LIVE from 9/13 Bellissima and 9/21 Seaview - 7nt Med cruises - Yacht Club

[Gordoncruickshank]

3 hours ago, Captain-John said:

I'll try and leave her in good nick for you.... Hoping to do an in-depth review and should make some progress on that before you board, if you find that kind of thing useful. Just had a peek at your signature- we're doing an 11 nt Southern Caribbean next April on Reflection, for a change (primarily cruise NCL & MSC with a smattering of others over the years).

What sort of cabin are you in? We have only done 1 Reflection cruise. They were building Luminae at the time and all the Suite guests were given free specialities. 

 

We then went on the Eclipse for two weeks.

[WonderMan3]

On Friday, after departing Bellissima, our taxi took us to our hotel, The Catalonia Barcelona Plaza located on Plaza de España. Because it was only around 8:30 in the morning it was too early for us to check in so we stored our bags with the bellman and walked around the hotel a bit as we had some time to waste before meeting our tour guide at 9:30am. I had reserved with a company called Brightside Tours for a visit to the monastery at Montserrat. We met our guide, Juan, outside the hotel just after 9:30. He said our driver was stuck in traffic though. So we walked around the vicinity of the hotel while we waited for him to arrive and Juan gave us some history about some of the beautiful buildings in the area that were built for a World’s Fair in the 1930’s. The driver showed up about 20 minutes late and then we headed off to Montserrat. 

 

We drove up the mountains of Montserrat about halfway to reach the monastery. We walked around a bit but could not enter the church portion because it was closed for a few hours for services. So Juan decided we could use the waiting time to take the funicular further up to near the highest peak of the mountain range (almost 4000 feet). Unfortunately we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes to get on the funicular. From the top we took a scenic walk back down to the monastery level which took about 30 minutes. Once back down we were able to enter the church and got a glimpse from

a distance of the Black Madonna which people were standing in a very long line to see up

close. The whole monastery area was very crowded with tourists, probably the busiest place we encountered this whole trip. The views up there though are breathtaking and worth the hassles. We took a gondola to reach the bottom

of the mountains and back into our car for the drive back to the hotel. It was a 5 hour tour in total which included all fees at the site for a cost of 531Euro. Juan was a very nice guy but didn’t give us a lot of information about the site. He seemed either very lacking in knowledge about it or just not interested in talking about it. We talked more about Spanish culture, economy, politics, etc. than the site itself. As such I wouldn’t recommend this company for tours. I do highly recommend visiting here though. 

[WonderMan3]

As I mentioned, our hotel was the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza. Arriving back from our tour we checked at the front desk and our room was ready. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they had upgraded us to a full suite from the junior suite we had booked for no extra charge. We turned over our baggage claim ticket to have our bags sent up. Arriving in the room we were blown away. It was massive, almost like an apartment. There was a huge living/dining room, separate bedroom with fireplace and sitting area, massive bathroom with separate shower and bath, a gigantic wall closet and even a smaller half bathroom. The views from the 10th floor were fantastic looking out at Barcelona from three sides. We looked directly out at the former bullring and out to the former World’s Fair buildings. Frustration set in though after 20 minutes with no bags appearing. Mike wanted a smoke and went down to the lobby. While there he asked about the bags and the front desk agent said they would be sent up right away. Another 20 minutes and still no bags. Mike called the front desk and got the same agent who now seemed irritated that we were asking again. She again said it would be taken care of. It was still another 20 minutes though before they finally arrived, a full

hour after we checked in. We were highly annoyed.

