Help! Msc vs rccl

[gamblinmon]

Hi everyone, hoping for some input. I was awarded a free inside cabin on MSC , in the meanwhile we booked ANTHEM virtual balcony large interior K cabin

for 10 night (we live in NJ). We really liked Quantum last year but the "free " MSC 7 night , also inside cabin,has us re-thinking our plans. We are looking at the Divina out of Miami. For my fellow cruisers who have been on both , please weigh in. Btw: why we liked quantum, choices for dinner and DH really liked the esplanade . We were aware of reviews ahead of time , made our reservations & had no problems on the Quantum. All advice appreciated

[Tapi]

We canceled our Royal Caribbean cruise in favor of an MSC cruise for May, not because we received a free cruise, but because the 2 for 1 balcony offer along with the kids sail free offer made it very hard to pass up.

 

While we won't sail on the Divina for another 4 months, we've been doing extensive research. Every review that we've read agrees that the ship is stunning, with one of the most beautiful atriums of any ship afloat. Divina doesn't have an open space equivalent to the Esplanade or Royal Promenades on Royal ships, but she has its share of open areas dedicated to retail, dining and entertainment.

 

As far as dining, you won't find as many selections as on Royal's newest ships, but you will still have some good choices. In addition to the 2 main dining rooms, and the 2 buffet restaurants, Divina has several alternative "for fee" options including the Eataly Steakhouse, the Galaxy Restaurant, Ristorante Italia, as well as pizza at La Cantina di Bacco (consistently reviewed as the best pizza at sea), and a gelato a shop. Since the cost of our cruise will be so cheap, we figured that we'll have plenty of extra money to indulge in alternative dining options should the free ones not be enough.

 

As mentioned above, we are doing a lot of research so that we sail on the Divina with realistic expectations. And one of those expectations is that MSC is an Italian cruise line offering a product quite different than what American cruise lines like Royal Caribbean offer.

 

With all of that said, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sail on a beautiful and relatively new ship, in a balcony stateroom for 7 nights to the Eastern Caribbean for about 1/4 the cost of a similar Royal cruise! I encourage you to take advantage of the free cruise that you've received. Anthem will be there when you return from the Divina, but your free cruise offer won't last forever.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Tapi

[Nunagoras]

Hi! Welcome to the MSC forum!

 

Well: First of all, both MSC and RCI are basically mainstream cruise lines, meaning that they are likely both companies catering for the same average middle class citizens out there who desire to have a nice cruise holiday experience. Both will likely deliver what, as an Europpean I am, I can describe as beeing what a nice mainstream 4 star hotel in Europe can deliver, in some cases even a bit better, but generally on that spot. Think on a nice 4 star Marriott hotel in town adding entertainment and a few distinctive points here or there for each company. So the experience will be more similar than different on both companies, but with my 4 MSC (Musica class) and 1 RCI (Allure) cruises on the Med, I can give you an idea of a few differences between the lines:

 

Destination:

While the most recent RCI ships are built so that the ship is the destination itself with ship entertainment beeing the highlight of the cruise, on MSC the ship is seen as the way to go for the destination. In more popular words, RCI will likely offer itineraries with at least one day at sea or even more, while MSC will likely offer extremely por intensive itineraries with no or just one or two sea days, with shore excursions beeing the highlight of the cruise.

 

Service:

While RCI will likely provide "American on your face service", MSC will provide what I can call "Europpean professional reserved service". That means that while on RCI you will likely see servers asking you if you want something of if all is good with you everiwhere else, on the other hand on MSC you will likely be expected to ask for the things you need ans the servers will just wait for your demand and they will be more than happy to please.

 

Dining:

While on RCI you will find an exhuberant variety of international foods, on MSC you will likely have a quite "conservative" pure Italian cuisine (think Pizzas and Pastas but even too much more from starters to desserts...), here or there with an internation option or another.

 

Bars / drinks:

Perharps that is the most notable and sometimes "contentious" of the differences because on RCI you receive water for your meals on the MDR, but here on Europe people are expected to pay for bottled water wherever they want to dine. Bars are also managed in a somewhat different fashion: While on RCI the teens will likely have their own area with their own bar and they are likely discuraged to go on bars and lounges, on MSC teens are not only allowed on bars and lounges, but they have their own non alcoholic drinks menu! Some years ago I saw even that menu named as Kids menu! Exceptions are, of course the casino or the adult disco at evening that are adults only. Seems that MSC has modified slighly this for the Caribbean to please more the Americans.

 

Post sales service:

While on RCI if something goes wrong you will likely receive good compensations for what went wrong in the exact proportion of your prejudice even if small or moderate, on the other hand here on Europe, small to moderate problems are seens as facts of life, so generally on MSC you will likely have no compensation at all for that... But seems that MSC is also managing things a bit differenthly on that in the Caribbean!

