Compare RC and MSC...

[TotallySophia]

My husband, myself, and my mom sailed on the Seaside May 2018, and we loved it. We're all Diamond on Royal so we were able to get the loyalty status match on MSC to their Black Card.

My husband and I were in an Aurea balcony room and really enjoyed spending time in the Top 19 area and also used the steam rooms daily. We loved the food, especially the pizza, and thought the steakhouse was delicious and a nice change in appetizers/sides from Chops. When we first boarded we started chatting with one of the bartenders at the Seaside Bar who was super personable, and spent plenty of time there throughout the week. I loved that there was gelato at many bars and everything at the chocolate place, it was amazing that it was included in our drink package (I know they've made changes, so I don't know if this is still the case). The ship didn't seem dirty or smelly at all, despite what we had read in reviews. 

We didn't like the lack of storage in the stateroom or how tightly configured the bathroom was. These are things that I read about several times in other reviews prior to boarding, so we were kind of expecting it. We initially thought the booking was confusing with all the different types of experiences, but figured it out quickly. There was also a lot of frustration with getting names spelled correctly, they had my middle name as my first on their Voyagers Club and it took many phone calls to get it straightened out. 

[hp_slash]

All of these posts about MSC have me very worried...

 

I booked MSC Divina for me, DH & friends for a very low price to try to get our friends into cruising, now I'm concerned it will send them running in the other direction away from cruises altogether.

[Biker19]

11 minutes ago, hp_slash said:

now I'm concerned it will send them running in the other direction away from cruises altogether.

That can happen on any ship, including an RCI one. 

[jules815]

On 7/10/2019 at 10:26 PM, George C said:

Msc yacht club on paper sounds much better than rccl suite for perks ,  we normally cruise rccl and in suites but really looking forward to msc yacht club with private pool and bars for yacht club people. 

You're really going to enjoy it.  Royal Caribbean has been our cruise line of choice, and since 2014, all of our cruises with them have been in suites.  We've also done a few with Celebrity starting in 2015, and enjoyed them as well.  Read a lot about the YC, so we gave it a try in January.  We were in Seaside, Deluxe Suite 18009, which is comparable to about the size of a junior suite on RC, minus the walk-in closet, and a Sky Suite with X.  The room was nicely appointed, bathroom had a really nice shower with a seat, a rainfall shower and hand-held.  Everything in the mini-fridge was included, and they kept it stocked, including snacks.  The butlers will even bring cocktails to your stateroom.  We often saw butlers carrying a tray with cocktails thru the hallway.  Also, drinks are included in your YC fare, in the lounge there and anywhere else on ship.  The YC was so nice though, we never went to any other bars on board.  I've read service at bars outside the YC isn't always good.

 

Service in the YC was exceptional.  From the time we boarded they really do take care of you.  You check in curbside under a YC tent with butlers.  You're whisked past the security line with a butler, taken to a private check-in area and served champagne and snacks.  From there you're escorted again with a butler thru the ship to an elevator that bypassed all floors and took us straight up the the YC where you're greeted by more butlers and officers who addressed us by name throughout our week.  

 

The YC lounge was never crowded and has beautiful views from the 2 story, floor to ceiling windows at the front of the ship.  Service was always very good, and they had live music every evening while we were there for our pre-dinner cocktails.  Food in the YC restaurant was good, service excellent.  I'd say on par with the suite restaurant on Harmony of the Seas, and maybe a step below Luminae on X.  (I'm a tea drinker, and they only had decaf English Breakfast tea.  This was a huge disappointment.  Imagine a coffee drinker, being told at breakfast they only had decaf, for the entire week.  I started grabbing tea bags from the buffet and bringing them to the YC with me.  The tea in the buffet was the same as offered on RC.  (This would never happen on Celebrity.  You really get a good cuppa anywhere on board those ships. )

 

The YC One Pool deck was probably our favorite part of the YC.  Plenty (even on sea days) of padded loungers, really nice towels, a great grill/buffet (they even had daily pasta specials, like goat cheese ravioli, etc) with plenty of tables.  Private pool and hot tubs.  I hear that now they do a special dinner up there one evening of each cruise.

