Jumping ship to MCS due to price

[PH8]

Love their " In the Summertime" commercials.

[maryann2]

I did a B2B on the Divina last year and loved it. It was a special Bingo promotion where one paid the inside price and could be upgraded. Well I was upgraded both cruises. Had to pay double as a solo but it was a deal.

 

I loved the fact that the casino was non-smoking. Wish other lines did that. Very few smoking areas on the ship and cabins and balconies non smoking.

 

Announcements were in English only. Arts and Crafts on sea days- free.

 

Lots of trivia with some good prizes.

 

The shows were really really good. I sat in the front row every night. On other cruise lines I sit near the back so I can escape. Loved the shows and costumes and singing. Even Opera one afternoon.

 

I also did two Med cruises with MSC - Preziosa and Armonia.

Again they were really good but less English speaking guests. Announcements were in several languages and people boarded and disembarked at different ports which made it harder to get to know fellow guests. For the price they couldn't be beat though.

 

The allegrissimo all-inclusive drink package was a steal. It also included bottled water and coffee in all the bars and gelato. Loved the limoncello and sambuca.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for all the great information, but this year I'm going to try an AI vacation instead of cruising.

[dpcmh]

I find this an interesting read. We have only cruised DCL, and many say they are jumping to Royal for the same reason....price. I don't really feel a loyalty....I'll find something I feel is a reasonable cost and go with it..I want to try multiple lines. I am, however, finding all cruises up in costs, so I'm going back to explore land vacations.....

[CanadaRob]

I find this an interesting read. We have only cruised DCL, and many say they are jumping to Royal for the same reason....price. I don't really feel a loyalty....I'll find something I feel is a reasonable cost and go with it..I want to try multiple lines. I am, however, finding all cruises up in costs, so I'm going back to explore land vacations.....

 

I can never get down to do an Ai I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile, have done a couple of VRBO rentals which keeps costs way down and still wake up overlooking the ocean somewhere, still prefer cruising but yes the cost goes up and up and up, I guess it really is the supply and demand for rooms on a floating hotel.

[cot427]

You know MSC website is not that impressive or exciting so I knew the status match was goi h to be a big issue but I was wrong. In about 2 week I got an email confirming my new status.

 

The sale opens up to the general public on the 29th. If I don't get my loyalty status match completed by then, I'll just book the first day and hope the prices don't go up. You still get the all inclusive drink package, and then once I get approved, I'll call for them to add the 5% discount.

 

I don't see them raising the prices the first day bookings are open to the general public, but you never know.

 

At least I have an extra week to decide which date I want to book. 2018 is a ways away and I would hate to book and have to change to a higher price down the road.

[emory2001]

We have only cruised DCL, and many say they are jumping to Royal for the same reason....price.

 

Oh yes, if you have only cruised Disney, Royal Caribbean is the deal of the year. We live in Orlando, and for my family of 4, for the same price as a 4 or 5 night Disney cruise, we can get Disney Annual Passes PLUS a Royal Caribbean cruise of the same length. Which is exactly what we do.

[urc12]

Thanks to everyone who shared information. After all, that is the best part of CC. I am glad that my information was helpful to many of you.

 

The status match went without a hitch. Also, I did find out that they offer a 10% First Responder discount. I am not sure if it is all sailings or just on certain sailing. Our sailing is 7/30/15. You cannot combine the First Responder discount with the Status Match discount (5%)

[wblynch]

When I found out about the MSC status match I went and signed up for the black card.

 

We made diamond on RCI a few cruises ago in 2007 and don't see ourselves ever making Diamond Plus (besides there is no real benefit).

 

And now even Diamond status is nearly worthless with Royal Caribbean's new pricing and their refusal to combine both the $300 obc (which everyone gets) with the diamond discount.

 

Plus their new strategy of moving out of the US market has driven us to consider other lines.

 

We recently sailed Princess and are going again on Princess in January 2016.

 

Yes, the Princess experience is not as fun as RCI but RCI abandoned California and don't seem interested in returning (heck, they could have given us the Empress)

 

So now MSC.

 

When I signed up for the status match and looked at their offerings I saw Mediterranean cruises that looked very attractive and Caribbean sailings that beat RCI by miles on pricing.

 

I am reticent to try Carnival or NCL so I'm sure we have some MSC cruises in our near future.

Edited December 21, 2015 by wblynch

[skyking]

To the OP,

 

We absolutely LOVED our cruise on the Divina. The ship is beautiful, the crew was great, and the food was the best we have had on any cruise. I will say this, DONT miss a show, the shows were the best. The last RCCL cruise we got up and walked out of the show it was so boring, this will not happen on the Divina. And we noticed no more nickle and diming than any other cruise line, please ENJOY it.

[Tatka]

People are saying, that MSC is providing better service in US than in Europe. Some employee on Poesia said that they got an additional training before ship was deployed to Caribbeans. Also preference was given to crew who had previous experience with North American cruise lines..

[skyking]

People are saying, that MSC is providing better service in US than in Europe. Some employee on Poesia said that they got an additional training before ship was deployed to Caribbeans. Also preference was given to crew who had previous experience with North American cruise lines..

 

Funny you say that, while on the Divina I ran into a crew member who was on the Mariner on the maiden Voyage, and would you believe I had a picture with her and another crew member. Small world sometimes!

