Is MSC really as crowded/chaotic as is painted in this YouTube review

[nielgirl]

Hello fellow Cruise Critic members,

 

My husband and I are novices having been on one 2 week cruise with Holland America pre-pandemic. We enjoyed it thoroughly but my husband prefers all-inclusive because of the easy access to the beach and large pools with plenty of breathing space.

I thought I found a great compromise that would please both of us in the MSC cruise line in their cruise itinerary involving a 2 day stay at their private Bahamas Island. I showed my husband and he loved the idea of having the easy access to the beautiful beaches from a docked ship rather than a tender. We could come and go as we pleased during the two days there.

 

We both came to full stop after watching this Youtube review on MSC by Ritzy Travel Guide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bHOEuScWU&t=2s

 

This video paints a picture of a completely disorganized, chaotic and far too crowded ship. Is that the norm you’ve experienced travelling on MSC (not Yacht Club)? We would love to try out MSC but that video has left both of us very concerned. We turn 60 next year are by no means shrinking violets but crowds & lineups like that are just not appealing to us.

 

We often travel in the off seasons but that video said that no matter when you travel with MSC it always looks like what is portrayed in the video.

 

We’re looking for personal experiences from MSC cruisers on this.

Thanks

[perakcruiser]

28 minutes ago, nielgirl said:

This video paints a picture of a completely disorganized, chaotic and far too crowded ship. Is that the norm you’ve experienced travelling on MSC (not Yacht Club)?

Certainly not. Please do not take any of these videos serious. They need to generate clicks to make money. So they make up some "shocking" news. How many clicks a story "A normal cruise on a normal ship" would generate?

 

 

[showingdiva]

The ship in the video, MSC Virtuosa, sails out of the UK in the summer, and a Meraviglia-plus class ship sister to MSC Grandiosa and the new LNG MSC Euribia.    

 

I've done three on Virtuosa and one on Euribia.   Two further booked on Virtoosa.    Pre-pandemic, I would have laughed (nervously) at anyone that suggested these ships to me   Yes, they're huge and there's a lot of people, and a very wide age range.

 

However, I've found that the only real chaos is the first night.   As most passengers will be new to the ship - and some on a ship for the first time ever, they're getting lost / confused because they can't remember where their cabin / restaurant / soon to be favourite bar is.   It settles.   I've often found myself on my own in lifts, and found a quieter spot to eat.    If you want to dance with the crowds in the galleria, fine, but if not, there's another 300 odd metres of ship that's quieter.   I've never been in Yacht Club because I can't justify the cost given I'd never use the facilities to the maximum and I'm teetotal.    Loved the cabins I've chosen in Fantastica grade, always had great room stewards and quiet time on the balcony if necessary.    I have PTSD, so if Virtuosa (and Euribia a few week's ago) were that bad, I would be first not to cope.    

[peder]

I really don't think large, modern cruise ships are a good fit for this YouTuber. I've seen how crowded things can be on the Seascape/Seashore, with even the Aurea and Yacht Club areas feeling plenty full on sea days. I imagine it's worse on the Meraviglia-class ships since there's less outdoor space per passenger.

[RandomUser123]

I was on MSC Meraviglia last week and the only time it ever felt crowded was embarkation day at the lunch buffet which is like that for every cruise line. Other than that it never felt crowded.

[nielgirl]

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate it.

 

I was just looking at reviews for MSC on Cruise Critic and seeing a a lot of people confirming the over crowding and chaos that was in the YouTube video. Many of these reviews were from Caribbean itineraries.

 

Can anyone advise what months the off season is for the Caribbean cruises for MSC and what sort of capacity the ships are running at during those time periods?

