CampNCruise74

I just don't see much overlap with carnival passengers and MSC passengers.  I think people that love carnival should just keep cruising on carnival.

15 minutes ago, Lugger11 said:

I'm guessing that a big part of the competitive price has to do with debt load. MSC was able to continue their commercial shipping business during the pandemic, while the other cruise lines had to shut down and incur debt. So now each cruise fare on the other lines includes a certain amount of debt repayment baked in, while MSC doesn't need to do so.

And yes, they are essentially running promotional pricing to gain market share, and that probably won't last. And yes, they do up-charge a bit more than other lines, but that's for things I wasn't really interested in anyways (like VR arcade). And yes, the nightly shows are not Broadway or Cirque du Soleil quality, but I was never that big in to the shows anyway. And I've heard the buffet food is basically just stuff kids will eat, but that works for the US market anyways, who are thrilled to have unlimited pizza and pasta without having to dress nicely for the MDR.

I'm also thinking they invest a bit more in the Casinos on their ships to try to recoup some $ there. I think that's one of the reasons Disney is so expensive, as they don't have casino revenue to offset the cruise fare.

Just my thoughts

Disney spends a lot of money lots and lots of places and their prices reflect that.  Their food quality is amazing.  They also have smaller boats and less occupancy.  You should see the candy they give out for Halloween cruises.  Ridiculous.

I like one person's take on free market and competition.  

But I would add that a private company has no fiduciary duty to maximize shareholders wealth like most all the other big cruise players that are publicly traded companies.

Sure they are breaking in too.

MSC has been consistent with three shows a night on all their boats which is great.  You even get to reserve your seat through the app.  Never ever overbooked from what I have seen.  

Every time, not a problem. You can get a second for all courses.    HOWEVER, sometimes they wait and bring it after you finish or start your first plate.  It generally trails though  

I think they are good discount if you can buy them before you sail which historically lets you avoid the additional service charge, although the deals haven't been as good in recent times on a per person basis (upwards of $50 pp)  I am currently sailing the Seascape in February and they don't even have an option to book a dining plan before sailing as it stands right now.   As a result we most likely won't be adding on any additional dining.

22 hours ago, Aeroplex said:

On deck 5 or 6 below the reception deck is a bar offering pastries and coffee from 6:30 to midnight. 😉 they have excellent cappuccinos. 

It’s the bar where you get coffee served in these segafredo mugs.

 

Speaking of SegaFredo....   That's some good coffee.   Kuddos to MSC for having a yummy house coffee!!!!!!

8 hours ago, CTGirl74 said:

The food choices are what I'm worried about the most. Not for myself, but for my husband. This will be his first cruise (October 2023) and he's a very plain vanilla eater--chicken parm or General Tso's chicken are about as wild as he gets. LOL. Looking at the menus people have posted, there's hardly anything on them he will eat unless he wants steak every single night. We're booked in YC so I'm hoping the choices will be better for him. If not, then it's on to the buffet or specialty dining.

 

Now that someone has mentioned the lack of wash cloths...yes! I went on an MSC cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale in 2013 and I now remember there being no wash cloths. I remember thinking it really odd. But with four women in the room, thankfully two of us thought to bring face wipes for makeup removal and another had one of those scrubby puffs. I think I will add a couple wash cloths to my ever-growing list of things to pack!

They try to accommodate requests if at all possible.  I couldn't believe it but one day, I actually saw a person receive some Matcha Ice Cream from a staff person so that he could give it to his child sitting in the buffet area.   That ice cream came from one of the restaurants on board, but they found a way to get it for him.     

2 hours ago, asalligo said:

Wow, this is 2022 and we still have people not getting with the program and speaking English. I hate when I go to other countries, and they all pretend not to understand me. So not cool. 

 

That's pretty myopic.  Uh Yeah.  It's 2022 and guess what the official language of Miami Dade County is?   Spanish.  Maybe they do understand you and might not feel their English is good enough to respond?   

19 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Good summary, thanks. A few notes:

 

The very international clientele can be a no-go for some on the American market.

I have never had that drinks and dining packages upsell. At least here in Europe, if they're doing it now, that is a novelty for me.

I'd add to the shoreside bad costumer service that their website is ugly. Currently the Portuguese version is by the most part outdated from early September for no apparent reason. No news from the next season's installments, or other news. No joy on the World Europa debuting whatsoever and all the past summer cruises are listed as if they were open for booking!... I know, that might to be a local sort of thing, but I give it as an example alone.

I wouldn't say the employees are rude. Quiet reserved professionalism at best. I don't want my dinner waiter to behave like if he was my best friend for the day! I want him to properly deliver what I order.

