MSC over RCI

[jessabella]

I posted the same question in the RCI page so thought Id ask it here just to get different sides of opinions.:o

 

We are loyal to Royal..we did try MSC once and it was okay, the major problem we had is that we were a bit bored with not much to do as we had experienced on Royal Carribean...however now we are cruising with our 3 year old daughter so things would be different I know...The food was decent and the drinks were decent..the ship was very beautiful and we loved being able to practice our italian at the time, the entertainment is good but listening to 5 different languages was cool until the last day when all we wanted to hear was either Italian or English...but we did miss the luxuries that we had when on Royal in a owners suite...from reading many posts we have learned that going from an owners suite to a balcony on MSC will defiantly disappoint anyone...But what about the Yacht club...the reviews of this area seem to be good....sooo with that said....anyone have an opinion against the two.

 

We would be looking at cruise both Mediterranean cruise with RCI on the Splendour of the Seas or MSC Preziosa. Both would depart from Venice with similar itineraries however very different at the same time (we would love the RCI more I do believe)

However this is where we keep going back in forth...each cruise cost almost exactly the same (about €50 difference).

 

With RCI we would get double points I believe for a Jr Suite :confused:.. We have never been in a Jr Suite on Royal only a large Balcony and in the Owners Suite. But we would be cruising with just myself, hubby and our 3 year old so I believe we would be okay. We are drinkers so I'm sure we would be needing to buy a drinks package but not sure how those go as we always just buy the drinks on-board. We are hoping to have some sort of babysitting at night to enjoy a little bit of alone time out at the casino or a show..not sure how that will work as havent cruised since having our daughter:eek:

 

Now on to the option with MSC. For the same price we would be in a Yacht Club deluxe suite. Now we do have an MSC card but not sure on how those points work as we don't really follow them. But if I'm correct the Yacht club comes with unlimited drinks on the 15th floor so will not need a drinks plan??

We live in Italy and speak Italian for the most part so we are fully use to the food and culture here however we do like both cultures of american style as well as European style...but think the food on RCI is better as well as the entertainment of the American style......but recent reviews of the preziosa have better reviews on its dinning experience.

 

Anyway ..what would you do in this circumstance. Thanks for all opinions from those who have cruised both lines and have an opinion.

[Skier52]

I posted the same question in the RCI page so thought Id ask it here just to get different sides of opinions.:o

 

We are loyal to Royal..we did try MSC once and it was okay, the major problem we had is that we were a bit bored with not much to do as we had experienced on Royal Carribean...however now we are cruising with our 3 year old daughter so things would be different I know...The food was decent and the drinks were decent..the ship was very beautiful and we loved being able to practice our italian at the time, the entertainment is good but listening to 5 different languages was cool until the last day when all we wanted to hear was either Italian or English...but we did miss the luxuries that we had when on Royal in a owners suite...from reading many posts we have learned that going from an owners suite to a balcony on MSC will defiantly disappoint anyone...But what about the Yacht club...the reviews of this area seem to be good....sooo with that said....anyone have an opinion against the two.

 

We would be looking at cruise both Mediterranean cruise with RCI on the Splendour of the Seas or MSC Preziosa. Both would depart from Venice with similar itineraries however very different at the same time (we would love the RCI more I do believe)

However this is where we keep going back in forth...each cruise cost almost exactly the same (about €50 difference).

 

With RCI we would get double points I believe for a Jr Suite :confused:.. We have never been in a Jr Suite on Royal only a large Balcony and in the Owners Suite. But we would be cruising with just myself, hubby and our 3 year old so I believe we would be okay. We are drinkers so I'm sure we would be needing to buy a drinks package but not sure how those go as we always just buy the drinks on-board. We are hoping to have some sort of babysitting at night to enjoy a little bit of alone time out at the casino or a show..not sure how that will work as havent cruised since having our daughter:eek:

 

Now on to the option with MSC. For the same price we would be in a Yacht Club deluxe suite. Now we do have an MSC card but not sure on how those points work as we don't really follow them. But if I'm correct the Yacht club comes with unlimited drinks on the 15th floor so will not need a drinks plan??

