Is MSC Right for You? | Breaking Down 2 Drastically Different MSC Cruises
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2024
- We have returned from our second 7-day MSC Cruise onboard the MSC Seashore. We have now done 2 MSC cruises in the last six months and aren't quite sure what we think of it all. Find out why.
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We have been on the Meraviglia twice. First time 4 day out of Port Canaveral right when it opened back up after the pandemic. Second Meraviglia out of Brooklyn 10 day to Canada. First one was ok. The second one was terrible. Our biggest complaint was the lack of organization. First regarding tenders - totally insufficient number of tenders causing several hours delay getting off and back on. Second in the buffet - individual passengers cleaning out entire platters of food with a line of people waiting for that item while supervisors just stood by and watched. Third in venues - passengers talking loudly during shows, walking in and out constantly, etc. Also disorganized any time we had a customs check as to where to go when, etc. We have been on about 20 cruises, so we have had plenty of experience to call on. Never again.
We experienced many of the same issues on our second MSC. Very unfortunate.
As Europeans (Germans) we‘ve cruised on MSC a lot in the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and from Brazil to Europe. We did that on the older, smaller ships, like the Lirica or the Poesia and on the bigger, newer ships, like the Grandiosa or the Seashore. What we can conclude after all these cruises is that the only consistency with MSC is the inconsistency of the service and food quality and the organization of the cruise. The Yacht Club experience is, in general, much better, but on our last cruise from Barcelona (in YC) we had to wait for three hours on a wooden bench in front of the terminal building because of some computer problems and NO MSC staff showed up and gave us any informations the whole time we were waiting. And all the staff always told us that the service and food quality standards were much higher for cruises out of the USA. We had some very nice cruises with MSC but we are done with them. Probably we‘ll try MSC Explora sometime in the future.
Unfortunate to hear that you have experienced these issues with cruising with them in Europe. Inconsistency is the world that we feel best describes MSC.
I just got off the Seashore a couple weeks ago. My experience was different from yours. We had the Aurea experience and this comes with your own dining room. Our service was fantastic there and we also had anytime dining which we prefer over an assigned time. We had access to the thermal spa daily and a private sundeck with hot tubs and a bar. You may want to consider going this route if the Yacht Club is too expensive as it was for me. I actually just booked the same stateroom (forward facing with wrap around balcony) for a cruise in Oct. We really enjoyed it!
Sounds wonderful. We have thought of trying the Aurea experience.
That was a great review, thank you! My husband and I have been on two MSC cruises out of Port Canaveral, both times in Yacht Club, we loved our experience. We decided that Yacht Club would be the only way we go on MSC again.
Totally understand your view point. Think that it would be the only way that we would consider doing another MSC cruise.
The Yacht Club is the only way to sail MSC.
That is the impression we have gotten.
Based on your previous vlogs of MSC, this appears to be a very fair and balanced review of your experiences. MSC doesn’t appeal to me. I prefer smaller ships and especially enjoy cruising with HAL. I appreciate that you did draw a cautious comparison between your experiences on the two ships. Thank you for a thoughtful review.
Thanks for your comment. We want to also be fair and honest when we talk about our experiences. We are about to board The Volendam tomorrow and we are extremely excited to experience the comfort and service that we have always enjoyed with Holland America.
Wow! My experience with MSC buffet and dining room on the Seashore in January was awesome! They had a variety of food! Many different fish dishes, many different meats like lamb, beef, pork. A variety of side dishes and vegetables and cold cuts and cheese. I was so impressed especially after many poor reviews. There are 2 sides of the buffet on Seashore. Plus a kiddie buffet. One side of the buffet had thin crust pizza. The other side had pan crust pizza. It was crowded but the lines were not long. Plenty of tables. Bar right by the buffet. Loved that. I absolutely love MSC Seashore. MDR was also very good. Service was so good. The drinks on the Seashore were so good. Bartenders were spot on. I booked another cruise on the ship. I decided to book a YC interior room. I got an amazing deal so I am so looking forward to having an even better experience.
