MSC for Carnival Cruisers

[Ariel1985]

Can anyone answer what ppl are meaning by cultural differences? I’ve ran across the odd Irish or English citizen in my travels and they’ve always been friendly and polite. 

 

I’m an introvert, so I’m good with not talking with strangers. But I worry abt the claims of shoving and getting elbowed out of the way👀

[Butterbean1000]

My husband priced an MSC cruise for us once when it was BOGO.  It still came out way more expensive than paying for two on a Carnival.  I would still like to try other cruise line one day. I've got 2 more days to turn platinum after this cruise, so I know I have at least one more Carnival in the future. 😎

Edited April 25, 2019 by Butterbean1000

[tallnthensome]

6 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

My husband priced an MSC cruise for us once when it was BOGO.  It still came out way more expensive than paying for two on a Carnival.  I would still like to try other cruise line one day. I've got 2 more days to turn platinum after this cruise, so I know I have at least one more Carnival in the future. 😎

LOL, I wouldn't delay sailing a different (better) line to achieve platinum status that's pretty much worthless that gets you a 99 cent lanyard for it. I can't believe anyone would just sail carnival ..........

[tallnthensome]

16 minutes ago, Ariel1985 said:

Can anyone answer what ppl are meaning by cultural differences? I’ve ran across the odd Irish or English citizen in my travels and they’ve always been friendly and polite. 

 

I’m an introvert, so I’m good with not talking with strangers. But I worry abt the claims of shoving and getting elbowed out of the way👀

Don't buy into that crap ...... We had people from all over the world on our MSC sailing and it was delightful conversation. I have to laugh at the shoving comments ...... 

[Ariel1985]

6 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

Don't buy into that crap ...... We had people from all over the world on our MSC sailing and it was delightful conversation. I have to laugh at the shoving comments ...... 

Thank you for the reply! The Seaside Yacht Club experience has my name on it!

[tallnthensome]

Just now, Ariel1985 said:

Thank you for the reply! The Seaside Yacht Club experience has my name on it!

Do it! Enjoy!!!  Venchi .... best drinks ever! Make sure you visit often! 

[Butterbean1000]

5 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

LOL, I wouldn't delay sailing a different (better) line to achieve platinum status that's pretty much worthless that gets you a 99 cent lanyard for it. I can't believe anyone would just sail carnival ..........

I'm not doing it for the gifts.  It's an accomplishment.  The first time I cruised, I noticed people in the special waiting area and was told they have cruised 10+ cruises.  I thought to myself I would never be able to cruise that much.  I'm am booked on my 11th cruise now and my goal is just within reach. 

 

Why do I sail Carnival?  I have never had a bad time.  I get a good vacation for the money.  

 

BTW, I felt your comment was very insulting, but I hope you enjoy all your cruises, no matter who you sail with.

[tallnthensome]

6 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I'm not doing it for the gifts.  It's an accomplishment.  The first time I cruised, I noticed people in the special waiting area and was told they have cruised 10+ cruises.  I thought to myself I would never be able to cruise that much.  I'm am booked on my 11th cruise now and my goal is just within reach. 

 

Why do I sail Carnival?  I have never had a bad time.  I get a good vacation for the money.  

 

BTW, I felt your comment was very insulting, but I hope you enjoy all your cruises, no matter who you sail with.

I'm not trying to insult you but you're really missing out on some great experiences is all I'm trying to say. It seems that you're more concerned about a silly status that thousands of others already have instead of broadening your cruising horizons. If that's your "goal" then have at it. BTW, the OP was asking about people who have cruised MSC and the comparisons ..... not who hasn't sailed MSC which doesn't help the OP.

Edited April 25, 2019 by tallnthensome

[Butterbean1000]

2 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

I'm not trying to insult you but you're really missing out on some great experiences is all I'm trying to say. It seems that you're more concerned about a silly status that thousands of others already have instead of broadening your cruising horizons. If that's your "goal" then have at it. BTW, the OP was asking about people who have cruised MSC and the comparisons ..... not who hasn't sailed MSC which doesn't help the OP.

Thank you for correcting me. Forgive my silliness.  I'll be sure to be more careful in the future.

[naxer]

Last February I did a week on the Glory, got off, walked over to the next terminal, and did a week on the MSC Seaside.

 

I chose MSC for the price, the status match OBC, the included drink package, and the wanting to try another cruise line.   It was different, but very comparable.  The service was the same for me, but I tended to get on friendly terms with Carnival staff.  I like Mediterranean food, so the buffet was very much to my liking, and I didn't find it repetitive, which others seem to do.  The coolest thing for me was the fresh fried donuts in the morning, lol.  