 

Hope to have helped a bit! Have a good time on the wonderful Divina!

[deliver42]

I agree with the above poster.Even the drinks on MSC are 50% of RCCL. I, too, have the Divina booked in May. Couldn't resist the 2for1 sale. I've also booked their new ship, the Seaside for 2018. I got a 2 room suite for $2639.00 for 2 people. It's costing me more than that for a balcony on the Harmony. As the poster said, the Anthem will be there, so try something new.

[monicajay]

Sadly, many Americans do not enjoy MSC. You just need to read lots of reviews and you will see the Brits, the Europeans and the Canadians seem happy but the Americans are often disappointed.

 

Having happily done 3 MSC cruises and presently looking at booking another, I'll give you a few of my thoughts.

 

Meat dishes (steaks particularly) are poor on MSC.

Pasta dishes are fabulous!

Drink packages are more reasonable on MSC.

No comedians.

No drinks in the theater.

Servers are more laid back, they will wait for you to signal before bugging you.

Entertainment is higher caliber but sometimes not your interest. (Fabulous string quartet on our last MSC Cruise).

Staff are less smiley.

No movies.

Don't look for French Fries, Burgers or Hot dogs, if you find them, you likely won't like them.

Pools close really early :-(

Lounge chairs are great.

Gelato is the best!!!

Edited January 18, 2016 by monicajay

[bradleyk]

We canceled our Royal Caribbean cruise in favor of an MSC cruise for May, not because we received a free cruise, but because the 2 for 1 balcony offer along with the kids sail free offer made it very hard to pass up.

 

While we won't sail on the Divina for another 4 months, we've been doing extensive research. Every review that we've read agrees that the ship is stunning, with one of the most beautiful atriums of any ship afloat. Divina doesn't have an open space equivalent to the Esplanade or Royal Promenades on Royal ships, but she has its share of open areas dedicated to retail, dining and entertainment.

 

As far as dining, you won't find as many selections as on Royal's newest ships, but you will still have some good choices. In addition to the 2 main dining rooms, and the 2 buffet restaurants, Divina has several alternative "for fee" options including the Eataly Steakhouse, the Galaxy Restaurant, Ristorante Italia, as well as pizza at La Cantina di Bacco (consistently reviewed as the best pizza at sea), and a gelato a shop. Since the cost of our cruise will be so cheap, we figured that we'll have plenty of extra money to indulge in alternative dining options should the free ones not be enough.

 

As mentioned above, we are doing a lot of research so that we sail on the Divina with realistic expectations. And one of those expectations is that MSC is an Italian cruise line offering a product quite different than what American cruise lines like Royal Caribbean offer.

 

With all of that said, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sail on a beautiful and relatively new ship, in a balcony stateroom for 7 nights to the Eastern Caribbean for about 1/4 the cost of a similar Royal cruise! I encourage you to take advantage of the free cruise that you've received. Anthem will be there when you return from the Divina, but your free cruise offer won't last forever.

 

Happy to hear that you are taking a leap and trying something new. I have cruised 3 times. Once each so far on Carnival, Royal, and NCL. I love experiencing the difference.

I have a huge favor to ask! Would you possibly post a review of the Davina? We are currently booked on the Harmony for 2017 but I would be interested in changing to the Davina. We are also booked for the MSC Seaside in 2018.

[toes_in_sand]

Having sailed on MSC twice before, The Divina and Poesia and my last cruise was RCCL I have to say MSC hands down.

 

MSC is not your typical North American cruiseline. Having said that, the Divina is more "Americanlized' that the Poesia was.

 

I prefer MSC for their service, not in your face always wanting you to buy another drink or some type of ship special. The shows are the best at sea and they keep winning awards for their shows. Dinner is an event you sit and talk to your tablemates, have conversations, drink some wine and have a good time. You're in a ship where do people have to go in such a hurry I can never figure it out.

She is a beautiful ship. We booked our next cruise for November as they are making a port call to Turks. Will be booking the Seaside mostly likely when we are on board as well.

[riclop]

Sadly, many Americans do not enjoy MSC. You just need to read lots of reviews and you will see the Brits, the Europeans and the Canadians seem happy but the Americans are often disappointed.

 

Having happily done 3 MSC cruises and presently looking at booking another, I'll give you a few of my thoughts.

 

Meat dishes (steaks particularly) are poor on MSC.

Pasta dishes are fabulous!

Drink packages are more reasonable on MSC.

No comedians.

No drinks in the theater.

Servers are more laid back, they will wait for you to signal before bugging you.

