I was on MSC last summer, and a bunch of crew opened up to me. They work more hours for less money than other lines. They get a half day off a week, at best. They dream of changing to another company but their contracts make it hard. That doesn't explain or excuse them, but they might be beyond exhausted.
Strangely, crew on Meraviglia last summer said opposite! They loved it and even knew next posting before end of current contract, unlike staff on other lines. They are generally 10hr shifts and 6 month contracts which a lot of them extend to 8 or 10 months, so cant be that bad!
I had an MSC cruise also this summer, my 3rd. And after chatting a bit with my waiter in the main dining room, who was coming from Indonesia, he admitted being absolutely exhausted, as he had to work for 8 months straight only having barely a few hours off a week... He kept extremely professional despite this, but yes many of them are overworked and exhausted...
I am wondering if MSC are primarily concerned with their container and other merchant shipping services and therefore neglecting their own cruise ship products. I have never sailed with MSC so I can't comment on personal experience about their cruise products.
@@aussiejohn5835good point, they are such a big company and maybe focusing on other priorities. Problem arising when your many thousands of cruise customers have a negative experience this will reach the holiday sector and can ultimately have a negative effect on the whole company...
We have sailed with MSC five times now (and have two more booked) and have not found a single fault with any of the sailings and are our favourite cruise line to sail with, from staff, to food and entertainment. So pleased that they are not following other cruise lines, just love the Mediterranean feel on board, rather than the run of the meal American feel - MSC keep it as you are.
Ben (and David), I think we all would enjoy videos for each cruise line on things that can (or should) be fixed. Cruise lines are generally great, but they’re never perfect. Thank you for this video and all your content!
Was on Msc Divina last year we had a wonderful experience shows was so good food was excellent staff went above and beyond so overall we had a Awesome time
They are crazy if they don't listen to you and other channels like you. The free advertising you offer is of incomparable value! Thank you for the video!
Spot on ! I think the biggest thing is communication..... Recruitment and caring for the staff , they have such long contracts and need good working conditions too. Tired and overwhelmed staff then shows to the customers .... Then negative feedback cycle. The food - lukewarm food in both market place and main dining room, felt like a cattle market , herding us in , felt rushed...food was dry and meh. Day four to seven sickness bug. The ship was the most impressive, the balcony cabin was a treat, opening the balcony doors to the views was such a wonderful experience. It hasn't put me off another cruise but I'll be more aware of reviews on the meals etc.
I have experienced MSC and your feedback is spot on. My impression is that the staff is overworked and, as a result, there is no spirit of process improvement on any ship. Daily, repetitive problems could be addressed with some operational procedure changes yet the staff is numb to it because the problems occur every day on every cruise. The managers of the areas don't appear to desire to fix them. The MSC cruise line could be outstanding if they prioritised the issues that passengers and staff fund most annoying first for resolution. After that, just continue improving the heavy issues and more positive experiences will follow with all involved. I'm sure there are reasons why things are the way they are, but in order to grow in the industry, the cruise companies must be willing to change to meet customer expectations.
Great video. We have never cruised MSC and may now not do so. We got back from Britannia 3 weeks ago. The crew were the best ever, entertainment was very good and the food was really good. These things made for a great cruise. Yes, we had problems, but the crew were excellent in dealing with any issue. We will stick with P&O
I must admit my last two cruises was on MSC and you hit the nail right on the head. The main thing with me and my wife is the food. It was terrible on my last cruise we met a content creator that was talking to staff in the Buffet and he could not get direct answer about food or the attitudes I said I would never cruise in the sea again until they fix these problems which I'm going to hold them too all three of the problems you said was all the problems I experienced not going to touch MSC until they do BETTER.
We were on the Seaside in June for a Caribbean cruise, and we agree with almost everything you said. This was our first (and hopefully last) MSC trip, booked because the equivalent Royal Caribbean cruise was about three times as expensive. We had NO service in the buffet, SLOW service in the MDR and almost no other included restaurants available. I have to say though, that there was plenty of trivia on that sailing and the trivia hosts were wonderful - very friendly. They also spoke English that one could understand. We have been on several cruises where the people reading the questions were virtually unintelligible. We decided that the MSC motto should be "MSC - Probably Better Than No Cruise".
I've only had one xruise with MSC but it was great for the price. I did notice there were more crew members from Europe who were a bit cold personality wise. But the individuals from Indonesia and the Philippines were still hard working and very friendly.
I agree with you. Many of the non-European were more friendly. I do think many of them were frustrated and unhappy with their jobs. Simple things from management could make customers service much better.
I’ve been on MSC once and I have a second cruise booked for December. For the price of a balcony on RCCL or NCL, I was able to book a suite in the Yacht club. As you said, you can get a cruise comparable to the other lines for 1/3 of the price. We need to realize that MSC really is. It’s a budget cruise line. We had a wonderful time and thought the buffet food was very good. You and David have complained about the food on RCCL and other cutbacks on that line. People want options. For those that want a budget cruise on a nice ship or an elevated experience in the Yacht club for the price of a standard fair on the other lines, MSC is a great option.
Crew moral is usually driven by fair working hours that are properly compensated. The lack of ownership of problems is inexcusable. That tells me they have no system to escalate issues to someone who can really solve the problem. Poor management is also a huge factor in poor customer service and simply needs to be fixed. Thanks for your honest review.
Spot on!! We sailed twice on the Seaside, once out of Miami over 4 years ago and again last April from Port Canaveral where we live. We have a Cruise Planners franchise. Three years ago we were invited to a special luncheon with the CEO and Head of Marketing. They said at that meeting they new they had these problems you talked about. Our cruise in April was awful! Nothing had changed! Seemed even worse, especially how they manage the bars and restaurants. I believe they are too focused on the Yacht Club brand! Seems all their best crew are associated with that brand! A shame because their ships are beautiful! Great video Ben!
I would agree with all of this. We have only sailed once on MSC and have one in November. If they could fix these things this might become one of my favorite cruise lines. While I enjoyed entertainment shows on our ship and late night parties we were extremely disappointed in the lack of daily activities. All they seemed to offer was dance classes and arts and crafts. Fingers crossed they start listening to reviews.
With the more common cruise lines raising their prices and cutting services, MSC really has a great opportunity to capitalize from all that. HOWEVER, I've been on TWO MSC cruises and have to say you are pretty much spot on in your critique. I will have to add that BOTH my cruises experienced disembarking issues where it took almost TWO hours to get off the ship at the end of the cruise. It was either "Computer problems" or "Customs" issues. Ironically my sister experienced the same issues on a totally different MSC ship. Too much of a coincidence and when you investigate into this you will find many other passengers complaining about it. It just adds to the frustration of getting off the ship and to your flight home in time and wondering if you're going to make it. Another area that needs improvement is, for some reason, only half the venues are open or even closed for no apparent reason. The Mozzarella are was closed on one of our cruises and the buffet was only half opened on both my cruises. This causes huge lines. Food is either hit or miss. Seating at some restaurants along the promenade is not only loud but right in the main walkways leaving a parade of people walking next to your tables. Most of the venues/clubs are extremely small and overcrowded. Waiting up to 45 minutes to grab a drink is horrible. Customer service is lacking, as you mentioned. My daughter booked a massage session before the cruise. When she showed up for the massage, the therapist refused to give her a massage because my daughter was 5 months pregnant. No big deal HOWEVER it took OVER six months and a complaint to the BBB after her cruise for MSC to refund the money. I tried MSC because they are the "New Kid On The Block" here in the U.S. I even gave them a second chance thinking maybe they haven't worked the kinks out yet. But overall, the ships are beautiful, all the dance parties I could do without, the food needs to take it up a few notches and they need to FIX the embark and most definitely disembark issues. Until I can read comments from current and future passengers that these issues have been improved on, I will stick to RCCL and NCL even though they cost more but I know I'll get better service and food.
