If you were initially attracted by the low prices, what made you want to book again?

[Rabbi-Reefer]

The low prices are hard to ignore, but what was it that made you want to rebook?

[sailco]

We booked our first MSC because it fitted a gap in our Mediterranean holiday calendar. We have previously sailed Celebrity, Princess and NCCL and were status matched to Black. We sailed on the Seaview.

 

The food and service in the MDR was as good as any on previous cruises. The one specialty restaurant we tried was superb. We loved having two buffets. The choice was astounding and there was a huge range of fresh fruit and salad. We especially loved the large outdoor dining areas. We never had to search for a table or ask for one to be cleared. 

 

The Black Card events were relaxed, well catered and very enjoyable. The perks excellent. The crew were friendly but non intrusive and remembered our coffee, tea and other beverage and dining requirements very quickly. 

 

The shore excursions were consistently good, the best planned and delivered that we've ever been on.

 

The cabin was large, balcony great, terrific bathroom amenities and good size shower. Our only complaint would be with the wardrobe which was much too close to the bed making it difficult to access but on a 7 night cruise this was not an issue for us. We'll definitely be back on MSC soon.

[sfaaa]

More low price deals.

[glittergal1]

Why did we re book ?  , well they are the best cruise line for an all round great value cruise experience no other cruise line has yet for me  come close to the fantastic times we have had with MSC . I am European so for me I prefer the food and onboard experience with MSC rather than the " Americanised" cruise lines . Plus around Europe the Multiple Embarkation and Disembarkation means choosing the cruise route and cruise length which suits our needs .  

OP why are you asking? 

[sverigecruiser]

8 hours ago, Rabbi-Reefer said:

The low prices are hard to ignore, but what was it that made you want to rebook?

 

We booked the cruise because the Yacht Club was much cheaper than NCLs Haven. We rebooked because it was a great cruise with great value for the money.

[Rabbi-Reefer]

5 minutes ago, glittergal1 said:

OP why are you asking? 

Because I currently sail with Princess, and we're used to the way they do things. The low prices are hard to ignore, so I'm wondering if that's the main reason people choose MSC.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Rabbi-Reefer

[Bobal]

We originally chose them because they provided a unique itinerary (Venice to Durban) and we were bored with doing the same old Med and Caribbean ports. The lower prices helped too. We will book again for an itinerary which provides some new experiences. We mainly sail with RC and the experience is somewhat different but we're happy to experience a change.

[glittergal1]

9 minutes ago, Rabbi-Reefer said:

Because I currently sail with Princess, and we're used to the way they do things. The low prices are hard to ignore, so I'm wondering if that's the main reason people choose MSC.

No its not the main reason you also need to like how they do things , and Many cruisers who are use to the American cruise lines find that they were expecting the same and thankfully MSC  is not the same.  You will find more negative reviews of MSC from Non European cruisers than you will European cruisers. 

Which area of the world are you looking to cruise with MSC?

 

[sverigecruiser]

20 minutes ago, Rabbi-Reefer said:

Because I currently sail with Princess, and we're used to the way they do things. The low prices are hard to ignore, so I'm wondering if that's the main reason people choose MSC.

 

NCL wanted almost $10000 for a week on the Epic so we decided to try the brand new Meraviglia for around $6500.  Now when we know how great that cruise was we will continue to cruise with them even if the Yacht Club and the Haven should have a similar price.

[BermudaBound2014]

Prices significantly lower than the competition. 

[Rabbi-Reefer]

So far, price seems to be the key factor. I'm not going to sail on a line just because it's cheaper than most.

[dznymom]

I rebooked because I truly enjoyed my cruise on the Seaside.  I cruise most of the mainstream lines and really enjoy Princess, Holland America and NCL.  I found that the Seaside compared favorably in almost every way.  She is a beautiful and immaculate ship.