Not only the new muster drill process may be bad, I believe the whole check-in and check-out processes are the main negatives they have. Surely the credit card validation machines are a safety plus, but other than that, they should try to make the check-in process more costumer friendly. At least here in Europe it is usually a line creation for the sake of line creation with no additional advantage. With current technology it would to easily possible for them to add such a 30 seconds per pax check-in process, removing most of the lines!

 

Have a nice day!

TOTALLY agree about check in.  We recently were on Carnival Mardi Gras and I COULD NOT BELEIVE how well they did getting people on in an expedited way.  The online check in process with credit cards, kids registrations, pre-purchased internet plans we got, passport stuff, was all so easy.   MSC needs to send all of their people over to the Carnival check in desk to witness a well oiled machine and make changes accordingly. 

Check out was bad however on the Mardi Gras and they didn't advocate  people checking luggage and instead brining it off themselves which created a fiasco.  On the Mardi Gras you had to go get your departing luggage stickers from the main desk and not from your room attendant like MSC does, assuming they still do that for people not wanting to wheel all of their luggage off themselves.  I kind of felt they might be trying to free up labor by getting people to take their own bags off. 

On MSC, we usually stay on and eat a long breakfast at the buffet with a few cups of coffee and try to avoid the crowds and just leave later. 

For Muster on Carnival we just had to report to our station at our leisure the first day and they scanned our cards and we were done! Viola!  Easy Peasy!

To beMostly on par, although arguably, No. 3 on Con's is only that way if you don't speak English as your primary language.  To be fair, if one speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French or German it might be characterized as appreciated first and foremost or impressive in my case if its the Captain of the ship speaking all those languages at once. 

28 minutes ago, luvavacation said:

What she said!!!

 

Thankfully my clients' cruises haven't had their OBC go missing, but mine did!  

 

Months before my cruise, I had called MSC's TA line regarding something innocuous. The agent erroneously removed my Voyager's Club OBC, and she couldn't get it back.  I couldn't cancel and rebook due to it being past final payment.

 

After phone calls, emails to MSC existing reservations, and Voyager's Club, and even the TA business development managers, I had not one reply.  Not one!

 

It wasn't until I was on the ship, and thankfully in Yacht Club with a concierge who emailed Naples, Italy, that I received my OBC. And no, this wasn't a special TA fare - I paid for Yacht Club because it was a great price when booked last year. 

 

I am glad it was my own booking that had the issue, but it is unbelievably frustrating to be a TA, trying to do right for your clients (or your own family, in my case!), and realizing that unless you have the email for MSC in Naples, Italy, you are going to have a hard time fixing any issues.  I don't blame other TA's for not wanting to deal with the mess of MSC customer service.

 

If MSC truly wants to court the North American clientele, they need to improve the customer service.  I am from Europe, but I grew up in America - I am familiar with the different, less "customer focused" mindset for companies overseas, but if you market for the States, someone in corporate has to realize the customer service game needs to step up a notch.

I did not know they had a substantial TA fare?  Have you received it?  Do Travel companies purchase huge blocks of rooms with MSC in advance?  I am not aware of this happening. I also am not sure MSC is courting anybody from the US specifically.  Since half of Miami are people not from the US, it makes sense that this is where the hub is.   After having problems with them myself for a few times now, I honestly believe they might not care. Its not a deal breaker though for me when I look at my bottom line. 

32 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

TAs don't book MSC because if there's an issue....it's hard to get MSC to co-operate.  Things that are simple on other lines (i.e. price change) are "cancel and rebook" on MSC.  They spend a lot of time and make little money.

Any TA's out there want to speak to all the free perks MSC gives you compared to Carnival and its affiliates?   I would be really anxious to hear about it.   Not arguing about the co-operation/call Italy thing.   

46 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

 

 

I hated the food at the buffet (with the exception of the jerk chicken.  It wasn't spicy but it was tasty). It looked like at least on the food trucks the burgers were cooked fresh.  Next time I'm there I will either get a burger or go back to the ship. 
 

Yes, the chicken was good.  They also have cookies there which are hard to find on the ship and an arugala, sweet potato, goat cheese salad with balsamic glaze that is divine.   

On 10/15/2022 at 12:36 PM, CruizinSusan70 said:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  I have cruised on MSC, NCL, RCI and Carnival and in general they are more similar than different.  If I did have to differentiate one line it would be MSC.  Not because it was upgraded similar to Princess or Celebrity, but because it was European oriented compared to the other lines in multiple ways.  The food selections, the entertainment choices and the clientele in general were all different than the other three US based lines.  This is all up to personal preference as to whether or not this constitutes an upgraded experience.  You consider it upgraded, based upon my single MSC cruise out of 45 I consider it different.