 

As far as the rest of the ship, it was modern, we always saw people cleaning.  There are ocean views on both sides of the decks surrounding the atrium area, so that was really nice.  I can't comment on MDR food or even shows.  We didn't go to any shows in the theater, but did see some live music in the atrium.  One evening we took a walk around the ship just to see what was going on, we wandered onto a very large open pool deck with a stage that had a really good salsa band playing and lots of people dancing.  It was completely different atmosphere than what was in YC

 

I've been looking at itineraries trying to surprise my husband with something for next year.  I ended up booking again with MSC in the YC.  We'll be sailing in April, another eastern Caribbean itinerary, but by then their new Ocean Cay private island will be open, so that will be something new for us.  And the YC really is our destination.  As much as I love RC and X, there's nothing like the YC, especially with that pool deck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by jules815

[jules815]

On 7/11/2019 at 3:31 PM, mafig said:

We also loved the Yacht Club.

While mentioned infrequently, we appreciated the fully stocked and replenished mini bar.....the daily newspaper.....the restaurant being open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day (not just sea days).

 

They do throw a nice Cruise Critic party.😊

 

Oh yeah!  I forgot to mention that in my post.  Even my husband, who rarely would go to those with me on RC, was impressed with the CC party.  So many officers greeting you, drinks, entertainment.  They took a group picture and delivered it to our stateroom.  Impressive.

 

[Nashna]

While sailing on HAL's Kroningsdam in January, we met a couple who raved about their experience on MSC's Davina in YC.  They were as exasperated as we were with the K's crowds, chair hogs, dodging motor scooters in the buffet and the lack of seating in the entertainment venues.   When we met another couple, who were sorry to be on K  instead of an MSC cruise in  YC, we decided to check out this new cruise option.   We are booked in YC for January, 2020.  This will be our 51st cruise.  We are now at the point in our cruising life when we truly want to be pampered.  We are hopeful that YC will provide that extra level of pampering.

[George C]

Rccl has nice pool seating on some ships but not others if you have a full suite . Also rccl suite lounge has limited hours on some ships and very limited on others. We like celebrity suite perks but edge is only one with private pool and way more costly. If we like yacht club we will definitely book it for next year also. 

[Nashna]

So nice to know that Edge has a private pool.  We will definitely look into that for future cruises.  I am so done with crowded pools and the towel games.

 

 

[grandgeezer]

I can't compare Royal Caribbean vs MSC, as a whole, because we've only done YC Deluxe Suites on MSC. From what I've seen, and heard, Royal Caribbean would be the best bet overall. We've done a Grand Suite on the Allure so I can compare it to the YC on MSC.

We went on MSC last September and the Allure the following month, each, each for 14 days.The Allure wins the Suite and entertainment part. The food is a toss up, maybe a very slight edge to the Allure. The "suite life" goes to MSC. Based on the prices we paid, the bang for the buck goes to MSC, in a landslide. We paid about $60 p.p. per day less for MSC and that included the deluxe drink package, which includes the minibar. We are doing the same cruise this October.

This is not a dig on the Allure, for the right price, we would do it again in a heart beat.

[actuarian]

My wife and I have been on the MSC Divina twice and Royal 49 times so it is obvious where our preference is.  Nevertheless, we have booked our third MSC cruise on the Seaside this October.  When we were on MSC, I could not help being reminded of the part of the movie "Titanic" that takes place before the the ship hit the iceberg.  That is, the Divina, like the Titanic, was really two different ships.  We were in the Yacht Club and, as long as we stayed in the Yacht Club portion of the ship, we were treated like First Class passengers on the Titanic.  Service was impeccable and food in the Yacht Club restaurant was superb, IMHO better than the food in Coastal Kitchen on Royal or in Luminae on Celebrity.  There were always plenty of available lounge chairs near the Yacht Club pool.  We were offered drinks by the servers as soon as we entered the Yacht Club lounge and they arrived promptly.  However, as soon as we stepped of the Yacht Club (as we had to do for most entertainment and shopping), it was like stepping into third class on the Titanic.  When we went to lounges outside of the Yacht Club, the entertainers were very good but we were never approached by servers and there were crowds of people waiting at the bars.  While we did not sample the food outside of the Yacht Club, we heard plenty of complaints about it from people we met at the lounges.  We will sail MSC again but we would always choose any room on Royal over any MSC experience other than the Yacht Club experience.  When we do sail on MSC in October, we will be in a 182 Square Foot Yacht Club Inside Room and pay approximately the same price that we could have paid for a 344 Square Foot Aurea Experience Grand Suite.

