to a more european line, but we didn't mind.  Foodwise there were always good options and we had fun on the ship.

 

 

[NYcruzzer]

We are going on our first MSC cruise this May. Meraviglia out of NY. We are used to Any time dining on NCL . How does it work on MSC ? We have requested early seating. Are we going to be assigned a specific dining room, time and table for the entire cruise ? Or do we just arrive at one of the Dining Rooms at it's designated time and are seated ?

[styles27]

13 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

We are going on our first MSC cruise this May. Meraviglia out of NY. We are used to Any time dining on NCL . How does it work on MSC ? We have requested early seating. Are we going to be assigned a specific dining room, time and table for the entire cruise ? Or do we just arrive at one of the Dining Rooms at it's designated time and are seated ?

For us freestyle dining is the one thing we wish MSC would do. We prefer NCL because of it. 
 

We chose first seating and when we chose it the stated time was 6:30. 
When we looked at our cruise card it said 5:30pm. 
 

The ship was sold out therefore they had 3 seatings 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30. We tried to change to 730 but there was a waitlist.

 

5:30 was way too early especially on port days when we didn’t get back on board til after 4:30. We felt very rushed. 
 

If you book the Aurea experience you have a bit more flexibility and can dine between certain hours. On our cruise it was 6-9pm. 

Yes you will be assigned time, table and dining room for the entire cruise you go to that dining room and that table. 

Edited February 14, 2023 by styles27

[hamrag]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:54 PM, KKB said:

.....Just paid final payment on MSC Preziosa in May for Ireland/Scotland & Norway for 21 days, so hoping I like it! Was such a fantastic deal I had to try! Pretty easy to please so here's hoping.

The only advice I can offer is prepare for all 4 seasons across that itinerary.....sometimes all on the same day! I am certain, with your highly refreshing attitude, you will enjoy the cruise no matter the weather! 

 😉

[Markanddonna]

Just off an MSC cruise. From what I heard from others, there were no changes of dining times allowed. We were on a B2B and our first group of tablemates were fine but most didn't come to the MDR and they went to the buffet. Our second sailing had a wonderful group that showed up almost all 10 days. I noted many groups of one solo at a table or one couple at a table of eight. If I had that situation, I would prefer NCL where you can share tables. We once asked the waiter if we could invite a solo we noted who was eating alone at a table for eight to join us at our table (six people at our table didn't show) and they refused. 

 

 

[NYcruzzer]

Thanks for the quick response. One last question. Is Breakfast and Lunch "open seating" in the MDR ?

[styles27]

1 hour ago, NYcruzzer said:

Thanks for the quick response. One last question. Is Breakfast and Lunch "open seating" in the MDR ?

Yes when it’s open. 

[NYcruzzer]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

Yes when it’s open. 

Great. Thank you

[pcrum]

17 hours ago, styles27 said:

For us freestyle dining is the one thing we wish MSC would do. We prefer NCL because of it. 
 

We chose first seating and when we chose it the stated time was 6:30. 
When we looked at our cruise card it said 5:30pm. 
 

The ship was sold out therefore they had 3 seatings 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30. We tried to change to 730 but there was a waitlist.

 

5:30 was way too early especially on port days when we didn’t get back on board til after 4:30. We felt very rushed. 
 

If you book the Aurea experience you have a bit more flexibility and can dine between certain hours. On our cruise it was 6-9pm. 

Yes you will be assigned time, table and dining room for the entire cruise you go to that dining room and that table. 

Just to add to this, when you board the first day, you can go to the MDR and see the maitre d to inquire about your table.  On our Divina cruise last Sept., when we went to check on the table, we were told that we had been assigned to a large shared table.  Eating with strangers is our worse nightmare, so we asked to be moved to a table for two.  They had to change our dining time (from early to late) to accommodate our request, but to us, it was worth it.  We could tell that others were not aware that you can do this, because many walked into the MDR and seemed surprised to be shown to a large, shared table with others.  

 

On this 3-day sailing, they had only 2 dining times, so our late seating was at something like 8:15 pm, which was fine by us.