Contemplating Princess - MSC to Princess. Help and Advise, Please.

[CruisingFox27]

 

 

We are contemplating a Princess cruise, we’re long term MSC sailors and would like to understand the different levels and benefits of Princess to ensure we book a cabin and experience that meets our needs. It would be a lengthy repositioning cruise, so we don’t want to be those people on board complaining it’s unsuitable because they didn’t know what they had booked – we’ve all met them, lol.

 

When we book MSC we’ve always booked Aurea or YC. Our primary priorities are the Anytime dining, having a table for 2 and no queuing for dinner. The availability of breakfast delivery – in the absence of tea/coffee facilities. We very much appreciate the private sundeck, it’s always quiet and no fuss for beds. On longer cruises, having a sofa and cabin space is beneficial. We have always had the drinks packages included (the old Aurea package did) the mid range AIB&R or Easy Plus would be fine, and we do need Wi-Fi.

 

So, from initial investigations, I think we need a Mini suite or Mini suite reserve? What are the main benefit differences? The cruises we’re looking at are on Diamond Princess and Crown Princess – what size ship would these compare to in the MSC fleet?

 

Cabin category, what are the differences? - M1 MB MD ME

Cabin location – things to be aware of and consider? All of our cabin locations have been deck 13 forward or Deck 15 and 16 forward. I read comments about having a covered balcony? Deck 9 uncovered – can everyone then just look onto your balcony? D232

 

The dining option shows as Dine My Way – it states about booking, is this for a specific time? Do you have book on the app each day, every day? Can you do that later in the day, i.e. 6pm if you want to dine at 8pm? What happens if you’re late/early? Can you just turn up and be seated? We like to dine later rather than early, 8pm would be the earliest we’d usually dine.

How is the food? I know it’s always a contentious issue, but I’ll say now we have always been very happy with MSC food and like having multiple choices and the flexibility of ordering a variety of different courses.

 

The Sanctuary – who has access to this - is it complimentary for anyone - mini suite, reserve mini suite guests? Can you purchase day passes? Cost? Is food and drink available and included in the cost or in the drink package?

 

We rarely, if ever, go to the theatre or do activities, so they aren't a concern. It's dining and having a peaceful sea day that would feature highly for us.

 

Any other information from those of you who have experience of both cruise lines, would be much appreciated.

[9tee2Sea]

the only difference between a Mini Suit, and Mini Suite Reserve is the dining.  There is a space carved out on the MDR for "Reserve Suites".  It's not like a private room, but it's a designated part of the MDR.  The food is the same, but from what I heard, there are 1 or 2 items not available to the general public.  You can request table for 2 ( eve if you are not reserve, you can still request a table for 2).  The Piazza on Princess ( Atrium area) is where you will find most of the noise indoors.  They hold contests, dance lessons, musical acts......so I does get pretty noisy and full.  Long wait time for elevators.  The production shows on Princess were actually quite good.  There is a great jazz club ( Take 5) that is located off the Casino, behind glass doors that is very good in the evenings.  Its also open during the day ( no bar service/entertainment) and I found It a very quite place to just get away for the noise.  If you do a drink package, the say you are allowed only 15 drinks per day ( which is a lot), BUT with the drink package, specialty coffees form Starbuck ( in the Piazza) are included.  Discovery had a really nice buffett.  There was a smaller European style buffett ( the BEST seafood salad/ceviche), and in another part, they had the big grand buffett.  Personally, I wasn't impressed with the food in the MDR, everything seemed to be lacking flavor.  Give Princess a try, dont return if you dont enjoy.

[BeeeJay]

Just came off MSC Seascape to Emerald Princess.

 

cant speak to the rooms but THE sanctuary is a nice daily bookable alternative comparable to yacht club sun deck.  $20 half day $40 full day.  You can go right away upon boarding and reserve your specific lounge chairs.  I booked a few days in and got my preference of a larger lounger all but 2 days.  And the days you are doing excursions you need not book.  
 

the sanctuary includes a tea similar to yacht club. 
 

the big advantage is the pool is adults only.  There is also much more shade available than the yacht club.  
 

the service is fantastic and will use your included drink package.  I did the premier option which is the highest drink package and includes all the internet you’ll need which is also much better than MSC.  And two specialty dining.  Steak house was fantastic.  Italian good too.  
 

the cruise itself is a MUCH older crowd and much more relaxing/boring than MSC.