[WonderMan3]

With our bags arrived we were able to retrieve our bathing suits and head to the 8th floor pool deck where we enjoyed a swim and some cocktails. After heading back to the room and showering, I threw on a bathrobe and suggested to Mike that we order room service. He liked that idea as we were both tired from the day and there was a festival going on in the city with a big stage set up just a few blocks from the hotel that was blasting very loud music; we didn’t want to walk around outside with crowds of people. We ordered the room service, two pizzas and a salad, and they said it would be 30 minutes. After about 50 minutes passed Mike called the room service number again only he wound up connected to the bar. The bartender gave him a different extension to call. Mike called that and went to a fast busy signal which meant it wasn’t a valid number. He called it back a couple times a few minutes apart just to make sure, but still the fast busy. He called back the original extension again and this time the bartender picked up the phone and slammed it down. Mike was pissed as it was no almost an hour since we ordered. No one was answering the phone at the front desk so he had to

throw on clothes and go down there. The agent called someone and then told Mike the order would be actioned immediately. Finally, 15 minutes later the food showed up. Luckily it was hot and pretty tasty. Later that night we were able to see a bit of the magic fountain of Montjuic doing its nightly show and we got to see fireworks going off down by the waterfront. Bed was a bit firmer than I like but I slept very well after a long day.

 

[Captain-John]

2 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

What sort of cabin are you in? We have only done 1 Reflection cruise. They were building Luminae at the time and all the Suite guests were given free specialities. 

 

We then went on the Eclipse for two weeks.

 

Just a regular 1C balcony. Didn't want to commit to the big bucks of the suites until we're sure we like the product. Although, I understand there's a bidding programme, so might look into that nearer the time.

 

@WonderMan3 -

 

What a gorgeous room. Very irritating r.e the luggage. I had a similar thing happen to me in a supposedly 5 star hotel here in Scotland. They lost my bags because a wedding party wanted to use the lounge they had stored them in.... then dropped them off at the wrong room and we didn't get them back until I made a complaint with the manager, 3 hours later all in.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

15 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

We honestly didn’t pay attention to the dress code. Mike wore slacks and a button down shirt each night. I wore slacks or nice jeans with a button down shirt (polo shirt one night) one night and we were fine. Dress around the ship was very casual. On the gala nights (I think there were two?) there were people dressed to the nines but that was maybe 30-40%. We didn’t eat in YC that night so can’t reference about that dining room. I think we were in Butcher’s Cut on one of those nights and maybe 25% of the people there were dressed up. One group of Russians strolled in wearing shorts. The whole ship had an NCL feel to it. Dress however you like. No one will care.

 

Thanks!  DW is relieved (dress codes are much harder for women).

 

You should be on Seaview as I type this – Bon Voyage #2!

[WonderMan3]

So while sleeping was comfortable at our hotel we did have one incident in the middle of the night. The air conditioning unit feeding the living room was leaking onto the floor. I discovered this when I went to the bathroom. I turned the AC off and placed towels on the floor where the drips were falling. Since check out at our hotel was not until noon today we were able to sleep in a bit. We woke at 9. I saw that the AC was still dripping even though it had been off for hours. We figured we’d let them know at check out since it was a slow drip and the towels were taking care of the wetness. We went down to breakfast around 10 as the buffet was included in our rate. The breakfast restaurant was vast and the buffet had a nice selection of both hot and cold foods. After breakfast we went back to the room to pack up and check out. While I was finishing my packing Mike went downstairs to have a smoke and asked a bellman to come up for our bags. Once Mike returned to the room 15 minutes passed and a bellman never appeared. I decided to go down to settle our bill and figured I’d check where the bellman was. I found him and he said he had gone to the wrong room.  I have to say that with the multiple service issues we had at this property even though the facilities and location are nice I could not recommend it.

 

We grabbed a taxi out front of the hotel and headed to the cruise port. We arrived around 11:20 and it started lightly raining; Barcelona had been getting rain all morning off and on. As with our prior cruise, a porter was right there to help us unload from the taxi. We went with him over to the tent for Yacht Club guests. The attendants there were very detached not even welcoming or greeting anyone. They took our cruise ticket and filled out YC tags, then one of them escorted us and another couple through security and on to the Yacht Club waiting area. We had some water while they processed our check in. Then it was off with our escort onto the Seaview. The passport verification and security photo happened once we stepped onboard and then we were escorted to the Yacht Club Lounge. It was all very painless and took only about 15 minutes.