[1kaper]

I sailed Seaside in May for a 4 night on a full ship. And sailed Seaside last week for a 7 night. I heard it was a full ship but can’t confirm. 
They were two different experiences altogether. I found the May cruise too crowded. Hard to get a chair on the ship and on ocean cay. Crowded bars. It was so hard to get a drink that when we did we ordered multiple to avoid having to go back to the bar.  The elevators were jammed. 
Last week we were able to get chairs in convenient places almost any time. The last sea day was the one time we found it hard. But we went in the afternoon. And that is not uncommon on any ship. No issues on Ocean Cay either. Bars generally weren’t too busy. I didn’t even order multiple drinks. Even the elevators were fine. 
 

I have a few thoughts - maybe it wasn’t a full ship last week. 
but I’ve also considered that shorter cruises tend to be booze cruises so you have a larger portion of the passengers looking to use the bar and pool areas. 
We did 2 days at Ocean Cay last week so maybe because we had so much time not everyone went all at once. 
 

I guess my point is it all depends. 
 

I do believe that summer tends to be the quieter time. And peak hurricane season (Sept/oct I believe). Last week seemed good but last year we sailed on Thanksgiving and I believe that ships tend to be full that week. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by 1kaper

[nielgirl]

That's good to know 1kaper.....thank you. We never go on the short trips and the days of the booze cruise style ventures is long behind us.

 

Is January/February part of the high season for the Caribbean cruises?

[perakcruiser]

39 minutes ago, nielgirl said:

Is January/February part of the high season for the Caribbean cruises?

Until January 9th it is super high season. Starting January 9 the peaceful season begins. 

[Maria63]

We are in our 60s too and have done several cruises with MSC, starting with Suez-repos on Orchestra and Musica, a TA on Divina, another Suez-repo in YC on Bellissima, a shoulder season Med cruise on Seaview in YC, and most recently a b2b shoulder season Med cruise on World Europa (non-YC). We have also cruised with RCI, Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess, Cunard, Azamara, and Viking.

 

Generally, I would say that on MSC you have to accept a fair amount of crowding and at least occasional chaos. One thing to keep in mind is that MSC has more cabins & guests per available space than some of the more "upmarket" lines, which will inevitably result in a more crowded feel. On top of that, the YC takes up a considerable chunk of the front of the ship that is inaccessible for non-YC guests. Of the MSC ships we´ve cruised with, World Europa has the Galeria concept, so most of the bars & lounges are concentrated in and around this area which means lots of people sharing the same space in the evenings.  It is for instance a bit difficult to find a quiet lounge for a pre- or post-dinner drink, and as the front is fully occupied by YC, there is nothing like an observation lounge in the front for non-YC.

 

Still, our impression is that MSC is steadily improving, though "crowd control" is perhaps not their strong point. RCI, as an example, handles this issue much better on their mega-ships, with the different "neighborhoods" which results in people not all gathering at the same time in the same place for the evening entertainment and main events.

[Nunagoras]

Let me to be as simple as it may be: If Holland America is really your sort of thing, on the MSC world, the nearest possible outfit for you would to be the Yacht Club, perhaps at an even lower fare with more inclusions than whatever else HAL has on offer for you. And with YC you'll have the best of 2 worlds: A small ship experience inside a big ship.

 

That said; big ships are... Big ships! Expect crowds at embarkation day or whenever a show finishes. And if you're travelling on school break times, chances are you'll find tons of kids aboard.

[8420PR]

On 11/25/2023 at 6:22 PM, nielgirl said:

We both came to full stop after watching this Youtube review on MSC by Ritzy Travel Guide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bHOEuScWU&t=2s

 

This video paints a picture of a completely disorganized, chaotic and far too crowded ship. Is that the norm you’ve experienced travelling on MSC (not Yacht Club)? We would love to try out MSC but that video has left both of us very concerned. We turn 60 next year are by no means shrinking violets but crowds & lineups like that are just not appealing to us.

I watched the video (without sound) and thought it was largely representative of an European Cruise on MSC.  There will be lots of people of all ages enjoying their holiday in a relatively small place.   For me this is a good thing.  There are certainly quieter areas, but it will still be 5k passengers on a ship.

