Anyone sail on MSC to compare to NCL?

[corey07850]

So whenever we are looking at cruise options we always gloss right over MSC thinking it is more of a second rate line. I saw a piece on CNN about their new ship coming out which looked amazing so I did some research and seems like they may not be that bad.

 

We are looking into sailing the Jade out of Venice this summer but MSC has a similar routing for cheaper and on a much newer ship. We are big fans of NCL but wonder if MSC might be worth a shot? I know we will lose the Freestyle aspect and the general familiarity of NCLs process but wanted to check if anyone had first hand experience with both?

 

I checked the MSC boards for some info and while there was an NCL vs MSC topic it didn't have much info.

 

MSC ship would be the Divina

[sdmike]

So whenever we are looking at cruise options we always gloss right over MSC thinking it is more of a second rate line. I saw a piece on CNN about their new ship coming out which looked amazing so I did some research and seems like they may not be that bad.

 

We are looking into sailing the Jade out of Venice this summer but MSC has a similar routing for cheaper and on a much newer ship. We are big fans of NCL but wonder if MSC might be worth a shot? I know we will lose the Freestyle aspect and the general familiarity of NCLs process but wanted to check if anyone had first hand experience with both?

 

I checked the MSC boards for some info and while there was an NCL vs MSC topic it didn't have much info.

 

MSC ship would be the Divina

 

Had never heard of them. Ship looks nice though

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSC_Divina

[Rhea58]

I was on the Splendida a few yrs ago. While the ship's rooms were fine,

I found the food mediocre for supposedly Italian. Also the ships' crew

doesn't speak much English thus any daytime activities were not done in

English so that was a problem. No maps given out or port lectures which would have been very helpful as I do my own excursions. The Italians love children so there many on board and allowed free range so this was my first & last cruise on MSC.

No comparison at ALL to NCL. I suggest you pay the higher price for a much better experience.

[Mainah]

My partner and I took the MSC Poesia out of FLL Dec. 2011. It was a nice ship however the service left a lot to be desired. There was a server in one of the bars who brought my partner the wrong drink who when told it was not the drink ordered argued with him and tried to make him drink it anyway instead of going to get the right one. She was later serving our table at dinner and brought me the wrong drink and did the same to me when I told her it was not what I ordered. At disembarkation at one of the islands a staff member yelled and screamed at an elderly couple who could not understand what he was saying to them. These are only two instances but enough to make us never want to sail MSC again.

 

We've only sailed NCL once (Gem out of Venice in 2010) but never encountered anything like the above, however they did let kids run all about the ship in the adult only bars and in the adult only pool...staff only did anything about it when complained to. That said we like the freestyle concept very much and are giving NCL another try this Xmas.

[wilson2579]

I sailed on the MSC divina 5 months ago and had a really good cruise. I was worried about the reviews before I went but the ship was fabulous and the staff very friendly. Food was good but the buffet a bit chaotic. The all inclusive package at £20 per day was well worth it. I would sail on this lovely ship again but I am trying out ncl on the spirit this year.

Give MSC a try for the price.

[uncleboo]

I have sailed both lines

 

4 on ncl and 1 on msc

 

 

i would never sail in msc again

 

food was awful and staff was slow never showed up to activities

 

and had a bad italian attitude

 

would not sail msc even on a free cruise

[neptuno]

We have sailed MSC Poesia three times, needless to say we love MSC, kids sail free(reduced). The foreign languages are fun, not a put off. We have also sailed NCL Sky, and Carnival Glory. MSC food is just as good as the others, and the MSC wine packages are a great value. We eat in the MDR as often as possible, every night, many breakfasts and some lunches. The service was always good. Mostly Indonesian staff, but never a problem with English. The ships decor is very classy, not brash like Carnival, very refined. The kids club is only fair. The shows range from opera to acrobatics. NCL and Carnival shows were more geared to Americans. We are sailing again on Carnival(Freedom) and NCL(Sun) and MSC Divina. We chose to sail Divina just for the ship, as the itinerary is a repeat for us. I would definitely recommend MSC as well as NCL and Carnival.

[terrydtx]

A friend of ours did the MSC line in the Mediterranean a few years ago and said it was a big mistake. 90% of the passengers were Italian, French and German so the cultural differences were a problem as was finding crew members who spoke English. They choose MSC as they thought the food would be more European and better than on the RCI cruise there were considering. They thought the food was bland and mediocre and worse than any previous cruise. The other problem was smoking was allowed almost everywhere on the ship and our friends are non smokers. They said never again on any MSC ship.