 

We relaxed in the lounge for less than 10

minutes before a staff member came over to check off our name and verified that our room was ready and he could escort us at any time. We had just ordered some Mai Tais and wanted to wait for them first. Since it was raining out the lounge was fairly busy. Mike liked the fact that this lounge had an outside deck with seating where he could smoke unlike Bellissima. There is no covering though so he didn’t stay out there long. Once he came back since we had our drinks we flagged the staff member from earlier to take us to our cabin. 

 

We are in cabin 18007. We met our butler Stanislaw as we arrived to the cabin. Unlike Bellissima where we had been introduced to everything within the cabin when we arrived, Stanis merely asked us if we wanted newspaper delivery and showed us a laundry promotion; he seemed like he wanted to move on to something else. Before he left, Mike asked him to take out all the beer and tonic water from the mini bar and bring us bottles of regular water. 

 

First impressions of our cabin...it feels a bit bigger than our Bellissima cabin. The balcony is definitely bigger, it’s deeper but probably just as wide. The storage at first we thought might be less, but after unpacking it actually seems to work better for all of our stuff than Bellissima. The bathroom actually seems bigger, with definitely more storage space along the sink area; the shower is not as long but looks a bit wider and it has a seat which is handy. I actually think I like this cabin better so far. The bed feels very comfortable, possibly more so than the Bellissima bed.

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Adam-

 

Late to the show but just completed reading Part 1 of your B2B.   Will be interesting to hear your review of this ship and see if the food, drinks and service are similar.  

 

Jim

[Von & John]

8 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

We drove up the mountains of Montserrat about halfway to reach the monastery.

 

 

 

7 hours ago, singinalot said:

we’ll be in barcelona 2020 for the Allure TA and alive planned a DIY to montserrat so thanks for sharing the pics!! that hotel looks great too. I’ll have to check it out. I’ve had my eye on Hotel Colon across the square from Barcelona Cathedral

 

Montserrat is Amazing - If you want to DIY & not book a tour, you can also take the train from Barcelona.

Another of our favorite Day Trips is Cava Country...

[Von & John]

Joining you again for the 2nd Cruise...

Wishing you both a Fantastic time 🙂

[WonderMan3]

After getting initially situated in our cabin our bags had not arrived yet so we popped up to the Yacht Club sundeck to take a look around. It was still raining a bit and the deck was soaked with water ponding around. Unlike Bellissima there is a lot less coverage from the elements. There are a couple tables scrunched up under the lip of the grill service area but even they were mainly wet. Lunch service was going on though with staff present but there was only one couple sitting at a table braving the elements and oddly enough one man swimming in the pool. The smoking area was covered but had enough openings in the top that it was totally wet too. So Mike had a quick smoke but we left as it was just too wet everywhere even though they had a delicious looking roast chicken displayed at the grill. 

 

We decided to go eat lunch at the YC dining room. We were a bit apprehensive after our negative Bellissima YC dining experiences. Looking at the menu displayed at the entrance though we saw several things we liked the sound of. Mike started with an order of the Pennette Pasta while I had the Cobb Salad. Both were fine although I asked them to bring me some blue cheese dressing for the salad as all they were offering was an oil or vinegarette. For the entree I had the lasagnette while Mike ordered the tournedos after seeing a table near us get them. The tournedos looked great but Mike said the beef was tough; they are not getting quality enough cuts of meat here in YC on either ship. My lasagnette was fine although it could’ve used some pepper. There was none to be found on any table around us though, just salt, which was odd. Our server had disappeared for awhile so I just ate it as I didn’t want it to get cold. So this lunch was mediocre. Service was prompt and professional with no issues though. We’ll give dinner here a shot at least one night but we’re not getting our hopes up.

[glittergal1]

OP is this the first time you have cruised with a Non American cruise line?  