We live in Italy and speak Italian for the most part so we are fully use to the food and culture here however we do like both cultures of american style as well as European style...but think the food on RCI is better as well as the entertainment of the American style......but recent reviews of the preziosa have better reviews on its dinning experience.

 

Anyway ..what would you do in this circumstance. Thanks for all opinions from those who have cruised both lines and have an opinion.

i've cruised with RCI 5 times (twice on SPLENDOUR OTS) and with MSC 10 times , once in the yacht club.

On RCI we have grand suites and enjoy the use of the concierge lounge, the reserved seating in the theate and Ice shows and certain areas of the pool deck.

The comparison between a YC1 suite and an RCI grand suite is the GS is far bigger with a decent sized balcony and a much nicer bathroom.

 

However The MSC suite comes with a free mini bar and exculsive use of the YC "one decK" and the exclusive restaraunt. In addition there is priority boarding for YC whereas RCI suite boarding is lunped in with diamond members and we have had to queue for longer in the priority than our two daughters who went in he normal queue.

 

The unlimited free drinks in the YC (only in the YC area and the YC dining room but nowhere else on the ship)are far superior to the 3 hours in the concierge lounge on RCI

 

So to cap it all RCI GS wins handsomely on space and balcony but loses heavily on service, dining and drinks. and exculsive areas.

 

The entertainment on MSC can be spectacular especially on the Fantasia class ships, but is not better than the ice shows and arial shows in the atriums So I'd call that one a draw. NB on our last cruise on RCI they used three languages in the theatre and for announcements so there is not a great deal of difference there now.

 

 

Dining

 

RCI typically had three course meals with a large selection on each course. On MSC there were 6 or seven courses typically with a choice of two items in the YC Dining room So meals are very different. Food and snacks are also avilable in the Topsail lounge and the One bar on deck 18

 

 

MSC club

 

1 point for every night spent on board and 1 point for 200 $ or euros on board spent ,which includes the Service charge ( gratuities)

 

Levels

3 - 21 points CLASSIC

22 - 42 poimts SILVER

42 - 99 ppoints GOLD

100+ points BLACK

 

THe big winner for me is the discount off cruises which is applied to any fare you can negociate not just the brochure price

 

Classic gets 5%, Silver 8%, Gold gets 10% and Black a massive 20% of the cruise price only ( not included are air fares taxes or transfers)

 

There are a range of other "goodies" and overal it is probably one of the best , if not THE best , loyalty scheme there is and progrssion is fairly quick Gold is achieved quite quickly. A couple of repositionoing cruises will see you rocket up the scheme.

 

If you do go MSC YC you need to choose a cabin carefully the best YC1 cabins (IMHO) are the squarer ones 15028/29/30/31 and 16032/33/34/35, they are designated 3 people and are 33 square metres as against 28 sqm for the other YC1 suites. and the balconies are about 50% more sqm.

 

 

I'm DIAMOND on RCI and BLACK on MSC loyalty Schemes

These are my thoughts

 

 

 

Pete

Edited January 15, 2014 by Skier52

[cruisetrail]

I posted the same question in the RCI page so thought Id ask it here just to get different sides of opinions.:o

 

We are loyal to Royal..we did try MSC once and it was okay, the major problem we had is that we were a bit bored with not much to do as we had experienced on Royal Carribean...however now we are cruising with our 3 year old daughter so things would be different I know...The food was decent and the drinks were decent..the ship was very beautiful and we loved being able to practice our italian at the time, the entertainment is good but listening to 5 different languages was cool until the last day when all we wanted to hear was either Italian or English...but we did miss the luxuries that we had when on Royal in a owners suite...from reading many posts we have learned that going from an owners suite to a balcony on MSC will defiantly disappoint anyone...But what about the Yacht club...the reviews of this area seem to be good....sooo with that said....anyone have an opinion against the two.

