Carnival cruisers who have recently tried MSC

Hi. We are a couple in our 30's traveling with our 5 year old son and would like some opinions on MSC. We have sailed all but one of our cruises with Carnival, the other with Princess. We have always enjoyed our cruises and have never really had any problems. We get the Cheers package as we like to drink, sometimes spend the extra money for the steakhouse and use the kids club for our son. We enjoy the comedy club (when we can get a spot), the piano bar and trivia. We are thinking about booking the MSC Seaside for our vacation next year due to the price. We are in the process of buying a new house and the much lower cost of the cruise as well as the drinks on us promo will allow us to cruise next year. I am just hesitant about trying something new. Any info on the similarities/differences from a Carnival cruiser who has sailed MSC would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have only cruised on MSC (Poesia and Divina) for themed cruises but am willing to answer any questions that I can.

Hi. We are a couple in our 30's traveling with our 5 year old son and would like some opinions on MSC. We have sailed all but one of our cruises with Carnival, the other with Princess. We have always enjoyed our cruises and have never really had any problems. We get the Cheers package as we like to drink, sometimes spend the extra money for the steakhouse and use the kids club for our son. We enjoy the comedy club (when we can get a spot), the piano bar and trivia. We are thinking about booking the MSC Seaside for our vacation next year due to the price. We are in the process of buying a new house and the much lower cost of the cruise as well as the drinks on us promo will allow us to cruise next year. I am just hesitant about trying something new. Any info on the similarities/differences from a Carnival cruiser who has sailed MSC would be appreciated. Thanks!

MSC is much better from the ship to the great entertainment and much better food.

We are in the same demographic as you. We have primarily cruised on carnival. Have only taken MSC once in a Mediterranean cruise. There were some differences that were mainly due to cultural differences among the passengers. Other than that, they were very similar. Our 6 year old lived the kids club despite being the only kid to speak English.

I've heard that the MSC Caribbean itineraries have changes for catering to a largely american client base. I would do it without a second thought if I were you.

I wasn't crazy about my one MSC cruise, but that was several years ago. Perhaps they have improved. I at least hope the moods and attitudes of the staff have gotten better. Much of the staff seemed overworked/exhausted and not friendly at all. Food was just okay. Believe it or not, even though MSC is an Italian cruise line, the pizza is much better on Carnival. Shows, however, were MUCH better and more varied than what is now offered on Carnival. Stateroom was noticeably smaller (balcony stateroom) and had less storage space. The entertainment staff were energetic, but less than friendly in person. Just a few stray thoughts...

Here is a link to my review of the MSC Seaside from January. Just to let you know in case you don't...in the fine print it states you will pay the gratuity only based on each and every drink you consume on the drinks on us promo from MSC.https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2598283

I sailed the Vista last year and am booked on the Panorama for 2020. We sailed my family of four on the Seaside this April and it's better than anything Carnival has to offer. Everything about it was better. The beauty of the ship, the service, the pools, the MDR and buffet food, the water park . The price is better than even Carnival. Don't hesitate! Those Loyal to only Carnival continue to miss out on better products.

Believe it or not, even though MSC is an Italian cruise line, the pizza is much better on Carnival.

When the Italians adopted the Pizza from us Americans, they ruined it! :D

I was on Divina 6 months ago on a Western carib itinerary. The cruise was free through UR comped. No port charges or hidden fees. Free drinks in the casino. Unlike Carnival you didn't have to be gambling. You just went to the casino bar at anytime and ordered what you wanted. Also got a $200 OBC. They also honored my Diamond RCL status so I was the top tier (Black) for priority everything as well as some nice comp gifts and dinners. That part was great. I was in Bella (the lowest category "class")

I prefer online check in but it's not an option. You have 48 hours to activate your credit card at self service kiosks or guest services. Didn't like that as lines were insane the first day.