We will be in cabin 18001 on Seaview in November so hoping for some good weather like we had last year 

[WonderMan3]

After lunch we stopped by the concierge desk to set up our specialty dining reservations. The concierge had a bit of an affected attitude. I don’t think he was intentionally trying to seem like a snot but the way he spoke and gestured made it seem that way. We made bookings for Teppanyaki, Butcher’s Cut and the Pan-Asian restaurant. I had wanted to use our free Black Card meal for Teppanyaki but he said it was not an option. It was the same on Bellissima. I’m not sure if it has always been that way or if that’s something MSC took away. I also saw the cabana pricing posted at the desk (see attached image). I think the pricing has gone up from what I saw posted here on Cruise Critic within the past year. There was also a sign at the desk about Venchi. It highlighted that it was extra charge except for the ice cream which is included for Yacht Club guests. (I thought they had gelato?) When I asked the concierge about it he listed three areas on the ship where you could get that complimentary ice cream, at Venchi and at two pool locations. He kept saying ice cream not gelato but I’m not sure if he was actually referencing the gelato.

 

We then went down to the spa to set up our massage times that I had already paid for in advance. We then stopped in to the casino to see what machines they had and took a little stroll around part of the ship. This ship doesn’t have the long atrium with the video screen above it like Bellissima did which I’m kind of glad about. The video screen was impressive but that whole area was just clogged with people all the time and so noisy and then just insane when they did one of those performances with dancers and loud music. Seaview’s set up feels more like a cruise ship style I’m used to with the standard multi-level atrium set up at one open area. We saw that they had a L’Atelier Bistrot on this ship but unfortunately it is only a bar, no food. On MSC’s website it is listed as a restaurant. So did they have a restaurant here before and then just downgraded it to a bar? It’s too bad there’s no food as that was one of our favorite dining choices on Bellissima.

 

The elevators are different on this ship. There are no buttons inside the elevators. You pick your floor on the outside panel and it assigns you to a specific elevator. You seem to get grouped with people going to floors that are nearby yours. YC has a priority function which you allows you to call an elevator that will go express to Yacht Club. It only goes to 16 though from what we’ve seen. We’ve done it a couple times but one time it made a stop for some reason on a floor part way up for non-YC guests and dropped them on a non-YC deck. So we’re still trying to figure out how it works.

 

[WonderMan3]

12 minutes ago, glittergal1 said:

OP is this the first time you have cruised with a Non American cruise line?  

 

Yes

[WonderMan3]

We arrived back at our cabin and found our luggage there so we unpacked and relaxed for a bit before having to go to the emergency drill at 5pm. Our muster station was in the casino (appropriately enough) which meant walking from Deck 18 all the way down to 7. As with Bellissima all that took place here was a check in and then instruction on how to put on the life preserver. There was a group of older Spanish people who kept talking loudly through the whole instruction. People around us kept shushing then but they wouldn’t stop. The crew standing nearby didn’t seem to care much though. They are very strict on Celebrity during the muster drills with no talking, making sure your seat is faced to view all the videos or instructors, no cell phone use, etc. MSC seems much more lax about it. 

 

We headed back to the cabin after and stayed there for the 6pm sailaway time. The ship

did not sail on time though. We wound up leaving at 7:30pm instead. We’re not sure what caused the delay. Mike did hear from some other passengers earlier in the day that the torrential rain in Barcelona had delayed flights at the airport and one woman thought she was going to miss boarding time but she made it in the end. So maybe they were waiting for some other passengers or crew who were delayed on flights?

 

We had a dinner reservation for 8pm at the Teppanyaki restaurant which conveniently is on deck 16 just around the corner from Yacht Club. We wound up being one of only two couples dining in the entire restaurant which was odd. That couple was Dutch but speaking English and chose to sit on the complete opposite side of the table from where we were which indicated to us that they had zero interest in socializing with us. They went on and on chatting and laughing with the head server but were cold as ice to us. Not that we were looking to make new friends but in prior visits to hibachi style restaurants it tends to be a social

atmosphere where everyone interacts so this just came off as rude. Things took a more negative turn when it came to ordering drinks. We were bracing ourselves after all the drink drama we had on Bellissima. We ordered mudslides with Grey Goose from the head server Juliana. I told her we wanted them on the rocks not frozen as the drink could be made either way. She repeated back to me, “Okay, Grey Goose vodka with ice on the side...I bring in a separate glass” Not sure how we went from