Edited July 21, 2019 by actuarian

[frank808]

We love the YC experience.   Room wise we like the crown loft suites.  The food is better in YC restaurant than CK but food is subjective.  Since we were sailing Seaside for 14 days in YC, we ate a couple times in the big buffet on deck 8 iirc.  Food was comparable to windjammer but not as many options.  The pizza was the standout. I thought service was pretty good.  Sat down and within minutes, a server came and asked for our drink order.  MSC pizza was better than Sorrentos in 2018 and still better than the Sorrentos served last week on Ovation.  

 

 

Pools are better than any royal ship we habe been om.  Also pools are pretty deep meaning over 6 ft deep.

 

Loved the spa on seaside.  Many fee free things for YC  passengers like thallasotherapy pool, heated lounhers, Himalayan salt room, etc. 

 

Entertainment is better on Oasis and quantum class ships than MSC seaside.  MSC main shows are about equal to the shows on freedom, radiance, explorer etc class?

 

We have 5 cruises on Royal before sailing MSC this coming June for 2 weeks.  

[little britain]

On 7/19/2019 at 5:20 PM, hp_slash said:

All of these posts about MSC have me very worried...

 

I booked MSC Divina for me, DH & friends for a very low price to try to get our friends into cruising, now I'm concerned it will send them running in the other direction away from cruises altogether.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2668711-divina-review-a-marmite-cruise/

 They’ll either love it or hate it...! 

 

You cannot compare the regular MSC experience with the cocoon of YC.

 

You cannot compare prices either.  I have booked a week in a YC for £4000.  One week in a comparable loft suite on RCI would cost £10,000 upwards. 

[jules815]

7 hours ago, little britain said:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2668711-divina-review-a-marmite-cruise/

 They’ll either love it or hate it...! 

 

You cannot compare the regular MSC experience with the cocoon of YC.

 

You cannot compare prices either.  I have booked a week in a YC for £4000.  One week in a comparable loft suite on RCI would cost £10,000 upwards. 

We paid $2260 pp for a week on Seaside for April 2020. Deluxe YC Suite, comparable in size to a JS, perfect for 2.   I was pricing cruises on RC, Oasis class so we'd have Coastal Kitchen, and had to go with a GS in order to have the option for all meals there.  It was $730pp more, and that doesn't even factor in that we'd probably get drinks packages so we could drink around the ship, at the pool, etc.  A Crown Loft was $3620pp.  And none of their ships have a separate pool area like in the YC.  That area really sets it apart, and why I booked MSC YC again.

 

 

 

[grandgeezer]

30 minutes ago, jules815 said:

We paid $2260 pp for a week on Seaside for April 2020. Deluxe YC Suite, comparable in size to a JS, perfect for 2.   I was pricing cruises on RC, Oasis class so we'd have Coastal Kitchen, and had to go with a GS in order to have the option for all meals there.  It was $730pp more, and that doesn't even factor in that we'd probably get drinks packages so we could drink around the ship, at the pool, etc.  A Crown Loft was $3620pp.  And none of their ships have a separate pool area like in the YC.  That area really sets it apart, and why I booked MSC YC again.

 

 

 

 

We are doing our second cruise, on MSC Seaside in a YC Deluxe Suite, This October. We paid a little about $5,300, total for two, for 14 days when we booked last December. This includes a drink package that also includes the minibar. We did a Grand Suite, on the Allure last October, again 14 days, and paid about $6,000 total for two, with no drink package. It was really nice.