 

We would be looking at cruise both Mediterranean cruise with RCI on the Splendour of the Seas or MSC Preziosa. Both would depart from Venice with similar itineraries however very different at the same time (we would love the RCI more I do believe)

However this is where we keep going back in forth...each cruise cost almost exactly the same (about €50 difference).

 

With RCI we would get double points I believe for a Jr Suite :confused:.. We have never been in a Jr Suite on Royal only a large Balcony and in the Owners Suite. But we would be cruising with just myself, hubby and our 3 year old so I believe we would be okay. We are drinkers so I'm sure we would be needing to buy a drinks package but not sure how those go as we always just buy the drinks on-board. We are hoping to have some sort of babysitting at night to enjoy a little bit of alone time out at the casino or a show..not sure how that will work as havent cruised since having our daughter:eek:

 

Now on to the option with MSC. For the same price we would be in a Yacht Club deluxe suite. Now we do have an MSC card but not sure on how those points work as we don't really follow them. But if I'm correct the Yacht club comes with unlimited drinks on the 15th floor so will not need a drinks plan??

We live in Italy and speak Italian for the most part so we are fully use to the food and culture here however we do like both cultures of american style as well as European style...but think the food on RCI is better as well as the entertainment of the American style......but recent reviews of the preziosa have better reviews on its dinning experience.

 

Anyway ..what would you do in this circumstance. Thanks for all opinions from those who have cruised both lines and have an opinion.

 

The problem is that people manipulate with categories that mean little to nothing: RCI vs MSC.

 

It does make sense if you compare best ships (link). In this case MSC won't hold a candle to RCI. Just different leagues.

 

But in your case... Look at the Splendor. Just look... and forget.

Both fleets have their top ships and also floating sinks nearing scrapyards (RCI Splendor, MSC Armonia...).

 

Are there other options?

If only Preziosa or Splendor - you go with the Preziosa - no questions, no doubts, no discussions, no comparisons. Regular balcony cabin, Yacht Club, Club Yacht - just go.

Edited January 15, 2014 by cruisetrail

[Bosjoe]

i've cruised with RCI 5 times (twice on SPLENDOUR OTS) and with MSC 10 times , once in the yacht club.

On RCI we have grand suites and enjoy the use of the concierge lounge, the reserved seating in the theate and Ice shows and certain areas of the pool deck.

 

Pssssst. Splendor does not have the ice rink. ;)

Edited January 15, 2014 by Bosjoe

[Shippy]

i've cruised with RCI 5 times (twice on SPLENDOUR OTS) and with MSC 10 times , once in the yacht club.

On RCI we have grand suites and enjoy the use of the concierge lounge, the reserved seating in the theate and Ice shows and certain areas of the pool deck.

The comparison between a YC1 suite and an RCI grand suite is the GS is far bigger with a decent sized balcony and a much nicer bathroom.

 

However The MSC suite comes with a free mini bar and exculsive use of the YC "one decK" and the exclusive restaraunt. In addition there is priority boarding for YC whereas RCI suite boarding is lunped in with diamond members and we have had to queue for longer in the priority than our two daughters who went in he normal queue

 

The unlimited free drinks in the YC (only in the YC area and the YC dining room but nowhere else on the ship)are far superior to the 3 hours in the concierge lounge on RCI

 

So to cap it all RCI GS wins handsomely on space and balcony but loses heavily on service, dining and drinks. and exculsive areas.

 

The entertainment on MSC can be spectacular especially on the Fantasia class ships, but is not better than the ice shows and arial shows in the atriums So I'd call that one a draw. NB on our last cruise on RCI they used three languages in the theatre and for announcements so there is not a great deal of difference there now.

