New to MSC, Loyal to Royal

[ksmommy5]

I got status matched to silver. Is the obc for this tier only when you’ve booked directly or within 6months etc? 

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/16/2023 at 1:22 PM, Winnigirl said:

And on the other end of the stick, I wouldn't be caught on a Carnival cruise.  

Could you please provide some more details as to why you "wouldn't be caught on a Carnival cruise"?

After 50+ cruises on RCI, NCL, MSC, Carnival, Celebrity and Princess I would be more than happy to clear up any misconceptions that you may have from reading and regurgitating second and third hand information about Carnival.  The Excel Class ships of Carnival are not the party boats that Kathie Lee Gifford promoted 30 years ago.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/16/2023 at 8:11 PM, Inflatable_Catfish said:

We had quality craft drinks at the bar by the specialty restaurants every night. By far best drinks on any cruise. 

You obviously have never been to the World Class Bar on Celebrity, Good Spirits at Sea on Princess or the Alchemy Bar on Carnival.  All 3 blow away anything that MSC offers.  And this is after 50+ cruises including the YC on Seaside 5 years ago.  

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/17/2023 at 9:17 AM, Brighton Line said:

You do know MSC will status match your RCL Diamond Status, or match many hotel programs if you have a higher status. Only cruise line I know that will match status, this match is only done once so if you are close to a higher tier on another company probably better to wait until you get that higher tier. Though there have been posts of people getting more than one time match, just quoting the rule.

Virgin Voyages also matches, but the top tier Diamond on MSC has the best perk with the free specialty dinner.  If I'm not mistaken since many cruisers took advantage of the status match I believe that they will only match up to Gold. That is what we got for matching our Platinum level from Carnival.

[Winnigirl]

48 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Could you please provide some more details as to why you "wouldn't be caught on a Carnival cruise"?

After 50+ cruises on RCI, NCL, MSC, Carnival, Celebrity and Princess I would be more than happy to clear up any misconceptions that you may have from reading and regurgitating second and third hand information about Carnival.  The Excel Class ships of Carnival are not the party boats that Kathie Lee Gifford promoted 30 years ago.

 

We have taken a cruise on Carnival.  Granted it was about 15 years ago now, but it just simply wasn't for us.  I don't think I want to go into specifics;  we just knew that we wouldn't take another one.  We have cruised on all the lines you mention, other than MSC, over the last 30 years as well as Holland-America.   We are trying MSC and I hope we enjoy it too.  Everyone should be able to choose what works best for them.

[CruizinSusan70]

35 minutes ago, Winnigirl said:

 Everyone should be able to choose what works best for them.

Totally agree but the Carnival of today, especially on the Excel Class ships is much different than the Carnival of 15 years ago.

MSC is the value leader price wise, even cheaper than Carnival.  It also has a European vibe to it which many like and even though they have been in the states for over five years now with multiple ships, they still have not learned how to cater to an American clientele.  Some people cruise on MSC for this very reason, but if they wish to utilize the deep pockets of their parent company to climb the rankings and bypass NCL they still need to improve on various aspects of the cruising experience that they are lacking. 

To begin with, their customer service on board, their customer service on line, their customer service via phone, their online website and their App, just to name a few starting points.  And this is being typed as I sit aft on the MSC Meraviglia in Port Canaveral.

[Mark_T]

16 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

If I'm not mistaken since many cruisers took advantage of the status match I believe that they will only match up to Gold. That is what we got for matching our Platinum level from Carnival.

They still offer Diamond level on matching, just not with Carnival, Gold is the highest match you can get using Carnival status.

 

With Regent for example, anything above the lowest level (Bronze) will get you Diamond.

 

With Celebrity, Zenith will get you Diamond, and there are plenty of others that also match to Diamond.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Mark_T

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/19/2023 at 7:05 AM, Mark_T said:

They still offer Diamond level on matching, just not with Carnival, Gold is the highest match you can get using Carnival status.

Our Platinum status on Carnival got us matched to Gold 5 years ago when we cruised on the Seaside.  But if we were Diamond on Carnival we would have matched to Diamond on MSC 5 years ago.  Possibly things have changed, but since it looks like MSC will be in our rear view mirror after we disembark from the Meraviglia, it's really a moot point.

[perakcruiser]

On 7/18/2023 at 10:37 PM, ksmommy5 said:

I got status matched to silver. Is the obc for this tier only when you’ve booked directly or within 6months etc? 