Edited December 21, 2015 by skyking

[Tatka]

Funny you say that, while on the Divina I ran into a crew member who was on the Mariner on the maiden Voyage, and would you believe I had a picture with her and another crew member. Small world sometimes!

Yes. Girl who told us this also worked with RCCL. :)

[tlatrice]

Wow! Just went to MSC's website. The Seaside looks PHENOMENAL!!!! I may make that my next cruise!

[DonnaK]

Just looked at MSC Divina and the prices are fantastic! I am not yet Diamond on RCI. Do they match lower C&A status (Emerald or Platinum) for any type of benefit?

[urc12]

To the OP,

 

We absolutely LOVED our cruise on the Divina. The ship is beautiful, the crew was great, and the food was the best we have had on any cruise. I will say this, DONT miss a show, the shows were the best. The last RCCL cruise we got up and walked out of the show it was so boring, this will not happen on the Divina. And we noticed no more nickle and diming than any other cruise line, please ENJOY it.

 

Again, thank you for the info. I will defiantly write up a comparative review when we get back.

 

Eric

[APDMOM]

Again, thank you for the info. I will defiantly write up a comparative review when we get back.

 

Eric

 

We have made our decision too! We are just waiting for our status match, then we are booking for the first week in June :) You have started a mass exodus (just kidding, of course).

 

Did you book directly with MSC, or through a travel agent? Just curious to see if a TA has more access to available cabins. The website shows very few cabins when I try a mock booking.

[Biker19]

I like the chase for a deal as much as the next guy - but I look at the details as well as the price.

 

Seaside insides are 129 sq ft. YC "suites" are smaller than a JS on RCI ships. The space ratio is 31 compared to 35 on almost the same size Quantum (the higher the better). Yes, you will get better pricing, but it's no free lunch.

[urc12]

We have made our decision too! We are just waiting for our status match, then we are booking for the first week in June :) You have started a mass exodus (just kidding, of course).

 

Did you book directly with MSC, or through a travel agent? Just curious to see if a TA has more access to available cabins. The website shows very few cabins when I try a mock booking.

 

Hi ADP MOM,

I hope it's not a mass exodus! They won't let me back on the RCCL board. We did book through our TA. She has been taking great care of us for about 15 years.

[APDMOM]

Hi ADP MOM,

I hope it's not a mass exodus! They won't let me back on the RCCL board. We did book through our TA. She has been taking great care of us for about 15 years.

 

Great! I will just wait for MSC to give me a number, then book with our TA.

 

We just found out this past weekend that NCL Epic is coming to Port Canaveral, so we booked that ship for spring break 2017... I really hope Oasis will have some good deals, once they move to PC. We love that port!

[APDMOM]

Wow! Just went to MSC's website. The Seaside looks PHENOMENAL!!!! I may make that my next cruise!

 

Tamara, since we missed you on Freedom, we may just meet you on Seaside :D You never know...

[riclop]

My family and I have enjoyed many Royal cruises but the pricing for this summer is forcing us to jump ship and give the MSC Divina a try. We booked a suite (11010) which is 421 Sq feet with a 130sq ft. balcony. Our price includes alcohol packages for my wife and I as well as a spa treatment as well as a bunch of other suite perks. The Divina looks to be a gorgeous ship. We are paying $4228 for the 4 of us for the week. The total deposit was $200

 

By comparison, the GS on the Freedom out of Port Canaveral the same week would be $11966. The suites are roughly the same size and the itineraries are similar. Drink package and spa treatment extra. I could book and inside quad on the Freedom for $4349.

 

I have loved all my Royal cruises, but I am going to try something else until their pricing comes back to earth

The Divina is a beautiful ship with great entertainment.

[I&J Cruisers]

Divina is a beautiful ship. This is very subjective but IMHO the food on MSC mediocre. They can't make fish or seafood, I just think the quality of the raw product is poor. DH wouldn't eat the lobster tail. It was dry, chewy and tasteless. The southern Italian food is excellent but they don't do anything else well. The gelato is the best I've had since Rome but that is an extra charge. The entertainment is not great. There is no orchestra. The instrumentals that accompany the production shows is canned. The shows are all the same with the same stage set and performers wearing different costumes and singing different music. It got old quickly. We enjoyed the first show and surprisingly the "opera" the most. Not trying to start an argument. As I said this is all very subjective. It is a beautiful ship and it is cheap.

[Doc Rick]

I am very glad to see that loyal Royal Caribbean customers are considering other cruise lines as an option in their vacation planning. My wife and I tried the Norwegian Breakaway last year and loved it ! The price was much, much lower than RC for same itinerary, and they included their "Ultimate Beverage Package" for free. After reading this post, I looked into MSC - and also found great value in their pricing... and I agree that their new ship, the Seaside looks amazing.

 

We have a short 3 night booked on the Majesty this January. We are 3 points away from D+, and the dates fit our schedule. This was also a reasonably priced cruise for RC compared to many of Royal Caribbean's other ships. We cruise at least 3 times a year, so price is always a major factor in choosing our vacations. We have always loved Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but I agree that their pricing is inflated, and it seems that the experience is diminishing.

 

We will continue to consider Royal Caribbean as an option when planning our vacations, but MSC may be our next cruise line to try. I'll also have to look into their matching of Diamond Plus status that I read on this thread.

 

Thanks,

 

- Doc

[Tatka]

Food on Divina was not great this is true. Especially steaks and meat overall.

Evenings buffet was also weak.