 

I went to a show every night, for which reservations are suggested/required.  I enjoyed them, but they were all very similar with essentially the same acts in different costumes with a different theme--more circus or Cirque de Soleil like.  (But, to be fair, Playlist Productions are all essentially the same thing, too.)  Live music on Carnival is better, in more venues, and a greater variety every night.  Since my evening entertainment tends to be sitting and drinking and listening to live music, or doing the cruise director's 70s or 80s night trivia, I would favor Carnival.  Although the lobby bar/atrium shows were fun and very well themed, and they use the whole space.  

 

The Seaside is spectacular in design, decoration, and layout.  They have lots of quiet, comfortable spaces on the lanai which I appreciated.  The pools are about the same with some nice differences to the entertainment, or I could just be tired of the Hairy Chest Competition.  

 

There were a lot of Europeans on the cruise, and that does give it a different feel.

 

If I got a good deal for another MSC cruise, I would do it.  But generally, Carnival ships are more...well...fun. 

[JaxsMama]

I booked a yacht club on seaside about a year ago for 2020.  They changed multiple things after I booked including the drink package, grats and other things included (crepes, gelato, top shelf drinks, champs).  Also their private island opening date keeps being pushed back. I cancelled and booked horizon 8 day ABC's Havana and saved $1400.  Watch the boards on MSC, it scared me lol.  Understand what "experience" you are booking. From what I understand the lower level doesn't even get seating in the mdr, more like a table in the buffet overflow area. 

[scpirate]

5 hours ago, Kermarkim said:

Nothing compares to Carnival.  This is a different class of cruise.  It is more upscale.  The prices are comparable and in some cases lower.  However, the experience is way different.  Carnival is known as the funship for a reason.  MSC cabins are nicer and maybe slightly larger.  There are more affordable options for the beverage packages.  As an example, depending on the tier you purchase in price, you can get I believe it is 9 drink coupons per person included in the price.  These can be used for alcohol or any specialty drinks such as coffees, shakes, etc.  You can also purchase coupon booklets onboard based on how much you want to drink.  I thought the food was tastier.  The entertainment is geared more towards a world environment.  MSC attracts more of a European crowd so there are no comedians on ship.  I'm told comedy is hard to translate across cultures.  The shows are everything from opera to Michael Jackson impersonation.  We enjoyed MSC and will definitely cruise with her again, but I totally have more fun on Carnival.

No more drink coupons and they have beer prov  improvised comedy nstead of stand up comics.i think all the complaints are coming from carnival cruisers.if you want the carnival experience stick with carnival.msc is different a lot of different nationalities that they have to cater too.i enjoyed msc and am booked again for next year.i have a carnival booked for this year.carnival is at the bottom of my list.but.my wife likes carnival a tad bit more than I do.i miss the old carnival before they became the "fun" ship.

[ray98]

I don't think the water issue is 'sorted out'.  You can go read reviews rights now from recent cruises where cruisers had difficulty getting a simple glass of water with their meal.

 

[Nic6318]

7 hours ago, scpirate said:

 

nationalities that they have to cater too.i enjoyed msc and am booked again for next year.i have a carnival booked for this year.carnival is at the bottom of my list.but.my wife likes carnival a tad bit more than I do.i miss the old carnival before they became the "fun" ship.

 

Hi

 

Could you be a little more clear... I believe their "fun ship" tag stuck after the companies' very first sailing due the issues about that sailing.  

[evandbob]

We sailed the Seaside last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Beautiful new ship, lots of new stuff to enjoy like the glass walking decks way above the aft pool.  A few quirks we needed to learn about, but I would sail them again, maybe Divina or Meraviglia next time.

 

MSC's food was comparable to Carnival's.  MSC's theater shows were way better than Carnivals.  My Diamond was matched to MSC's black card, their highest tier.  The balcony cabin was about the same size but decorated differently.  I believe they like other cruise lines, had sliding glass balcony doors instead of Carnivals hinged slammers.

 

I'm not a drinker, but along with their fares, one can also get a drink package included for a lot less than Carnival.

 

Disclaimer:  I have 40 carnival cruises and will still sail Carnival again only for a new ship, a crazy itinerary, or a casino fare.  Otherwise, there's lots of other cruise lines and ships to explore!  If you remember the thrill of your first cruise, you can get that feeling again on a different cruise line.  On Carnival, it's the same old ship, the same old decor, the same menu and activities, on a different ship it's that sense of wonderment back, ah!

 

JMO, YMMV

[elcuchio24]

Thier 'kids sail free' cruises are SWEEEEEEEEEET deals!