Glad you had a great experience. Enjoy the yacht club on your next cruise.
I’m agree with you always have an amazing experience and is the only cruise line with new ships luxury and affordable prices. This people can say all that bad promotion to the public never had a cruise experience.👎
Forgot to mention we sailed YC on the Splendida, Fantastica on Preziosa, and YC on the Seashore. In the Future we are Aurea on Meraviglia, YC on Virtuosa, and Fantastica on Divina.
Have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruises.
We've sailed on 6 different cruise lines so far and found that our cruise on the MSC Magnifica very comparable to most other cruise lines. We liked the food on MSC better than Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. The vibe of the ship reminded us of the older NCL and Holland America ships. The staff on the ship was great and customer service was terrific. I think maybe because we're older and retired we enjoyed this smaller ship without the water parks and slides and such. The ship offered so many different areas to sit and relax which also is our cruising style. We've decided that from now on we're sticking to smaller ships and staying away from the new big fun park style ships. I think you guys would enjoy cruising on some of MSC's smaller older ships. We'll be booking another cruise with MSC in the future but not on any of their mega ships, but that goes for all the cruise lines. In our opinion all the cruise lines have cut back on service and cheapened up on their complimentary food options while charging more for it. We truly enjoy your videos and Facebook group for all the information and advice it offers. Keep up the good work.
We have thought that perhaps there older smaller ships would be a better fit for us. Thanks for sharing your experience.🛳
Your konigsdam cruise is what hooked me. Love you guys!!
Thank you. We are big fans of Holland America cruises especially the Pinnacle class ships.
We only cruise Holland America now. 4 Star Mariners gives us terrific extras , including free laundry as often as we want. Also, 50 percent off wine pkgs. and specialty restaurants. Food is wonderful there.
Trying to catch up on past videos. A low price is no guarantee of a good voyage. MSC doesn't enforce their smoking policy so the ship is a fire hazard waiting to occur. Don't like to be outside that much on a cruise ship. Not a fan of glass elevators. Food is a major thing for a cruise line. If the food isn't good then the trip won't be good. Food service doesn't sound good. Did hot items come to the table cold? Holland America buffett is really good. I eat pizza every day on a cruise too. Don't eat bacon. Don't eat lobster, clams, or shrimp either. If service isn't good that can have a negative experience. Seeing decent or better shows in the theater could enhance your experience. Fan of classic country music. It's like a crapshoot on whether the performer will be there or not. Don't like to lay out on a beach. Like to walk around the private islands and explore. Prefer smaller ships.
Great Review! Your observations and experiences were very similar to ours on Seashore. The Yacht Club is a very nice area, and we enjoyed the extra perks that came along with being in there, but we still experienced inconsistencies within the YC that included service, food, communication, (special events going on within the YC), elevators (outside of the YC), etc. Having said that, I would most definitely recommend trying the Yacht Club at some point, because it was not crowded and it really had a very lovely designated area on 4 decks.
We do think that if Yacht Club was an option we may be tempted to try MSC once more.
Now that's what I call an honest, well balanced, and intuitive review! I have a feeling that if MSC does not have a heartfelt discussion with their service and hotel department personnel, they will be sailing with half-full or even empty cruises in five or seven years. Great vlog!
Thank you. We hope that MSC does make some necessary changes to improve their services to be more comparable to what other cruise lines offer.
Having sailed three times with MSC, we have booked three more cruises with MSC between January 2025 and October 2025. The experience is different in Europe because passengers board at numerous ports bus stop style. This prevents congestion as small number leave and a small number board. We did have a RT cruise from/to Hamburg that emptied the ship on return. It was one of the best disembarkations we have had. One of the worst was Carnival Venesia in NYC. We have sailed Fantastica and Yacht Club so recommend that you try YC.