[rbrugler]

There is a board for MSC on this site.

[Seago2]

I've sailed NCL 5 times and MSC once. Would definitely sail MSC again- probably before NCL at this point. Lirica was spotless and MSC is known for having ships that score the highest in cleanliness ratings. However, as someone noted, the staff can be cranky... And I think everyone knows not to order the beef. If you like European travel you'll like the mass of languages in board- I loved that.

 

All in all, very worth the price and a nice change.

[corey07850]

Thanks guys for all of the feedback, lots to think about! Since nearly every day would be a port day I think it may be worth a shot as we would be off the ship doing our own thing most of the time. If the price between the 2 is comparable we will probably stick with the Jade as we know what to expect :)

[jdvmd]

MSC is the third largest cruise company in the world and only have been around a short time in the U.S. They are getting ready to have a bigger impact in South Florida with a ship positioned there year round.

 

The head of MSC USA is Rick Sasso, who had careers at Costa, Chandris and Celebrity. He also has extended his professional talents to the world of philanthropy by launching Unselfish World.

 

I have thoroughly researched and plan to make the plunge, most likely in the Med this summer. The itineraries are interesting enough and not so typical. Think the prices are very good as well. They offer senior citizens rates for those that are only 50+, not 65 like some of the other lines. Note: I am not there yet but hubby is and can take advantage of that.

 

Those rates are also combinable with kids 12 and under sailing for free (13-17 are reduced greatly).

 

I talked with one roll caller on a cruise last year from Vancouver and she had sailed many times with MSC and appreciated the fact that kids could cruise so reasonably. She had nothing but positive things to say.

 

I have done Europe, Baltic and the Med numerous times with other lines and all had international clientele and announcements in numerous languages. I love all things Italian and has traveled extensively throughout the country so I am very familiar with food preparation. For me, MSC is a very viable option.

[uncleboo]

there are always choices in life

 

some of us like to drive a Rolls royce car to others a ford is okay

 

i personally like toyotas

 

you can buy gheradelli chocolates or Hersheys or dove

 

 

you can like Hag Daz ice cream

 

or breyers

 

always choices

 

 

MSC stinks in my book

 

i do not care how many ships they have.

 

the food in the chow hall during boot camp was better than the MSC

 

 

i am not willing to spend my $ for a crappy vacation

[ROCruiser]

Just did the western Med on MSC Splendida and then the eastern Med on NCL Jade last November. I was quite anxious about the MSC cruise after reading the reviews but it turned out better than I expected. The experiences are different on these two lines but we enjoyed both. I have to say that the crew on MSC are generally friendly and service was great, especially the Indonesian crew members. Not the same with the higher level staff, it was difficult to have someone responsible for problems. Another problem was the cultural differences in passengers, like the habit of getting in line...or not.

Photos for both cruises in my blog below.

[newmexicoNita]

So whenever we are looking at cruise options we always gloss right over MSC thinking it is more of a second rate line. I saw a piece on CNN about their new ship coming out which looked amazing so I did some research and seems like they may not be that bad.

 

We are looking into sailing the Jade out of Venice this summer but MSC has a similar routing for cheaper and on a much newer ship. We are big fans of NCL but wonder if MSC might be worth a shot? I know we will lose the Freestyle aspect and the general familiarity of NCLs process but wanted to check if anyone had first hand experience with both?

 

I checked the MSC boards for some info and while there was an NCL vs MSC topic it didn't have much info.

 

MSC ship would be the Divina

 

I have not sailed MSC but when still in the business I sold it a few times and when we were on our last New England cruise there was an MSC ship along side us for a good part of the cruise. My clients had mixed feelings about the line: mostly, they didn't find the Italian crew too friendly, much like Costa nor the food all that great, but said the ships were beautiful. As for those sailing next to us in New England, they were not at all impressed. That is just the opinion of a few. I do know, MSC is going to attract a different type of cruiser and the lines are very different. This isn't bad or good, just honest.

[jkgourmet]

I was on the Splendida a few yrs ago. While the ship's rooms were fine,

I found the food mediocre for supposedly Italian. Also the ships' crew

doesn't speak much English thus any daytime activities were not done in

English so that was a problem. No maps given out or port lectures which would have been very helpful as I do my own excursions. The Italians love children so there many on board and allowed free range so this was my first & last cruise on MSC.

No comparison at ALL to NCL. I suggest you pay the higher price for a much better experience.

 

While we very much enjoyed our January 2014 21 day cruise on the Jade, I'd make the exact same statements you made about the mediocre food, lack of daytime activities, crew members who speak little English, and roaming children on board in relation to THAT cruise on NCL.

