25 Things Cruisers MUST Know Before Your First MSC Cruise [MSC Cruise Tips 2024]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Are you going on an MSC cruise & wondering what to expect? Even if you've been on other cruise lines, there are some things you need to know before sailing with MSC Cruises in 2024! We recently went on our first cruise & there were some things no one told me!
In this video I share MSC cruise tips about embarkation day, food & dining, booking your cabin, & the overall experience onboard an MSC cruise ship.
MSC Cruises has some differences from other popular cruise lines. You'll want to know what to expect on an MSC cruise vacation, including how to save money, get status match & more!
If you're going on your first cruise, this video is full of cruise information you need to help you have a better cruise holiday.
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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![Our First MSC Cruise Was NOT What We Expected. Here's Why [MSC Seascape Review]](/img/n.gif)
Not only is having a lot of Europeans onboard something that "isn't bad" - it's absolutely great!!! Makes for very interesting conversations and the potential of new international friends!
True :)
Yes, I enjoyed hearing all of the different languages.
💯 That was one of the best parts for me. I go on vacation, in part, to get out from under my rock in the middle of the lower 48, and it's always great to meet people from all over the world.
All of you must have had the nice Europeans. The comedian on my sailing even talked about how rude our Europeans were.
@@scooby89 I suppose one can find exceptions to any rule. Unlike the Europeans, however, American tourists have earned the well known, long held moniker of "Ugly American" for a reason.
The end of June will be our 3rd sailing within a year on msc. I love it! I actually prefer it over RC, and would choose them every single time. The entertainment is the best I’ve seen on any line. Every single night, new shows & big productions. I enjoyed the food, but when comparing it to years ago, the food isn’t the same on any line. The photo packages are the absolute best, the quality is amazing & the photographers are wonderful. The staff in general is great. I can’t say enough good things about this line, but there will be ppl who are devoted cruisers on other lines who will disagree with me & that’s ok… just enjoy whatever you do.
@@lindakenny4779 The second time for me was better the first. Remember, my first time was in 2019, Thanksgiving week. The food wasn't good and OVERALL the staff wasn't friendly. The entertainment was the best ever!! Enjoy.
We always stay in the Yacht Club on MSC cruises and have superb service. The staff couldn't be any nicer or more helpful. Tiziana Piccaluga is the Yacht Club Director and exceeds any expectations you have of the Yacht Club. She handles everything with excellence. Even though we have a private dining room we still love to go to the buffet for a light lunch or late-night snacks like the delicious pizza.
The ambiance of the MSC ships is beyond words. The Swarovski crystal staircases are magnificent and getting your picture taken on them makes you look like a queen. Very elegant. The MSC designers are to be commended for their outstanding design elements that make you feel special and enjoy the beauty of the ship. This is our "go-to" ship for all our vacations.
I’d love to try Yacht Club. Only heard good things- thanks for sharing
I’ve been on 25 cruises, 5 of which have been with MSC. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world. 3 of those cruises have been from South America to Europe, my last one a 25 day cruise. What I like is that despite not having a lot of US passengers on those ships they have always put me in a dinner table group with other passengers with English as their primary language. On one cruise a couple of my table mates were headliners on the ships shows. The Italian and Seafood on MSC is fantastic. I will be on the Seascape when MSC starts cruising out of Galveston.
That’s great to know
I'm from Germany, and therefor I travelled on MSC-ships quite often, cause it's a or maybe THE market leader in Europe. Here some thoughts about some complaints, which often come from American guests: 1. What I read in reviews of American guests is, that MSC-food is bland. You have to know, that MSC is an Europaen cruise company, and in Europe it won't be well-received if food is "over-spiced", also the use of artifical falvorants (liks MSG) isn't very welcomed in Europe. So food for American taste often is rather "under-spiced", than "over-spiced", and it's the guest's job to ad more salt, pepper, hot sauce etc. which all is provided in the buffets and MDRs. What is considered as "over-spiced" will be very different between European and American guests. What noticed as "hot" for Europeans will probably only cause a weary smile from American guests. ;)
2. Food general: MSC is an European, more precisely an Italian cruise line. Like all Italian cruise lines, the food is rather Mediterranean based than international. Part of that is, that board is concentraded on the Main dining rooms. On a MSC-ship you won't find multiple buffets and further included "a la carte"-venues like "Burger restaurants", "pizzerias" etc. There will be one buffet, multiple MDRs (to accommodate nearly every guest), and speciality restaurants. If you up to multiple, different buffets, MSC won't be your best choice.