We do believe Yacht Club would be a different experience.🛳
I will be sailing on Magnifica (July 2024) and Meriviglia (October 2025) and will also be having my Cruise wedding on the Meriviglia as well. Cost is a major factor as is accessibility, since we'll be driving to Brooklyn as opposed to having our whole wedding party incurring additional costs for flights and such. I've only previously sailed on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, so I've been very diligent in researching before going on any cruise, especially as I will be entrusting MSC with my Wedding. I appreciate your feedback, especially from any Canadian cruise vloggers as we can relate our experiences and costs when considering cruising for our travels. Keep up the great videos!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. We hope you have a fabulous wedding and cruise.🛳
I've heard great things about the yatch club. Great info.
We have also. Thank you 😊
Hi Jerry and Jill. I think you have come to the right conclusion. Why spend money on a substandard cruise ship,cruise line when you can go on something better.
Exactly 🛳
Great video! MSC is the great unknown for me and having you guys cover this brand is fantastic. I appreciate that you look at $'s when discussing cruising unlike some other YTers.
Thanks for your support.🛳
We just got off a 19 day transatlantic on the MSC Divina a smaller older ship. We chose it for the price and the ports. We had a fantastic time HOWEVER, I had some issues. They ran out of items like coffee creamer not even mid way through the cruise, the food in the main dining room was just weird to me. They never had steak on the menu and the choices were very strange being an Italian ship. The desserts were just not an option at all even in the buffet. A lemon drop Martini was not on any drink menu. Photographers hounded us. The gym was absolutely packed every single day all day! Lots of passengers were rude to the crew and just rude period. It was really strange. Last but not least the language barrier was hard for us. Positives were definitely the ports, the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, the Black and White lounge, the entertainment staff were great! The best entertainment by far was the karaoke! It was phenomenal! There were lots of passengers that were fabulous singers like really good! Who knew! I think we will give MSC a break for a while unless it’s an incredible itinerary.
Thanks for your review. We have thought that perhaps it would be different sailing with MSC in Europe but that doesn’t sound like the case.
Great insight. I’ve been on Carnival a couple of times; first time MSC in June. The concerns seem to be consistent from my research, however I’m still stoked. Cruises seem to be a better type of vacation rather than the theme parks these days
We definitely agree. MSC does some thing excellently but seem to struggle with food service in our opinion.
Hope you have a wonderful experience.
I cruised with MSC Magnifica twice this year and loved both times.
Glad to hear you had a great cruise.🚢
I am going in July for my first MSC cruise, looking forward to it! A majority of the videos I have found about Magnifica have been extremely positive so I am glad to see this comment.
Thanks Jill and Jerry! First, a ship with a 5K capacity, no thanks! Your descriptions of the food and inconsistencies would be a disappointment for us. It sounds too onerous to have to “find food”. It doesn’t sound like a relaxing cruise if you have to work that hard. Appreciate your honest review! ❤
You are correct. It did not feel relaxing. We felt that we were constantly on guard looking for a place to sit and get food.
A very long time ago!!! 30 minutes lol
😊
I sailed solo on the MSC Magnifica early in May, 4 nights to the Bahamas. Much smaller ship then the Seashore. Maybe 2700 passengers. The dining room food was hit or miss. Probably not cruise on MSC again.
We feel the same way. Not sure if we would ever cruise MSC again when we have experienced much better cruise lines.
Try the Yacht Club. We absolutely love it.
That would most likely be the only way we would ever try an MSC cruise again.
Sure have had some pretty great experiences with MSC myself, first with the Divina and also the Seaside. It has been a number of years now as they were both new ships when cruised, so some things may certainly have changed. It does seem that the service industry in particular has been hit hard by personnel challenges since 2020.
We totally agree with you. We have seen a decrease in service and consistency with a few cruise lines post Covid.
However, our recent experience with MSC was definitely the worst experience we’ve had on any cruise line in regards to food and service.
Seascape in Yacht Club was a great experience.
Good to hear that you had a fantastic time.🛳
You reinforced the impression we had of the Florida cruises. If you have to upgrade to Yacht Club you have lost your bargain fare.😊
To me, inconsistency is the same thing as undesirable.