Well many cruise lines are trying to cut and save to pay off their debt and the money they spent when all their ships were docked during the pandemic. Yes I do agree that the cruise lines cutting certain services (like room cleanings from 2x to 1x a day) is a good change. I dont like housekeeping in my room all the time even during a cruise. It may be nice but the room attendant has many other rooms i'm sure to clean so it gives them a better break. The suppliers that the cruises use to order food, you name it there prices have gone up for ingredients due to everyday costs, so the cruise lines have to constantly pay for those things as well to keep their guests happy. The lobster cost for one tail on RCL is $16.99. Hotel prices are high as well. Everywhere you go every company is trying to earn money they have lost during the pandemic and to continue to pay the workers and pay flights for the entertainers like dancers. They get paid 1,500 a month or more depending on their contract. Thats on RCL. I'm paying 700 total for a hotel stay for a concert in Canada where I live and its 3 hrs away drive. It costs the cruise lines millions to have their ships docked and not moving during a pandemic and now they are trying to do their best. I know everyone isn't happy with cutting costs or upping prices. On top of it they have to pay for new ships that they are building and debuting too. We all want all inclusive in cruise fares and for the drink packages like the refreshment package to be included without having to pay. We had many companies close during covid like one cruise line but they are coming back. Cruise's and any vacation is a choice. Cruise lines have to order a ton of provisions (food, drinks you name it) during each turnaround and it costs more money than anyone realizes because of the amount of guests + crew they have to feed. These costs help the cruise lines refurbish and update the ships so they continue to create happy memories for guests. I am not a drinker so I will be paying per drink, and if RCL wanted people to try out speciality dining they could of priced the unlimited dining package from $200 per guest to $20 per guest per day. Im okay with RCL's changes of updating their main dining room menu as it needed to be updated and that probably reflected some of the prices of each item to make each dish. I am heading on Royal Caribbean's navigator of the seas in 2024, and I plan on going without much expectations as every ship is unique, and you wont always get the same crew as they change over. I applaud the entertainers from dancers to singers on how hard they work and i'm excited to watch some of the shows on board. I do plan on being kind, courteous and if there is an issue I will go talk to the managers in a calm manner. Every cruise line has it's pros and cons and each ship is so different so you have to pick the ship you would like to relax on.
We are currently on the MSC Seascape. Last minute get away. The food is better than expected and the staff is very attentive and friendly. This is our second MSC and unless Celebrity and RCL stop increasing prices & decreasing services we may become regulars here!
We were on Virtuosa at the start of this year for a ridiculously low price. No problems with anything but we didn't need to use customer services. The ship is stunning and every member of the crew was fantastic. I think because we had 4000 onboard rather than 6000 we had a great experience all round.
Love you guys and I totally agree with you on this, but MSC Yacht Club is totally different and a fraction of Haven, etc for a true VIP experience. YC has amazing service & food, plus live music in the YC lounge. Please go on an MSC Yacht Club cruise and see for yourself!
I’ve done MSC 4 times. Yacht club the last two times, was fantastic. Absolutely spoiled and the crew were incredible. The first two times we received incredible service in champagne bar and I gave the staff tips and gifts from Ireland at the end because they were incredibly memorable and kind
Only done a couple of MSC cruises. They have improved from five years ago.The newer ships are good. We found the food in the mdr not great, but the buffet was very good. Lots of choice. Thought they catered for all tastes.
Preach it Ben!! Although we have not sailed on MSC yet, we are very hesitant because of the reviews and past experiences from other guests. They all mentioned exactly what you say on your video. MSC has the potential to really take over the market if those 3 points mentioned are addressed and change is implemented! Thanks for the informative video. Luis and I will have to sail on them one day soon to see what our experience would be like. Love sent from across the pond!❤
Excellent summary of our issues on MSC Seaside on a Caribbean cruise in April. So much potental but i guess that is the MSC way. I remember on the second last day at the photo station you could see that the workers were overwhelmed because of poor management and strategy. Most staff seemed cold and unapproachable. Some seemed annoyed when you had to ask anything. My family who had just done a RCL cruise the month before said they prefered RCL because of the friendly staff and better food.
If they made the improvements you spoke of, they would not be 1/2 to 3/4 less expensive than the other lines. It's a discount cruise line. You have to figure out what is important to you. The rooms are the best.
I would add a 4th experence to fix, getting off the ship at each of the ports was very long lines and no organization. You are correct, fix a few small problems and MSC will become a great cruise line.
We are going on our 12th MSC Cruise soon, 3rd in the Yacht Club and we LOVE this line! We find it to be an amazing experience and the best value for dollar at sea. We are friends with many crew who work across the fleet and we find them to be quite well content with working for MSC. They share that it is very much a family feeling working for this company. We will continue to sail with MSC and love them for the amazing experience they offer.
Completed a Mediterranean Cruise this summer and some of your suggestions really resonate with our experience. Had the pleasure of being aboard the MSC World Europa, embarking from Genoa. Ship layout, design, decor were fantastic! We found the personnel to be very friendly and service was great everywhere. Most of the difficulties we had in communication occurred before boarding. Their website is riddled with glitches. On board though, personnel were all efficient and friendly. Maybe because it is the World Europa's first season, but the entertainment options were spectacular! Every night was filled with several options and we were quite surprised with the quality of the shows, music, costuming, staging. In my opinion, the entertainment offerings were far superior to many other cruise lines. The culinary offerings were disappointing, to say the least. Luckily, we stayed in the Yacht Club, so overall we had good experiences there (and an incredible team of service providers), but elsewhere on the ship, I wasn't impressed with most of the choices. We did, however, enjoy some of the specialty dining venues, but as you noted, passengers shouldn't have to rely on them to get decent food. I hope MSC does well, because they do indeed have a lot of potential.
The wife and myself are going on another MSC cruise next July (we usually book while on the ship for better prices and on board credits) and have been on several other lines as well, like Carnival and Norwegian. We liked Carnival wasn't too happy with Norwegian but love MSC. Granted we cruise yacht club but service, food, rooms, spa all have been great. We are drinkers so the top shelf drinks are a bonus and included in yacht club. 2 devices on internet packages as well is nice. One thing I wish MSC would do is theme food like Carnival did, serving special dishes from the region we are leaving. Example the conch fritters when leaving Bahamas. I also like the point match MSC does, as we are now diamond members and benefit from the match. I think bang for buck MSC is great.
Hi Ben. My only experience with MSC is in the Yacht Club. 💯% agree shore side customer service is a nightmare. Haven't had any issue on the ship. I was down on the main pool deck for morning exercises ( what was I thinking) 😉. Anyway while sitting and having a bottle of water after, I noticed a serious safety issue. As I looked around, I saw an officer. I told him of the issue and within one minute there were two other officers there addressing the problem. Yes, I've heard the complaints about the food as well. The buffet needs some attention. The entertainment is definitely lacking. A production show would help. Thank you for this information and all your hard work. Have a great week guy's. ♥️♥️
I agree with you on all three points. Customer service getting drinks was horrendous. Long wait lines and staff choosing other people who were younger or had tip money. The entertainment was just painful to watch. We left early. Food was boring and the same everyday. Even the pizza was disappointing. You get what you pay for.
I have cruised with MSC 8 times. In February of this year my son had a medical emergency during our cruise. The staff at Customer Service and the Medical staff were rude, keep telling us there was a charge for medical services, medical staff did not introduce themselves as to their profession. My last MSC cruise.
How. Terrifying! I made squeaky noises reading your comment. Unexcusable behavior, possibly litigious even if your son was damaged further because of the crew's delay and dismissive attitude. ACK! I hope all worked out well for you both.
I’ve been on two MSC cruises and loved them! The service was excellent and the staff friendly and helpful. I am American and had a pleasant experience with the food selection on MSC. The food was delicious in both the buffet and dining room. As for the entertainment, my husband and I don’t really go to shows so it doesn’t matter to us. The ships are beautiful and clean. We love the atmosphere. Next year we are booked on two MSC cruises because we have been disappointed with two other cruise lines we tried the last two years. They are referred to as great cruise lines but fell short of our expectations.
Great constructive criticism with solid examples. You are doing MSC a huge service - they could pay a consultant thousands of dollars to come up with the analysis you have provided for free. This video should be presented in the boardroom of their parent company.
I can’t comment on MSC because I’ve never cruised with them but I would like to say how beautifully produced your videos are. Ben and David are the gold standard of cruise videos! 😎 🛳
I have to agree with your Customer Service point, but moreso the experience before cruising. Earlier this year, I struggled to get information about visa requirements etc, and in one day got 3 different answers from the same Customer Services phone number - d'oh!
You are 100% right on all counts. I have sailed multiple times on the major cruiselines and once on MSC and we had all the same issues. From the pre-cruise experience to the post cruise experience. Customer service had no clue what was going on in the call centre and everyone was giving a diff message. The manager of the call centre was slow to respond and when I asked her dozens of times to just call to discuss she refused and told me to just email her. She then delegated someone to call me who in the middle of the call said 'my shift is over sorry' then hung up on me. They had technical issues they admitted to which cancelled my shore excursions. When I asked them to rebook it they asked me to pay again even though I had not gotten a refund yet, thus double charging me. The sad thing about this cruiseline is they have all the infrastructure to be a great cruiseline (great ships and private island). It's just bad management. And as a management professor, it bothers so much that these problems are so easy to correct with better management, training and tone at the top. They have so much potential to be great with just some easily changeable tweaks. I hope they get some better management soon!