All tiers except Classic get the OBC, but it is 9 months, not 6. 

Edited July 21, 2023 by perakcruiser

[Nunagoras]

On 7/14/2023 at 9:32 PM, ksmommy5 said:

Just booked a cruise out of Port Canaveral on the Seaside bc the price was too good to pass up. - Enjoy till there is. They're not anymore the best secret spot in the Industry. -  I am having buyers remorse the more research I do into this line: Im sorry, but there are certain shows that are an additional cost?! A whole billiard room that has a COST? - Billiard is free as far as I know, but Zipline, 3D cinema, 3D arcades, bowling and such are extra cost. Affordable packages to add those activities on offer though. Book online to avoid the odd 15% gratuity fee. - Coming from RCL which offers a variety of family friendly options included (zipline, bumper cars, ice skating etc) I guess we will be spending our time in the waterpark area. - Waterpark is free, but you need to sign a waiver to use the slides. The Fun Pass may interest you!... - I am going into this cruise with an open mind but some of these amenities additional costs are a bit much. - Understandable to keep base fares as low as possible and crowd control as good as possible. - Anything else that will shock me when I board? I already see that bc I booked Bella I can't choose my dining time or preference of table size until I board. - Bear in mind it is Italian owned and run company catering to a very international clientele. Even on US sailings you'll see some 50%+ of the crowd from an international origin.

Pretty much all has been said. Have my answers in blue. Feel free to ask more if you so need and have a wonderful day!...

Edited July 21, 2023 by Nunagoras

[Nunagoras]

On 7/17/2023 at 12:43 AM, Stockjock said:

Having done multiple cruises on MSC and RCCL, here's my take:

Shoreside Customer Service: RCCL. - To avoid the shore side and some onboard hurdles I usually go with a small charter venture. Think, a little 25-30 individuals small group led by a tour leader... Huh!... Let the charter TA organizer to deal with those oddities for me!... Just before the pandemic every European MSC sailing would have some 40%-60% of guests from those similar small charter groups. This JIMHO why they don't have developed such a better final user shore side services yet. They didn't need it by the way...

Onboard Customer Service: MSC.  MSC isn't fabulous, but better than RCCL, based on my experiences. - Yes. General maintenance and cleanliness onboard ships used also to be better than RCI which is a detail NOT to be missed in consideration!...

Food quality in standard MDR: Neither is amazing but MSC wins, imo.  But, I did a mini suite on RCCL & Costal Kitchen was much better.  But that's for suites & mini suites. - Agree! YC might to be at a wonderful standard as well. Buffets are better on RCI, JIMHO; especially the dinner one once on MSC by default dinner offering is more MDR centered once us Europeans would like our dinners to be such a social experience for conversation while being table served; but that was 2016-2018 when my last cruises were. Things might to have changed.

Entertainment Music, Shows & Venues: RCCL by a wide margin.  MSC's shows are weird & disjointed without much of a story, typically - Surely; especially once one considers the Oasis Class extra WOW factor. Bear in mind that MSC caters to a very international crowd, and doing an entertainment program with so many languages spoken onboard is more than challenging! Their offering is more than adequate for the price point and demographics.

Entertainment Parties and Such: MSC.  Europeans like to party and they usually do it later than Americans with more energy and less drunkenness/problems. - Surely! And with good luck some Opera shows, the eventual classical choir guest performing, a lovely invited musician, some specialty dancers... Not guaranteed, but I've been lucky enough to enjoy those offerings!...

Pricing: MSC usually offers a better value, but not always. - They're NOT that extremely affordable quite secret spot in the industry anymore... Sign of their success to say the least!... 

Ship decor: MSC.  Glitzy Italian elegance. - Surely! I'd to describe it as sophisticated simplicity!... If you want similar or better decors onboard ships you MUST to run far higher on the price range to find it!...

Cabin Layout: Personal preference.  Could go either way, depending. - For me... The RCI one won by KO!... But that might have been due to, again, the Oasis class extra WOW, once that was my unique RCI experience!... On smaller ships I believe MSC wins easily by the same ship size comparison. Either way, MSC cabins are nice nonetheless and for us Europeans they add that lovely sensation of, you know, stay at home while sailing at sea!... 7 cruises and counting under my belt tells it all, doesn't it?...

 

You've hit the nail on the head on this, exactly. Pretty much what I'd say. See my observations in blue and have a wonderful day!...