[ly26]

48 minutes ago, evandbob said:

We sailed the Seaside last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Beautiful new ship, lots of new stuff to enjoy like the glass walking decks way above the aft pool.  A few quirks we needed to learn about, but I would sail them again, maybe Divina or Meraviglia next time.

 

MSC's food was comparable to Carnival's.  MSC's theater shows were way better than Carnivals.  My Diamond was matched to MSC's black card, their highest tier.  The balcony cabin was about the same size but decorated differently.  I believe they like other cruise lines, had sliding glass balcony doors instead of Carnivals hinged slammers.

 

I'm not a drinker, but along with their fares, one can also get a drink package included for a lot less than Carnival.

 

Disclaimer:  I have 40 carnival cruises and will still sail Carnival again only for a new ship, a crazy itinerary, or a casino fare.  Otherwise, there's lots of other cruise lines and ships to explore!  If you remember the thrill of your first cruise, you can get that feeling again on a different cruise line.  On Carnival, it's the same old ship, the same old decor, the same menu and activities, on a different ship it's that sense of wonderment back, ah!

 

JMO, YMMV

Thanks!

We have typically done Carnival since it was easy to drive to Jacksonville or Charleston from Charlotte, NC.

We did drive to NY once for the Canada cruise, Miami once and Port Canaveral once 🙂  Flights for 4 of us can get pricey, but we are ready to begin exploring other cruise lines.  A co-worker swears by Celebrity.  Our youngest starts college in the fall, so my husband and I are looking toward cruises for just the 2 of us, and flights wouldn't be such and issue (flying for 2 would probably be less than cruising with 4 - we always get 2 cabins).

 

Miami opens up so many options for ports, and other cruise lines as well.  Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, MSC...

I want to try them all, and expand to Alaska, Hawaii, Med...

So many wonderful options and next year, no working around school schedules, just the 2 of us.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback!

 

Lynn

 

 

 

 

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

If you remember the thrill of your first cruise, you can get that feeling again on a different cruise line.  On Carnival, it's the same old ship, the same old decor, the same menu and activities, on a different ship it's that sense of wonderment back, ah!

That’s one of the big reasons why we started bouncing from one cruise line to the next, rather than sticking to the same one over and over for the sake of price, convenience, or familiarity. Every time we set foot on a new ship or new cruise line, I feel that same excitement and giddiness that first timers get. I walk around in wonder, discovering the ship, learning my way around, trying new things, different food selections, different entertainment, and just discovering the little details that differentiate each cruise line. It’s truly a wonderful feeling, and it beats any loyalty perks. 

 

We sailed on Carnival earlier this year after being away for 8 years. While we had a fun time and, in a sense, it was good to be back on familiar soil, I found myself looking forward to something different. It was the same old, same old. Some things on Carnival have changed over the years, but not enough to make it feel like a new experience. 

Edited April 25, 2019 by Tapi

[elcuchio24]

47 minutes ago, Tapi said:

That’s one of the big reasons why we started bouncing from one cruise line to the next, rather than sticking to the same one over and over for the sake of price, convenience, or familiarity. Every time we set foot on a new ship or new cruise line, I feel that same excitement and giddiness that first timers get. I walk around in wonder, discovering the ship, learning my way around, trying new things, different food selections, different entertainment, and just discovering the little details that differentiate each cruise line. It’s truly a wonderful feeling, and it beats any loyalty perks. 

 

We sailed on Carnival earlier this year after being away for 8 years. While we had a fun time and, in a sense, it was good to be back on familiar soil, I found myself looking forward to something different. It was the same old, same old. Some things on Carnival have changed over the years, but not enough to make it feel like a new experience. 

 

I agree. There are been some threads lately with people upset with past guest perks. It just makes me thing: I have NO idea why people would stick with one line just to get Diamond/black/Platinum/Whatever. I would much rather cruise on 6 difference lines 5 times a piece than one line 30 times.

 

If you cruise XYZ line, and hate it, well at least you know. But if you never try you'll never know what your missing!

[evandbob]

Another benefit of trying different lines is that I could find some new shore excursions that weren't available on the cruise line I normally booked.

Edited April 25, 2019 by evandbob

[rwdtgb]

I have enjoyed reading all the comments. We have sailed Carnival 35 times and will continue to sail on them. 

We are giving MSC a try on Monday and are looking forward to our cruise, we travel to Europe often so not concerned with travel with a diverse group of passengers. I will report back when we return in May.