We cruised MSC one time and that was enough for the exact reasons you mentioned. The big reason was the poor staff attitude. They didn’t listen, they just liked the argue with passengers. One and DONE !!
I watched this video yesterday and just now i was watching my local news channel and i just saw a TV ADVERT for MSC Cruises!!! I live in New York City in case ppl wonder. Just goes to show everything you said about them targeting Americans is TRUE! ❤
Sailed on Divina in 2017 on a 7-day out of Miami. The worst. Customer service was nonexistent. Nobody really cared. From any/all the crew. Did they just grab people from a port and give them uniforms? Food was marginal at best. Empty pizza 🍕 pans in the buffet. On and on. Just a “one and done” cruise line. Sad when their new ships are beautiful. 😏 Always enjoy your videos. 👍🏼⚓️🇺🇸
SPOT ON! As a diamond member on R C and Carnival, I cannot express how accurate this video is. I REALY wish MSC would get their act together. They are loosing MILLIONS from the horible website and app ALONE.
I've been on 2 MSC cruises(Meraviglia and Seascape) and in February the Meraviglia again. The food isn't the best but it isn't bad. The entertainment is OK but on the Seascape the singer Sammulous was great. They need a big Broadway production show maybe Jeckyl and Hyde or Cats and it would put them over the top.
going in 2 weeks or so on a MSC sailing from miami...i will keep an open mind (mainly i just stick to myself on cruises go to the gym, excursions and buffets lol im not too picky about service)
I did the Virtuosa in November and absolutely loved it. Did Iona and I did enjoy that as well, but if I had to pick from either, I’d do the Virtuosa again
Guys, you prolly should try one of the Florida based ships, Seashore, Seascape, Divina. Apparently they have a North American menu in the MDR and the shows are rather lavish musical numbers. As for CS, one cruise has lots of issues which they....eventually....fixed. The others, I never even had to talk the GS.
MEH! sums them up completely. I so agree with your appraisal. The potential to rule the market is there, why will they not realise it? Cheap fares sadly equate to cheap food, cheap entertainment and worst cheap staff. Only sailed with MSC 3 times, first two just after covid were okay but maybe we were so delighted to be back at sea we were forgiving. Third cruise disgusted with. They must be pleasing some people, always sailing rammed full.
I did MSC in 2020 just before the Pandemic and their biggest issue was the crew. About 50% of the crew i encountered were exactly what you spoke of. Rude, uninformed, dismissive,accusatory. The other 50% were exactly what I would expect. The other issue was with room stewards. Never had a steward introduce themselves, each day had a different person which meant different times room was serviced. Many times I wouldn't be left towels and had to seek someone out.
Just got off MSC SEASIDE and we again had the same experience. Very few staff with good attitudes, substandard food & poor entertainment offerings.....unless you love trivia.
When we were on Iona last year, we learned that P&O now make their cabin stewards also work in the bars and serve in restaurants. Hence no turndown etc. Plus double the rooms allocated to them. This is clearly to save money. Maybe some of this is happening on MSC and this would explain why some of them have attitude problems and are somewhat cheesed off! I don't blame them frankly!
Got off from Seaside 7/31 7 day. They had decided to let all children in the adult pool on deck 7, this was a management decision. Had to break up a fight between some boys and got kicked. Awful. Agree on the entertainment kind of lame not much going on. Also no intimate spaces with good music, just walk through areas with very bad acoustics. Food was just so so. Oddly customer service and staff were all excellent. Loved our waiter. Loved our room attendant. The room was everything we needed and has adjoining doors for the other room. Very cold room loved that. Might go again with MSC, would have to see what my other options were.
MSC is SWISS ITALIAN .Not Italian. I really enjoyed the food. Probably because I eat healthier. Im european and went on my first MSC cruise this year from NYC to the Bahamas in FANTASTICA . I've done this itenary with NCL and RCI before. I've been cruising 21 years. I was a RCI fan but simply CANNOT justify their prices and upcharges. I can go in Yacht club WITH MSC instead ! Which I've booked 3 in YC with MSC for 2024. I went on with low expectations after seeing such negative reviews, Vloggs etc.. I get the impression people instantly pick on msc. But look at what you get for what you pay. For me everything onboard was FAB. Every crew member was lovely. Guest services I never had to go to except for cash for tips and they were very helpful. We can't judge an ENTIRE line by the odd cruise experience. It's definitely worth going on more with them. I do this -I make an effort by at least learning to say thankyou in various languages to the different crew members. It goes ALONG WAY !
Good evening Ben, 👋The staff issues are management issues. Poor, or nonexistent training and management follow-up. I think people want to do a good job, but without the tools to answer customer questions they can feel, and apparently, unsupported. This sounds like a major overhaul is necessary to be more customer oriented.
I've got a legit question. You said you've now sailed 5x on MSC and that for most of what you cruise for, positive interaction with staff, food, entertainment etc. they are seriously lacking. I can understand one bad experience then giving them another chance, but at the cost of cruising now, after a second time of the same, I'd be gone for good. Are you guys done with them now?? I've sailed Carnival once - no second chance - I hated it. NCL twice, both times were great, RCL where we had a nice time but the amusement park/shopping mall isn't really our thing. Oceania, lovely ships, good staff and food but filled with snobs -OMG like I've never seen and they also close up shop around 9pm, I'm 63yo but jeez I'm not in a nursing home already. We finally found our niche with Celebrity - very tastefully decorated ships, very good food, great shows/entertainment, BEST staff/crew I have ever encountered (very few kids too) - for our twice a year cruising dollars, it's Celebrity all the way.
I last sailed on Edge for 2 weeks Oct/Nov 2022 it was awesome! I’m next on Summit for a 10 day B2B in Dec. I’m currently following a few people on her right now and they say it’s great.
I went to Dubai on their World Europa. The food was not good to say the least. The servers are obviously not trained for formal dining. But MSC prices are really good. So we keep coming back :)
I've been on 5 MSC cruises and have noticed a big difference in recent years. Our first MSC cruise was on the Opera which we adored and the food was beautiful. However, I went on the Virtuosa 2 years ago where some of the guests were so rude to the crew and some swearing when asked to wash/sanitise their hands before entering a restaurant, bearing in mind there were still Covid restrictions. Overall I found the ship way too big and the food awful.
I have only been on one MSC cruise and it was in the Mediterranean. Every crew member we met were so friendly. I found no one with a lousy attitude. Going on a MSC cruise in November to the Bahamas. Curious to see if the crew attitude is different. I have previously cruised on RC, NCL, and Celebrity.
MSC put me off cruising again forever. Yes it was a short cruise in the North Sea, but absolutely nothing to do on board. The only highlight was returning home from Amsterdam to Tilbury in a Force 9 gale. Like sleeping in a roller coaster
I have sailed with RCL twice from the USA and the food wasn't great. Way too much junk food imo and choice was rather limited for other cuisine. On the other hand the ease of getting food when hungry is nice without having to prepare it myself, so fine with that. The service was great and the ships very nice though. Now planning to sail on MSC in Europe. Not bothered by complaints such as the ones about the many languages. English isn't the only language after all. I don't eat pizza, so hope that this isn't the only thing on the menu. Looking forward to experience the entertainment. if not good, I will just provide my own. Hope the service is good, but as it is a very cheap cruiseline, it might not be as on other cruiselines, so not expecting it.
I am very worried now as I have my first MSC cruise in March 2024. We are big cruisers and were excited to have another option sailing out of NYC but after hearing your last 2 videos I feel like scraping the cruise altogether as I don't know how it won't be disappointing. Yikes...😒
MSC Armonia from Venice last summer... will never cruise MSC again. Main reason- poor food choices, poor food quality. Horrible customer service and relatively crowded as well (that's what you get when smaller kids cruise for free in parent's cabins).