The ship was beautiful but too big for me as I'm not a fan of ships with 5500 passengers. I got "yelled at" because I was lost one day and ended up in the Yacht Club. I was told "You don't belong here." (LOL) Service was hit or miss. Never saw the room steward. There were no friendly crew either as everyone seemed like they were doing you a favor by being there. Dining room waiter barely spoke and late dinner dragged on for more than 2 hours.

It was much dressier than any cruise I've been on. Lots of gowns and tuxes. No problem seeing that since it was nice to see people actually adhere to a dress code.

I did have a good time and met some fun people. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I just don't think I'd sail MSC again.

After numerous cruises on Carnival, Royal, Celebrity and NCL we sailed MSC for the first time in January on Seaside. Comparing to our most recent Carnival experiences (Magic and Sunshine):

Food in the main dining room was more varied, better prepared and plated than Carnival. More attention was also paid to temperatures. Best options are pasta (hey are an Italian line after all, and its made from scratch on board) and seafood. While still good, beef was not quite up to par.

Shows blow the amateur hour on Carnival known as "Playlist Productions" away. Talent was of a much higher caliber, productions values better and clearly more spent to put them on. More varied as well with a different full production show every single night. No guest-participating games masquerading as a "show".

Seaside is an absolutely gorgeous ship from a design perspective. None of the tackiness of the Carnival Farkus designs. Lot's of chrome, polished wood. The atrium has four stunning staircases with clear steps filled with Swarovsky crystals. Passenger flow was good and very rarely did we experience any crowding.

Only thing we found kind of strange is that all of the pools are deep. I cannot say exactly how deep but this 6 foot man could not stand in any of them. Not a deal-breaker but odd. The overall vibe is much more European as MSC is more widely known overseas so even though Seaside is sailing to the Caribbean from Miami, she is attracting a lot of Europeans. Announcements (which were mercifully few) in the PA and welcomes in the theater were made in English, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. We loved being around such a wide variety of people. Made for a less homogenized experience. Folks we met were just lovely. If you do fixed seating in the main dining room they do make sure you are sat with English speakers.

If you have other questions ask away!

I’d watch some videos on YouTube of the ship. I always do a video tour of any ship I’m considering. That may be helpful. We docked next to the MSC Seaside in January when we cruised the NCL Getaway, and it looked totally awesome!!

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When the Italians adopted the Pizza from us Americans, they ruined it! :D

edit: Seriously, the pizza on Carnival is closer to authentic Italian pizza than what was offered on the MSC Poesia. Maybe they were trying to appeal to American tastes??? Beats me.

Hi. We are a couple in our 30's traveling with our 5 year old son and would like some opinions on MSC. We have sailed all but one of our cruises with Carnival, the other with Princess. We have always enjoyed our cruises and have never really had any problems. We get the Cheers package as we like to drink, sometimes spend the extra money for the steakhouse and use the kids club for our son. We enjoy the comedy club (when we can get a spot), the piano bar and trivia. We are thinking about booking the MSC Seaside for our vacation next year due to the price. We are in the process of buying a new house and the much lower cost of the cruise as well as the drinks on us promo will allow us to cruise next year. I am just hesitant about trying something new. Any info on the similarities/differences from a Carnival cruiser who has sailed MSC would be appreciated. Thanks!

We cruised the MSC Divina a few years back, so here goes,,,,

MSC newer ships are beautiful! Service is very good!

The Italian theme is carried throughout their ships.

Yacht Club, service better then anything Carnival has! They send someone to meet you at check in, escort you through right on the ship to your cabin, and this person will be your concierge for the entire cruise. Want to go shopping, if wanted, they'll escort you, and even ring you out at the register so you don't wait in line! The Yacht club has its own, pool area, its own restaurant, its own bar with free snacks, etc. and these areas are never open to the rest of the ship!

Overall prices of comparable cabins are usually less then Carnival! They're new, they want your business!