[scamper]

Most of my cruises have been on HAL and they never feel crowded.  Of course, they don't have the lumbering, floating behemoths that MSC and other lines have.

 

In fairness, the video's a bit misleading showing the packed Galleria without context.  They were having a big party there and of course it makes it crowded.

 

The pool area, if I were the sunshine type, would make me very unhappy.  Fortunately, I limit my sun exposure.  Skin cancer clashes with every piece of clothing I own.

[JamieLogical]

I have only sailed on the Meraviglia on MSC, so take my info with a grain of salt. I have sailed several other cruise lines (NCL, Celebrity, Princess) and on cruise ships, crowded spaces are crowded and quiet spaces are quiet. If there is a big party or game show going on in the Atrium or another public area, then of course there are big crowds there. That doesn't mean the whole ship is like that. On every ship I have ever been on there have always been quiet lounges with small musical acts where you can sit peacefully, drink a drink, have a conversation, or just listen to the music. In warmer weather, every ship I have ever been on has had every lounger near the pool occupied. But there are also loungers all over the other decks, away from the pools, that are empty and offer a more quiet place to sunbathe or read a book. I guess what I am saying is that you could probably find similar videos of crowded spaces on every ship of every mass market cruise line. But that doesn't mean that every inch of the ship is like that at all times.

 

As others have said, embarkation and debarkation can involve chaos and long lines depending on the ship, the port, turnover times, etc. Muster on MSC cruises is particularly terrible compared to other lines post-COVID (they were ALL terrible pre-COVID), but that is one hour of one day, so you get through it and move on with your cruise. The buffets (as on all lines) can be chaotic at lunch on embarkation.

 

I think the challenge for you is that you are comparing a cruise to an all-inclusive and, like you said, there is certainly more room to spread out at an all-inclusive and you don't have the chaos of everyone arriving and departing at the same time. But on every cruise ship I have ever been on, I have always found some place to spread out, especially warm weather cruises when all of the outdoor space can be utilized by passengers. Things do feel more crowded on cold weather cruises when everyone is forced indoors.

[davy jones]

Take it with a grain of salt.  This guy's video list comprises of Cunard, P&O and MSC.

 

Comparing two luxury lines with a mass market line tells me that he has not done his homework.  

 

Perhaps he should do the same on the monster ships on the other mass market lines.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 11/25/2023 at 12:22 PM, nielgirl said:

 

This video paints a picture of a completely disorganized, chaotic and far too crowded ship. Is that the norm you’ve experienced travelling on MSC (not Yacht Club)?

Yes... So are all the other mass market ships. Have noticed that the clientele is more upper class, more manners coming from Europe. Except for Spring Break, it is worse. No one follows instructions. Some do not leave when told to leave tying up the ship from clearing. "Downliners" do not show up when requested (Those that board the ship 'down the line' HAVE TO be off first, required by CBP, Customs and Border Protection). They must be 'hunted down'. Facial recognition must be up and running otherwise not enough agents are on hand til 8 am. We experienced NO available deck lounges on Princess, Celebrity , RCCL with all the chair hogging. Even experienced no available deck chair in the Retreat due to chair hogging, switched over to Yacht Club always enough deck chairs inspite of chair hoggers. Will never go back to cabins outside suite class on any cruise ship. But you may be still too young (at 60) to be spoiled by the best life has to offer in the MSC Yacht Clubs.

[Pizzasteve]

I think it is a good idea to look into the expected load factor when booking any cruise line, particularly those like MSC that appear to adjust poorly to crowded ships.

 

We had great service on our recent Transatlantic, but upon leaving spoke with several crew and learned that the next cruise on a holiday week was full of 4 per room families and pretty much fully booked.  The passenger load was about to double with the same crew.  Our waiter knew he was in for a tough week and we tipped him extra knowing he likely would be earning it.  We saw tons of child life vests being staged in hallways to add to the rooms.