Great point!
I only get to cruise once or twice a year so I prefer to go with a line that I feel offers a more consistent experience. The issue with going with Yacht Club is that you are then greatly increasing your cruise price so that makes it harder to say it is a bargain price. We had a great experience on Princess with a mini suite that was similar in price to Yacht Club when I researched it, and the itinerary was much more appealing. I'd rather go with that mini suite on Princess because I believe I would know what to expect with them unlike the inconsistent offerings on MSC.
Very good point. We do believe that inconsistency is MSC’s biggest weakness right now.
Try Holland America. You’ll love it.
We’ll have to do that.
Strange others said the desserts were great and the food in the main dining were great. I guess it depends on what you order. Everyone just about loved the buffet. I’m going in October and taking notes and will film it all. Some TH-cam videos just don’t show enough. Also, any interactions with the waiters and food I’ll record. Tip the waiter at the beginning and you’ll get great service. You should because they depend on it. They work very hard.
Thanks for the comment and lots to unpack here; we have family that love the McCain deep and delicious marble cake whereas others think that’s crap - so to each their own for sure. To use it was obvious that some of the desserts were just thawed out. Mr Canuck loved the buffet food and Mrs Canuck was trapped with pizza as her only acceptable choice - we both hated how insanely busy the buffet was and that it was the only lunch dining option. Lastly, be careful filming staff without their permission and on MSC in general as they have been know to be less than pleased with people filming parts of their ship. We hope you have a great cruise - we always say that there’s a cruiseline for everyone to meet all needs and expectations. For us MSC we’ve had two drastically different experiences on two sister ships and the inconsistency is a thing we worry about.
@@CruisingCanucks I’ve been on RCL, NCL, Princess and Celebrity. All had good and bad. It’s also luck sometimes. I’ve been on the MSC Divina in 2016. We ate well, the service was great, the people were nice. The check in was quick as was getting off. Perhaps we were lucky. The price was insanely low too. We had the packages and didn’t have a problem. The entertainment was so so but that’s it. Were we lucky in that sailing, perhaps. We loved NCL for eating anywhere, anytime but getting into a restaurant we had to tip someone 50 bucks each night. Many just can’t do that. But the cruise was great. So, good and bad. Celebrity was lovely but we had some issues with them too. They are supposed to be one of the best. All in all we educated ourselves and knew what to expect. Princess was great too, love that they have laundry on board you can do yourselves if you so choose. Food was good as was the service. We waited over 3 hours in line to get on the ship though. No biggy, we are on vacation, grateful for everything. Life is too short. I do think that you should send your videos to MSC and write a letter. They are the ones that can make change for your viewers. And send them this video too.
I guess we are with you regarding MSC. They just have to do better. We would much rather use our time and money on other cruise lines that are tried and true.
We totally agree!
Great review of MSC. I believe that I will stick with Celebrity. I use the stairs as part of my daily exercise, leaving the elevators to those who need them.
We try to do that also as much as possible. We fill it is a way to get our daily steps in while enjoying all the wonderful food and drinks on a ship. We hope to try a Celebrity Cruise sooner than later!
@@CruisingCanucksI recommend Celebrity in the Retreat area. Especially recommend Edge Class ships within Celebrity
Did both the Seashore & Seaside have a sports bar in the casino? I just got off the Enchanted Princess and was disappointed that they did not.
Yes they both had a sports bar. The only difference was that the seashore was also filled with slot machines - where that area on the seaside had more seating.
We just did a 7 day Mediterranean cruise on Grandiosa.. threadbare sheets on the bed, one pool towel that must be in your cabin at the end of the cruise otherwise there is a €30 charge.. smoking all around pool deck. Pool was SO salty, to the point of being unswimmable. Rude , disinterested crew. Buffet was a zoo, main dining food was ok but anytime we had a salad, the dressing was always really watered down . We had filled out a special needs form , well in advance, as we needed an extension cord to power a CPAP machine.. had to leave a €30 deposit and literally got the last one available .. One person manning reception desk on our embarkation day, while 40+ passengers in line. Ridiculous. Never again.