MDR is a long meal, not an hour and out the door. I think we had 7 courses to go through on the Divina! Each course was a smaller amount of food then Carnival, but you could order more of anything you liked! The dress was a little more dressy on MSC. I never saw shorts in the MDR at dinner. Almost every man had a tie or jacket at the minimum for elegant nights!

The buffet was good, but not equal to Carnivals. They usually had 4 meats to choose from, but the number of offerings for lunch are more on Carnival.

MSC Pizza and their breads are #1 on the seas! They are Italian afterall!

Carnival pizza is good, but a distant 2nd!

Pasta everywhere was excellent!

They're 2 extra pay restaurants looked like you'd be eating a steak in a McDonalds, odd atmosphere we chose to ignore!

MSC loves families, so the kids under 12 sail free = lots of kids during the summer and holidays!

MSC cabins are equal to Carnival, roomy, and efficient! (newer MSC ships cabins are beautiful)

MSC loyalty club is running a promotion of matching whatever level you are on another cruise line! But its a 1 time offer, and your status is good only for 3 years, which renews for another 3 years if you cruise! This forces you to cruise MSC at least 1 time every 3 years to maintain your status in the club!

This fall, MSC will port 2 ships in Miami for more port options, and open their private Bahamas island they've been working on the last few years!

MSC's a growing cruise line, their current build rate of new ships projects them to become #3 ahead of NCL in the next few years!

Entertainment, a mixed bag, great singers, but a lot in foreign language! They do offer opera in the afternoon if you like that!

I did MSC Divina with my daughter when she was 10 and my other daughter was 15 - Neither of them enjoyed the cruise or anything that the children's groups had to offer so my youngest just spent most of her time in the Yacht Club Pool - If you have picky eaters then MSC food is definantly not better both me and my daughter were very limited on what we could eat for lunch and dinner and ended up eating the same thing every day - ALSO MSC does not offer a piano bar their idea of a piano bar is literally someone playing the piano and sometimes a violinist playing with them we were so disappointed in that because that is by far our favorite activity when we cruise

I will never sail MSC again they cater more towards a European crowd and quite often I had people staring at us if my daughter was talking to loud in their opinion - I would stick with carnival

We were on the Divinia in 12/16. It was okay. Shows were great - that was the best part of the cruise. My sister-in-law was the Poesia a few years back and hated it. Two couples, experienced cruisers, I know were on the Seaside and said it was terrible - worst cruise they've ever been on. One said worst food the other said maybe because the ship was new and they hadn't worked out all the kinks. We've only had one bad experience on Carnival - the Dream - it was a nightmare.

Lots of opinions posted, so here goes mine. I've been on 17 Carnival cruises, and was on the first MSC cruise aboard the Poesia last April in the Mediterranean. Ship was gorgeous, and the staff friendly. Two things that were not nearly as good as Carnival: 1) The food was the worst of any cruise I've ever taken. That goes for the dining room, the buffets, breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And the four others traveling with me thought the same. Maybe it was due to being in Europe and the food distribution companies used there. 2) The night time entertainment was virtually non-existent. We looked everywhere for something to do. We love all the live music that Carnival offers throughout the ship at night, and could not find any aboard MSC. Hopefully, things would be different aboard MSC in the Caribbean. Best of luck!

Lots of opinions posted, so here goes mine. I've been on 17 Carnival cruises, and was on the first MSC cruise aboard the Poesia last April in the Mediterranean. Ship was gorgeous, and the staff friendly. Two things that were not nearly as good as Carnival: 1) The food was the worst of any cruise I've ever taken. That goes for the dining room, the buffets, breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And the four others traveling with me thought the same. Maybe it was due to being in Europe and the food distribution companies used there. 2) The night time entertainment was virtually non-existent. We looked everywhere for something to do. We love all the live music that Carnival offers throughout the ship at night, and could not find any aboard MSC. Hopefully, things would be different aboard MSC in the Caribbean. Best of luck!