[nielgirl]

I have to thank you all for such informative opinions on MSC. I think we'll look into booking one of their smaller ships for a Caribbean cruise and try to look at a more off season timeframe where it will still be warm enough.

[Essiesmom]

5 minutes ago, nielgirl said:

I have to thank you all for such informative opinions on MSC. I think we'll look into booking one of their smaller ships for a Caribbean cruise and try to look at a more off season timeframe where it will still be warm enough.

The Caribbean is always warm enough.  Closer to the equator temps don’t vary much, maybe five degrees F.  Just look for a time when US kids are not on holiday.  EM

[quattrohead]

On 11/25/2023 at 4:49 PM, peder said:

I've seen how crowded things can be on the Seascape/Seashore, with even the Aurea and Yacht Club areas feeling plenty full on sea days. I imagine it's worse on the Meraviglia-class ships since there's less outdoor space per passenger.

Seaxxxx class ships might be bigger overall, but they are ridiculously tiny inside, horrible design. I will take any other ship over these.

Only spent 4 days on Meraviglia but it was very easy to use and enjoy.

[insidecabin]

22 hours ago, davy jones said:

Take it with a grain of salt.  This guy's video list comprises of Cunard, P&O and MSC.

 

Comparing two luxury lines with a mass market line tells me that he has not done his homework.  

 

Perhaps he should do the same on the monster ships on the other mass market lines.

P&O is not luxury it's mass market for UK market.

 

MSC are competing in that space with their UK marketing and pricing structure, with grats included, reasonable premium drink package, good family and solo rates)

[peder]

2 hours ago, quattrohead said:

Seaxxxx class ships might be bigger overall, but they are ridiculously tiny inside, horrible design. I will take any other ship over these.

Only spent 4 days on Meraviglia but it was very easy to use and enjoy.

 

I meant crowded outside by the pool areas, despite the Seaside class ships have the highest percentage of outdoor space in MSC's fleet (similar to the Prima/Viva and a few other ships designed in the same era). I never experienced any crowding inside.

Edited November 29, 2023 by peder

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/25/2023 at 12:22 PM, nielgirl said:

This video paints a picture of a completely disorganized, chaotic and far too crowded ship.

I haven't watched the video yet, but I found our last week's Seascape sailing completely disorganized, chaotic and crowded. It was a Thanksgiving sailing, so crowds are expected, but we sailed on Thanksgiving with other cruise lines, also on large ships, and this time was different.

 

A lot of people on our sailing's FB page also found it to be disorganized to a fault. Many said (even those in YC) that it would be their first and last MSC cruise.

 

I found that the degree of disorganization was unexpectedly high for us personally, and even though we enjoyed many aspects of this sailing, we will be very cautious if and when we decide to give MSC a second chance. I am not saying "never again", but I am saying - we'll see. A lot more positive stuff must happen to outweigh the negatives.

 

I will write my review shortly. We had a lot of positive things happen, so it wasn't "all bad and horrible".

Edited November 29, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/28/2023 at 12:23 PM, Pizzasteve said:

We saw tons of child life vests being staged in hallways to add to the rooms.

fun fact: neither we, nor my parents found any life vests in our cabins last week on Seascape.

[Pizzasteve]

Well each ship has its own life vest storage plan and a safety briefing is mandatory.  What was explained at your briefing?  Not all ships store life vests in cabins.  Did you inquire with the room steward?

 

But regarding your experience, not surprised.  The culture of MSC seemed to me to be ‘overbook the staff and pressure them to perform.’  Even on our half empty ship staffing was just at the level needed. So other than the cooks (pizza chef exception), our service level was pretty good, but not over staffed for sure.

 

They had extra bartenders and excess photos staff, but everywhere else (waiters, room stewards, customer service) seemed like they would be strained under a full ship.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Pizzasteve