Unfortunately your experience seems to be very similar to many others that we have heard from. It confirms with us that MSC really needs to work on the service that they are providing.
2 for 2 for us. Seaside and Seascape. A + on everything. Only negative didn't get the drink package on Seaside and got nickeled and dime to death. Next time we will get the drink package. I am cruising MSC again next month. My favorite cruise line. I have been on ncl royal and celebrity. MSC blows all of them away by far.
We haven’t tried Celebrity but have great things. There’s a cruise line for everyone out there.
I am a no on MSC given, while the price may seem low the value for the vacation dollars does not seem to be there. As such with so many options for our vacation dollars, which most likely will require a few more of them but not prohibitally so, the value can be obtained elsewhere. Thanks for the wonderful recap of your experience.
We agree with you. The sticker price can be very appealing however after our second experience with MSC in North America we are left thinking is it worth it. When on vacation you want to feel relaxed and maybe even a little spoiled but that wasn’t the case on the Seashore.
I wanted to try MSC so booked a cruise with them. 30 days prior to sailing, I got an email saying the cruise had been cancelled, with no explanation as to why. Then they refused to give me a refund, only future cruise credit. So, will I ever cruise with MSC? No friggin way!!
Oh Wow! That is awful. So sorry to hear this but thank you for sharing.
So how would you compare msc with carnival?
We would say that Carnival offers better food and selection throughout. We also feel that carnival has better mainstage shows most of the time.
We feel like we would try carnival again before we do another MSC cruise.
I went april 21st through the 28th i can say we did have the same things happen to us that happen to u. First day we had to wait for are food 45 mins just for soup then another 30 mins for the entrée. The guy stated he was getting food from 5th ave and central park restaurant which is crazy i felt bad i said something after that i feel as thoe they work hard but not enough of them are over worked the food was ok buffet was always packed i didn't have trouble getting a seat our table but we didn't eat till 9 in the morning and 1 in the after noon the food was the worst part if i hadn't won 15k at the casino it wouldn't been a great cruise cuz of that it was and i have a free cruise as i got 5000 points i already booked again on the seashore for July if it wasn't free would i go again yes i have two kids and i have to pay a baby sister and for me and my girlfriend it is cheap enough for us to go and relax its a cruise and something we can afford where other cruise lines have gone up on there prices and priced us out where can u go for 998 thats what it will cost if we go again with everything gratuity everything u cant beat it once i get back in july i will most likely book one again in April where the Grandiosa will be there then and ive seen videos of it the way its set up is like the royal Caribbean ones like wonder other seas thank you
MSC offers a great price point in comparison to other cruise. If you go knowing that it didn’t cost you anything than you can appreciate all the great things it offers.
Would you two ever go on a Disney cruise? I've heard amazing things about them.
We would like to try them out however their price point always scares us away.
Our very first cruise about 12 years ago was with Disney with our two girls and it was fantastic. We love Disney but tbh would not do another Disney cruise as our girls are adults so don’t feel the need to be on a very heavy kid heavy cruise regardless of what people say. You have to be OK with lots of “kid noise” in all dining options etc except for the bar areas. …and then there is the price $$$
We simply get our Disney fix in the parks and more often at Disney Springs when in Florida
If you don’t like crowds do a much smaller ship.
We hear that the large RCL ships do a great job managing crowds with how they use the ship. We prefer smaller ships for sure - but have successfully enjoyed equally large ships like the NCL Epic.
Thanks, there's too many other cruise lines that does it better. No reason to ever cruise MSC
Never cruised on MSC...I live in Montreal...we like small ships...love Azamara...But we have family in Europe.. that love MSC...they did Azores in march ...had a fabulous time ...they are booked for Greek Island and Turkey in Sept. Their itinerary are great ! I don't know if food and service is different in Europe than US...if you look at YT reviews...the one from US are awful....the one from Europe quite good!! So go figure 😉!! It is a shame...that they don't try to improve their status here !!