Just off the MSC seashore worst cruise I have been on food was bad so was the behaviour of the mangers when you reported cold food . bar staff could not be bothered to give you the correct drink you asked for a Bacardi you got Havana club kept getting told we have run out Of every drink you asked for sorry MSC I will not be back
I went on MSC last Christmas with my 2 boys and pricing is excellent for families, but I do have to agree the quality of the food is not the best and lack of choices specially for people with ALLERGIES (even on specialty dinning restaurants) … my son has peanut allergies and the staff didn’t have knowledge of how the dishes were prepared (they couldn’t even answer how was a baked potato prepared) …pretty sad because as a single mom they offer great deal for familes
We must have been really lucky as we have sailed with MSC over 10 times and although we have had issues at some points, they have been resolved. The food we have always enjoyed , in particular its nice to experience food from the region your sailing in. We have cruised with both rccl and p&o and have had sub par experience particularly with p&o.i agree the crew can seem tired on msc although always pleasant. The main point is the price! You can have a great holiday for £80 pppn, in some case yacht club for the same as a baclony on royal for a similar itinary.Sure msc could improve in some areas, but then im sure the prices would change ?
MSC does not have distilled water for cpap either for free or pay. It's bring your own or do without. Depending on one's transportation, that presents a problem. I canceled when they changed to this ridiculous policy.
Just got off MSC the crew was so much better than the other lines(NCL, Princess and celebrity cruised this year) msc were phenomenal. Entertainment better than most. Too much trivia. Food hit and miss. Yacht club buffet had shrimp and scallops every day.Three things to change make kids sit in theater with parents . Do not let people in the theater after 10 minutes, control large groups from hoarding trays of food
We just did an msc in July our of NYC. Total disaster. It was raining when we got there and everyone's bags were left outside. The whome ships clothes were ruined and not a little wet. Soaking wet. The service was hit or miss. Mostly miss. And no were seeing major price increases. No thanks. Loyal to royal now. Just booked a royal caribbean cruise today.
Agree on the customer service orientation, although in Yacht Club it is very different. On entertainment I disagree with your view, much better than NCL for example which has very little entertainment, although worst than Royal Caribbean. Different ship to ship, but generally you get multiple options every day. On food yeah, it satisfies, but does not create memories.
I personally haven’t had a bad experience with crew on MSC, but I’ve had horrific experiences with call centre staff. But I 100% agree with your food point, I am lactose intolerant and vegetarian and it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat on an MSC cruise. I asked for dairy free milk, like oat or soy, and they didn’t even understand what I was saying. They ended up giving me WATER and saying it was vegan milk. The buffet is poorly labelled and a real pain for those with dietary requirements. In the MDR, they promised to make me vegan desserts specially, which was lovely of them, except that they were literally fruit salads and biscuits with a bit of strawberry purée on the side.
Whereas on P&O- which has plenty of its own problems- they had a range of vegan milks, and their vegan desserts were brownies and cheesecakes. Which shows it’s possible to do dietary requirements well.
Did you fill in the needs form pre cruise? They advise to use mdr only if have food intolerances as they have a different galley area for producing such foods for mdr but cannot promise buffet food. They have special menus and you pick food night before so they can prepare it.
@@hollandr71 I picked the food the night before, but the options were terrible. Like I said, they would prepare a special pudding every night but it was either fruit or nearly plain biscuits. I remember once being served a starter of tomatoes and olive oil- that was it. And a main of roasted veg, and that was it too. Ultimately, they weren’t willing to put in any effort to make me appropriate food, they were only willing to remove stuff from a pre-prepared dish. Also, I shouldn’t have to miss out on the buffet. They should have clearly labelled dishes, and at least one vegan option.
I totally agree with this. Especially the food as it's pretty mediocre. Even more so when it comes to vegetarian/vegan choice - it was poor, especially on World Europa. I was looking forward to loads of fresh Mediterranean dishes and found it more bland, American inspired and uninspiring. Really put me off!
If I had not paid only taxes and fees for the cruise by using a My Konami coupon, I would have been mad. I did not go to any specialty restaurants. I ate a lot of very fine salami, watermelon and pizza at the buffet. Other than that, there was little that looked good enough to eat. The MDR either undercooked or overcooked everything. The ships were beautiful, but the crew didn't seem to know what to do with them. Their private island was handicap accessible and attractively landscaped. However, there was nothing there except a bar and some nice beaches. One of my cruises stopped there for two days. If you aren't a beach person, it was a tad boring. Since I didn't have to pay much, I didn't complain. One weird thing is that there were no ATMs on the ship. You had to go to customer service and pay a fee in order to access your money. The theatre shows were mostly opera singers who had fabulous voices, but no stage presence. I enjoyed the ports much more than the ships.
I actually had a MSC cruise booked for January on the seashore out of Port Canaveral for January but I canceled it a couple months ago due to all of the negative reviews of customer service so I went ahead and just booked another cruise on Royal Caribbean. Thank you for the informative content.
Contracting with entertainment companies sounds like $$$, and they wouldn't still be as inexpensive. Food? I'll assume the same. They're a budget cruise line that doesn't sound too fit your standards or what you want in cruising, but it's perfectly fine for people who don't cruise all the time or don't have money to spend on nicer cruises? Maybe. Just an idea.
Sailed Meraviglia Transatlantic a year ago. Had a wonderful cabin steward he was the best we have had on any line. However, the stage productions were just plain weird. The pool trivia sessions were horrible as the staff running them could not pronounce English very well and they had a handheld mic and speaker🙄. They wanted to charge $4 for a soft serve cone. I don’t know of another line that charged for soft serve! The menu was unusual and there were some really atrocious entrees that our party could not stomach.
I found trying to find a cruise on their website and could not do it. Most other cruise line let you try to book one and can cancel at the end before confirming it. MSC is just impossible to even find the right place to start making it. It is just not right for North Americans.
I was on MSC on August 3 for a weekend cruise. I did not like it at all the embarkation the elevators the muster was a cluster. The food was forgettable and the specialty restaurants too expensive for the quality of the food. We did have one good meal. It was Italian night in the main dining room. Pretty sad. I’ll never cruise on MSC again and I will not recommend it to my clients.
I agree about crew members ..there are some great but there were few freaks...like in buffet a Asian guy who work there and who is like 40 years+ approach daughter off my sister who eated there ..which is 15 years old and he start talking how he had so many girlfriends in his country ,start showing his tattoos even she was very uncomfortable and want him to go away..and he was talking there for 6-7 minutes even she did not talk with him at all until i showed up and tell him to go away ...and he looked me like he wanted to kill me...i can bet he was some criminal in his homecountry..had tattoos everywhere What i also disliked is some very primitive guests ,they would smoke or drink in hot tubes even its not allowed and crew member did not give a f
We have never had a problem on MSC or I should say seen anything different in employees or foods on MSC. We have done 60 cruises on carnival and many on Royal and NCL. They seem close in employees and yes food is different and that was what we were looking for because Carnivals is the same cruise after cruise and day after day . Same in the others. So as it’s the same day after day on MSC it’s different from the others in food style. Entertainment is different too and we thought yes this is good too . And they do have a great show on the Seaside that’s Michael all about Michael Jackson . So this shows they are trying new things . The front desk does seem difficult at times and need training better but is this attitude they have a European thing ? To us the extra nice attitude we give them back seems to get us extra help from them and they remember us for the nice gesture we give them for the help they gave us. .
I was on MSC last summer, and a bunch of crew opened up to me. They work more hours for less money than other lines. They get a half day off a week, at best. They dream of changing to another company but their contracts make it hard. That doesn't explain or excuse them, but they might be beyond exhausted.
Strangely, crew on Meraviglia last summer said opposite! They loved it and even knew next posting before end of current contract, unlike staff on other lines. They are generally 10hr shifts and 6 month contracts which a lot of them extend to 8 or 10 months, so cant be that bad!
I had an MSC cruise also this summer, my 3rd. And after chatting a bit with my waiter in the main dining room, who was coming from Indonesia, he admitted being absolutely exhausted, as he had to work for 8 months straight only having barely a few hours off a week... He kept extremely professional despite this, but yes many of them are overworked and exhausted...
I was just recently on the Meraviglia and we all had a great time. The crew were accommodating. I guess it depends on which ship?
I am wondering if MSC are primarily concerned with their container and other merchant shipping services and therefore neglecting their own cruise ship products. I have never sailed with MSC so I can't comment on personal experience about their cruise products.
@@aussiejohn5835good point, they are such a big company and maybe focusing on other priorities. Problem arising when your many thousands of cruise customers have a negative experience this will reach the holiday sector and can ultimately have a negative effect on the whole company...