We will do the Oasis class ships again, even in a balcony. We would only do MSC in a YC Deluxe Suite, at the right price

[jules815]

Wow, 14 days in the YC for around $5300 is great. October is my favorite time to cruise.  

 

We'll for sure be sailing with RC again.  They're a comfortable fit for us, we know what we're getting.  It's like an old friend.  We'll be retiring in 3-4 years, and when we have the ability to cruise more often, I know we'll be back with RC.   Our little detour to the YC has been enjoyable though.  

 

[kathy884]

My parents love cruising and have done quite a bit of it (been on most of the mainstream cruise lines).  Their very favorite line is MSC due to the entertainment (They love classical music type offerings, etc. go to lots of concerts regularly at a local University that my mom taught at) and the entertainment on MSC is perfect for them.  My brother who cruised with them on one of these cruises and has cruised quite a bit, didn't care for MSC and wouldn't cruise that line again.  It was his least favorite cruise, and he'd gladly cruise RCCL, NCL, or Carnival again (especially their newer bigger ships).  

 

Interestingly enough too, my parents recently cruised on the Oasis and give this class on RCCL second place behind MSC.  They thought with the way RCCL designed the ship, that it didn't feel crowded at all.  My mom loved the Central Park area.  She also thought the production of CATS was wonderful (She had seen the traveling Broadway show before and thought this was just as good). 

[frank808]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

 

We are doing our second cruise, on MSC Seaside in a YC Deluxe Suite, This October. We paid a little about $5,300, total for two, for 14 days when we booked last December. This includes a drink package that also includes the minibar. We did a Grand Suite, on the Allure last October, again 14 days, and paid about $6,000 total for two, with no drink package. It was really nice.

We will do the Oasis class ships again, even in a balcony. We would only do MSC in a YC Deluxe Suite, at the right price

That is a great price a YC1 suite for 14 nights at $5300.

 

In July 2018 we paid about $8200 for the 3 of us sailing Seaside for 14 nights.  Same cruise we are doing June 2020 for 14 nights is now a little of $12k for the 3 of us.  So a 50% increase in about 2 years.  Still a good value for what you get.  Not the great value it was but still a good value.

 

Last time all YC cabin passenger had the drink package which included the mini bar.  Did this change recently?  I reaf the crepes at the gelato shop in back of ship are no longer included.  Also the alcohol coffee drinks are no longer included in YC?  Just want to know what changes to expect compared to our last cruise.

[mafig]

Hi, Frank,

I guess you convinced Cindy that two weeks are better than one.😊

 

What was your thought process for booking Seaside again, vs. Meraviglia?  Ship? Itinerary?  

 

I think it'll be a safe bet that June on MSC will have their island ready.

Edited July 21, 2019 by mafig

[mafig]

33 minutes ago, mafig said:

Hi, Frank,

I guess you convinced Cindy that two weeks are better than one.😊

 

What was your thought process for booking Seaside again, vs. Meraviglia?  Ship? Itinerary?  

 

I think it'll be a safe bet that June on MSC will have their island ready.

 

 

Was it possible that your 2018 cruise had a kids sale free offer for one or both of those weeks?

 

 

[George C]

Another thing about msc annd I do not know if it’s still true , is there was no extra charge for singles, so our roll call has lots of singles staying in yacht club.

[Lmack]

Beware of problems with MSC if you have to cancel! 

 

Unfortunately we had to cancel our MSC cruise a week before the sailing due to a medical problem. We had insurance. We immediately called our TA advising the situation regarding the need to cancel. She immediately called MSC and was given a reference number, and all the information regarding the forms to be completed and submitted. In addition, by law when you cancel, your govt taxes are immediately supposed to be refunded and within 24hrs a credit for the amount is supposed to show on your credit card. Ours didn’t show up. TA called several times, with MSC rep saying they had been refunded. Three weeks later, govt taxes refund still wasn’t show on credit card. TA called numerous times, even having the call on speaker so I could hear the conversation. Still no refund. Finally after almost 6 wks, an MSC Rep said we wouldn’t be receiving a refund because we were no shows at the port. TA told them and gave them the reference number including the date of cancellation. Finally an MSC supervisor said it had fallen through the cracks and was their fault. They would have to notify the folks in Italy to approve the refund.