 

 

Dining

 

RCI typically had three course meals with a large selection on each course. On MSC there were 6 or seven courses typically with a choice of two items in the YC Dining room So meals are very different. Food and snacks are also avilable in the Topsail lounge and the One bar on deck 18

 

 

MSC club

 

1 point for every night spent on board and 1 point for 200 $ or euros on board spent ,which includes the Service charge ( gratuities)

 

Levels

3 - 21 points CLASSIC

22 - 42 poimts SILVER

42 - 99 ppoints GOLD

100+ points BLACK

 

THe big winner for me is the discount off cruises which is applied to any fare you can negociate not just the brochure price

 

Classic gets 5%, Silver 8%, Gold gets 10% and Black a massive 20% of the cruise price only ( not included are air fares taxes or transfers)

 

There are a range of other "goodies" and overal it is probably one of the best , if not THE best , loyalty scheme there is and progrssion is fairly quick Gold is achieved quite quickly. A couple of repositionoing cruises will see you rocket up the scheme.

 

If you do go MSC YC you need to choose a cabin carefully the best YC1 cabins (IMHO) are the squarer ones 15028/29/30/31 and 16032/33/34/35, they are designated 3 people and are 33 square metres as against 28 sqm for the other YC1 suites. and the balconies are about 50% more sqm.

 

 

I'm DIAMOND on RCI and BLACK on MSC loyalty Schemes

These are my thoughts

 

 

 

Pete

. They have TWICE the square footage of the YC1 cabins

There is a trade off .......no balcony...but floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom and the living room. You are on the very front of the ship with a spectacular view of where you are going.

It only cost $100. More than a YC1. I love a balcony but the amazing square footage won out.

[legion3]

. They have TWICE the square footage of the YC1 cabins

There is a trade off .......no balcony...but floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom and the living room. You are on the very front of the ship with a spectacular view of where you are going.

It only cost $100. More than a YC1. I love a balcony but the amazing square footage won out.

 

Are you speaking of the YC2 cabins or the grandsuites on rcl?

 

If the YC2 would you pay $300 more? Is the view that great? Do you actually have to be standing to get a view? I know the size of the room would be great but the trade off is also not actually being in the yacht club area.

 

I ask because we could upgrade but just not sure for $300 more we would be as happy. Was going from deck 12 to the yc a hassle.

 

Just wondering.

[Shippy]

Are you speaking of the YC2 cabins or the grandsuites on rcl?

 

If the YC2 would you pay $300 more? Is the view that great? Do you actually have to be standing to get a view? I know the size of the room would be great but the trade off is also not actually being in the yacht club area.

 

I ask because we could upgrade but just not sure for $300 more we would be as happy. Was going from deck 12 to the yc a hassle.

 

Just wondering.

 

We only paid $100. total more when we booked our YC2 over the YC1

Youtube or go on the MSC site. The windows actually appear to be gigantic with a fabulous view.

The main Yacht Club areas are striaght above , not the other end of the ship. I really do not see going up 3 decks to be a problem for us.

I always have coffee and pastry delivered at 7am. I am in a robe. Hubby may or may not be up. I can't wait to have my leisurly coffee while going over the itinery for the day paper in my LIVING ROOM ! we then head to the dining room for full breakfast at about 8:30....oink :O)

[jessabella]

Thanks for your responses. It is always good to here from people with both exsperiences. We have decided to give the yacht club a try.

 

Sent from my HTC Desire 500 using Tapatalk

[jessabella]

Any rooms we should avoid.we are three and definantly want a balcony. We are looking at yacht club deluxe suite on 15th floor

 

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[legion3]

As a party of three try to get one of the 8 square cabins in the yacht club (15029, 30, 31, 32)(16032,33,34,35) or the 2 super suites on deck 16. 16007 16008

 

The forward facing rooms on deck 16 have rather disapointing balconies with limited views. Lots of threads and reviews suggest these are not as good as you would think.

 

Since we are a family of 4 we were limited for quad cabins but I would jump on one of the bigger 8 cabins if I could.

[legion3]

We only paid $100. total more when we booked our YC2 over the YC1

Youtube or go on the MSC site. The windows actually appear to be gigantic with a fabulous view.

