thistimeplease

I sailed my first MSC cruise last year on the Seascape and were the Fantastica level.  We loved it, so much so we are sailing in a couple of months on the Meraviglia.  We had a great time, no wait for anything (some say we were lucky) even bar and tender.  Our room was beautiful and except for dining at a table with others we enjoyed the dining room.  We have requested with MSC that we'd like a table for 2 this coming cruise but if not we will dine in the buffet or specialty restaurants.  We had the drinks package and never had a problem getting a drink.  I don't even read the posts about YC anymore as I felt the same as you.  I can vacation several times a year instead of being in the YC. Have a great trip.

I would probably have enjoyed it as I am a go with the flow type of person.  My dh and I thought Butcher's Cut was one of the better steakhouses on a ship.  Of course we've only sailed on NCL and RC so can't compare to the other Cruiselines.  This is not something that would bother us at all.

11 hours ago, laurell410 said:

I sailed MSC on the Meraviglia September 2023 out of Brooklyn NY and like most the food was hit or miss.  Hated the buffet, it doesn't mater breakfast lunch or dinner sorry but I was not impressed.   Luckily we had the specialty dining package so we ate in the steak house, seafood and Japanese restaurants.   The Japanese restaurant was nothing to spectacular.   One night after leaving the club we went to the buffet and I got a ham sandwich,  I swear there was 1 slice of the thinnest piece of ham.  The entertainment was ok as they really tried to keep you entertained.   The drinks depended on the bartender which was hit or miss.   The cabins were small and the bathrooms were so small that it was sad.  This review is from an avid cruiser, with Norwegian and Royal Caribbean tie for #1 , Carnival is much better than MSC.   and that says very little about MSC.  I doubt if I would ever sail MSC ever again

In my opinion the staterooms were the same as NCL and RCL.  Actually, NCL Breakaway balcony room was extremely small.  I will agree the shower was very small.  Did you have the same stateroom level on each of the cruises?  We found the food on RCL to be terrible and I was very shocked by this.  Again, everyone is different and not every cruise line is for everyone.  We love NCL but found MSC to be quite similar, although we thought the specialty restaurants on MSC to be way above NCL and RCL. To each their own.

4 hours ago, ToeyA said:

I signed up just so i could respond to this comment!

 

I've been on 16 cruises - mostly Carnival & Norwegian - and i will never go on an MSC again. 

 

While the staff on our Seascape cruise in December 2023 did a fabulous job, the cruise was disappointing. The food was HORRIBLE. Who goes on a cruise and loses weight?

 

Under cooked, over cooked or cold sums up the offerings at the buffet - except for the pizza. The pizza was good.  O! And the soft serve ice cream that was only limitedly available.

 

One dinner I ordered salmon and received grouper! I was presented with salmon on a different night and altho it was seared beautifully, it was undercooked and inedible.

 

The sad part was that every staff member we talked to acknowledged that the food was bad - eveb the dining room staff acknowledged and apologized. I felt bad for them. 

I had to comment.  We lost weight on a RCL cruise.  Who thought that would ever happen.  We sailed Seascape in 05/2023 and absolutely loved it.  So everyone is different is every experience is different.  There's only 1 cruise line I won't sail with and it's not MSC.  

1 hour ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I think it would be different if this was in the Bahamas, or Australia, or Bermuda, or Italy, or somewhere that wasn’t bordering Third World country status. Africa is not safe by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, these people were on an independent tour. NCL was wrong. NCL put their passengers in danger. NCL favored the almighty dollar. NCL abandoned their passengers. 
 

I’m not an NCL cheerleader, I’m not an NCL shareholder, and I’m not an NCL corporate shill. And in the court of non-Cruise Critic public opinion, NCL is guilty. 
 

GUILTY. 

 

😎

Not sure where you are reading that people believe NCL is wrong.  I have read countless articles regarding this and so far most people who have commented feel NCL did the right thing.  It is stated numerous times that if someone isn't back to the ship on time the ship will leave you there.  If you can't follow directions don't leave the ship.  Sorry I'm with NCL on this.

10 minutes ago, Scoobydobe7 said:

Yes, it was about 6,000.00 more

 Please don't defend yourself some of these posters are ridiculous and just write things to get a rise out of others.  NCL has a policy of must be 21 to book a room but where everyone sleeps is up to you.  Have fun on your cruise.  

Enjoying your review and when I ready about your family doing Trikes Cozumel I had to chime in.  My husband and I did this excursion and absolutely loved it.  This is probably my favorite excursion I've done and wish we had done it again this last May when we were in Cozumel then.  Enjoy your cruise!😊

On 11/28/2023 at 10:29 AM, RedwingHockeyFan said:

The sail away party on the pool deck is always fun.

I agree.  I've sailed on 3 cruise lines and NCL's sail away party is by far the best of all three.

We were on the Seascape in May and had a great time.  I actually don't remember anything bad about the cruise at all.  Our favorite cruise was on NCL and I thought the Seascape was right up there.  The ship is beautiful, we never waited for drinks or food. The service was exceptional.  The buffet wasn't our favorite but we don't like buffets in general.  You'll have a great cruise with your positive attitude.

