Royal Cruiser tried MSC- what did you think?

[kernow]

We are D+ and sailed on Musica with black card match in January.

 

We loved it, the ship was very stylish, lots of bars and lounges that flow into one another.We found the service good, very similar to RCL. All the staff that we came into contact with spoke good English.

 

We enjoyed the shows in the theatre, other evening entertainment was really just duos/bands in the various bars. There were not many game show type things. This was fine with us as we had a large table of English speakers in the dining room and we would just go to one of the bars after dinner.

 

The drink package is a bargain £22 a day and it included nearly everything, including gelato!

 

We thought the food was good, at the time we said on a par with RCL although after our recent Brilliance cruise I would say much better. The MDR is open for lunch every day even in port which we liked.

 

The only negative to me was that I found the pool deck very crowded, not just lots of people but loungers crammed in absolutely everywhere. If you book Aurea or yacht club there is a private sundeck so that's what we will do next time.

 

I'd definitely recommend giving it a try, just be open minded that there is a much bigger mix of nationalities than on RCL.

 

Julie

[PaulnKarl]

Loved MSC Divina (10/22/16) and hope to sail its sister ship Fantasia in May. It's been a while since we sailed RCCI so going on Navigator on Jan. 3rd. With MSC still in recent memory, I'm looking forward to making a comparison - especially as both ships are similar in size.

Edited December 2, 2016 by PaulnKarl

[RFerrington]

I did their online application last night and had an email this morning with acceptance and Voyagers Club Black account.

 

I called yesterday and the representative with whom I spoke walked me through the status match application process. He told me that I would receive an email acknowledging receipt of the request yesterday. Still nothing.

 

Guess I'll try calling one more time and then assume that it's just not meant to be !

[VASOXFANN]

Are you saying there is a worse website than Royal's?:eek:

 

MUCH worse! :eek: it's impossible to do anything :mad:

[mcatmcat]

I went to divina 2 years ago when they started sailing from miami

 

I don't think I will sail with MSC again, never say never but I will try to sell an alternative. I mostly sail with Royal and I wanted to try something new. The ship is some how beautiful and great decor and the food at the MDR is way better than Royal. Nightly show were amazing compared to Royal.

 

Now, here is what I didn't like. The MSC crew will try not to look at your eyes. They don't say Hi or try to interact with you. I was told they are not used to receive tip so they are happy with the minimum wage. Lots of pizza and last during lunch, the only area to find fish is in the kid section. No straw for drinking so you need to drink from the plastic cup. It was cheaper than Royal but not worth the experience.

 

I rather sail with MSC than carnival but I will keep in mind they are similar in service

 

2016 sailed with Royal only and my plans for 2017 are the same

 

 

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[Saab4444]

I went to divina 2 years ago when they started sailing from miami

 

I don't think I will sail with MSC again, never say never but I will try to sell an alternative. I mostly sail with Royal and I wanted to try something new. The ship is some how beautiful and great decor and the food at the MDR is way better than Royal. Nightly show were amazing compared to Royal.

 

Now, here is what I didn't like. The MSC crew will try not to look at your eyes. They don't say Hi or try to interact with you. I was told they are not used to receive tip so they are happy with the minimum wage. Lots of pizza and last during lunch, the only area to find fish is in the kid section. No straw for drinking so you need to drink from the plastic cup. It was cheaper than Royal but not worth the experience.

 

I rather sail with MSC than carnival but I will keep in mind they are similar in service

 

2016 sailed with Royal only and my plans for 2017 are the same

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I copy that. MSC ships are very nice but the staff is not talking much with guests. Especially in the buffet areas you do not feel welcome. This is not because of tips but reflects behavior of restaurant staff in some Southern European countries. European staff members have a slightly arrogant attitude on MSC ships we sailed. Food was good but Orange juice was a nightmare!

 

 

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[Tin can]

European staff members have a slightly arrogant attitude on MSC ships we sailed.

 

 

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I have not been on MSC but I think this could be as much to do with Europeans (presumably their usual customers) and especially us Brits being a bit more reserved with them. Us Brits especially can't help it :)

 

I like the American vibe of Royal, you interact more with other passengers and staff. Staff then interact more with the customers and I like that.

[framboesa]

We have been to 2 MSC cruises; the ships were gorgeous, the indoor pool better than any in our Royal Caribbean experience. The food was similar, but the 20 hours food was a joke in both cruises, after 11pm we only could get sandwiches or fruit.The pizza was fantastic!Missed the lemonade :(

 

The entertainment was hit or miss, but the royal caribbean was better the majority of the times;there were more thematic parties than in RC cruises, actually we had a different thematic party all nights ...but the daily entertainment during the day time, like games, were poor: always the same games (can you put a ball in a bucket, can you put a ball in a bowl, can you put a ball inside a box...always the same). The material was broken in both ships (the table tennis racket, shuffleboard sticks...).

 

The service is less attentive too...I don´t want the employees to bring us the drinks and things like that ( we are not used to it, we prefer to serve ourselves than to wait in our pool chair to be served, it's not our "thing" ;) ) We understand that in Europe we do things differently regarding to service...but even knowing the differences, and even knowing that we don´t appreciate to be bothered all the time ...well...we never saw our room attendant! never in 2 cruises! :D No mingle at all!

 

I will not say that we had a bad cruise,we always had fantastic cruises, but the "italian ships" don´t have the american vibe that we love ;)

[RFerrington]

Update on status match: Both mine and my husband's came through...finally.

[Clarea]

Update on status match: Both mine and my husband's came through...finally.

Did you have to call MSC to get them to move on it?