The main Yacht Club areas are striaght above , not the other end of the ship. I really do not see going up 3 decks to be a problem for us.

I always have coffee and pastry delivered at 7am. I am in a robe. Hubby may or may not be up. I can't wait to have my leisurly coffee while going over the itinery for the day paper in my LIVING ROOM ! we then head to the dining room for full breakfast at about 8:30....oink :O)

 

And $100 more is a different proposition but our cruise will be over Christmas and the current price difference is $300, that coupled with a full ship and lots of kids makes us think our best bet is to be in the yacht club enclave as opposed to 3 decks below.

 

Any other week and I probably would give the yc2 a serious look, heck I still am otherwise I wouldn't be asking so much.

 

Since we have kids as well we booked on 15 as it has 3 major items. Go forward topsail lounge, go aft kids club and le muse. I have a feeling those will all be places we will go lots.

 

Still a bigger room to spread out would be nice. Sitting in your living room relaxing does sound good. But so does leaving my room and going a few feet to get goodies at topsail without a full ship elevator ride (even if I can overide it) or stair climb.

 

Instead of so many forward facing deck 16 cabins with weak balconies the yc2 cabins should have been put on deck16 forward. Could have still had the same view, maybe even better.

[papcx]

 

Both fleets have their top ships and also floating sinks nearing scrapyards (RCI Splendor, MSC Armonia...).

 

 

Have you ever been on the MSC Armonia? Of course you haven't! The closest you've come to a MSC ship is a google search.

 

Maybe you should tell us your preference of troll food, so we can feed you what you like.

[The_Big_M]

It sounds like a comparison between Yacht club and a junior suite.

 

Regardless of the ship (which is a valid statement anyway), the extras in Yacht club far surpass a junior suite. There's no need to worry about a drinks package either due to the drinks being included in YC areas, which doesn't apply to JS. And as a JS, you don't get access to any of the suite lounges either.

 

Hands down win to MSC in this comparison.

[Skier52]

Pssssst. Splendor does not have the ice rink. ;)

Said in a soft whisper := " Yes I know. I didn't notice the name Splendour in the OP at first, when I did I editted in the fact i had been on her twice but forgot to edit out the bit about the ice rink."

 

Sorry:)

 

 

As for the arial show I was on the cruise when it was first performed , on Splendour, anywhere on RCI. ( the Brazil to Spain repositioning). And it was brilliant, when we went on her again 4 months later it had got bigger and better.

 

 

 

 

Pete

[jessabella]

It sounds like a comparison between Yacht club and a junior suite.

 

Regardless of the ship (which is a valid statement anyway), the extras in Yacht club far surpass a junior suite. There's no need to worry about a drinks package either due to the drinks being included in YC areas, which doesn't apply to JS. And as a JS, you don't get access to any of the suite lounges either.

 

Hands down win to MSC in this comparison.

 

 

 

To be honest this is what I had been thinking before..but you know when you are loyal to one product its hard to see outside of it sometimes..but now having a small child ..my priorities have shifted and if I can have a bit more luxury I'm going to take it..hahaha Also when you compare it to a JS I agree it does not compare to the service unless we were going into the Owners suite again but with our daughter it is a bit costly for us at this moment.....I guess my question I was asking myself is if switching lines just for more luxury was worth it ..when it comes to taking a gamble with food and activities..but from what I've read over the last two days is that by staying in the Yahct club we are going to have a completely different experience than our first time with MSC on an older ship in a balcony room...with its drinks package, special lounges and dinning room in itself makes the choice for me. Ill be sure to do real-time comparison with my review.

[jessabella]

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

[legion3]

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

 

The price of luxury ;)

 

Go to wine tastings, martini samplings, etc... and be chatty.:D

[Shippy]

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

 

We always travel,just the 2 of us, but request a large table,early dining. Just for the reason you said......we like to converse with others.

