New to MSC Question about Complimentary Drinks and Water

[Cruzinforpeace***]

Hello. We will be taking our first MSC cruise in February and we are not drinkers (alcohol or soda) so the drink package is pretty much a waste of $ for us. We’re currently booked in an Aurea Balcony  We’ve cruised X, Royal etc and the complimentary beverage options were usually easy to obtain to avoid dehydration.  We drink mostly water, teas and some lemonade from time to time. On Royal we filled up glasses of water from the buffet and pizza place and poured it into our water bottles and it worked out just fine.  On X we brought on bottled water but I don’t think MSC allows this practice.  I’ve read online that it’s difficult to obtain “free” water even in the dining room; that the buffet was the only place.  Anyone have experience and/or advice for a MSC newbie?  Can you buy bottled water on board?  Is it mineral or spring water?  I don’t currently see the option on their app.  Thanks for any advice or info.

[shipgeeks]

MSC is not all that different from RC and the others: water, tea, coffee, juice (more choices than on RC in the morning!), are all readily available in the buffet.

Tap water is fine; we just fill up our bottle in the cabin or buffet.  In MDR we ask for water, and it usually comes in a pitcher rather than having it poured for us.  Because non-Americans (large numbers usually aboard) are used to drinking bottled water, you might see a lot of tables with bottles on them; that doesn't mean the tap water is not available or not good to drink; just a different custom.

Enjoy!

[Jenwu07]

The buffet has 5-6 drinks stations each  with a ice machine, water, milk, tea and juice, all complimentary. My family of 6 including young kids and elderly were totally fine without drinks package this past April aboard Meraviglia for a week. 

[Essiesmom]

On the MDR on Seaside they mostly poured water automatically, Acqua Panna, room temp.  Only one night in a different part of the MDR did I get ice water from a pitcher.  I was in Aurea but the second leg of my 4/3 on Seaside they converted the lower MDR to My Choice only.  Upper MDR was still fixed dining.  EM

  I drank mostly iced tea from the buffet, though I also got it in MDR.  I like lemon in it, just a squirt of lemonade.  When they apparently ran out of lemonade, I just asked at the buffet bar for a lime wedge.

 

 

[4sallypat]

Since Aurea offers above the Fantastica experience, you should get free bottled mineral water at the MDR.

 

Only European cruises have this. 

 

US sailings no.

 

 

[JamieLogical]

Also worth noting that as Aurea, you can get free continental room service breakfast and have coffee, tea, milk, or juice delivered to your room. Also, in the MDRs at breakfast, servers will come around with pre-filled glasses of various juices.

[Cruzinforpeace***]

2 hours ago, 4sallypat said:

Since Aurea offers above the Fantastica experience, you should get free bottled mineral water at the MDR.

 

Only European cruises have this. 

 

US sailings no.

 

 

ours is US so not for us😢

[4sallypat]

On 9/2/2023 at 2:46 PM, JamieLogical said:

Also worth noting that as Aurea, you can get free continental room service breakfast and have coffee, tea, milk, or juice delivered to your room. Also, in the MDRs at breakfast, servers will come around with pre-filled glasses of various juices.

Fantastica experience also included free breakfast service too but the selections were limited.

 

I enjoyed getting up at 6am, to photograph the next port, get my coffee and an MSC breakfast treat that just wowed me every single day.

 

They didn't have too many put out so by 8am when everyone else was up, they were long gone.

 

Anyone know what this is called ?

 

 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

Does anyone know if the complimentary restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of a 7 night cruise?  I just watched a review and they were talking about the long lines in the buffet.  Doesn’t sound too enjoyable.  

Also, with Aurea level, does anyone have any experience with how the “anytime dining” works and if that perk is for all

3 meals?

[JamieLogical]

17 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

Does anyone know if the complimentary restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of a 7 night cruise?  I just watched a review and they were talking about the long lines in the buffet.  Doesn’t sound too enjoyable.  

Also, with Aurea level, does anyone have any experience with how the “anytime dining” works and if that perk is for all

3 meals?

 

There will likely not be lunch served in the MDR on port days unless the ship docks after lunch time. Breakfast and lunch are not assigned tables or times for anyone, regardless of the experience booked. The only set dining times and tables are for dinner, so that's where the benefit of Aurea comes in.

[Essiesmom]

Some ships have a separate dining room for Aurea.  On Seaside Aurea had one side of the Seashore MDR on deck 5 with entrance on far left.  EM

[GGG65]

Just bumping this topic because I'm on the MSC Seaside right now and rather disappointed that for lunch and dinner the buffets only have water.  A choice of lemonade or iced tea would be nice, but nope...  Just water (not very cold), ice, and coffee.  It's a strange choice for what is otherwise a well stocked buffet.

 

Breakfast is better with some juices, although no orange juice after the first day.  The hot chocolate is also good in the morning.

 

[JamieLogical]

12 hours ago, GGG65 said:

Just bumping this topic because I'm on the MSC Seaside right now and rather disappointed that for lunch and dinner the buffets only have water.  A choice of lemonade or iced tea would be nice, but nope...  Just water (not very cold), ice, and coffee.  It's a strange choice for what is otherwise a well stocked buffet.