 

i honestly loved both!

[BeeeJay]

Just now, BeeeJay said:

Just came off MSC Seascape to Emerald Princess.

 

cant speak to the rooms but THE sanctuary is a nice daily bookable alternative comparable to yacht club sun deck.  $20 half day $40 full day.  You can go right away upon boarding and reserve your specific lounge chairs.  I booked a few days in and got my preference of a larger lounger all but 2 days.  And the days you are doing excursions you need not book.  
 

the sanctuary includes a tea similar to yacht club. 
 

the big advantage is the pool is adults only.  There is also much more shade available than the yacht club.  
 

the service is fantastic and will use your included drink package.  I did the premier option which is the highest drink package and includes all the internet you’ll need which is also much better than MSC.  And two specialty dining.  Steak house was fantastic.  Italian good too.  
 

the cruise itself is a MUCH older crowd and much more relaxing/boring than MSC.

 

i honestly loved both!

full disclosure this is written live from the Sanctuary after a morning in Martinique! 😁 

[CruisingFox27]

Thanks @BeeeJay looks lovely! Relaxing and boring sound great 🙂 We've just completed 28 days in YC on a repositioning cruise, with a very mature demographic and the One Pool for our 17 sea days. Fighting for a sun bed doesn't appeal!

 

Is there a restriction on number of drinks, as mentioned by @9tee2Sea above? We'd be looking at the plus package, it states online drinks up to $15, but nothing about a specific number. And I know 15 sounds a lot but if that includes water, coffee and soda, it really isn't when it's hot and a sea day.

[memoak]

5 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Thanks @BeeeJay looks lovely! Relaxing and boring sound great 🙂 We've just completed 28 days in YC on a repositioning cruise, with a very mature demographic and the One Pool for our 17 sea days. Fighting for a sun bed doesn't appeal!

 

Is there a restriction on number of drinks, as mentioned by @9tee2Sea above? We'd be looking at the plus package, it states online drinks up to $15, but nothing about a specific number. And I know 15 sounds a lot but if that includes water, coffee and soda, it really isn't when it's hot and a sea day.

The 15 drinks are for alcoholic drinks only   Coffee, waters and sodas are unlimited on the plus package. That will also cover crew appreciation and Wi-Fi for one device per person. If you go with reserve class mini suite or full suite you will have reserve dining which will mean no it little wait for a table plus usually one extra entree per evening

[mommycruiser]

9 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Thanks @BeeeJay looks lovely! Relaxing and boring sound great 🙂 We've just completed 28 days in YC on a repositioning cruise, with a very mature demographic and the One Pool for our 17 sea days. Fighting for a sun bed doesn't appeal!

 

Is there a restriction on number of drinks, as mentioned by @9tee2Sea above? We'd be looking at the plus package, it states online drinks up to $15, but nothing about a specific number. And I know 15 sounds a lot but if that includes water, coffee and soda, it really isn't when it's hot and a sea day.

It's 15 alcoholic beverages for 24 hours excluding water, coffee, sodas, etc. 

[donswife]

The Princess ships have loungers all over on several open decks. It is easy to get one if you go one deck up from the pool. The Diamond has a covered pool, which is nice if you have a lot of cool ocean days.

[BeeeJay]

33 minutes ago, memoak said:

The 15 drinks are for alcoholic drinks only   Coffee, waters and sodas are unlimited on the plus package. That will also cover crew appreciation and Wi-Fi for one device per person. If you go with reserve class mini suite or full suite you will have reserve dining which will mean no it little wait for a table plus usually one extra entree per evening

 

32 minutes ago, mommycruiser said:

It's 15 alcoholic beverages for 24 hours excluding water, coffee, sodas, etc. 