We have thought that cruising MSC in Europe might be the way to go. We also has had family that have cruised with them in Europe and has had a positive experience.
BTW we are in Montreal tonight. About to board Holland America’s Volendam tomorrow. We had a wonderful time spending a little time in this beautiful city this afternoon.
WOW you're in town!! Would have been nice to meet you!! Have a great time cruising from here!! Let us know how you like it !! This is something that we would like to do!!!! ENJOY!!!❤❤❤
Thank you. We are excited to spend the next week exploring the east coast of Canada and a little of the US. So far we have truly enjoyed our experience getting here. We are calling this trip. Planes, train and automobiles with a beautiful cruise thrown in!
We travelled to Montreal with VIA Rail today and we were very impressed!
WOW!! Love the train....ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!❤!(don't forget to tell us all about it!!)sending love❤
Hard no 😂
We understand that sentiment.
What is your favorite cruise line / ship to date? Have sailed Celebrity a lot and wanting to venture to Princess or Holland for a change.
We have never cruised with Celebrity. We enjoy both HAL and Princess. We like that HAL tends to have less passengers and therefore doesn’t feel as crowded that Princess sometimes feels.
@@CruisingCanucks Is there a HAL ship or class that you like best? And thanks for the response and love watching you guys .. fellow Canadian here from Halifax NS.
We just recently disembarked the Volendam and thought it was pretty close to perfect for us. We would recommend any HAL ship that we have ever cruised.
@@CruisingCanucksAlready did 😊
I will never cruise on MSC again never I don't wanna waste my money on something that is so sporadically ridiculously crazy
Understandable after what we experienced on The Seashore. We are still surprised by the difference that we experienced between sister ships of the same company. In all of our 43 cruises this was the biggest inconsistency that we have ever experienced.
After having a horrible cruise several months ago in the Maraviglia, I have come to the conclusion that this companies mission statement is centered around driving future customers towards the yacht club. They aren't the only ones with this idea. Personally, we will never cruise MSC again!
Very good point. We are frustrated with seeing more and more cruises pushing for the different levels of service within the same ship. A ship within a ship concept is a little disheartening.
NCL is the same way with haven
It’s almost like they are deliberately making the food less than mediocre, long lines, short staffing, etc. It reminds me of what happened to flying after deregulation. People packed in like animals, the food got progressively worse, then disappeared altogether.
You are correct. It seems to becoming a trend with many cruise lines,
It definitely felt like that.
I think you will
The only MSC we are considering in the near future is their smaller ships and/or out of Europe. The ships trying to catch the US audience out of Florida aren’t our jam.
@@CruisingCanucks I agree. Americans aren’t as open to European ships and should stick with Princess, Carnaval, NCL, Disney and Celebrity. It’s more expensive of course but I agree it is better if they do and if they can’t afford it, there are great land vacations.
The Seashore is the Seaside on steroids. Basically the same, but larger.
Unfortunately it comes with more passengers, less staff and less free food options.
MSC doesn't sound appealing at all.
My husband and I cruised MSC Seaside….worse cruise ever…..never MSC again!
We understand.
Interesting We did our first Mediterranean cruise on the Presiosa MSC out of Barcelona and had a fantastic cruise. We were a dining table full of Canadians on the cruise and one of the people had requested this (we did not know each other previously) This did contribute to making a great cruise. The buffet was busy and lots of more aggressive people but we just didn’t let that bother us. This was just before Covid hit and there was lots of food options and there pizza was know as the best - yes! Only downside was they charged even for still water in the dining room 🤨 Great itinerary but very busy getting off and on ship
So we recently booked the Seashore this Fall out of Florida so I am hoping to have a better experience than what you have mentioned. I was thinking that they would be doing everything possible as they are trying to break into more of the North American market. Hmm we shall see how it goes.
The buffet aggression was a real thing. We really wished that there was more venue options for eating at especially at lunch time.