MSC in November. Worth a Try?

[FOD1984]

Hello.

 

Bit of background. Two early 30s couple from the UK. We've cruised once with Thomson, did a mini cruise with CMV, have the Ovation of the Seas booked for Spring and have definitely caught the cruising bug!

 

I've seen an amazing price on the MSC Poesia in November from Barcelona. However the reviews are putting me off and the other half isn't keen on the idea at all. However for the price I think I'd take the risk. I couldn't get a week on the costas for the price it is at!

 

What puts me off is the reviews of out of control kids and buffet bunfights along with the language barrier. We keep ourselves to ourselves so not overly worried about not being able to speak to other guests so it's not a major worry.

 

Is it worth the risk, or are MSC cheap for a reason?

[t_car]

When are the dates of those cruise reviews. If they are during the summer or during school breaks, then you tend to get more families with younger kids.

The better price range will also attract families due to affordability.

 

Is there ever really a bad time to cruise? No!!

Go and have a great time.

[emily1606]

We're a couple in our early 20s and did our first cruise with MSC in November just gone. This was on the Orchestra which is in the same class as the Poesia. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

We thought the staff and the service were second to none however we didn't really have anything to compare it to.

 

The main thing that we found frustrating was the rudeness of other passengers. They just did not seem to notice we were there but we didn't let it spoil our holiday.

 

I didn't find there was any language barriers when it came to the staff and getting around the ship as everything was in English too. It was most definitely a the second language on the ship.

 

We found there wasn't many children on the ship either and the ones we did come across didn't bother us.

 

Hope this helps!!

Edited January 22, 2016 by emily1606

[madscienceteacher]

I have just returned from my first MSC cruise on Musica with my husband and another couple. We have all cruised before with P&O and Princess, so have something to compare with. We managed to get out MSC cruise around the UAE and Oman at the right price.

 

Got to say, although I love Italy - I did not enjoy the Italians on the ship. They were rude and ignorant.

 

The food in both the MDR and buffet was ok! It did lack the flourishes found on other cruise lines.

 

There was a lack of serving staff in the MDR, where Alit our waiter was run off his feet and around the pools and in bars where we routinely waited a minimum of 10-15 minutes for service.

 

On disembarking we all agreed we had enjoyed our cruise but we would only sail MSC again if the price was right!

[riclop]

Hello.

 

Bit of background. Two early 30s couple from the UK. We've cruised once with Thomson, did a mini cruise with CMV, have the Ovation of the Seas booked for Spring and have definitely caught the cruising bug!

 

I've seen an amazing price on the MSC Poesia in November from Barcelona. However the reviews are putting me off and the other half isn't keen on the idea at all. However for the price I think I'd take the risk. I couldn't get a week on the costas for the price it is at!

 

What puts me off is the reviews of out of control kids and buffet bunfights along with the language barrier. We keep ourselves to ourselves so not overly worried about not being able to speak to other guests so it's not a major worry.

 

Is it worth the risk, or are MSC cheap for a reason?

 

Give it a try you may love it and if not you don't come back but it's worth a try.

Edited January 23, 2016 by riclop

[CanadaRob]

Hello.

 

Bit of background. Two early 30s couple from the UK. We've cruised once with Thomson, did a mini cruise with CMV, have the Ovation of the Seas booked for Spring and have definitely caught the cruising bug!

 

I've seen an amazing price on the MSC Poesia in November from Barcelona. However the reviews are putting me off and the other half isn't keen on the idea at all. However for the price I think I'd take the risk. I couldn't get a week on the costas for the price it is at!

 

What puts me off is the reviews of out of control kids and buffet bunfights along with the language barrier. We keep ourselves to ourselves so not overly worried about not being able to speak to other guests so it's not a major worry.

 

Is it worth the risk, or are MSC cheap for a reason?

 

Of course it's worth the risk. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a bad cruise. Booked my first MSC cruise for next Feb because the pricing was so fantastic. I'm ok with multi language people and non "American" style cruising.

MSC is trying to create and move their brand forward, the great prices will not be around forever.

[kernow]

I'd say go for it.

 

We did our first MSC cruise on Musica a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. We're D+ on RCL and have cruised many other companies too and I thought MSC compared pretty well and as you say was an absolute bargain.

 

Language is no problem, everything is announced in English. We had a conversation with the English speaking hostess who told us that since the Concordia disaster all cruise lines now have to have a common language that all of their onboard staff speak and on MSC that is English. We didn't find any staff members who didn't speak fluent English.

 

We found the staff friendly and the service pretty good, there was only one lounge where the service was a bit slow but we would just go up to the bar ourselves to get a drink and then no problem!

 

We actually liked the food, in the MDR the portions are smaller than other lines but they have multiple courses for both lunch and dinner so we never left feeling hungry. We thought the buffet food was better than on lots of other ships, I actually preferred it to RCL.

 

I think you can find unruly kids on most lines during school holidays but it shouldn't be a problem in November. Our cruise seemed to have lots of different nationalities onboard and I didn't notice that anyone was any ruder than other cruises we have done.

 

We'll certainly be going back on MSC in the future, hope you decide to give it a try too!

 

Julie

[tomvet]

Language barrier - not a problem! All announcements are in English and the crew all speak English!

 

Buffet bun fight - yes it can be but if you strategically time your visits to the buffet and use the MDR for breakfast, you can avoid a lot of it.

 

We have done three MSC cruises and they have progressively gotten better. They are certainly not perfect but they try. Their customer service shore side is slow and trying at times.

 

Their ships are fabulous and with the prices they charge, how could you do wrong?

 

Go with the attitude that you will have a great time and that if the worst come to the worst you will have a great time despite them than because of them you will be fine! :D

[DutchBunny]

I do not know what the price is of the cruise your are looking at. Our first cruise was with NCL and costed us Euro 500,- p.p. For a 10 day cruise incl. flights Amsterdam-Barcelona v.v. We said to each other that for this price, staying at home would be more expensive. I would say the same about MSC. We have done 2 cruises with them, the last one just 2 weeks ago. It is not perfect but which holiday is perfect. If you take price-quality into account, than I would say it is perfect. I am Dutch, so English is not my first language but we had no problem understanding or speaking to the crew. Everybody we encountered was nice and frinedly. The other passengers on this cruise were a lot of Italians and Russians (did not check before if it was still holiday season in other countries) with children but we actually liked it. Our previous 2 cruises were actually in January and March and on these cruises we did not have a lot of families on it. We did not meet any other passengers who misbehaved but maybe we do not look for them. I am on holiday so I do not want to annoy myself I want to have fun and a good time. So my advise, go and have fun.

[earn]

We have mostly cruised RCI but have done a few MSC cruises too. We really like what they offer and I can't really understand the bad reviews. We sailed on Poesia in the Caribbean a few years ago and had a great cruise. I think the decor of the cabins is nicer than RCI and we enjoy the food both in the MDR and buffet. The MDR is open for lunch every day, not just sea days and the do brilliant value drink vouchers. Entertainment is good and the quality of their own singers and dancers is above average. There is also a huge variety of music in the bars at night,