I can promise you they miss counting a few and doubles count as one cause I haven’t gone over 13 in a day much to my chagrin 

Edited December 4, 2023 by BeeeJay

[memoak]

38 minutes ago, BeeeJay said:

 

I can promise you they miss counting a few and doubles count as one cause I haven’t gone over 13 in a day much to my chagrin 

I can tell you have never worked in a bar   If they only counted doubles as one drink there bottle count would be way off and someone’s head would roll. I usually finish my evening with a double Sambucca and I can see on my app that it counted as two. They may miss a few in the casino with the roaming waiters

[BeeeJay]

15 minutes ago, memoak said:

I can tell you have never worked in a bar   If they only counted doubles as one drink there bottle count would be way off and someone’s head would roll. I usually finish my evening with a double Sambucca and I can see on my app that it counted as two. They may miss a few in the casino with the roaming waiters

Just SMH.  Even worse than the Emerald thread.  And that’s a participation trophy 

 

💀  regret every time I post in Princess CC 

 

imma head out now 

 

to quote Captain Turo “buh byeeeee”!
 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by BeeeJay

[dreaminofcruisin]

10 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

When we book MSC we’ve always booked Aurea or YC. Our primary priorities are the Anytime dining, having a table for 2 and no queuing for dinner. The availability of breakfast delivery – in the absence of tea/coffee facilities.

 

 

Regarding breakfast delivery.

You should have a hang tag in your cabin that offers a limited number of breakfast items. (If you don't have one, ask your steward for it.) You can specify the time the next morning you want it delivered. Most people indicate it is delivered quite promptly in the specified time range.

 

If you purchase the Plus package, you can order a larger selection of breakfast items with delivery on the app including coffee drinks that are included with Plus (and bloody marys, etc). However, mixed results on the delivery time for those items, so you can't be in a hurry.

 

This is a copy of the hang tag:

 

 

[eagletwo]

We have sailed on 9 Princess cruises. Full suites, Owners Suites, Reserve suites, mini suites and an inside cabin. If you have sailed with MSC in the Yacht Club, you may be disappointed with Princess. We have sailed 3 times in the YC on MSC, food is better, service is better, and the butler service is awesome. 

[capriccio]

We have been sailing on Princess for the past 16 years in mini-suites, reserve minis (only once since we prefer our cabins aft not mid-ship) and almost the entire range of full suites (except owner's).  We have sailed once in the MSC YC in January 2020 and will be on the Seascape on Saturday in a YC deluxe suite. 

 

We are obviously pleased with the Princess product and I think you would be too especially in a reserve mini or full suite where you have none (or extremely short) wait for a table.  I would also encourage you to examine the Plus and Premier packages.  We've done the Plus a number of times but may try the Premier on our next cruise.   One caveat about the Sanctuary that we've booked probably on at least ten cruises (always for the full cruise which is an option at $30/day):  you can only sign up in person (you get to pick your lounge location) which means you need to be one of the first on the ship and head straight to the Sanctuary.  On warm weather cruises it sells out quickly especially if you want a lounge in areas that have shade.  If you are in a suite, you get priority with elite passengers in boarding. 

 

Based on our single data point of one MSC YC cruise to date, my DH and I both agree that the food was much better than Princess offerings.  Having lived in Italy for 5 years we especially enjoyed the Italian dishes in the YC.  The dedicated restaurant and lounge were wonderful (the new Sun class of Princess ships I gather will have similar spaces). Not that I'm expecting any issues, but if I reconsider my YC recommendation I'll come back and update this post.

 

 

 

 

[suzyed]

10 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Thanks @BeeeJay looks lovely! Relaxing and boring sound great 🙂 We've just completed 28 days in YC on a repositioning cruise, with a very mature demographic and the One Pool for our 17 sea days. Fighting for a sun bed doesn't appeal!

 

Is there a restriction on number of drinks, as mentioned by @9tee2Sea above? We'd be looking at the plus package, it states online drinks up to $15, but nothing about a specific number. And I know 15 sounds a lot but if that includes water, coffee and soda, it really isn't when it's hot and a sea day.

15 Alcohol drinks per day, which you can get any where on the ship.  Unlimited specialty coffees, water, soda, tea.  There are coffee bars (they're not Starbucks) onboard, how many varies by ship but you can order off your Medallion anywhere on the ship. You can order room service on your Medallion and/or breakfast by way of a hangtag on the door the night before.
We didn't care for the food in the main dining room on MSC and thought the service was sub-par.  The food is better on Princess but not MUCH better. Service has been great.
As far as what kind of cabin? I think a mini suite or reserve mini suite would be what you're looking for.  There's plenty of room for longer cruises.  The reserve minis are mid ship, the regular minis are scattered throughout.  Look on the deck plan for your particular ship to see where you would like to be.
One great feature on Princess is the International Cafe which is open 24 hours for pastries, sandwiches, soups, yogurts, etc.  It is located in the Piazza. 
 