[Linda the Book Lover]

21 hours ago, Tapi said:

I’m Platinum on Carnival. We have sailed twice on MSC, once on the Divina in the Caribbean and once on the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean. 

 

Our cruise on the Divina was OK. The ship was beautiful, the stage entertainment was pretty good (better than Carnival for sure), and we appreciated the loyalty match program and all the perks that came with it. But the food selection was repetitive and a bit lacking, service wasn’t consistent, and we encountered several glitches and snafus throughout the week. But considering the price we paid, we really couldn’t complain about the negatives. We still had a great vacation.

 

We decided to give MSC a chance again last November, this time in the Mediterranean aboard one of their newest and largest ships (the Meraviglia). This time we were wowed and impressed. The ship was amazing. Beautiful, tastefully decorated, with tons of activities, and technologically advanced. We haven’t been this wowed by a new ship since we sailed on Royal’s Allure of the Seas during her inaugural season. Both food and service were greatly improved since our previous MSC cruise 2 years prior, entertainment has been taken to a new level with MSC’s partnership with Cirque Du Soleil (with a dedicated theater and performances exclusive to MSC), and we didn’t encounter any glitches or snafus as we did before. We LOVED the cultural mix of passengers onboard! It was wonderful to sail with fellow cruisers from so many countries. We only met one other family from the USA during the entire cruise and only heard English sporadically. For us, it was a welcome change to disconnect from home. It was an amazing cruise and now I place MSC at the top of my favorites. 

 

To make things even more wonderful, their competitive pricing allowed us to splurge and book an Aurea Duplex Suite for less than a standard balcony in the Caribbean on another cruise line would’ve cost us. This amazing suite was a 2 deck loft, with separate sleeping quarters upstairs, living room and dining area downstairs, 2 full bathrooms, 2 closets, forward facing balcony with jacuzzi, priority embarkation, unlimited drinking package, unlimited access to the thermal area, free massages, access to a private solarium for suite guests, and access to a reserved area in the MDR with open seating. Once again, all of this cost us less than a standard balcony in the Caribbean with no perks on our previous cruise on another cruise line. 

 

Overall, MSC offers a fantastic experience, and it seems like, as they roll out their American product and iron out some wrinkles, the product keeps getting better. It will NEVER be Carnival or other American cruise lines. It is still a very Italian cruise line that caters heavily to its very loyal International clientele, so it can’t alienate them completely in order to cater to Americans.

 

Yes, announcements will be in various languages, some food selections may not appeal to the American palate, there won’t be comedians or dueling pianos and instead you’ll find less verbal entertainment, your fellow cruisers will speak several different languages and may follow different social behavior and etiquette, etc. But if you’re someone who can embrace the things that differentiate MSC from the American cruise lines, you will love it. If you’re not someone who embraces chance easily and prefer a cruise line that caters heavily to Americans, then MSC may not be for you. 

 

Here’s a thread that I started with more information about our last MSC cruise. I hope it’s helpful!

 

 

Everything here pretty much sums up the experiences I have read recently about MSC. Sadly, some Americans always want every experience to be American from speaking only English to menus. I agree MSC cannot alienate their International clientele and if you are open to new experiences then MSC may be for you. 

[bjd2]

18 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I'm not doing it for the gifts.  It's an accomplishment.  The first time I cruised, I noticed people in the special waiting area and was told they have cruised 10+ cruises.  I thought to myself I would never be able to cruise that much.  I'm am booked on my 11th cruise now and my goal is just within reach. 

 

Why do I sail Carnival?  I have never had a bad time.  I get a good vacation for the money.  

 

BTW, I felt your comment was very insulting, but I hope you enjoy all your cruises, no matter who you sail with.

I agree with you! We've done 12 Carnival cruises and have 2 more upcoming. We enjoy the familiarity, we know where most things are and how things work. We've been happy with the product that we've always gotten for the price we paid. These things are worth something to us. We've had a great cruise every time.

 

We look at other lines now and then but nothing has been worth trying the unknown rather than sticking with what we know has given us years of enjoyment.

[rwdtgb]

We just finished our first cruise on MSC Armonia to Cuba. Let me just say how impressed we were with MSC. The service, Food, entertainment were some of the best we have experienced on a cruise ship. We have sailed over  50 plus times on other lines(Carnival, Princess, Cunard, Costa, RC and Celebrity).

The staff is well dressed and very professional (table bussers are in shirts and ties). You don't realize how much you miss the tablecloths on the dinning room until you have them every night( so nice not having glass sweat dripping all over the place). 

 

MSC has 2 new fans and we can't wait to sail them again. We will always sail with Carnival when we can but finding another option is always good.