 

Long story short, after submitting all the paperwork including the physician's note and also the physician needing to complete a form, and all of the massive amount of paperwork that included copies of our driver’s license, passport, etc we received our refund of govt taxes and cruise - almost 4 months after we canceled. 

 

Needless to say, we will never again consider sailing on MSC. We sailed MSC on a B2B many yrs ago when they had the Orchestra here. They were new to the American market so they had many problems on the sailings. We thought we'd try them again, but with this experience, I don’t think so. We never planned to cancel but life has a way of throwing you a curve. We never expected or anticipated a medical issue that would prevent us from taking this cruise. So beware if you have to cancel your sailing.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

22 minutes ago, Lmack said:

Beware of problems with MSC if you have to cancel! 

 

Unfortunately we had to cancel our MSC cruise a week before the sailing due to a medical problem. We had insurance. We immediately called our TA advising the situation regarding the need to cancel. She immediately called MSC and was given a reference number, and all the information regarding the forms to be completed and submitted. In addition, by law when you cancel, your govt taxes are immediately supposed to be refunded and within 24hrs a credit for the amount is supposed to show on your credit card. Ours didn’t show up. TA called several times, with MSC rep saying they had been refunded. Three weeks later, govt taxes refund still wasn’t show on credit card. TA called numerous times, even having the call on speaker so I could hear the conversation. Still no refund. Finally after almost 6 wks, an MSC Rep said we wouldn’t be receiving a refund because we were no shows at the port. TA told them and gave them the reference number including the date of cancellation. Finally an MSC supervisor said it had fallen through the cracks and was their fault. They would have to notify the folks in Italy to approve the refund.

 

Long story short, after submitting all the paperwork including the physician's note and also the physician needing to complete a form, and all of the massive amount of paperwork that included copies of our driver’s license, passport, etc we received our refund of govt taxes and cruise - almost 4 months after we canceled. 

 

Needless to say, we will never again consider sailing on MSC. We sailed MSC on a B2B many yrs ago when they had the Orchestra here. They were new to the American market so they had many problems on the sailings. We thought we'd try them again, but with this experience, I don’t think so. We never planned to cancel but life has a way of throwing you a curve. We never expected or anticipated a medical issue that would prevent us from taking this cruise. So beware if you have to cancel your sailing.

Same thing happens with any other company....🙄

[Lmack]

We've sailed over 150 cruises and only had to cancel once about 5yrs ago also due to an unforeseen medical issue. The govt taxes were immediately refunded the same day of cancellation. We submitted paperwork the following day, (they didn’t require as much documentation and the physician's note was sufficient) and within a wk we received our refund for the cruise. We’ve known others that had to cancel and they didn’t have the problems we did with MSC. 

 

Doesnt matter which cruiseline anyone selects, we recommend getting the insurance for unforeseen issues.

[frank808]

3 hours ago, mafig said:

Hi, Frank,

I guess you convinced Cindy that two weeks are better than one.😊

 

What was your thought process for booking Seaside again, vs. Meraviglia?  Ship? Itinerary?  

 

I think it'll be a safe bet that June on MSC will have their island ready.

TA said there was only Seaside sailing in June 2020.  Is Meraviglia sailing from Miami this coming June?  Itinerary is the standard Eastern & western Caribbean cruise with two stops at Ocean Cay.

 

Had Oct 19 and Jan/Feb 2020 booked with MSC to see their private Island and it was on Meraviglia.  But with their delays we cancelled them and booked with Royal.  Hope their island is ready by next June. 

 

2 hours ago, mafig said:

 

 

Was it possible that your 2018 cruise had a kids sale free offer for one or both of those weeks?

 

 

Yes, first MSC cruise was kids sail free.  But this time it was $612 for each week (he is no longer a kid). So about $1225 with taxes for him.  So about $3k more than 2018.

[mafig]

You're right.  I thought Meraviglia was coming to US full time.

 

I'm sure Ocean Cay will be done by next June.