Entertainment is higher caliber but sometimes not your interest. (Fabulous string quartet on our last MSC Cruise).

Staff are less smiley.

No movies.

Don't look for French Fries, Burgers or Hot dogs, if you find them, you likely won't like them.

Pools close really early :-(

Lounge chairs are great.

Gelato is the best!!!

 

Wrong info they have burgers hot dogs and fries all day in the buffet. They do sometimes have a comedian.

[Iluvcruising2]

On the MSC Preziosa, during afternoon tea time, the buffet line had hot dogs, burgers and fries. See this video. This was on a sailing out of Genoa. I would be very surprised if they didn't have hot dogs, burger and fries when they sail out of the USA.

 

[YOUTUBE]iR_L9o5AkE4[/YOUTUBE]

Edited January 18, 2016 by Iluvcruising2

[monicajay]

Wrong info they have burgers hot dogs and fries all day in the buffet. They do sometimes have a comedian.

 

I was not trying to provide 'wrong info'. Personally, with 3 MSC cruises we have not seen a comedian but lots of other really good entertainment.

 

My point was that MSC is not known for good hot dogs or burgers, all we heard were complaints about them if and when they were available. Of course we were thinking, why would anybody eat that when there is so much good food on board. And yes, the pizzas were fabulous as were the pastas.

 

We have enjoyed our MSC cruises but they were in some ways very different from other lines.

Edited January 18, 2016 by monicajay

[Iluvcruising2]

We have enjoyed our MSC cruises but they were in some ways very different from other lines.

 

I am curious - for MSC sailings out of the USA, is the entertainment in English? On our MSC Preziosa cruise out of Genoa, the live music was nice but the singing was almost always in Italian.

 

See this video for an example.

[YOUTUBE]zfUkZc54jmQ[/YOUTUBE]

[toes_in_sand]

I was not trying to provide 'wrong info'. Personally, with 3 MSC cruises we have not seen a comedian but lots of other really good entertainment.

 

My point was that MSC is not known for good hot dogs or burgers, all we heard were complaints about them if and when they were available. Of course we were thinking, why would anybody eat that when there is so much good food on board. And yes, the pizzas were fabulous as were the pastas.

 

We have enjoyed our MSC cruises but they were in some ways very different from other lines.

 

We had an comedian on our last MSC cruise, its not a comedy show everynight, but we did have one.

 

I personally liked the burgers and fries on both the Divina and Poesia. Yes, they are prewrapped and you can not compare them to Guy's Burgers on Carnival but they are still pretty decent.

 

Coffee was the best I had at sea without having to pay extra for a coffee card.

Water was served in the MDR everynight, without having to ask.

 

As for the steak issues, you really need to look at the source of the product not the cruiseline. It is a supplier issue and how the cow is being slaughtered. A 'bad' steak comes from the source: the cow not the cruiseline.

 

People need to understand that MSC is not an American company and they try to cater to all nationalities, not just the people from the USA.

Edited January 18, 2016 by toes_in_sand

[bthom70]

we are booked on the Divina June 18th sailing, this our 1st MSC cruise and after 17 other cruises on RCL, X and Carnival we have learned to roll with the punches. We are really excited to try something else, food, passengers and brand.

[monicajay]

I am curious - for MSC sailings out of the USA, is the entertainment in English? On our MSC Preziosa cruise out of Genoa, the live music was nice but the singing was almost always in Italian.

 

See this video for an example.

zfUkZc54jmQ

 

On our 3 cruises, there wasn't much language in the entertainment. Guitar players, violin players, acrobats and opera one night, but that's always in Italian anyway.

 

we are booked on the Divina June 18th sailing, this our 1st MSC cruise and after 17 other cruises on RCL, X and Carnival we have learned to roll with the punches. We are really excited to try something else, food, passengers and brand.

 

Roll with the punches, don't compare all the time to your other cruises, choose traditional Italian food, and you will have a wonderful trip. Plus, look for the positives, as I mentioned, fabulous Gelato and the best lounge chairs at sea!

Edited January 18, 2016 by monicajay

[jgallagh1944]

I am curious - for MSC sailings out of the USA, is the entertainment in English? On our MSC Preziosa cruise out of Genoa, the live music was nice but the singing was almost always in Italian.

 

See this video for an example.

[YOUTUBE]zfUkZc54jmQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

The shows in the theater on the Divina are in English and they are fantastic. Even on the Italian favorites night, the songs were those that most Americans are familiar with over the past 3-4 decades.

[Iluvcruising2]

The shows in the theater on the Divina are in English and they are fantastic. Even on the Italian favorites night, the songs were those that most Americans are familiar with over the past 3-4 decades.

 

That's good. Glad to see that they have tried to customize the product for the American market.