 

Breakfast is better with some juices, although no orange juice after the first day.  The hot chocolate is also good in the morning.

 

 

Do they not have the juice machines/dispensers even out at lunch and dinner? Are they just marked as out of order or are they empty?

[GGG65]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Do they not have the juice machines/dispensers even out at lunch and dinner? Are they just marked as out of order or are they empty?

 

They do not have the machines out at lunch or dinner.  The machines used in the morning for Pineapple juice and "ace" are covered for the rest of the day.

 

 

[4sallypat]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Do they not have the juice machines/dispensers even out at lunch and dinner? Are they just marked as out of order or are they empty?

Juice only at breakfast - buffet or dining room.

 

Lunch, Dinner, Late night - no. 

 

Must purchase separately.

[perakcruiser]

On 9/2/2023 at 4:13 PM, shipgeeks said:

Because non-Americans (large numbers usually aboard) are used to drinking bottled water, you might see a lot of tables with bottles on them; that doesn't mean the tap water is not available or not good to drink; just a different custom.

No, non-Americans (most) would love to get a pitcher of drinking water in the MDR, but it is not possible for them on MSC, they have to buy the water bottles in the MDR. 

 

 

[4sallypat]

14 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

No, non-Americans (most) would love to get a pitcher of drinking water in the MDR, but it is not possible for them on MSC, they have to buy the water bottles in the MDR. 

 

 

Is this on US cruises ?

 

When we took the Mediterranean cruise, we always had pitchers of water available at all meals in the MDR.

 

[perakcruiser]

1 minute ago, 4sallypat said:

Is this on US cruises ?

 

When we took the Mediterranean cruise, we always had pitchers of water available at all meals in the MDR.

 

If you booked with MSC USA or MSC UK you will get free water in the MDR (usually a pitcher, sometimes bottles). No matter where you sail or what your nationality is. Others have to pay, selling water was always a important source of income for MSC. 

 

[4sallypat]

3 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

If you booked with MSC USA or MSC UK you will get free water in the MDR (usually a pitcher, sometimes bottles). No matter where you sail or what your nationality is. Others have to pay, selling water was always a important source of income for MSC. 

 

Wow, I learned something!

We had free bottled water at the MDR no matter what service (B, L, D) and we did not purchase a drinks package.

Thanks.

[DaKahuna]

14 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

If you booked with MSC USA or MSC UK you will get free water in the MDR (usually a pitcher, sometimes bottles). No matter where you sail or what your nationality is. Others have to pay, selling water was always a important source of income for MSC. 

 

 

How would the wait staff know who booked where?  

I can imagine an 8 top or 10 top with various couples from all over and how would they know who got free water and who did not? 

 

[insidecabin]

48 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

How would the wait staff know who booked where?  

I can imagine an 8 top or 10 top with various couples from all over and how would they know who got free water and who did not? 

 

its an amenity on your booking much like the drinks package or speciality dinners,  they know

[P27159]

Sounds like it might be worthwhile to bring an extra empty water bottle and fill it whenever they have juice or iced tea available at the buffet, so you can have some on hand later in the day when they evidently don't serve it.

[alserrod]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:45 PM, perakcruiser said:

No, non-Americans (most) would love to get a pitcher of drinking water in the MDR, but it is not possible for them on MSC, they have to buy the water bottles in the MDR. 

 

 

 

I agree.... I would ask for water, cold water. If it is not still cold I will ask for ice.

A pitcher is fine, no need to have bottled water. 

As bigger the pitcher/bottle is, less times to ask for new water or getting up to fill the glass again. Usually a pitcher is bigger.

 

 

 

 

On 12/13/2023 at 12:06 AM, perakcruiser said:

If you booked with MSC USA or MSC UK you will get free water in the MDR (usually a pitcher, sometimes bottles). No matter where you sail or what your nationality is. Others have to pay, selling water was always a important source of income for MSC. 

 

 

On 12/13/2023 at 3:02 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

How would the wait staff know who booked where?  

I can imagine an 8 top or 10 top with various couples from all over and how would they know who got free water and who did not? 

 

 

 

You book a drink pack. You do not know which pack has payed the other table.

 

[heatherb1958]

On 12/13/2023 at 2:02 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

How would the wait staff know who booked where?  

I can imagine an 8 top or 10 top with various couples from all over and how would they know who got free water and who did not? 

 

 

I know this is a resurrected thread but will answer anyway. 

With MSC they still have traditional dining and will seat same , more or less,  nationalities together . We just got off Euribia and had booked through the same travel agent  as another couple who were put on same dining table.. As luck would have it we knew the couple from 5 years ago when we met on Meraviglia! That was a bonus .

The waiters have a manifest in the dining room of  who is entitled to complimentary bottled water/tea/coffee , we were told by our waiters this info. 

Edited March 15 by heatherb1958

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

I know this is a resurrected thread but will answer anyway. 

 

 Thanks.  I guess that makes sense and now, after sailing on MSC, I understand how it would work.