We have sailed with MSC five times now (and have two more booked) and have not found a single fault with any of the sailings and are our favourite cruise line to sail with, from staff, to food and entertainment. So pleased that they are not following other cruise lines, just love the Mediterranean feel on board, rather than the run of the meal American feel - MSC keep it as you are.
Ben (and David), I think we all would enjoy videos for each cruise line on things that can (or should) be fixed. Cruise lines are generally great, but they’re never perfect. Thank you for this video and all your content!
Was on Msc Divina last year we had a wonderful experience shows was so good food was excellent staff went above and beyond so overall we had a Awesome time
They are crazy if they don't listen to you and other channels like you. The free advertising you offer is of incomparable value! Thank you for the video!
Spot on !
I think the biggest thing is communication..... Recruitment and caring for the staff , they have such long contracts and need good working conditions too. Tired and overwhelmed staff then shows to the customers .... Then negative feedback cycle. The food - lukewarm food in both market place and main dining room, felt like a cattle market , herding us in , felt rushed...food was dry and meh. Day four to seven sickness bug.
The ship was the most impressive, the balcony cabin was a treat, opening the balcony doors to the views was such a wonderful experience.
It hasn't put me off another cruise but I'll be more aware of reviews on the meals etc.
I have experienced MSC and your feedback is spot on. My impression is that the staff is overworked and, as a result, there is no spirit of process improvement on any ship. Daily, repetitive problems could be addressed with some operational procedure changes yet the staff is numb to it because the problems occur every day on every cruise. The managers of the areas don't appear to desire to fix them. The MSC cruise line could be outstanding if they prioritised the issues that passengers and staff fund most annoying first for resolution. After that, just continue improving the heavy issues and more positive experiences will follow with all involved. I'm sure there are reasons why things are the way they are, but in order to grow in the industry, the cruise companies must be willing to change to meet customer expectations.
Great video. We have never cruised MSC and may now not do so. We got back from Britannia 3 weeks ago. The crew were the best ever, entertainment was very good and the food was really good. These things made for a great cruise. Yes, we had problems, but the crew were excellent in dealing with any issue. We will stick with P&O
I must admit my last two cruises was on MSC and you hit the nail right on the head. The main thing with me and my wife is the food. It was terrible on my last cruise we met a content creator that was talking to staff in the Buffet and he could not get direct answer about food or the attitudes I said I would never cruise in the sea again until they fix these problems which I'm going to hold them too all three of the problems you said was all the problems I experienced not going to touch MSC until they do BETTER.
Always appreciate your honesty and fair criticisms!
Thanks Ben. We don't see much of MSC here in Australia currently and I think I'm glad.
We were on the Seaside in June for a Caribbean cruise, and we agree with almost everything you said. This was our first (and hopefully last) MSC trip, booked because the equivalent Royal Caribbean cruise was about three times as expensive. We had NO service in the buffet, SLOW service in the MDR and almost no other included restaurants available. I have to say though, that there was plenty of trivia on that sailing and the trivia hosts were wonderful - very friendly. They also spoke English that one could understand. We have been on several cruises where the people reading the questions were virtually unintelligible. We decided that the MSC motto should be "MSC - Probably Better Than No Cruise".
I've only had one xruise with MSC but it was great for the price. I did notice there were more crew members from Europe who were a bit cold personality wise. But the individuals from Indonesia and the Philippines were still hard working and very friendly.
I agree with you. Many of the non-European were more friendly. I do think many of them were frustrated and unhappy with their jobs. Simple things from management could make customers service much better.
I’ve been on MSC once and I have a second cruise booked for December.
For the price of a balcony on RCCL or NCL, I was able to book a suite in the Yacht club. As you said, you can get a cruise comparable to the other lines for 1/3 of the price. We need to realize that MSC really is. It’s a budget cruise line.
We had a wonderful time and thought the buffet food was very good. You and David have complained about the food on RCCL and other cutbacks on that line.
People want options. For those that want a budget cruise on a nice ship or an elevated experience in the Yacht club for the price of a standard fair on the other lines, MSC is a great option.
Crew moral is usually driven by fair working hours that are properly compensated. The lack of ownership of problems is inexcusable. That tells me they have no system to escalate issues to someone who can really solve the problem. Poor management is also a huge factor in poor customer service and simply needs to be fixed. Thanks for your honest review.
Now this is a proper way to give feedback. Pointing out the negatives and suggesting solutions. In and out of cruise industry, take note!
Spot on!! We sailed twice on the Seaside, once out of Miami over 4 years ago and again last April from Port Canaveral where we live. We have a Cruise Planners franchise. Three years ago we were invited to a special luncheon with the CEO and Head of Marketing. They said at that meeting they new they had these problems you talked about. Our cruise in April was awful! Nothing had changed! Seemed even worse, especially how they manage the bars and restaurants. I believe they are too focused on the Yacht Club brand! Seems all their best crew are associated with that brand! A shame because their ships are beautiful! Great video Ben!
I would agree with all of this. We have only sailed once on MSC and have one in November. If they could fix these things this might become one of my favorite cruise lines. While I enjoyed entertainment shows on our ship and late night parties we were extremely disappointed in the lack of daily activities. All they seemed to offer was dance classes and arts and crafts. Fingers crossed they start listening to reviews.
With the more common cruise lines raising their prices and cutting services, MSC really has a great opportunity to capitalize from all that. HOWEVER, I've been on TWO MSC cruises and have to say you are pretty much spot on in your critique. I will have to add that BOTH my cruises experienced disembarking issues where it took almost TWO hours to get off the ship at the end of the cruise. It was either "Computer problems" or "Customs" issues. Ironically my sister experienced the same issues on a totally different MSC ship. Too much of a coincidence and when you investigate into this you will find many other passengers complaining about it. It just adds to the frustration of getting off the ship and to your flight home in time and wondering if you're going to make it. Another area that needs improvement is, for some reason, only half the venues are open or even closed for no apparent reason. The Mozzarella are was closed on one of our cruises and the buffet was only half opened on both my cruises. This causes huge lines. Food is either hit or miss. Seating at some restaurants along the promenade is not only loud but right in the main walkways leaving a parade of people walking next to your tables. Most of the venues/clubs are extremely small and overcrowded. Waiting up to 45 minutes to grab a drink is horrible. Customer service is lacking, as you mentioned. My daughter booked a massage session before the cruise. When she showed up for the massage, the therapist refused to give her a massage because my daughter was 5 months pregnant. No big deal HOWEVER it took OVER six months and a complaint to the BBB after her cruise for MSC to refund the money. I tried MSC because they are the "New Kid On The Block" here in the U.S. I even gave them a second chance thinking maybe they haven't worked the kinks out yet. But overall, the ships are beautiful, all the dance parties I could do without, the food needs to take it up a few notches and they need to FIX the embark and most definitely disembark issues. Until I can read comments from current and future passengers that these issues have been improved on, I will stick to RCCL and NCL even though they cost more but I know I'll get better service and food.
Well many cruise lines are trying to cut and save to pay off their debt and the money they spent when all their ships were docked during the pandemic. Yes I do agree that the cruise lines cutting certain services (like room cleanings from 2x to 1x a day) is a good change. I dont like housekeeping in my room all the time even during a cruise. It may be nice but the room attendant has many other rooms i'm sure to clean so it gives them a better break. The suppliers that the cruises use to order food, you name it there prices have gone up for ingredients due to everyday costs, so the cruise lines have to constantly pay for those things as well to keep their guests happy. The lobster cost for one tail on RCL is $16.99. Hotel prices are high as well. Everywhere you go every company is trying to earn money they have lost during the pandemic and to continue to pay the workers and pay flights for the entertainers like dancers. They get paid 1,500 a month or more depending on their contract. Thats on RCL. I'm paying 700 total for a hotel stay for a concert in Canada where I live and its 3 hrs away drive. It costs the cruise lines millions to have their ships docked and not moving during a pandemic and now they are trying to do their best. I know everyone isn't happy with cutting costs or upping prices. On top of it they have to pay for new ships that they are building and debuting too. We all want all inclusive in cruise fares and for the drink packages like the refreshment package to be included without having to pay. We had many companies close during covid like one cruise line but they are coming back. Cruise's and any vacation is a choice. Cruise lines have to order a ton of provisions (food, drinks you name it) during each turnaround and it costs more money than anyone realizes because of the amount of guests + crew they have to feed. These costs help the cruise lines refurbish and update the ships so they continue to create happy memories for guests. I am not a drinker so I will be paying per drink, and if RCL wanted people to try out speciality dining they could of priced the unlimited dining package from $200 per guest to $20 per guest per day. Im okay with RCL's changes of updating their main dining room menu as it needed to be updated and that probably reflected some of the prices of each item to make each dish. I am heading on Royal Caribbean's navigator of the seas in 2024, and I plan on going without much expectations as every ship is unique, and you wont always get the same crew as they change over. I applaud the entertainers from dancers to singers on how hard they work and i'm excited to watch some of the shows on board. I do plan on being kind, courteous and if there is an issue I will go talk to the managers in a calm manner. Every cruise line has it's pros and cons and each ship is so different so you have to pick the ship you would like to relax on.