We will be going on the Meraviglia in July out of Brooklyn in an inside Fantastica cabin with easy plus and wifi for under 800 pp, which I consider a good price. Depending upon how this cruise transpires will decide if we will spend 14 days on the Seascape in May of 2024.

The Meraviglia has been our favorite ship with MSC.   The Sky Lounge evening music was a great place to have a cocktail with a view of the pool below. 

9 minutes ago, mt234 said:

everything i’ve ever heard about MSC is bad. our TA will not even book this line and neither will many others. 🤮

I am sorry for your bad experience.  As a side note, I believe there is hardly any benefit to a TA booking a room for you on MSC maybe even no benefit.   Quite a difference if a TA books you on another publicly traded cruise line however. 

Keep in mind the closest beach to the ship is the furthest walk from the island buffet which is pretty good and serves some different food.  The food trucks serving quick burgers and stuff are always accessible.  Snorkeling was decent when I went.   Both sides along the rocks are good and if you go out to the floating fence you will see some bigger ones.   Bring some pelletized fish food to lure out the fish near the rocks!

23 hours ago, tbmrt said:

I was assigned late dinner on my documents for 11/3 3 nighter...7:45 PM

 

Saw Daily Program for today, 10/13.  6, 8:30 and 10 PM were listed for Waves. The ship came back today from a Transatlantic, but they only had 6 and 8:30.

 

Perhaps they changed to 3 dinner times due to a full ship on 11/3.  Can't imagine having dinner at 10 PM!

 

 

I wouldn't  be surprised if capacity is up.  Our Florida pre-covid cruises on MSC all had 3 seatings and 3 shows to go along with it. 

On 10/11/2022 at 11:10 AM, guxu said:

So, does that mean MSC has more restricted dress code, e.g. in Main Dinning rooms?

Yes, I have seen no tank tops by men on MSC in MDR.  Recently on the Mardi Gras I saw them multiple times.   Carnival has no table cloths.  MSC is still using them, making the MDR a more fancy affair.... 

In my experience you'll be fine doing it while on board at 2PM, just don't dilly dally with what days and times you want and you'll be fine.  

On 10/1/2022 at 2:32 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

It looks more "annoying" than "fun".

Unless your a teenager; my whole high school class just said they would ride it. 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise-deals/military-discount-rates. It's in there the civil service if you expand it and read

On 4/29/2022 at 7:30 PM, alyssamma said:

Places in the US are English and Spanish...there will be 7 or 8 languages for signs on MSC. Same for announcements. Don't see this on royal, carnival, etc.

 

Entertainment, like I said, is more visual. There won't be a comedian for example, or if there is it will be slapstick. Royal shows are normally 45 or 50min. Ditto for Carnival. Some royal shows are 2hrs long. Visual on MSC is, of course, because of the many languages. However, the shortened time I don't see on other lines.

 

On the seashore they have shows in the cabaret which are DEFINITELY European and you wouldn't see on most US lines (notable exception is Eden on Edge celebrity class ships).

 

Just the fact that you'll hear French, German, Italian, and a host of eastern European languages in the hallways gives a European vibe.

 

Same.with the way passengers dress. Def a more European flair which, since they are European makes sense 😀

 

Food is somewhat American but you'll see items on menus and in the buffet that are similar to European restaurants. The many pasta dishes, cured meats, breakfast foods, etc.

 

And lastly, no, I don't think other lines need approval from HQ. I've had many issues handled immediately when on other lines. With MSC almost always an EMAIL needs to be sent to Italy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also throw in the handmade mozzarella they were doing on the Meravaglia, as well as Opera at sea, and I bet the styling on board their ships would make Enzo Ferrari extraordinarily happy!  True Italian panache with the decor.

On 4/28/2022 at 3:09 PM, alyssamma said:

I think the issue is that while this is technically a change, it is only a NEGATIVE change. If they took away X but gave Y I don't think people would be upset...but they only took away X.

I love the logic here!  Suns it up perfectly.

14 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Dirty to disagree with you.  Have you seen signs in CA, TX and other states that are multi-language. Voting ballots in many languages.

 

Many cruise lines have cut their evening performances to 30 to 40 minutes.

 

Never cruised Carnival so don't know. 

 

Cruised and am cruisIng RCI, NCL, Celebrity and MSC this year. 

 

Don't you think that other cruise lines need approval from Hq before decisions are made. I  was on NCL and showed printed proof of a concern. Guest Relations still had to contact Main Office/Hq for resolution.

 

You have not identified any major differences that make MSC more European. 

 

Not being funny. Just looking for what makes MSC so European.

 

I wouldn't so much say European but I would say Italian instead.  There are many elements there.