mudslide to that so then I broke down the ingredients of the drink for her. Mind you she did not take this opportunity to write this down, she just listened and seemed totally confused. She said she’d get us a bar menu to see if our drink was in there. We looked through it and it was not. Also, all the drinks in it were priced over 10 Euro which meant they were out of our plan anyway. Juliana has gone off to take care of some other things and so Mike decided to just go outside to the adjacent bar and speak to the bartender directly figuring he’d understand more clearly since his job was to make drinks. Juliana’s assistant, a young Asian woman, was  standing nearby watching. When Juliana returned she went right over to her assistant and started snapping at her loudly enough that I could hear clearly “How could you let the guest go out to the bar like that. You are not supposed to let that happen. That’s our job to get the drinks for them.” The young woman looked so ashamed and upset and I felt bad for her. Juliana was out of line speaking to her like that. There was no need for drama like that. Juliana then went over and started talking to the other couple who clearly were sympathizing with her and sending cold glances over in my direction. It was all feeling very high school and I was about ready to walk. I decided to call Juliana over and explained to her that the only reason Mike went out to the bar is that it appeared to be the fastest solution as Juliana was not understanding what we were saying and Mike felt that the bartender would. She just explained that they don’t want customers feeling put out by having to get their own drinks. I told her we weren’t faulting her and explained our experiences on Bellissima the week prior so we knew that we might have difficulty. The tension was resolved at that point. Mike came back successfully with two drinks shortly after. He said that the bartender had also never heard of the drink but got it down after making it the first time. He told Mike that they get very few requests for cocktails from their European guests so they weren’t used to it. 

 

The rest of the dinner continued without incident and Juliana returned to her more pleasant conversational self and her assistant ( whose name I regret not getting) was an absolute pleasure. Apparently she was new to working at Teppanyaki which is why Juliana was a bit hard on her throughout the night. The chef came out and he was a lot of fun. We ordered the Shogun combination which started with the Miso Soup which was tasty but very warm, then came a small salad that was unmemorable, followed by sushi and sashimi. The sushi was a roll of cucumber and eel wrapped in rice with some raw tuna on the side. We had never had sushi before so it was an interesting experience. Mike tried a little bit of the eel roll but didn’t care for it and passed on the tuna. I ate it all. Not my favorite things but it was interesting to try something new. The eel honestly tasted like chicken to me. Next was the seafood course with butterfish, scallops and lobster. I liked the butterfish and scallops but thought the lobster was a bit stringy. Mike doesn’t like fish so he only had a bit of that. He didn’t think the scallops tasted good but thought the lobster was fine. Next came he fried rice which was delicious and then finally the wagyu sirloin which was very tender and excellent. The meal concluded with some green tea ice cream. All in all it was a great meal. I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Mike. I would definitely recommend eating here.

 

After dinner we went to the casino to do some slot play. By this time the ship was really rocking. It had started with the motion the moment we left Barcelona’s port and it was steadily increasing through the evening. We played for 90 minutes or so and then headed to bed. I pretty much broke even for the night while Mike finished up a bit. In our cabin you could feel the motion even more. It looked like we were in for a rocky night. We found they had left a plate of chocolate covered strawberries for us.

[WonderMan3]

Here is Saturday’s Daily Planner

[ipeeinthepool]

I've been enjoying your review and I hope you have another fun week.  However as I read your review, I can't help but get the impression that you are enjoying yourself in spite of MSC.  It seems like every day and most meals have some sort of issue and this is in the specialty restaurants and the YC.  If this is the case for the suite passengers, I can't imagine the service and meals for the rest of the passengers.  Have you had a chance to talk with many of the non-suite guests and have they had similar experiences in the main dining room?

 

I've been considering MSC but probably not  as a suite guest.  I'm not getting a good feeling.  It seems like your casino discounts have played a factor in selecting MSC, do you think you would cruise with them without those discounts?

 

I hope the rain stops and you can enjoy the second week.