We are currently on the MSC Seascape. Last minute get away. The food is better than expected and the staff is very attentive and friendly. This is our second MSC and unless Celebrity and RCL stop increasing prices & decreasing services we may become regulars here!
We were on Virtuosa at the start of this year for a ridiculously low price. No problems with anything but we didn't need to use customer services. The ship is stunning and every member of the crew was fantastic. I think because we had 4000 onboard rather than 6000 we had a great experience all round.
Is that the one around emirates ? Im on the emirates cruise in jan can’t wait
@@s.r3366 it was around Northern Europe. I've got a few videos about it on my channel if you're looking for more info
Love you guys and I totally agree with you on this, but MSC Yacht Club is totally different and a fraction of Haven, etc for a true VIP experience. YC has amazing service & food, plus live music in the YC lounge. Please go on an MSC Yacht Club cruise and see for yourself!
I’ve done MSC 4 times. Yacht club the last two times, was fantastic. Absolutely spoiled and the crew were incredible. The first two times we received incredible service in champagne bar and I gave the staff tips and gifts from Ireland at the end because they were incredibly memorable and kind
That is so nice to hear!
Only done a couple of MSC cruises. They have improved from five years ago.The newer ships are good. We found the food in the mdr not great, but the buffet was very good. Lots of choice. Thought they catered for all tastes.
Our worse cruise ever was on MSC. It was all about terrible cruise service. The ship was beautiful.
I have only sailed MSC in the Yacht Club and will continue to do so. The standard of service and culinary there is outstanding.
Preach it Ben!! Although we have not sailed on MSC yet, we are very hesitant because of the reviews and past experiences from other guests. They all mentioned exactly what you say on your video. MSC has the potential to really take over the market if those 3 points mentioned are addressed and change is implemented! Thanks for the informative video. Luis and I will have to sail on them one day soon to see what our experience would be like. Love sent from across the pond!❤
I have always had good service from customer service. On my MSA cruises. Those cruises were on Davina and Seaside.
Excellent summary of our issues on MSC Seaside on a Caribbean cruise in April. So much potental but i guess that is the MSC way.
I remember on the second last day at the photo station you could see that the workers were overwhelmed because of poor management and strategy.
Most staff seemed cold and unapproachable. Some seemed annoyed when you had to ask anything. My family who had just done a RCL cruise the month before said they prefered RCL because of the friendly staff and better food.
If they made the improvements you spoke of, they would not be 1/2 to 3/4 less expensive than the other lines. It's a discount cruise line. You have to figure out what is important to you. The rooms are the best.
I would add a 4th experence to fix, getting off the ship at each of the ports was very long lines and no organization. You are correct, fix a few small problems and MSC will become a great cruise line.
We are going on our 12th MSC Cruise soon, 3rd in the Yacht Club and we LOVE this line! We find it to be an amazing experience and the best value for dollar at sea. We are friends with many crew who work across the fleet and we find them to be quite well content with working for MSC. They share that it is very much a family feeling working for this company. We will continue to sail with MSC and love them for the amazing experience they offer.
Completed a Mediterranean Cruise this summer and some of your suggestions really resonate with our experience. Had the pleasure of being aboard the MSC World Europa, embarking from Genoa. Ship layout, design, decor were fantastic! We found the personnel to be very friendly and service was great everywhere. Most of the difficulties we had in communication occurred before boarding. Their website is riddled with glitches. On board though, personnel were all efficient and friendly. Maybe because it is the World Europa's first season, but the entertainment options were spectacular! Every night was filled with several options and we were quite surprised with the quality of the shows, music, costuming, staging. In my opinion, the entertainment offerings were far superior to many other cruise lines. The culinary offerings were disappointing, to say the least. Luckily, we stayed in the Yacht Club, so overall we had good experiences there (and an incredible team of service providers), but elsewhere on the ship, I wasn't impressed with most of the choices. We did, however, enjoy some of the specialty dining venues, but as you noted, passengers shouldn't have to rely on them to get decent food. I hope MSC does well, because they do indeed have a lot of potential.
The wife and myself are going on another MSC cruise next July (we usually book while on the ship for better prices and on board credits) and have been on several other lines as well, like Carnival and Norwegian. We liked Carnival wasn't too happy with Norwegian but love MSC. Granted we cruise yacht club but service, food, rooms, spa all have been great. We are drinkers so the top shelf drinks are a bonus and included in yacht club. 2 devices on internet packages as well is nice. One thing I wish MSC would do is theme food like Carnival did, serving special dishes from the region we are leaving. Example the conch fritters when leaving Bahamas. I also like the point match MSC does, as we are now diamond members and benefit from the match. I think bang for buck MSC is great.
We love MSC as well! Never had a bad experience with them.
Hi Ben. My only experience with MSC is in the Yacht Club. 💯% agree shore side customer service is a nightmare. Haven't had any issue on the ship. I was down on the main pool deck for morning exercises ( what was I thinking) 😉. Anyway while sitting and having a bottle of water after, I noticed a serious safety issue. As I looked around, I saw an officer. I told him of the issue and within one minute there were two other officers there addressing the problem. Yes, I've heard the complaints about the food as well. The buffet needs some attention. The entertainment is definitely lacking. A production show would help. Thank you for this information and all your hard work. Have a great week guy's. ♥️♥️
I agree with you on all three points. Customer service getting drinks was horrendous. Long wait lines and staff choosing other people who were younger or had tip money. The entertainment was just painful to watch. We left early. Food was boring and the same everyday. Even the pizza was disappointing. You get what you pay for.
I have cruised with MSC 8 times. In February of this year my son had a medical emergency during our cruise. The staff at Customer Service and the Medical staff were rude, keep telling us there was a charge for medical services, medical staff did not introduce themselves as to their profession. My last MSC cruise.
How. Terrifying! I made squeaky noises reading your comment. Unexcusable behavior, possibly litigious even if your son was damaged further because of the crew's delay and dismissive attitude. ACK! I hope all worked out well for you both.
I’ve been on two MSC cruises and loved them! The service was excellent and the staff friendly and helpful. I am American and had a pleasant experience with the food selection on MSC.
The food was delicious in both the buffet and dining room. As for the entertainment, my husband and I don’t really go to shows so it doesn’t matter to us.
The ships are beautiful and clean. We love the atmosphere. Next year we are booked on two MSC cruises because we have been disappointed with two other cruise lines we tried the last two years. They are referred to as great cruise lines but fell short of our expectations.
Great constructive criticism with solid examples. You are doing MSC a huge service - they could pay a consultant thousands of dollars to come up with the analysis you have provided for free. This video should be presented in the boardroom of their parent company.
I can’t comment on MSC because I’ve never cruised with them but I would like to say how beautifully produced your videos are. Ben and David are the gold standard of cruise videos! 😎 🛳
I have to agree with your Customer Service point, but moreso the experience before cruising. Earlier this year, I struggled to get information about visa requirements etc, and in one day got 3 different answers from the same Customer Services phone number - d'oh!
You are 100% right on all counts. I have sailed multiple times on the major cruiselines and once on MSC and we had all the same issues. From the pre-cruise experience to the post cruise experience. Customer service had no clue what was going on in the call centre and everyone was giving a diff message. The manager of the call centre was slow to respond and when I asked her dozens of times to just call to discuss she refused and told me to just email her. She then delegated someone to call me who in the middle of the call said 'my shift is over sorry' then hung up on me. They had technical issues they admitted to which cancelled my shore excursions. When I asked them to rebook it they asked me to pay again even though I had not gotten a refund yet, thus double charging me. The sad thing about this cruiseline is they have all the infrastructure to be a great cruiseline (great ships and private island). It's just bad management. And as a management professor, it bothers so much that these problems are so easy to correct with better management, training and tone at the top. They have so much potential to be great with just some easily changeable tweaks. I hope they get some better management soon!