On 10/16/2023 at 7:10 PM, The Med said:

What we wanted was to fly to New York for New Years Eve, have a couple of days in NY before picking up a cruise for a duration of about 7 to 10 days.

 

There isn’t actually that much to choose from, and we won’t go on Carnival.

We saw the Getaway leaving on the 2nd Jan and thought it might be ok but we really don’t think it’s for us.

 

So it’s looking like it might be the Cunard Crossing.

We can’t see anything else that might work.

My only concern with a transatlantic crossing would be the weather in January.  I definitely wouldn't be considering it but everyone is different.  We sailed on the GA several years ago and loved it.  Our favorite ships are the Breakaway class and can't wait to sail on the Breakaway next summer/fall.  Good luck with your planning.  

15 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Do they not have tables for 2?

Some say you can get a table for 2 in the mdr but we didn't ask as we wanted to try the group table experience since others have said they enjoyed it.  I know with the Aurea package you can dine when you want at a table for 2 in a Aurea dining room.  

5 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

yeap, to me. Why shouldn't I believe other people's reviews? Why should I believe only your reviews?

You stated the reviews were getting bleaker I was trying to reassure you that not everyone has had a bad experience with the Seascape.  I don't really care what reviews you believe I was just trying to let you know that there are others who did enjoy their cruise on MSC.  Hope you have a great cruise.

46 minutes ago, Linda W. said:

How rude of you to say that!  She was giving HER experiences NOT YOURS!  Everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you don't like it keep it to yourself!  No wonder why some people don't post here on this message board.  It's because of responses such as yours.  Shame on you.

Wow I was replying to someone who said they were concerned regarding their upcoming cruise.  I replied regarding my experience in a Fantastica balcony to reassure the person I was replying to. Since when are we not allowed to have a different opinion.  Sorry if you felt it was rude but my experience was entirely different.  I would definitely cruise MSC again. 🤣

5 hours ago, angelsil said:

I mean, I literally said this was my experience. Yours was different. Okay. But coming in here acting like I'm lying about what I experienced? I'll hold my tongue on what I think about that.

 

I even said the USB thing was a minor annoyance, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes to leave their phone on the nightstand. 

 

This is exactly why people don't post on these forums. Fanboys who think any review that isn't glowing is automatically false.

 

I'll just add this - I never said I didn't enjoy the cruise. I said the ship wasn't for me and that we preferred Grandiosa and that our MSC experiences have been uneven thus far. Not bad. UNEVEN. 

Sorry I didn't mean to imply your review was not what you experienced but I was responding to someone who posted that they've read a lot of negative reviews.  I've cruised with 3 different cruise lines and when researching for my trips I've read negative reviews about each so feel people have to decide for themselves.  I'm going to say that I think writing about placement of a usb port is pretty funny and hope someone doesn't decide not to cruise on a certain cruise ship because of this, lol.  I've sailed with 3 different Cruise lines and have never had a cruise where I could write anything negative about them but I do agree with your description of the buffet.  

16 hours ago, blueslily said:

 

Thank you. Appreciate your post. When did you sail on the Seascape? 

We sailed in May 2023.  We were able to get to Ocean Cay also and I really liked it.  Our cruise was absolutely wonderful and we would definitely sail with MSC again. Then again we've never had a bad cruise, lol.

50 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

thank you!

We are in Fantastica balcony in November. The reviews for non-YC are getting bleaker and bleaker by the minute.

You can't believe everything you read.  We sailed on the Seascape in a Fantastica balcony and it was a great cruise.  Everything was perfect.  We never waited for drinks, never found a problem getting around the ship and enjoyed all the shows and meals.  The only thing we didn't care for was eating with other people.  Our tablemates were nice but 2 couples didn't speak English and we don't speak Spanish so our table was very quiet. I mean really complaining about usb ports?  Is that really a complaint?  I will agree about the buffet but we would definitely cruise MSC again. The only thing I might change would be to a Aurea balcony, that way we could eat when we want and by ourselves. 

I also believe the "interlopers" statement has been greatly exaggerated by some people, especially one on this board.  I couldn't imagine caring about other people while enjoying my time in YC and believe that there are very few "interlopers" to worry about.

We sailed Fantastica in July and would definitely upgrade to Aurea next time.  We hated dining with others (we knew we would and thought it would be good to try). Our table mates seemed nice enough but didn't speak English so our table ate in silence each night.  Would definitely have liked to try the Spa and the private lounge as well as eating when we wanted by ourselves.  Consider us one of those who definitely only cruise Aurea next time.

Many pictures of the food on the new menus have been posted on John Heald's facebook page.

My dh and I often order a second entree, especially if there is a fish and beef we like.  We then split the 2nd entree and have a "surf & turf".  We also like to have a pasta entree to split with our dinner.  It really isn't that unusual to order 2 entrees.

On 7/25/2023 at 2:44 PM, JamieLogical said:

Here is some stuff I typed up for someone in my Meraviglia roll call who has only sailed NCL previously. From your OP, I do think you might miss out on the comedy club. A couple of nights there was a comedy act in the main theater, but no designated comedy club.