3. Service: MSC crews are custom to international audiences, and they will attend to special needs and wishes of every guest. If they recognize you are from Germany for example they won't bother you with a lot of chit-chat, cause they are knowing that mosts Germans aren't up for that. But they will also do the "American Style", if they know you're open for that. Maybe they need a little hint, the simplest way to give this hint is to start small talk from your own accord.
4. International audiences: MSC traditionally accommodates people from all of Europe and the world. Especially people from South Europe. Therefor it's likley you will see large families, large tour partys and many children on MSC ships. MSC cruises tend to be louder and more livley, than other cruise lines. I personally love that, but for others this would be a red flag.
5. Entertainment: Due to the fact, that MSC accommodates international audiences there won't be "text-based" entertainment like full musical plays, readings or comedians for instance. There will be a lot of music-based shows, which will have very less spoken passages.
Love this! Thanks for sharing & I especially appreciate your tip #3 about giving the servers an indication
Same but I’m from uk and also I can go in top 19
We did our first MSC cruise in March on Magnifica and we absolutely loved it but our friends that traveled with us were a bit less impressed than us. We are much more introverted for Americans though so we were excited to try a European line as we knew their service tends to be a bit more relaxed in Europe.
We absolutely loved the lighter foods and more calm feel of the ship and crew, we even incorporated a few tricks from their dining style at home because we found some things we really liked better than the more American take.
It was definitely a fun party atmosphere but was more toned down than Carnival is. We loved it so much that we have another MSC cruise booked for this year on Seashore and are excited to see how we like the much bigger ship. As our kids are getting older our tastes are definitely changing as far as what we all like most about a cruise when we look back on it.
I recently took my first MSC Cruise out of New York on the Meraviglia to south Florida and the Caribbean for a 7 day adventure and was very impressed with my trip. During my research and reading some not so nice reviews from other MSC guests about the Maraviglia, I was prepared for anything. Those reviews were written by guests who wanted to find something wrong so they could bad mouth MSC. I found MSC to be a First Class cruise company with a 6 star ship and crew which made my experience one to remember and want to do it again real soon.
Going back to the status section of your review, I am a Diamond member of Hilton Honors and was quickly given Diamond status with MSC. This status upgrade made my experience on MSC very enjoyable with many very nice additions to my cruise. The entertainment on the ship was some of the best I have seen. The music and acting was as good as what you would see under the lights on Broadway. The best show by far was the "Houdini Show". It was so good, I had to come back for a second night to try and figure out how Houdini was able to get out of a tight fitting, "Straight Jacket" while upside down spinning around in under a minute. Wow what a show!!!
We have been on 5 MSC cruises as well as other cruise lines (HAL, RC). We were on the same cruise as you last year and on the Seashore out of Port Canaveral this year and MSC is our preferred line. I agree with everything that you said. One of the things that we like is that it is different from the other lines. Most of the complaints that we have heard on social media are more with regard to personnel taste or lack of knowledge, especially with regard to food. We have never found a lack of choices either in the dining room or buffet; most people do not check out the entire buffet. Those looking for more burgers and hot dogs outside of the buffet, my feeling is that you don't travel to another country and look for a MacDonalds. With regard to the levels, we have cruised Aurea the last two cruises. Even though we are not "spa people," the cabin choice and anytime dining are worth it. The prosecco and chocolate upon embarkation are pluses. While they eliminated the gift, robe and slippers, and free room service (except continental breakfast) on our last cruise (5/12-19/2024), these are minor.