 

Nevertheless, it was a great bargain. It exceeded our low expectations (based on the low price and a previous truly awful NCL cruise).

 

 

 

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[raindropsalways]

I have sailed on MCS in both the Med and the Caribbean and it was a world of difference. Even though both cruises were very nice, while in the Caribbean they attempt to cater to the “Americanized” expecataions, thus the “quality” Italian is lost. For a more true “Italian” experience, sail on MSC in Europe and do not expect your steak to be perfect. Your pastas, fish, vegetables, etc. will be the delicious Italian foods. Also the service people are excellent. Even though some of us might consider the service people rude, they are not. They are blunt and direct to the point; the most efficient way to perform.

 

I sailed on the Jade out of Rome and it was a nice cruise, but nothing special. The itinerary was my motive. I enjoyed myself the same as I do on all cruises, but I sure would not pass up a money savings to sail in it.

 

Follow the therory that “there is no such thing as a bad cruise” and you will thoroughly enjoy each and every cruise you take.

 

Betty

[Chrislynn55]

We would probably rank our one MSC cruise on the Poesia near the bottom on our cruise history (28 cruises on 7 different lines). We did like that the ship was gorgeous and always clean...the opera singers were fantastic, and the gelato was delicious. And it was nice being greeted and escorted to our cabin when we embarked. But...every announcement on board is made in five languages - this made the muster drill five times as long - not kidding. Entertainment could not involve dialogue so there could be no comedy. The food was not something we enjoyed on this line....and if you're looking for a late night snack you won't find any. We were in port for a significantly shorter period of time in comparison to the other two ships who sailed the same itinerary along with us (I checked their schedules later when we got home). MSC excursions were disorganized and delayed in each port....the start to our 'Mansions' tour in Newport started two hours after the published time and we actually finished this one in the dark! There was no shoreside staff to direct you to the appropriate tour buses, we all had to find our bus on our own.

 

DH and I are people who always find the positive in everything and seldom have anything to complain about...we've loved all of our cruises. We liked some things about this one too, but we will always take any other line doing a similar itinerary over an MSC ship in the future, even if it's more expensive.

[MeHeartCruising]

I sailed MSC Poesia to Bermuda last year. The ship was beautiful, nicely appointed, clean and just generally pleasant to be on. We had no problems with the staff that I can recall. But we aren't focused on letting the staff make or break our vacations. Food was acceptable, but nothing special. But to be honest, that's how I consider NCL food. No complaints. But nothing to rave about either. We aren't fancy eaters. We tried the Main Dining Room on the first night, but found ourselves crammed too tightly at a table with too many people. After that night, we just ate in the buffet in more casual attire. They did have formal nights and even suggested evening attire, which most people seemed to adhere to. On this itinerary, the ship really died down after the evening dinners and shows. The bars were relatively empty by 10:30 or so. In summary, since we had no "bad" experience, we decided we would gladly sail MSC again for the right itinerary. However, given a choice between an equally priced/equal itinerary with an NCL ship, we would choose NCL due to the more relaxed freestyle environment.

Edited April 4, 2014 by MeHeartCruising

[matj2000]

We did it in 09 and loved it.

I am trying to do the Divina but I don't like the itineraries they have.

The ship was very nice and had some great things other lines didn't have.

It is a little different and more European than the other lines.

[mafig]

When I was recovering from surgery two years ago I passed the time reading reviews on CC for MSC. That convinced me to never sail them.

 

I really don't know why Sasso hasn't been able to turn this line around and improve the cruise experience, but apparently he cannot.

 

The ships are beautiful and very clean. Those are the pluses I got from the reviews.

 

The minuses are all of those you've read above. Grumpy, rude staff. Some of the things I recall are someone asking at the pursers desk for a pen and they were told NO, and then the person walked away. I remember one review where they tried to order a second helping of something and were told "you don't need it, you're too fat."

 

In the Med you will be in the minority as an English speaker. It will matter because announcements are made in all launguages and you want to hear your announcement and by the time they get to you, the other cruisers will be talking loudly. MSC seems to also have shortened port times.... sometimes they leave early. No lines, it'll be every man for himself even at the buffet. You know in Europe MSC doesn't serve water, you'll have to pay for bottled water all the time...this might not matter you or not.

I don't know how many times you expect to sail in Europe. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, I'd say make it on something "nice."

If you are leaning toward MSC, make sure you check the times you are in port. They may be shorter on MSC than NCL.

Edited April 4, 2014 by mafig