[WonderMan3]

10 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I've been enjoying your review and I hope you have another fun week.  However as I read your review, I can't help but get the impression that you are enjoying yourself in spite of MSC.  It seems like every day and most meals have some sort of issue and this is in the specialty restaurants and the YC.  If this is the case for the suite passengers, I can't imagine the service and meals for the rest of the passengers.  Have you had a chance to talk with many of the non-suite guests and have they had similar experiences in the main dining room?

 

I've been considering MSC but probably not  as a suite guest.  I'm not getting a good feeling.  It seems like your casino discounts have played a factor in selecting MSC, do you think you would cruise with them without those discounts?

 

I hope the rain stops and you can enjoy the second week.

 

Without a casino discount? Absolutely not. It’s the only reason we checked them out in the first place. Celebrity we cruise with casino discounts too, but we would be willing to cruise with them without the discount because we know we would get a worthwhile experience. Of course it would likely mean getting a lower category suite (Sky Suite vs. Royal or Penthouse). And yes, we have been enjoying ourselves despite the service bumps. It just gets annoying because you’re in a perfectly lovely ship environment in YC and feeling very positive and then one of these service issues pops up and adds a bit of stress to what should be a relaxing time. I try to roll along but the annoyances add up. Mike gets much more frustrated and I have to talk him down a bit sometimes. There was a key service issue that I was suspecting yesterday when we boarded and was confirmed this morning which we need to have resolved when we return from our excursion today. I will elaborate on it later...

[glittergal1]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I've been enjoying your review and I hope you have another fun week.  However as I read your review, I can't help but get the impression that you are enjoying yourself in spite of MSC.  It seems like every day and most meals have some sort of issue and this is in the specialty restaurants and the YC.  If this is the case for the suite passengers, I can't imagine the service and meals for the rest of the passengers.  Have you had a chance to talk with many of the non-suite guests and have they had similar experiences in the main dining room?

 

I've been considering MSC but probably not  as a suite guest.  I'm not getting a good feeling.  It seems like your casino discounts have played a factor in selecting MSC, do you think you would cruise with them without those discounts?

 

I hope the rain stops and you can enjoy the second week.

 

MSC are a great cruise line with Amazing ships , and fantastic onboard experiences . Many Non European cruisers have a problem with MSC because they cruise expecting the same "Americanised" cruise experience they have been use to . If you cruise with MSC you need to remember that it is a Multi nationality cruise with passengers from far and wide and staff too from far and wide and English may not be the main language of many and why should it be ? MSC is an Italian owned cruise line and if you cruise In the Mediterranean you need to  especially remember this . All of my  Non suite experiences so far have been great. Food, service, entertainment, cabins etc 

If you want a cruise experience the same as all the others you have had so far then my advice would be to stay with those cruise lines and not book MSC.

However if you want something different then give them a go but be prepared for differences .

You will read far more Negative reviews from Americans on MSC than you will Europeans.  Ive read many reviews from cruisers who ive thought "god im glad I wasnt cruising with you because you sound like a right ****hole" (from all cruise lines I will add) 

 

MSC are not perfect, humans are not perfect all of the time either  I mean  who is? 

 

We booked a cruise for our Honeymoon with a Spanish cruise line Pullmantur  before booking I read many many reviews from English cruisers many were moaning negative reviews about how Spanish the cruise was and how it was different to other cruises they had taken , well they  just made me laugh . We booked the cruise simply because it was going on the date we wanted in an area we wanted at a price that suited us and  we had a wonderful time .

 

Like many things in life when we find a product we like its always a risk choosing one we dont know , so when you do take that risk you just have to be prepared for it not to the same as you are use to . 

 

Many Love MSC and many try them once and say "never again" which is fine it means more room for the rest of us 

[gimletgal]

Great post, glittergal1. I totally agree with you. I first sailed w/MSC in 2016 after 10 years and many, many sailings with Celebrity. Friends of mine invited me to join them on the Divina then and I went along with some trepidation. It was a great cruise (albeit, different from X) and I thoroughly enjoyed the European flavor. I have since been on the Seaside twice and will be going again in November. Celebrity has priced themselves to the point that I really don't even consider them anymore. Are there some things I miss? Sure - especially the perks I received because of my loyalty, and the great crew. But then there is more to a cruise than the perks, and MSC has some great crew also. MSC has taken good care of me and has earned my business now. All of the cruise lines have their "flaws" and as you say, none are perfect. Just choose the one you are most comfortable with. 