We had one of the cabins in the very rear and they eliminate the major complaints about cruise-ship cabins: The bathroom is much larger, the shower is at least twice as big, and there is more storage than needed including three closets for hanging clothes and another with drawers.
I appreciate that they may have eliminated some little things to keep the prices down; it is still the best bargain.
I've cruised with MSC so many times, and totally agree with every single one of your points in here, Ilana. I genuinely think that lots of the dissatisfaction with MSC is from people who just don't know what to expect, so great overview - I'm sure this will help so many people!
I went on an MSC cruise in June, and it was a wonderful experience! 1) If you use the MSC phone app, you can make reservations from there, as well as put in your credit card info, so you don't have to use the kiosk. 2) You do not have to confirm your dinner seating time every night. It's noted in your information packet in your room. 3) Re the hot tubs... the pools and hot tubs close every evening, and are drained and cleaned. They get refilled each morning with seawater, so they will start out at whatever temperature the sea is that day. Might possibly be why the hot tubs are not super hot. Also, they are not chlorinated. 4) All of our excursions ran on time, and the guides knew the languages of all the people on each tour, and were fluent in those languages. 5) Show introductions and ship announcements were all made in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German.
@stephaniewright2045 I went in July. So different from my first and second experiences 3 years ago. I had a lovely time.
Going to make my first cruise to Fiords and have some doughts. Do they speak portuguese? Do we need to buy a package to have coffe at the meals ou wine on the buffet? How do we activate our MSC card? The shows on theatre and commadant dinner or parties have to be paid off?
A new way of hearing the pronunciation of clientele...
Thanks adoptive Mom. I booked my first sailing with them a couple days ago. Thanks to your tip they matched my loyalty! I’m Gold with them. We are so excited!🎉 Our cruise leaves in 3 days!
Haha love that! Enjoy!! 🚢🎉
Our families experience on MSC April 2024 was a great one. Staff were friendly and helpful. The food was great, and we didn’t do any specialty restaurants on our 7 day cruise.
My wife, who has a Korean passport, even had a letter in our cabin on embarkation written in Korean by a crew member at the excursion desk offering further discounts on excursions that we took advantage of.
Our teen boys loved teen club and were so busy with soccer tournaments, basketball tournaments, scavenger hunts and pool parties at the jungle pools that on at sea days we only saw them at lunch and dinner.
My main suggestion on my survey was that they dump the Bahamas port stop and instead just go to their private island.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad to hear
I agree with you wholeheartedly!
They can't just stop at private island if coming back to US port
@@FelixTorres-wl5vt our 7 day cruise was Bahamas, amber cove and Puerto Rico. Maybe they can do ocean cay instead of Bahamas on that itinerary.
@@steveshideler1333 I live in PR it is a US port, can't
Sailed on the Meraviglia twice and we loved it. On one cruise, we booked a guarantee interior cabin and they upgraded us to a deluxe balcony room at no extra charge. Booked a cruise on Seascape this year, can’t wait.
Wow, nice
If we didn't already have a cruise booked for later in the year, I'd be booking to go back on the Meraviglia. However it's not all bad as we booked to go on her again in the Fall of 2026 and I can't wait.
I hope you have a wonderful time.
We booked an inside guarantee, they upgraded us to a balcony for free
I must be European. I give 5 stars to a lyft driver who says nothing during my ride. I hate small talk.
Haha too funny 😂
Same here.
Agree with you 100%!