We cruised MSC one time and that was enough for the exact reasons you mentioned. The big reason was the poor staff attitude. They didn’t listen, they just liked the argue with passengers. One and DONE !!
I watched this video yesterday and just now i was watching my local news channel and i just saw a TV ADVERT for MSC Cruises!!! I live in New York City in case ppl wonder. Just goes to show everything you said about them targeting Americans is TRUE! ❤
Sailed on Divina in 2017 on a 7-day out of Miami. The worst. Customer service was nonexistent. Nobody really cared. From any/all the crew. Did they just grab people from a port and give them uniforms? Food was marginal at best. Empty pizza 🍕 pans in the buffet. On and on. Just a “one and done” cruise line. Sad when their new ships are beautiful. 😏 Always enjoy your videos. 👍🏼⚓️🇺🇸
SPOT ON! As a diamond member on R C and Carnival, I cannot express how accurate this video is. I REALY wish MSC would get their act together. They are loosing MILLIONS from the horible website and app ALONE.
I've been on 2 MSC cruises(Meraviglia and Seascape) and in February the Meraviglia again. The food isn't the best but it isn't bad. The entertainment is OK but on the Seascape the singer Sammulous was great. They need a big Broadway production show maybe Jeckyl and Hyde or Cats and it would put them over the top.
going in 2 weeks or so on a MSC sailing from miami...i will keep an open mind (mainly i just stick to myself on cruises go to the gym, excursions and buffets lol im not too picky about service)
I am happy just how Msc works. Absolutely best value for money of any cruising company.
I like food in there also.
Totally agree! Don’t you think every area you go to was a long Que as well. So many long lines and disembarkation was a flipping nightmare😢
Marie
I did the Virtuosa in November and absolutely loved it. Did Iona and I did enjoy that as well, but if I had to pick from either, I’d do the Virtuosa again
Guys, you prolly should try one of the Florida based ships, Seashore, Seascape, Divina. Apparently they have a North American menu in the MDR and the shows are rather lavish musical numbers. As for CS, one cruise has lots of issues which they....eventually....fixed. The others, I never even had to talk the GS.
MEH! sums them up completely. I so agree with your appraisal. The potential to rule the market is there, why will they not realise it? Cheap fares sadly equate to cheap food, cheap entertainment and worst cheap staff. Only sailed with MSC 3 times, first two just after covid were okay but maybe we were so delighted to be back at sea we were forgiving. Third cruise disgusted with. They must be pleasing some people, always sailing rammed full.
I did MSC in 2020 just before the Pandemic and their biggest issue was the crew. About 50% of the crew i encountered were exactly what you spoke of. Rude, uninformed, dismissive,accusatory. The other 50% were exactly what I would expect. The other issue was with room stewards. Never had a steward introduce themselves, each day had a different person which meant different times room was serviced. Many times I wouldn't be left towels and had to seek someone out.
Just got off MSC SEASIDE and we again had the same experience.
Very few staff with good attitudes, substandard food & poor entertainment offerings.....unless you love trivia.
When we were on Iona last year, we learned that P&O now make their cabin stewards also work in the bars and serve in restaurants. Hence no turndown etc. Plus double the rooms allocated to them. This is clearly to save money. Maybe some of this is happening on MSC and this would explain why some of them have attitude problems and are somewhat cheesed off! I don't blame them frankly!
Got off from Seaside 7/31 7 day. They had decided to let all children in the adult pool on deck 7, this was a management decision. Had to break up a fight between some boys and got kicked. Awful. Agree on the entertainment kind of lame not much going on. Also no intimate spaces with good music, just walk through areas with very bad acoustics. Food was just so so. Oddly customer service and staff were all excellent. Loved our waiter. Loved our room attendant. The room was everything we needed and has adjoining doors for the other room. Very cold room loved that. Might go again with MSC, would have to see what my other options were.
MSC is SWISS ITALIAN .Not Italian.
I really enjoyed the food. Probably because I eat healthier.
Im european and went on my first MSC cruise this year from NYC to the Bahamas in FANTASTICA
. I've done this itenary with NCL and RCI before. I've been cruising 21 years. I was a RCI fan but simply CANNOT justify their prices and upcharges. I can go in Yacht club WITH MSC instead ! Which I've booked 3 in YC with MSC for 2024.
I went on with low expectations after seeing such negative reviews, Vloggs etc.. I get the impression people instantly pick on msc. But look at what you get for what you pay.
For me everything onboard was FAB.
Every crew member was lovely. Guest services I never had to go to except for cash for tips and they were very helpful.
We can't judge an ENTIRE line by the odd cruise experience. It's definitely worth going on more with them.
I do this -I make an effort by at least learning to say thankyou in various languages to the different crew members. It goes ALONG WAY !
Good evening Ben, 👋The staff issues are management issues. Poor, or nonexistent training and management follow-up. I think people want to do a good job, but without the tools to answer customer questions they can feel, and apparently, unsupported. This sounds like a major overhaul is necessary to be more customer oriented.
MSC Seaside has the Starwalker show. In my opinion it is a lot better than other cruise lines.
I've got a legit question. You said you've now sailed 5x on MSC and that for most of what you cruise for, positive interaction with staff, food, entertainment etc. they are seriously lacking. I can understand one bad experience then giving them another chance, but at the cost of cruising now, after a second time of the same, I'd be gone for good. Are you guys done with them now?? I've sailed Carnival once - no second chance - I hated it. NCL twice, both times were great, RCL where we had a nice time but the amusement park/shopping mall isn't really our thing. Oceania, lovely ships, good staff and food but filled with snobs -OMG like I've never seen and they also close up shop around 9pm, I'm 63yo but jeez I'm not in a nursing home already. We finally found our niche with Celebrity - very tastefully decorated ships, very good food, great shows/entertainment, BEST staff/crew I have ever encountered (very few kids too) - for our twice a year cruising dollars, it's Celebrity all the way.
Give Virgin a try if you love Celebrity
Any concerns about cutbacks on Celebrity?
I last sailed on Edge for 2 weeks Oct/Nov 2022 it was awesome! I’m next on Summit for a 10 day B2B in Dec. I’m currently following a few people on her right now and they say it’s great.
The Yacht Club was great on MSC - but you are right - you shouldn’t have to pay extra for a quality experience
THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
THIS IS GREAT AND USEFUL INFORMATION!
I HOPE TO CRUISE SOON🙏
I went to Dubai on their World Europa. The food was not good to say the least. The servers are obviously not trained for formal dining. But MSC prices are really good. So we keep coming back :)
Food was great when I sailed
The easiest way to fix issues is to be more easy going and adjust your expectations.... 😉
I've been on 5 MSC cruises and have noticed a big difference in recent years. Our first MSC cruise was on the Opera which we adored and the food was beautiful. However, I went on the Virtuosa 2 years ago where some of the guests were so rude to the crew and some swearing when asked to wash/sanitise their hands before entering a restaurant, bearing in mind there were still Covid restrictions. Overall I found the ship way too big and the food awful.
I have only been on one MSC cruise and it was in the Mediterranean. Every crew member we met were so friendly. I found no one with a lousy attitude. Going on a MSC cruise in November to the Bahamas. Curious to see if the crew attitude is different. I have previously cruised on RC, NCL, and Celebrity.
MSC put me off cruising again forever. Yes it was a short cruise in the North Sea, but absolutely nothing to do on board. The only highlight was returning home from Amsterdam to Tilbury in a Force 9 gale. Like sleeping in a roller coaster
Really enjoyed how you presented positives and negatives. I was wondering if you have ever sailed in the Yacht Club?
I’ve never cruised on MSC, but I am ok with their business model.
It makes them unique.
Why be indistinguishable and generic like Carnival?
I have sailed with RCL twice from the USA and the food wasn't great. Way too much junk food imo and choice was rather limited for other cuisine. On the other hand the ease of getting food when hungry is nice without having to prepare it myself, so fine with that. The service was great and the ships very nice though. Now planning to sail on MSC in Europe. Not bothered by complaints such as the ones about the many languages. English isn't the only language after all. I don't eat pizza, so hope that this isn't the only thing on the menu. Looking forward to experience the entertainment. if not good, I will just provide my own. Hope the service is good, but as it is a very cheap cruiseline, it might not be as on other cruiselines, so not expecting it.
I am very worried now as I have my first MSC cruise in March 2024. We are big cruisers and were excited to have another option sailing out of NYC but after hearing your last 2 videos I feel like scraping the cruise altogether as I don't know how it won't be disappointing. Yikes...😒
Just got off "The Seaside", our first MSC cruise and the customer service was just not good, the crew just looks and acts annoyed...