 

 

For the buffet, I think MSC has the edge. Their pizza is much better than NCLs and they often have fresh mozzarella made onboard available, which is phenomenal. The breakfast buffet is open straight through until lunch (sounds like NCL doesn't do that anymore?) and they even keep one station in the back of the buffet stocked with breakfast items during lunch hours in case brunch is more your speed. I never ate in the buffet for dinner, so I am not much help there. Initially, I was disappointed with MSC's late night snack offerings, because they didn't have quite as many options as NCL used to for late night snack, but I have learned that NCL has eliminated late night snack altogether, so that's no longer a fair comparison. As Ted said, at breakfast and lunch, the buffet can be packed, so go all the way to the back to avoid some of the crowds. Also, if you like "kid" food like mac & cheese, chicken tenders, and french fries, there is an area near the front of the buffet set up with that stuff.

 

For the MDR, I much prefer the quality and selection of MSC. I especially like that they have real seafood available, including a lobster night. One downside of MSC is that it can be hard to get any alcohol aside from wine in the MDR. I would often just bring my own drink. Another downside is the assigned dining time/table. It's a far cry from the Freestyle dining on NCL and can make sitting with large groups or strangers you meet onboard a real challenge.

 

For specialty restaurants, I would give NCL the edge, just because of the bigger variety of options and the accessibility of specialty dining through the Free at Sea deal and the Platinum vouchers. On my first MSC sailing, my husband and I paid $71/person for the 3-meal package. We used our meal plans at Butcher's Cut, Teppanyaki, and Ocean Cay. When you use a meal plan at any of those restaurants, you have a limited selection to choose from, not the full, normal, a la carte menu. I found the "tasting" menu options to be more than enough for me, but I can see how some people might be disappointed not getting some of the normal menu items. You *can* use your meal package to get a 50% discount on a la carte items off the normal menu.

 

Butcher's Cut was better than Cagney's, but I have never been a fan of Cagney's, so that's no surprise. I had heard bad things about Ocean Cay, but I really enjoyed it and their crab cake is delicious! The only disappointment for me was Teppanyaki. The menu options are way more limited than on NCL and I found the whole thing to be a step below the NCL experience. Definitely would  not bother with that one again.

 

By far my favorite specialty restaurant on MSC was Hola! I love that place sooooo much. If you get a meal package, don't waste it there, as the food is incredibly cheap. You can pay $17 for all you can eat, but that ends up being pretty absurd. If you pay a la carte, you will be VERY full for less than $10, as their prices are so reasonable. The food is delicious and I went there several times for both lunch and dinner.

 

I think, food-wise, one disadvantage that MSC has is there is nothing like The Local/O'sheehan's serving included food 24/7.

 

As for the drink package, if you have the Easy Plus package, it is way better than the package included with Free at Sea on NCL. It includes bottled water, espresso and cappuccino drinks from any of the bars, and a wider selection of spirits. I am not sure how well it works for wine drinkers, but if you are a drinker of cocktails and mixed drinks, you will be quite happy. Also, back in March, MSC switched to only charging the difference on drinks outside of your package, similar to what NCL does.

 I have to agree with this review.  We just sailed on the Seascape in May and compared everything to NCL as it has been our preferred cruise line.  I have to say they are more similar than different.  Haven't been on NCL in a while but we love our coffee and danish on the balcony in the morning.  From what I've read you now have to pay for this with NCL.  We were Fantistica on MSC and this is included.  The only thing we would change on our next MSC cruise would be that we'd do the Aurea experience as we didn't enjoy eating with others and at a set time.  Also, the spa and a separate bar/lounge is available with Aurea experience.  We would definitely sail with MSC again.

14 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Deleted 

 

what was the reason for the delayed boarding?

A boat hit a ferry and someone died and the passenger was seriously injured.  

45 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Btw many hotels are now only do service every other day.  That I don't like. I can live with once a day and I know I can still get something I need if I call.

Not any of the hotels I've recently stayed in.  We travel quite a bit and have yet to experience this.

23 hours ago, HUNKY said:

YIKES!!!

 

Did not know this about our upcoming Royal Wonder cruise.

 

Can I ask my attendant for twice-a-day service?

 

Their answer will certainly affect their extra tip!

I agree with you.  I'm certainly not leaving extra gratuity for less service.  Fortunately my last cruise on MSC our attendant was awesome.  

1 hour ago, Scottdalfonso said:

I love once a day- less people in and out of my room, less of me feeling like I have to rush out so they can get in and less wasting of resources. We just stayed at Holiday Inn and they had a sign saying we had to let the front desk know if we wanted any service in the room, otherwise it would be every 2nd night. So I don't know why people think a cruise line would be any different. Clean towels are great- MAYBE once a day, certainly not needed twice a day (and every other day is JUST fine for most people) You want to be served and pampered, pay for a suite. Otherwise, deal with the same cutback that EVERY cruise line and hotel chain are currently doing. 

Not every cruise line, I just sailed with MSC and they still have twice a day service. To each their own but my family does like the twice a day service.  We also take showers twice a day and like fresh towels each time.