We are seasoned cruisers since 1993… Have taken many cruises and decided to try MSC in 2017… Have taken six or seven MSC cruises so far… Two of which were in the Yacht Club… And have the Yacht Club booked again for September on the seashore booked in the fantastica experience on the inaugural world America Cruise… We love MSA… We love all cruise lines for their different offerings🚢 thanks for a great video
I’m dimond on MSc and it’s amazing I went in the party 🎉 but I LOVE IT also if you go on MSc a lot just please get the membership
LOVE your vids! My first cruise ever was on MSC Seashore two years ago. I chose MSC because I’m single and they had the most economical single supplement pricing. I had a “free” balcony upgrade and I got the drinks and WiFi package. Be careful when you go, though. I went for my birthday in late September and they didn’t tell me that the entire itinerary had changed due to hurricane Ian. I didn’t find out until I got to my cabin, but if they had time to print and distribute that info, they could’ve emailed me or at least told me at check-in. Other than that, I had a very nice time. You are assigned a restaurant for dinner, but apparently the dinner menu is the same at all the general restaurants. I bought a spa package onboard and it was about 50% cheaper the next day, but it was cheapest in the MSC app two days before sailing. I would like to go on another cruise line next, but since I seem to be stuck on single, I might have to go on MSC again to avoid paying for double for cruising solo. Thanks so much for all you do! 😊
Informative, as always, thanks, Ilana! I wouldn’t even consider an MSC cruise without consulting Ilana’s views.
So glad this was helpful!
Great information that will help as we take our first cruise on MSC. And such a positive vlog to offset the negative comments people make about this line. I also think if Americans are cruising on a line that is of another nationality, roll with it and stop demanding the line become Americanized. Enjoy the different experience.
New way of hearing pronunciation of clientele. 😉
British pronunciation.
I think the service aspect is accurate. In general, I do think that Europeans find it a tad bit annoying if there is too much talk; it feels too complex. Naturally, we are friendly (hello, thank you etc), but yeah... it was certainly evident who were Europeans and who were Americans on board. Both were friendly, but... in a different way. And that is fine 😁
Thanks for sharing this - I’m glad to hear that this was pretty accurate. I think it helps to understand where the servers are coming from when some people might think they are being “rude” :)
We went on MSC Seashore out of Miami a couple of years ago. We had the Aurea experience and had a private hot tub on our balcony which was awesome! Overall ,we had a wonderful cruise. We did rent one of the cabanas on their private island. It was really nice because it so hot and the shade was nice. However, we had kept having people ask to take our loungers from the front of the cabana. It was my first MSC cruise and I was not sure if we were responsible for keeping track of the chairs or not, so initially I said “no”, but then a person became upset with me and made the statement that it was only my husband and I and we did not need the other two loungers. It was awkward. Looking back I would have happily offered them to someone I just was not sure if we were responsible for them as we were renting the space. The only other issues we had on that particular cruise were embarkation, disembarkation and at times long waits to get drinks. We are sailing again with MSC on the Virtousa this October on the Yacht Club out of Southampton,UK. It will be our first Yacht Club experience so we are looking forward to it. We will also be sailing on P and O, Iona out of Southampton a week after our MSC cruise. We are from Oregon and we enjoy the European cruises but also the cost is a lot less than some of the US cruises and also we enjoy hearing all the different languages aboard.
Sounds wonderful......enjoy!!!
Thanks for sharing this! True the cabanas are a bit of a mystery 😂
Love the way she says "clientele"
I just returned friday 9/13 from my first MSC cruise (magnifica/miami-bahamas)
The value was 👍🏼👍🏼
Im still likely to return to Virgin or RCCL… but I was pleasantly pleased overall
The upcharge to travel solo was a big savings
Im a fan of anytime dining which wasn’t offered but that was a small disadvantage
VALUE 👍🏼
Thank-you so much for sharing all these tips ❤
just did the first MSC out of Miami to the VR ! beautiful boat !! everything was great ! the Captain is a hoot !
I just signed up for MSC Status Match, we'll see what happens as I'm Hilton Honors (HH) Diamond. I'll check back in and provide an update. I'd figured I'd do it now as I'm going to drop to Gold at the end of the year as HH changed their point schemes after Covid ended.
We did our 1st cruise on MSC Seashore Nov 2023 from Orlando. This was our 22nd cruise after sailing Carnival, Hal, Celebrity, and NCL.
1st comment is that we were impressed with the design of the ship and our cabin. The shows and entertainment were very good with lots of places to watch performers. There was a cabaret lounge at the rear of the ship that that had different acts every night, some that were on the production crew that had their own shows.