Edited December 5, 2023 by suzyed

[suzyed]

10 hours ago, BeeeJay said:

 

I can promise you they miss counting a few and doubles count as one cause I haven’t gone over 13 in a day much to my chagrin 

That would vary widely by ship, by bar, by bartender.

[snoozecrooze]

I feel like no one has really mentioned enough that being in Reserve Collection is what you'd want for something more comparable to a YC-esque service. It means you'll be getting more specialized service -- which sounds like a really high standard akin to MSC's Yacht Club, but it is not. However, you will still be served by a dedicated group of waiters who are predominantly (if not basically always) Reserve Collection and you don't have to have any set dining times (not that Princess has had those since post-pandemic anyways); you can just walk up and be seated at an empty table in your dedicated Reserve Collection section of the particular dining room. It's just for dinner, though, so there's nothing much more to it. Note that Sun and Star Princess have a dedicated Reserve Collection restaurant that makes it more, let's say, distinguished.

 

I personally think that once you make all that effort to be a Reserve Collection guest, the service team does (and hopefully should) make some difference in how dinner feels as an experience (I'm kind of reaching here, but there'll basically be slightly more personable little touches than the generic MDR experience for the rest of the folks, and those are the intangibles you're paying for.)

 

Because you've never been on Princess, you'll probably find a good amount of interesting menu items because they're new to you and you'll hopefully like them too. I never found MSC's food to be particularly memorable in the MDR but it was our service team who made the menu sing anyways. I wish you a pleasant cruise.

Edited December 5, 2023 by snoozecrooze

[loge23]

MSC's Yacht Club and virtually any class on Princess are really apples and oranges. It's a very different experience. Not saying that Princess (30+ cruises and two more in the hopper) is inferior to MSC but there isn't much of a comparison to the YC. Props to MSC for honoring our Elite status on Princess with match on their line. The closest you can get to the YC on Princess would be a Reserve Suite with a Premier package. Perhaps the biggest difference is that you will enjoy the whole ship on Princess while the YC tends to favor staying within those confines - it's a different demographic overall on MSC.

 

[Hlitner]

We love the YC and also have plenty of Princess time (on our 33rd Princess cruise at the moment).  Put simply, nothing on Princess matches the YC although this could change with some offerings on the upcoming new Sun Princess.  
 

Outside the YC we would prefer Princess although some would disagree (especially if doing Aurea Class).

 

Hank

[CruisingFox27]

Thank you all for the responses, that's a lot of very useful information. Although we do love, love YC, we've been on many great Aurea sailings so are pitching it to be more that level than YC. Although, it's more expensive than YC when adding drinks 🙄 I think we'll have to forfeit The Santuary as it's $950pp for the whole trip 😳 A select few days for some sea days, maybe...And being a long repositioning cruise, I'd hope that the sun decks and ship generally would not be too busy. Our recent MSC Splendida repositioning only had 2500 passengers.

 

If you book days when you board in The Sanctuary, can you cancel them later without penalty?

 

Princess Plus sounds ideal, we don't need top shelf drinks but do like not having to worry about adding drink costs on. With the limit of 15 being alcoholic drinks, that'll be fine - I'd get into double figures with water and coffee but not sure if I will with cocktails, although I'm willing to give it a go 😂

 

 

 

 

[Shippy]

NOTHING compares to the YC.

A mini suite is nothing but a glorified balcony cabin.

If you are used to the YC, at least get yourself a full suite on Princess.

But....no butler...private sun deck with buffet...etc.

But... I do like the suites on Princess. The experience is better if you go on a ship with a concierge lounge. They do not all have that.

[eagletwo]

9 Princess cruises, we have had an Owners Suite, Full Suite, Club Class/Reserve, Mini Suites and an inside cabin. 3 MSC cruises in the Yacht Club. I would choose the Yacht Club every time. Food is better, service is better, drinks are better. Yacht Club deck area is like the Sanctuary, but with a pool and good food and bar service. 
 

We just got off the Sky Princess last Saturday and had a good time. We had a mini suite, E726. We also had the Premier package. One thing I don’t like is the MDR is not open for lunch on port days. Buffet is subpar at best, Slice and hamburgers by the pool are ok, and Alfredo’s is great but after the third day it gets old. 

