How does MSC compare to Celebrity and Royal Caribbean?

[drsel]

Thanks

[waterbabyfish]

Enjoyed your review and thanks for posting. I'm a princess fan and have been trying other lines, I don't like ncl or carnival and rc is ok...so we'll see when September rolls around what msc seaside is all about.

 

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[Abaddon]

Thanks

Oh another thing I did like was the food in the buffet. It was so much stuff that I had never tried before. And if you didn't like all of that you always had the go to food that you knew would be good like hot dogs, burgers, pizza and fries. Oh and let me tell you the fries are great, I mean seriously who knew fries on a ship could be this good lol. Now let's talk about the main dining room...the menu is very very limited, I mean maybe 5 or so entrees to choose from and the time it takes to actually get your food was ridiculous. One day we had a show to go to at 6:45 and our dining time was 5:15 so we decided to go to the main dining room that night, what a mistake that was. We sat down at our table about 5:10 and placed our orders around 5:20. It took more than a hour to get our food and we basically had to rush and eat and we almost missed our show. So what I'm saying is the buffet has much better food and is a lot faster.

 

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[Tapi]

Based on our experience sailing on the Divina, I would place MSC one notch above Carnival and one notch below Royal Caribbean.

 

The ship was indeed beautiful, which makes it feel more luxurious than it actually is, but other aspects of the cruise makes the experience feel more on the budget side.

 

But overall, we have little to complain about MSC. We had a fantastic cruise! Good enough to make us book the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean this fall. As previously mentioned, their pricing structure is great, specially when traveling as a family. We sailed for a ridiculously low price when we went on the Divina, and will do so again on the Meraviglia. Because of that, we have decided to upgrade to an Aurea Duplex Suite (the equivalent of Royal’s Crown Loft Suite) since the cost is about the same as what Royal charges for a standard balcony stateroom.

 

About the clientele, which always seems to be a contentious topic: Yes, there are many nationalities onboard. In my humble opinion, those who have traveled internationally (going to an all inclusive in Mexico or bouncing around the Caribbean on a cruise ship doesn’t count), who have learned about and experienced other cultures, who know what to expect, and who thrive on the differences, will do well on MSC. Those who expect MSC to cater to their language or culture exclusively, and who have little tolerance for cultural differences (some of which may come across as rude), will not enjoy MSC.

 

We were on a van to Maho Beach in St Maarten which we shared with other fellow Americans traveling together. We asked them how they were enjoying the cruise, and they were hating it. The entire ride to Maho Beach, they complained about everything that they didn’t like about MSC. The lack of English-speaking comedy shows, no piano bar where the could sing along, the “boring” entertainment and music, the annoying announcements made in so many languages, too much “mystery food”, not a place for a good burger and fries (like Guy’s Burgers), their kids didn’t want to go back to the kids club because too many children didn’t speak English, the “rude” foreigners, and the aloof customer service. They said that they felt like minorities and would never sail on MSC again, and were going back to Carnival for their next cruise.

 

And after listening to their entire conversation, I agreed that they belonged in a cruise line that caters heavily and more exclusively to Americans. As mentioned above, MSC is not for everyone, including these people on the van in St. Maarten.

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2018 by Tapi

[drsel]

Oh another thing I did like was the food in the buffet. It was so much stuff that I had never tried before. And if you didn't like all of that you always had the go to food that you knew would be good like hot dogs, burgers, pizza and fries. Oh and let me tell you the fries are great, I mean seriously who knew fries on a ship could be this good lol. Now let's talk about the main dining room...the menu is very very limited, I mean maybe 5 or so entrees to choose from and the time it takes to actually get your food was ridiculous. One day we had a show to go to at 6:45 and our dining time was 5:15 so we decided to go to the main dining room that night, what a mistake that was. We sat down at our table about 5:10 and placed our orders around 5:20. It took more than a hour to get our food and we basically had to rush and eat and we almost missed our show. So what I'm saying is the buffet has much better food and is a lot faster.

 

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I agree. The main dining room is a real time waster.

On our recent 7 day MSC cruise, we dined only twice in the main dining room.