The food we were told was changing from a European menu to a more NA menu with some success.
The price of the cruises and itinerary are what made us try MSC. This cruise was $199 US for a 7 day cruise. Not sure if you can beat that.
We are so impressed we booked a TA in October then a B2B in April (this cruise is 1/3 the cost of a similar Princess or NCL)
At this stage we care more about the ports then fancy meals or larger cabins.
I was on The MSC Splendida last may. Doing a Mediterranean cruise. At first we were not sure if we liked it, but we ended up enjoying it. Yes, there was a lot of kids. The buffet area was crowded. We found a way out of it. The restaurant is open for a very short time frame. The servers were amazing. All in all we liked it. In fact, we are booked for May 2025...
I wil be on preziosa 20th dec so so excited 😊
I love the clee n tell
😂😂😂 when I first heard her say that, I had to stop and "think" ... 😊
MSC has become our favorite cruise line!
Ours too....love it!!!
I love MSC cruises, I like that they offer something a little different from the other cruises, which makes for an interesting experience. I enjoy differences. I don't want to have the same experience all the time
All the cruise lines we've been on have COOL hot tubs. They're not hot!
MSC has the BEST PIZZA at sea. We enjoyed our cruise on the Seashore. For the elevators, I found out you have to push the button for the number of guests in your group. If you have a scooter or wheelchair, you need to push the button 1 extra time.
This video is right on time since I’m considering an MSC cruise for next year. Thank you!
Just came back from the MSC cruise. It was great! Tasty food and good service at Dinning, fresh food choisces at buffer, the pizza was tasty. The visiting time for the private Island was parfect, we were able to see beautiful sunset. I would like to go again with MSC.
Do you have to go to the specialty restaurants? Hubby and I perfect the buffets. Do they have it like other cruise lines
We just got back from our 1st MSC cruise out of Rome and won a bid for Yacht Club! Not sure I can do anything else now - the service and food was amazing! In the Med, every day is an embarkation day for someone - you don't sail with the same people all week. The photos also link to your account via facial recognition! I was looking for my hubby's photos - went to the photo table - they quickly showed me how to add his face to my account and boom all of our photos were there. MSC also has an interior room with yacht club privileges. We had an incredible first experience w MSC and booked another one out of England.
19:50 EXACTLY them crew members work so hard. People need to be more mindful that them workers might be used to a more European environment. Can’t wait to go on my first MSC!
We just booked our first MSC cruise for next February 2025. One thing I found odd in the booking process is that there is no option to pay gratuities. In fact, they don't even mention that gratuities are required. Anyone new to cruising isn't going to find this out until they get their final bill with a couple hundred dollars of unexpected charges.
I just booked mine for October and paid ahead of time. So it won't be added to my credit card after. But there is one.
I've just booked with smc and it says gratitude is included in the price
We booked with an agent and we paid the gratuities through the agent.
This is a great video for new MSC cruisers. Well done! We have sailed with MSC several times and never had a bad experience. As compared to RC we actually prefer MSC and find it to be a much better value.
Glad to hear your feedback! Thanks for watching 😊
An additional tip you need to know is that if you travel on MSC, travel in the Yacht Club, and picking an inside Yacht club cabin will save you a fortune, but can still experience all the benefits. We have sailed 5 times on MSC. Any other way would be crowded beyond belief, but on a positive note, MSC has the largest hot tubs at sea I think, especially the MSC World Europa
That’s a great idea
JUST HEARD BACK - MSC matched me Diamond for Diamond! I'll need to book for December.
Wonderful! They matched me Gold for Carnivals' Platinum but I am very close to Diamond now....I think one more cruise will do it....wooohooo!!!
Good to hear MSC have simplified the process for ratifying credit cards, it was very confusing when we sailed on the Virtuosa a couple of years ago. That bit about Europeans being very reserved made me laugh, we love the table banter. We’ve had supervisors tapping their watches disapprovingly at waiters, we keep serving staff chatting for so long. (BTW, I emailed you about something a couple of weeks back, hope you got it!)