yup and how about getting yourself a glass of milk from the cardboard box that sits out on the counter so weird but totally European - perhaps one day MSC will try to change and cater to what the US residents are accustomed to but as of now they totally cater to Europeans

I've been debating a MSC cruise. However, some of the reviews have been very polarizing. It sounds to me like anyone who has stayed in the Yacht club will swear by it and that it is basically the best cruise experience. Everyone else seems to put it as an underwhelming, but not terrible experience. Entertainment has sounded like the main broadway-type shows beat Carnival, but lack everywhere else like comedy, bands, etc. I also hear the food is not as good.

To me, Carnival's food and comedy are very enjoyable to me, and wouldn't pay for upgraded rooms. I doubt MSC is currently for me.

I cruised MSC last year in Europe. (I'm sure US trips would be different than my experience)

It was an enjoyable cruise but very different than Carnival.

1- Announcements were made in at least 8 languages (mostly by the cruise director, it was quite impressive)

2- The crowd onboard was older & very rude

3- Portion sizes were smaller but food was varied. I had some squid ink pasta that was divine! Pizza was horrible.

4- No late night entertainment. Everything shut down around 11pm or so. Unfortunate for us, since jet lag kept us wide awake.

5- No comedians & shows were mostly non-speaking, I'm assuming, due to the variety of passengers onboard

6- Staff was incredibly kind & friendly. I've actually added some as FB friends.

7- Purchased drink package for 100 Euro. Totally worth it for an entire week of drinks, gelatos, milkshakes, etc.

That's mostly what I can think of off the top of my head. I would probably give MSC another shot.

I cruised MSC last year in Europe. (I'm sure US trips would be different than my experience)

It was an enjoyable cruise but very different than Carnival.

1- Announcements were made in at least 8 languages (mostly by the cruise director, it was quite impressive)

2- The crowd onboard was older & very rude

3- Portion sizes were smaller but food was varied. I had some squid ink pasta that was divine! Pizza was horrible.

4- No late night entertainment. Everything shut down around 11pm or so. Unfortunate for us, since jet lag kept us wide awake.

5- No comedians & shows were mostly non-speaking, I'm assuming, due to the variety of passengers onboard

6- Staff was incredibly kind & friendly. I've actually added some as FB friends.

7- Purchased drink package for 100 Euro. Totally worth it for an entire week of drinks, gelatos, milkshakes, etc.

 

That's mostly what I can think of off the top of my head. I would probably give MSC another shot.

Look, the only ship that Carnival cruisers, including myself, should compare Carnival to is the new MSC Seaside. It is new and is here in Miami to cater to U.S. cruisers. It is not an old MSC cruise out of Europe. The food is superior to the garbage Carnival serves in it's buffet and MDR. Nothing is lower than Carnival. The shows, including Michael Jackson's "Timeless" aboard the Seaside are simply standing ovation spectacular .... I've experienced it. The shows make Carnival's entertainment look like high school musicals. I'm 42 and my wife 39 .... kids 8 and 10 in tow. Everything about the MSC seaside blows away anything Carnival has to offer. It is what you'd expect on Carnival, Royal, and NCL ..... It is not some cruise you took out of Europe years ago on an old MSC ship. The Seaside looks like a Rolls Royce sitting next to just about every cruise ship Carnival has sitting in any port. I have no dog in this fight but Seaside makes every Carnival cruise laughable comparatively speaking.

Speaking of carry on, what has been the yes's and or no's of carrying on of water or soft drinks on the Sunshine and Ecstasy?

what does this have to do with the MSC post?

what does this have to do with the MSC post?

Everything about the MSC seaside blows away anything Carnival has to offer.

For more details, click on the link in my earlier post in this thread, which is a little more balanced than what tallnthensome would have you believe. You need to take any mention of the word everything when comparing cruises with a grain of salt since nothing in life is black and white, it's all shades of Gray. Obviously some darker than others.