I had the same experience with my last MSC cruise.
MSC Armonia from Venice last summer... will never cruise MSC again. Main reason- poor food choices, poor food quality. Horrible customer service and relatively crowded as well (that's what you get when smaller kids cruise for free in parent's cabins).
Just off the MSC seashore worst cruise I have been on food was bad so was the behaviour of the mangers when you reported cold food . bar staff could not be bothered to give you the correct drink you asked for a Bacardi you got Havana club kept getting told we have run out
Of every drink you asked for sorry MSC I will not be back
I love your set!
Great video ❤❤❤❤
I went on MSC last Christmas with my 2 boys and pricing is excellent for families, but I do have to agree the quality of the food is not the best and lack of choices specially for people with ALLERGIES (even on specialty dinning restaurants) … my son has peanut allergies and the staff didn’t have knowledge of how the dishes were prepared (they couldn’t even answer how was a baked potato prepared) …pretty sad because as a single mom they offer great deal for familes
Woof woof. Big thanks from NorCal
I spent 2 weeks this May, and boy ,I regretted. Worst cruise ever. I can't believe I booked 2 whole week there 😩
We must have been really lucky as we have sailed with MSC over 10 times and although we have had issues at some points, they have been resolved. The food we have always enjoyed , in particular its nice to experience food from the region your sailing in. We have cruised with both rccl and p&o and have had sub par experience particularly with p&o.i agree the crew can seem tired on msc although always pleasant. The main point is the price! You can have a great holiday for £80 pppn, in some case yacht club for the same as a baclony on royal for a similar itinary.Sure msc could improve in some areas, but then im sure the prices would change ?
Great Pools and Jacuzzis
MSC does not have distilled water for cpap either for free or pay. It's bring your own or do without. Depending on one's transportation, that presents a problem. I canceled when they changed to this ridiculous policy.
I was big fan of msc
I gave up
I try to work with them when I had problems
It’s sad
Just got off MSC the crew was so much better than the other lines(NCL, Princess and celebrity cruised this year) msc were phenomenal. Entertainment better than most. Too much trivia. Food hit and miss. Yacht club buffet had shrimp and scallops every day.Three things to change make kids sit in theater with parents . Do not let people in the theater after 10 minutes, control large groups from hoarding trays of food
We just did an msc in July our of NYC. Total disaster. It was raining when we got there and everyone's bags were left outside. The whome ships clothes were ruined and not a little wet. Soaking wet. The service was hit or miss. Mostly miss. And no were seeing major price increases. No thanks. Loyal to royal now. Just booked a royal caribbean cruise today.
Agree on the customer service orientation, although in Yacht Club it is very different. On entertainment I disagree with your view, much better than NCL for example which has very little entertainment, although worst than Royal Caribbean. Different ship to ship, but generally you get multiple options every day. On food yeah, it satisfies, but does not create memories.
I personally haven’t had a bad experience with crew on MSC, but I’ve had horrific experiences with call centre staff. But I 100% agree with your food point, I am lactose intolerant and vegetarian and it is IMPOSSIBLE to eat on an MSC cruise. I asked for dairy free milk, like oat or soy, and they didn’t even understand what I was saying. They ended up giving me WATER and saying it was vegan milk. The buffet is poorly labelled and a real pain for those with dietary requirements. In the MDR, they promised to make me vegan desserts specially, which was lovely of them, except that they were literally fruit salads and biscuits with a bit of strawberry purée on the side.
Whereas on P&O- which has plenty of its own problems- they had a range of vegan milks, and their vegan desserts were brownies and cheesecakes. Which shows it’s possible to do dietary requirements well.
Did you fill in the needs form pre cruise? They advise to use mdr only if have food intolerances as they have a different galley area for producing such foods for mdr but cannot promise buffet food. They have special menus and you pick food night before so they can prepare it.
@@hollandr71 I picked the food the night before, but the options were terrible. Like I said, they would prepare a special pudding every night but it was either fruit or nearly plain biscuits. I remember once being served a starter of tomatoes and olive oil- that was it. And a main of roasted veg, and that was it too. Ultimately, they weren’t willing to put in any effort to make me appropriate food, they were only willing to remove stuff from a pre-prepared dish. Also, I shouldn’t have to miss out on the buffet. They should have clearly labelled dishes, and at least one vegan option.
Maybe depends on ship? I know people who had no problems despite others saying had.
I totally agree with this. Especially the food as it's pretty mediocre. Even more so when it comes to vegetarian/vegan choice - it was poor, especially on World Europa. I was looking forward to loads of fresh Mediterranean dishes and found it more bland, American inspired and uninspiring. Really put me off!
If I had not paid only taxes and fees for the cruise by using a My Konami coupon, I would have been mad. I did not go to any specialty restaurants. I ate a lot of very fine salami, watermelon and pizza at the buffet. Other than that, there was little that looked good enough to eat. The MDR either undercooked or overcooked everything. The ships were beautiful, but the crew didn't seem to know what to do with them. Their private island was handicap accessible and attractively landscaped. However, there was nothing there except a bar and some nice beaches. One of my cruises stopped there for two days. If you aren't a beach person, it was a tad boring. Since I didn't have to pay much, I didn't complain. One weird thing is that there were no ATMs on the ship. You had to go to customer service and pay a fee in order to access your money. The theatre shows were mostly opera singers who had fabulous voices, but no stage presence. I enjoyed the ports much more than the ships.
I actually had a MSC cruise booked for January on the seashore out of Port Canaveral for January but I canceled it a couple months ago due to all of the negative reviews of customer service so I went ahead and just booked another cruise on Royal Caribbean. Thank you for the informative content.
really?!
Contracting with entertainment companies sounds like $$$, and they wouldn't still be as inexpensive.
Food? I'll assume the same. They're a budget cruise line that doesn't sound too fit your standards or what you want in cruising, but it's perfectly fine for people who don't cruise all the time or don't have money to spend on nicer cruises?
Maybe. Just an idea.
They don't listen to passengers problems. So why do you expect them to change?
Sailed Meraviglia Transatlantic a year ago. Had a wonderful cabin steward he was the best we have had on any line. However, the stage productions were just plain weird. The pool trivia sessions were horrible as the staff running them could not pronounce English very well and they had a handheld mic and speaker🙄. They wanted to charge $4 for a soft serve cone. I don’t know of another line that charged for soft serve! The menu was unusual and there were some really atrocious entrees that our party could not stomach.
I found trying to find a cruise on their website and could not do it. Most other cruise line let you try to book one and can cancel at the end before confirming it. MSC is just impossible to even find the right place to start making it. It is just not right for North Americans.
Cheaper cruise equals less all 3 would raise the price but i have never cruised on MSC and dont think i will now
I was on MSC on August 3 for a weekend cruise. I did not like it at all the embarkation the elevators the muster was a cluster. The food was forgettable and the specialty restaurants too expensive for the quality of the food. We did have one good meal. It was Italian night in the main dining room. Pretty sad. I’ll never cruise on MSC again and I will not recommend it to my clients.
I agree about crew members ..there are some great but there were few freaks...like in buffet a Asian guy who work there and who is like 40 years+ approach daughter off my sister who eated there ..which is 15 years old and he start talking how he had so many girlfriends in his country ,start showing his tattoos even she was very uncomfortable and want him to go away..and he was talking there for 6-7 minutes even she did not talk with him at all until i showed up and tell him to go away ...and he looked me like he wanted to kill me...i can bet he was some criminal in his homecountry..had tattoos everywhere
What i also disliked is some very primitive guests ,they would smoke or drink in hot tubes even its not allowed and crew member did not give a f
We have never had a problem on MSC or I should say seen anything different in employees or foods on MSC. We have done 60 cruises on carnival and many on Royal and NCL. They seem close in employees and yes food is different and that was what we were looking for because Carnivals is the same cruise after cruise and day after day . Same in the others. So as it’s the same day after day on MSC it’s different from the others in food style. Entertainment is different too and we thought yes this is good too . And they do have a great show on the Seaside that’s Michael all about Michael Jackson . So this shows they are trying new things . The front desk does seem difficult at times and need training better but is this attitude they have a European thing ? To us the extra nice attitude we give them back seems to get us extra help from them and they remember us for the nice gesture we give them for the help they gave us. .
Never cruised them and never will, they show such outward contempt for passengers, they simply do not care, as noted in review after review.