Be advised that during the day NONE of the inside, airconditioed bars were open. Only bars open before 5 pm were on pool deck (Hot, crowded, noisey).
That’s interesting. The atrium bar was open during the day on our ship, I didn’t notice other bars one way or the other
The Edge cocktail bar on the Meraviglia was open during the day and the staff was amazing.
Thank you for this video, Ilana! My husband and I just booked our first MSC cruise this past week for a September sailing and you definitely answered some of the questions we had and made us feel a lot more confident about our choice!
I loved my time on the Seashore. Everything exceeded my expectations....excellent, friendly staff, terrific food (THE PIZZA!!!!), bartenders with heavy pouring hands, and a superbly clean ship. I would sail again with MSC without reservation. Highly recommended!!
Great video.
Thanks for sharing.
Great tips.
We're actually sailing later today on our very first MSC cruise with the MSC Meraviglia out of Brooklyn NY.
I'll be sure to share my thoughts later.
Thanks again.
@@BlackBroadwayLady have a great cruise & please let me know :)
Our first cruise we booked the Bella package. We requested early dining. We found that when booking Bella that we were moved down the priority list for dining times. We were able to get second seating after my wife stood in line for a while the first day. They told us we were fortunate as many others received last dining at 900 pm. We are going on our fourth MSC cruise this fall and we never book Bella anymore.
We just came back from the sheashore i gave our experience a 10 everything was clean the food was huge in choices i went with my sister and her son of 9 years old and my son is 16 they had a blast they will see us next year for sure i liked the different nationaliteit we are from the netherlands there where almost none People from the blnetherlands
We just got back from our second sailing on the Seascape yesterday, and they said that there were only 800 English speaking passengers. We love MSC, we are going back on the Seascape in September and Divina in January.
I recently sailed with MSC out of NY. I was pleasantly surprised.
The hottubs on Princess aren't very hot either. On MSC, I had entered my credit card beforehand, but I still had to use the kiosk. The elevators are a little hard to get used to. I had heard all the negatives about MSC, but overall I I loved the 2 ships I sailed on.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Good for you! I'm glad you went ahead and didn't heed the negatives.
We’ve had that experience too, with the credit card - similarly with friends.
That happened to me, too, about the CC. I entered it online pre-cruise, I checked st the kiosk that my card was registered, but the next day, I received calls from the guest services that they didn’t have my card. I had to go to Guest Services to clear things up. I called my bank before embarking to let them know that was going on a cruise, so it wasn’t my bank’s issue. Once they entered the card, the rest of the cruise was fine.
Im going on my first cruise next year and I’m scared because I don’t know anything about cruises 😑😑😑😑😑.
This helps a lot . Thank you
We had a terrible time on the Seaside in Sept 2023. Staff didn't interact/engage with us, food was bland, the soda machines and air conditioning wasn't working in restaurants, I could go on and on. We'll wait for a few years and give them time to improve.
Cruised on the Meraviglia last June and also had the private cabana @ Ocean Cay and loved both! Cruised a couple months later for the first time with Carnival (alaska) and it was a shock in comparison. Sadly the Carnival ship was downright shabby and in poor repair. I knew it was a older ship but it had recently been in dry dock for "updating" not sure what was updated lol but Alaska was fantastic! Cruising again in a couple of weeks again on the Meraviglia and again rented the beach cabana. It is worth every penny! and price is reasonable. And yes I have cruised again with Carnival. Enjoying retired life 🏝🏝🏝
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your experiences
We’ve done 5 cruises so far with MSC all out of the U.S. the Seascape and Seashore are the newest ships building off the Meraviglia class. I find I like the older Meraviglia better even though it’s 2017 not 2022 and 2023 like the seascape and seashore. If the Meraviglia had the pirates cove for my kid I would choose it every time. That is the one area in which I enjoy the Seascape and seashore. Also Meraviglia has an awesome promenade. This is what new ships are missing. And Meraviglia has double pool in main pool area rather than that stage area on Seascape/seashore
I could have been more concise lol
Thanks for sharing
The Cruising Canucks were on msc recently. Mrs Canuck's lunch was pizza everyday due to a lack lustre menu. Pizza was great mind you.