[ipeeinthepool]

56 minutes ago, glittergal1 said:

 

MSC are a great cruise line with Amazing ships , and fantastic onboard experiences . Many Non European cruisers have a problem with MSC because they cruise expecting the same "Americanised" cruise experience they have been use to . If you cruise with MSC you need to remember that it is a Multi nationality cruise with passengers from far and wide and staff too from far and wide and English may not be the main language of many and why should it be ? MSC is an Italian owned cruise line and if you cruise In the Mediterranean you need to  especially remember this . All of my  Non suite experiences so far have been great. Food, service, entertainment, cabins etc 

If you want a cruise experience the same as all the others you have had so far then my advice would be to stay with those cruise lines and not book MSC.

However if you want something different then give them a go but be prepared for differences .

You will read far more Negative reviews from Americans on MSC than you will Europeans.  Ive read many reviews from cruisers who ive thought "god im glad I wasnt cruising with you because you sound like a right ****hole" (from all cruise lines I will add) 

 

MSC are not perfect, humans are not perfect all of the time either  I mean  who is? 

 

We booked a cruise for our Honeymoon with a Spanish cruise line Pullmantur  before booking I read many many reviews from English cruisers many were moaning negative reviews about how Spanish the cruise was and how it was different to other cruises they had taken , well they  just made me laugh . We booked the cruise simply because it was going on the date we wanted in an area we wanted at a price that suited us and  we had a wonderful time .

 

Like many things in life when we find a product we like its always a risk choosing one we dont know , so when you do take that risk you just have to be prepared for it not to the same as you are use to . 

 

Many Love MSC and many try them once and say "never again" which is fine it means more room for the rest of us 

 
Please don't take offense I'm not trying to denigrate MSC, I'm just trying to get an accurate impression of the overall experience.  I think Wonderman is an excellent person to use to evaluate another cruise line.  He has a high standard but rolls with the punches when things don't go as planned.   Most concerning to me is the level of service and it seems frequently they have found staff that doesn't seem to care.  Certainly not all staff but it appears to happen more than I would like.    I can deal with language issues or even different tastes for food but poor service is a killer for me.  I don't think a desire for caring service is a uniquely American requirement.  I'll wait for Wonderman's final reviews, but for me it doesn't seem to be a good fit.  Even Wonderman has said that he probably wouldn't sail with them without a casino discount.  

 

Many thanks to Wonderman for doing this review.

 

But If MSC is a good fit for you, that's great enjoy your cruise.

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, glittergal1 said:

 

MSC are a great cruise line with Amazing ships , and fantastic onboard experiences . Many Non European cruisers have a problem with MSC because they cruise expecting the same "Americanised" cruise experience they have been use to . If you cruise with MSC you need to remember that it is a Multi nationality cruise with passengers from far and wide and staff too from far and wide and English may not be the main language of many and why should it be ? MSC is an Italian owned cruise line and if you cruise In the Mediterranean you need to  especially remember this . All of my  Non suite experiences so far have been great. Food, service, entertainment, cabins etc 

If you want a cruise experience the same as all the others you have had so far then my advice would be to stay with those cruise lines and not book MSC.

However if you want something different then give them a go but be prepared for differences .

You will read far more Negative reviews from Americans on MSC than you will Europeans.  Ive read many reviews from cruisers who ive thought "god im glad I wasnt cruising with you because you sound like a right ****hole" (from all cruise lines I will add) 

 

MSC are not perfect, humans are not perfect all of the time either  I mean  who is? 

 

We booked a cruise for our Honeymoon with a Spanish cruise line Pullmantur  before booking I read many many reviews from English cruisers many were moaning negative reviews about how Spanish the cruise was and how it was different to other cruises they had taken , well they  just made me laugh . We booked the cruise simply because it was going on the date we wanted in an area we wanted at a price that suited us and  we had a wonderful time .