[Hobby3333]

Based on our experience sailing on the Divina, I would place MSC one notch above Carnival and one notch below Royal Caribbean.

 

The ship was indeed beautiful, which makes it feel more luxurious than it actually is, but other aspects of the cruise makes the experience feel more on the budget side.

 

But overall, we have little to complain about MSC. We had a fantastic cruise! Good enough to make us book the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean this fall. As previously mentioned, their pricing structure is great, specially when traveling as a family. We sailed for a ridiculously low price when we went on the Divina, and will do so again on the Meraviglia. Because of that, we have decided to upgrade to an Aurea Duplex Suite (the equivalent of Royal’s Crown Loft Suite) since the cost is about the same as what Royal charges for a standard balcony stateroom.

 

About the clientele, which always seems to be a contentious topic: Yes, there are many nationalities onboard. In my humble opinion, those who have traveled internationally (going to an all inclusive in Mexico or bouncing around the Caribbean on a cruise ship doesn’t count), who have learned about and experienced other cultures, who know what to expect, and who thrive on the differences, will do well on MSC. Those who expect MSC to cater to their language or culture exclusively, and who have little tolerance for cultural differences (some of which may come across as rude), will not enjoy MSC.

 

We were on a van to Maho Beach in St Maarten which we shared with other fellow Americans traveling together. We asked them how they were enjoying the cruise, and they were hating it. The entire ride to Maho Beach, they complained about everything that they didn’t like about MSC. The lack of English-speaking comedy shows, no piano bar where the could sing along, the “boring” entertainment and music, the annoying announcements made in so many languages, too much “mystery food”, not a place for a good burger and fries (like Guy’s Burgers), their kids didn’t want to go back to the kids club because too many children didn’t speak English, the “rude” foreigners, and the aloof customer service. They said that they felt like minorities and would never sail on MSC again, and were going back to Carnival for their next cruise.

 

And after listening to their entire conversation, I agreed that they belonged in a cruise line that caters heavily and more exclusively to Americans. As mentioned above, MSC is not for everyone, including these people on the van in St. Maarten.

 

 

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The main reason I decided to cruise MSC was the fact that it is different than Carnival.

[soccer2010]

The main reason I decided to cruise MSC was the fact that it is different than Carnival.

I so agree.

[Hlitner]

We also booked MSC (our 15th cruise line) because it is different from the Mass Market USA lines. It makes us smile when we see folks complaining the MSC is "European" or "Italian" and attracts an international clientèle. For us, those are all big positives.

 

Not all cruise lines and travel options are for everyone. Folks should analyze their own wants and needs and act accordingly. At one time, DW and I were very big RCI fans (our DD was Diamond by age 15) but now, we would probably put RCI near the bottom of our list of favored cruise lines. Yes, RCI has changed a lot from when we used to enjoy the Sun Viking and Song of America. But we have also changed :). There is very little now emphasized on RCI that we find attractive.

 

Hank

[smrtypnts]

HI Sweetmona,

 

So...in response to your question...yes...you will find a different vibe on MSC. They are providing a comfort zone for all levels of international travelers while cruising in the American market of the Caribbean. Their style in the main part of the ship is a bit chaotic but the pax seem to thrive. The secluded Yacht Club is, IMO, the greatest advance in mass market cruising in this century. The YC offers the best of both worlds where you get privacy, a greater level of luxury and the big ship experience when you want it.

 

What is the Yacht Club?

[MANDMTRAVEL]

We also booked MSC (our 15th cruise line) because it is different from the Mass Market USA lines. It makes us smile when we see folks complaining the MSC is "European" or "Italian" and attracts an international clientèle. For us, those are all big positives.

 

Not all cruise lines and travel options are for everyone. Folks should analyze their own wants and needs and act accordingly. At one time, DW and I were very big RCI fans (our DD was Diamond by age 15) but now, we would probably put RCI near the bottom of our list of favored cruise lines. Yes, RCI has changed a lot from when we used to enjoy the Sun Viking and Song of America. But we have also changed :). There is very little now emphasized on RCI that we find attractive.

 

Hank

 

 

Very well said!