Interesting
I find that so hard to believe, as in my opinion, the buffet on MSC's Meraviglia was the best I have ever experienced......24 cruises total with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL. I wouldn't allow reviews to influence me one way or another and I'm sure happy that I didn't when it comes to MSC cruises as we had an amazing time.
@@marlenejohnston9046 msc seachore was their last sailing.
@@nicolemiller4688 It's like comparing different ships on any particular cruise line to a restaurant chain. There can be a vast difference from one location to another.
I sailed with MSC, and i had an amazing time. Beautiful ship (MSC SEASIDE) helpful staff and the checking process was so quick we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes.
The elevators at the back were my go-to lol 😆.
The only downside was i found that the private island didn't have anything to offer other than the beach . So i just stayed on the ship for most of the 2 days we were there. But i will sail with them again
Great mini review! I agree Ocean Cay is beautiful but it’s probably the most calm & beach focused cruise private islands
I love MSC! The service was great.
I agree.....it was the best!!
MSC also has activities for solos, Friends of Bill W. Meetings, and LGBTQ meet-ups. Their specialty dining package requires you make reservations after embarking but not before. This means you stand in a long line to get a reservation only to walk by the restaurants to see many empty tables. Probably, because their MDR food is very good. I had a great time in MSC Meraviglia last year.
Thanks for sharing these things! I know a lot of people wonder
At dinner in the buffet do we have to pay for the wine or the coffe if we dont buy a package
Last time I went on a Carnival cruise, the hot tubs were lukewarm.
If I remember correctly, the MSC Seaside room door are not magnetic. Also, I wish we would have taken advantage of their lobster dinner…definitely worth the extra money, at least for last year.
Our first MSC cruise is month end July it the European on Seaside. Thanks for your trips
With regards to the service banter, I’m American but have lived abroad most of my adult life. I actually prefer the “European” style of service because, to be frank, I didn’t come to the restaurant with my family/friends to talk to the servers. It’s also quicker service because less time is wasted taking.
I'm a bartender in the US and believe me I'd rather not talk to the guests but we're EXPECTED to and get bad reviews and bad tips if we don't. I get sick of hearing bad jokes and people talking about how bad their lives are but that's my job. So it's not the service staff who wants to BANTER back and forth it's the guests!! FYI
Great video.... I've never heard anyone pronounce clientele the way you do in this video.
Charming, as usual!
Thank you for the video!
Cleeontell 😂
Love your videos and ive learned so much in preparation for my first cruise in October!
Everytime I heard clientele I thought she was saying “cling-on towel” and I was so confused. It’s pronounced “client-tell” as in your clients/customers. Love your videos thanks for putting out great content!
Question… on the muster thing… we have heard that all passengers had to go to the cabin at the same time, watch the video then all cruise passengers had to go check into muster station to check in all at the same time. I’m hoping this has changed to where you can check in the muster station at any time then go to the room and dial in ??
Lol, we were together so I'm not sure
Great video! Very helpful. Did you go on any excursions organised by MSC?
Really enjoyed this, thank you! Very informative, especially as we’re looking to go on MCS next year.
So glad you enjoyed the video :)
I sailed MSC in April 2024 in Spain. On my 1st day I bought a drink package for only dining areas only meeting upstairs in the Buffay or at dinner time. Which was perfect for me because I don’t drink that much and I have to have my cappuccino in the morning. Third day into the cruise they would not accept my see pass card to get my cappuccino. I want to customer service was told that corporate changed it cappuccinos are no longer included in this package. Wow how could you do that was very disappointed. My 2nd negative thing would be dinner they had poor choices compared to other cruise lines. I would probably not sale with them again.
Thanks for sharing
Great video! Thank you
Kyra Groves
Great Information, my Husband and I are sailing next Month on Magnifica for a short weekend gettaway.