 

Like many things in life when we find a product we like its always a risk choosing one we dont know , so when you do take that risk you just have to be prepared for it not to the same as you are use to . 

 

Many Love MSC and many try them once and say "never again" which is fine it means more room for the rest of us 

 

If you read through my review you will see that my primary complaints have nothing to do with English being spoken (it has been a barrier though in certain situations). My issues have been over service and food quality and lack of understanding of basic drink orders. I mean, when I cruise with Celebrity I am encountering a whole ship full of international staff who somehow have no issue in making the drinks I request (once in awhile someone might get a little confused but they still try to resolve the issue). so it has nothing to do with me being American and them being international. I suppose much of staff training comes with the kind of experiences they are having with travelers onboard. If they are used to Europeans just ordering beer and wine then an American coming along with a cocktail order is an adjustment for them. I am the customer though. If you have all the ingredients for the drink I want at the bar then I should be able to get what I’m seeking. The proper response from staff should be “Hmmm, I’m not familiar with that. Let me try to help you out and see that you get it.” Not. “We don’t have that.” Or “I don’t know” That has nothing to do with country of origin, that’s just basic service. Personally I do agree that Americans have a different perception of service on cruise lines than Europeans but that’s based on the precedent in service set by Celebrity, Royal, NCL, etc. It’s not that we’re more demanding, as is being implied, it’s that we have been trained to expect more. I suppose if I only ever cruised Carnival in a basic cabin then MSC’s service might seem fine or possibly better. Having cruised with some of the best service people at sea on Celebrity though, I guess I do expect more. I don’t necessarily fault the MSC staff for what they weren’t trained to do but I am allowed to express dissatisfaction over it.

[WonderMan3]

Here is today’s Daily Planner.

[perakcruiser]

Following closely now as we will go for our 10th MSC cruise on the Seaview in October.

 

But I better not read the YC menus otherwise I regret that I will notbe able to get this in the MDR :)

[Cruising89143]

24 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

If you read through my review you will see that my primary complaints have nothing to do with English being spoken (it has been a barrier though in certain situations). My issues have been over service and food quality and lack of understanding of basic drink orders. I mean, when I cruise with Celebrity I am encountering a whole ship full of international staff who somehow have no issue in making the drinks I request (once in awhile someone might get a little confused but they still try to resolve the issue). so it has nothing to do with me being American and them being international. I suppose much of staff training comes with the kind of experiences they are having with travelers onboard. If they are used to Europeans just ordering beer and wine then an American coming along with a cocktail order is an adjustment for them. I am the customer though. If you have all the ingredients for the drink I want at the bar then I should be able to get what I’m seeking. The proper response from staff should be “Hmmm, I’m not familiar with that. Let me try to help you out and see that you get it.” Not. “We don’t have that.” Or “I don’t know” That has nothing to do with country of origin, that’s just basic service. Personally I do agree that Americans have a different perception of service on cruise lines than Europeans but that’s based on the precedent in service set by Celebrity, Royal, NCL, etc. It’s not that we’re more demanding, as is being implied, it’s that we have been trained to expect more. I suppose if I only ever cruised Carnival in a basic cabin then MSC’s service might seem fine or possibly better. Having cruised with some of the best service people at sea on Celebrity though, I guess I do expect more. I don’t necessarily fault the MSC staff for what they weren’t trained to do but I am allowed to express dissatisfaction over it.

 

 

Really enjoying your review and I can see where simple things that should be easy could be annoying. MSC is making a huge push into the North American market and is trying to expand their business here. They need to be more aware of the likes and dislikes if they’re to be successful regardless of where a ship is cruising from. I will be interested to see how this weeks goes and your overall opinion of this line and the YC. We love Celebrity and realize every cruise lines have their differences. We’re trying NCL’s Haven in a few weeks as they have a ship within driving distance from our home. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to post such a comprehensive review. The photos are absolutely beautiful.