I explained this to MSC and they said ...no problem..your butler can accommodate any requests like that. You just tell him in the morning & he will arrange it.

I do not know how that could be since tables are assigned but was assured it could be done.

We are going to try that every other night.

We heard that the food is superior in the YC dining room so want to try that.

I realize that wine would not be covered in the main dining room. when we sailed MSC before, they offered carafes of house wine very reasonable.

Also, remember that the main dining room also serves breakfast and lunch every day and you can do a shared table then. I figured top sail lounge for a Bloody Mary before heading to breakfast there.

[jessabella]

We always travel,just the 2 of us, but request a large table,early dining. Just for the reason you said......we like to converse with others.

I explained this to MSC and they said ...no problem..your butler can accommodate any requests like that. You just tell him in the morning & he will arrange it.

I do not know how that could be since tables are assigned but was assured it could be done.

We are going to try that every other night.

We heard that the food is superior in the YC dining room so want to try that.

I realize that wine would not be covered in the main dining room. when we sailed MSC before, they offered carafes of house wine very reasonable.

Also, remember that the main dining room also serves breakfast and lunch every day and you can do a shared table then. I figured top sail lounge for a Bloody Mary before heading to breakfast there.

 

 

I just would hate to pay all that money and not meet anyone..I suppose its what you are looking for on a specific cruise..also the gala night.is always great to see everyone all dressed up and run into people you have met.it at the table you have been eating with the last few days and see them dressed up. Like someone said ..hey we cant have it all..price of luxury! :D

[Skier52]

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

 

 

Shippy said;-We always travel,just the 2 of us, but request a large table,early dining. Just for the reason you said......we like to converse with others.

I explained this to MSC and they said ...no problem..your butler can accommodate any requests like that. You just tell him in the morning & he will arrange it.

 

You can dine at what time you like in the YC dining room (no early / late sittings), you just arrange it with your butler or at the concierge desk. People tend to stick to the same time and tend to be given tables for their group, beit 1 or 10 and not share with others., so meeting fellow diners at the Gala evening is not going to happen.. If you change times you are likely to have different tables. A selection of wines and other drinks is free but there is a connisuers list at extra cost.

 

You are very unlikely to use the MDR at all , if you do you'll have to buy your drinks/ wine in there.

 

The breakfast , continental style buffet is very nice in the topsail lounge or of course you can have it in your suite.from room service, and they also do breakast and lunch in the YC dining room, again the drinks are free in there

 

Lunch is nice alfresco on the One Deck at the bar/ grill there, which is a great opportunity to talk to other YC guests.

 

Pete

Edited January 15, 2014 by Skier52

[jessabella]

thanks..good info...what am I waiting for..suppose I should press the book and pay button..hahaha

Edited January 15, 2014 by jessabella

[Skier52]

thanks..good info...what am I waiting for..suppose I should press the book and pay button..hahaha

Definitely, before the bigger YC 1 suites get fullly booked ahead of you !!!!

 

 

Pete

Edited January 15, 2014 by Skier52

[jessabella]

ooo thats a good point... 1530 is one of the larger ones right?? :eek:

[Cruisergal1208]

One thing that just occured to me...how does one meet new people if you are in the Yacht club exclusively. I mean I know that there are many other people in these areas as well. But Im assuming that dinning would be with your group or family alone. We have always made friends with the people at our table and had great conversations when meeting with them each night for dinner. ...and we are still friends with friends we have met on the few cruises over the years...all of them we met at dinner. :p

 

We met and talked with lots of couples while enjoying snacks/drinks in the Top Sail Lounge and also at the pool/buffet on deck 18. We also found the tables in Le Muse to be close enough to carry on a quiet conversation with others. At least where our table was located. If you meet someone you want to dine with, just let the butler or concierge know and they can arrange for a table in LM. Enjoy your cruise.

[jessabella]

Oh thanks cruiser girl...

 

ooooh and where in Georgia are you...I was born and spent my childhood in Atlanta.