I drink a lot of bottled water and usually purchase in advance to be delivered to my Cabin. I didn't see this option available on the app.
Here to explain "Swiss language":
Switzerland's four languages - German, French, Italian and Romansh - are integral to national identity. Swiss multilingualism developed from cultural links with neighbouring Germany, Austria, France and ltaly. Swiss German is the most widely spoken language. The Swiss German, that people speak is very different from standard written German. German, French and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it.
Hope, this information is useful.
LOVE LOVE MSC!
You heard Swiss being spoken on this ship? That's impressive. I have never heard Swiss in my life.
There's no such language as Swiss. It's Romansh or German Swiss
I have heard plenty about MSC from people who have cruised them, even recently. I will never get on one of their ships.
It’s always good to know what’s not for you
The main dining room was very good and didn’t buy any extra food or beverages options, did not feel like we were missing anything. Also no beverage package. Only missed having some good music options, the main area was screaming loud couldn’t leave that area fast enough. Loved the private island brought my own snorkel gear. They were allowing children in the adults only pool so not happy about that. That was per management decision. Got off with only 1 excursion per person and gratuities on my credit card. Can be a very reasonable priced vacation.
Thanks for sharing
Cassandre Circles
It is always very strange and really american, when a waiter ask about your day🥸just serve the food😎😂
I’m loyal to royal and celebrity.
I’m curious about MSC. Maybe I’ll try a three or four night just to try.
They’ve got the status match so might be worth it if you have the vacation time
Today we saw the ship in Izmir, Türkiye🎉❤
Thanks so much..I much prefer international clients....
I am on a gluten free diet and was wondering if anyone can provide feedback on what is available. Going on my first cruise with MSC at the end of September. Thanks
I heard from another vlogger (Cruise with Josh) he had to go to his bank to warn them of odd charges. Because they flagged the cruise line charges as fraud because it originates from a foreign country.
It could be, but we didn't have this. Was his cruise out of the US or Europe? Always good to let cc know that you're out travelling if it's out of routine
@@LifeWellCruised it was out of the Miami, the ship was the MSC Davina. I think the main issue stems from the fact that they are a European company and the charge from them shows as coming from Europe (Italy I believe). While at the same time the card holder is charging in the USA
MSC Poesia has serious plumbing issues. My balcony cabin smelled like sewer. Many other areas on the ship smelled like public restroom. Mine wasn’t the only cabin with this problem. The crew apologized but the fact remained that it was an awful experience.
We booked a MSC cruise for Nov 2024 22 days. It's heartbreaking after we just paid Msc now has perks. Onboard credit and other perks I had earlier called in to ask about perks was really shunned off on these perks. This is probably our first and last cruise with Msc beware of these guys they want your money but keep you away from the perks
I had mixed feelings with MSC when we went on Seascape last year. The hubs and I put the deposit down for the new World America for next year. So we will see if it will be better being in a Suite level room
Love your videos !!
Do you know
How often Does MSC offer wifi +drinks included packages ?
cruised MSC twice. The ship was beautiful. The crew was nice. The food was horrible. Never going back to MSC. I do not care how cheap they are. The best meal we got all week was at Cracker Barrel after we left the ship.
Sorry to hear your experience. I agree food is important
The same thing for me 👎
For me service was difficult. My room steward was great but everything else lacked . . . Especially trying to get service at the bars. The drink package wasn't worth it because many times I gave up on getting a drink. I would wait 20+ times even when the bar wasn't that busy. Very few servers walking around and they weren't helpful. Trying to get a latte one morning took 40 minutes and then it was lukewarm and only half full.
Buckridge Ports
Best to stay in the Yacht Club with all it’s perks and stay away from the Hoi Polloi.
We love MSC!!!
What are kleontelle?
Is there a charge for an extra entree in the main dining room? This is the only cruise that I have heard that.
I saw that it said there is an extra $5 charge for additional entrees. We ordered an extra a couple times and weren't charged
Ha ha very funny voice text gets me every time lol