[BeeeJay]

3 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Thank you all for the responses, that's a lot of very useful information. Although we do love, love YC, we've been on many great Aurea sailings so are pitching it to be more that level than YC. Although, it's more expensive than YC when adding drinks 🙄 I think we'll have to forfeit The Santuary as it's $950pp for the whole trip 😳 A select few days for some sea days, maybe...And being a long repositioning cruise, I'd hope that the sun decks and ship generally would not be too busy. Our recent MSC Splendida repositioning only had 2500 passengers.

 

If you book days when you board in The Sanctuary, can you cancel them later without penalty?

 

Princess Plus sounds ideal, we don't need top shelf drinks but do like not having to worry about adding drink costs on. With the limit of 15 being alcoholic drinks, that'll be fine - I'd get into double figures with water and coffee but not sure if I will with cocktails, although I'm willing to give it a go 😂

 

3 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

 

 

 

 

People no-show for The Sanctuary while others are waiting for spots when its full and they don't get charged.  So I would translate that into you can cancel any time.  But agree with just doing some days, it can get pretty boring up there after a while.  I've been doing a mix of the adults only Terrace Pool and The Sanctuary.   I really like the Premier package.   The 4 internet devices and being able to order food and drinks anywhere is super handy.

 

One comment on service---it has varied in quality a lot for me on Princess.  It has mostly been far superior to MSC (even Yacht club) and even getting off and on the ship on Princess has been much easier than MSC (even with the Butler walk off).  But at times they have no showed on the drink orders and the sanctuary there have been two days they never offered tea service to me while I saw them doing the service.  They also forgot another ladies lunch order and never asked her for an order the other day even though they offered others surrounding us.  Its good but spotty.  Yacht club was the same, but you could always easily go right to that bar beside the pool.

 

After 5 MSC cruises and currently on a 14-night Princess, I would say the biggest difference is the demographic.  MSC gen pop is truly miserable.  It reminds me of scenes from the peasant class in the movie Titanic lol.  Not that I didn't have a fantastic time but the simple buffet crowding and manners vs Princess is night and day.  Everyone is so nice from workers to other passengers on my Princess cruise.  On MSC there was a very large amount of total dbags.   And way too many kids.

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way if you go in knowing what to expect.

 

 

[snoozecrooze]

On 12/4/2023 at 6:18 AM, CruisingFox27 said:

The cruises we’re looking at are on Diamond Princess and Crown Princess – what size ship would these compare to in the MSC fleet?

I think we all kind of overlooked this question from you, so apologies from me. 

 

Both the Diamond and Crown are relatively similar in size, though the Diamond is much more generous in staff:passenger ratio as there is one less deck of cabins. Already more comfortable because of that alone.

 

As for how they compare with MSC, there really is no 1:1 size comparison with any of MSC's vessels as they transition from Musica to Fantasia-class. Regardless, I do think Crown and Diamond have a generous amount of chairs and loungers to use. Plenty of spaces to choose from and you don't have to stick to the midship main pool deck only; the generous promenade on deck 7, the aft decks, etc. are all wonderful areas to peruse and choose from. However, I have found that while MSC repo cruises may be more sparsely populated, Princess's repo cruises have been much more robust in comparison. Your experiences may vary, of course.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 12/4/2023 at 8:38 PM, eagletwo said:

If you have sailed with MSC in the Yacht Club, you may be disappointed with Princess. We have sailed 3 times in the YC on MSC, food is better, service is better, and the butler service is awesome. 

We have sailed on MSC twice, with the first time being in the YC on the Seaside in 2018 and again in a Fantastica cabin on the Meraviglia in 2023.  Our experience with the YC food was that the lunch options were better than Princess but the dinners were sub par.  Overcooked filets and meats covered in gravy.  Too European skewed with the dining options consisting of a lot of fish as well as no comedy and no piano bar.  We gave them another shot out of Brooklyn this summer, but MSC is permanently in our rear view mirror.

 

On the other hand, Princess is our new line of choice, having sailed them four times on the Discovery and Majestic and currently have 7 more booked.

 

MSC has very deep pockets since they were not affected by the shutdown like their competition since the container division was still bringing in money.

Edited December 7, 2023 by CruizinSusan70