 

Food - I thought there was plenty of choice on the buffet, and some items were excellent.  The quality of their cold cuts and cheese was really, really good (compared to Celebrity which was horrendous).  There were delicious chicken dishes every day along with the usual.  The pizza was very good (unlike the cardboard served on NCL).  The food in the MDR was to my liking (not overly sauced and spiced) and the choices were good.  Butcher's Cut far exceeded steak restaurants on other cruise lines.  I only splurged for gelato once but oh my Lord, it was divine!

 

I absolutely loved the Thermal Spa.  The different rooms (snow, rain, Himalayan Salt, etc) were wonderful, and since we had an ocean view stateroom the dedicated outdoor space with hot tub really enhanced our experience.  I got a quality pedicure and my first ever massage.  It was wonderful.

 

Service was very good although it was within a few months of the inaugural and there was definitely a learning curve for some of the staff.  But every single staff member I dealt with was polite and did their best to help.  I never felt that I got the runaround.  Our room steward was very stealthy, but got the job done with no intrusion.  Our dining team was superb and I am hoping they are still onboard for our upcoming cruise.  The Cruise Critic Party was done very well, and we had good attendance by staff.  They made us feel very special and welcome.

 

I enjoyed the casino, although the staff there was not as warm and fuzzy as on NCL.  But they were prompt and efficient.  I found the game selection was adequate and far better than either Princess or HAL.  

 

Geez, I guess that was more than asked for and I didn't even mention entertainment, bars, outdoor spaces and other activities which I had no complaints with.  I also enjoyed the diversity of the cruisers onboard, unlike HAL.  There were just too many positives not to put MSC in the mix for us.  

 

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by dznymom

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I tried the Seaside YC because my sister had been on it and raved about it.  I'm a very frequent Celebrity cruiser.  MSC gets the ship within a ship concept.  Celebrity is a wannabe in this category, not there yet.  The food on Celebrity is better.  The rest of the ship is better.  Otherwise, MSC blows the Celebrity suite experience right out of the water.  At a far more reasonable price point.  Celebrity's suite prices are headed for the stratosphere!  Looking forward to my next Seaside YC cruise in November!

[Gettingwarmer]

Wrong post

Edited September 22, 2019 by Gettingwarmer

[gadaboutgal]

We were hooked by the entertainment.  So different from the other cruise lines sailing from US ports.  Love the Operatic offerings.

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

The Meraviglia is the lowest quality product overall

 

Why do you think that?

 

Meraviglia is defenitely one of the best ships I have been on. 

[Cruiser Bruiser]

46 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Why do you think that?

 

Meraviglia is defenitely one of the best ships I have been on. 

I was going to ask the exact same question. I am just about to book Meraviglia for January. Meraviglia is a far superior ship to NCL's Breakaway/BA+ ships. 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

I was going to ask the exact same question. I am just about to book Meraviglia for January. Meraviglia is a far superior ship to NCL's Breakaway/BA+ ships. 

 

I'm curious..... why do you feel Meraviglia is far superior to the Breakaway class? 

 

I feel that Seaside is a closer comparison to Breakaway since both ships are built for warm water sailings. Meraviglia is closer to Quantum class which is built for cooler climate sailing (ie, not as much exterior space). 

[grandgeezer]

The low price got us to try it, the quality of the product, compared to pricing is getting us back for a second cruise.

We just got back from being in a Sky Suite, on Celebrity for two weeks. The cost was a little over $9,000 for the two of us. Our first cruise on the Seaside, as well as the one coming up, was/is two weeks. The cost for each one was about $5,700 for the two of us.

The two cruise lines each had their pluses and minuses, but in our mind they were very similar in total experience. We saw nothing that would get us to pay the huge premium to return to Celebrity.

With the current pricing on all lines, unless we can find some real deals, we’ll be going back to land vacations.

 

[citizenfrank]

I think price is still a driver, a key driver ...despite increases I know

But I would dare to suggest....

The YC

The drinks packages (especially the old ones)

*MSC's 'delivery' of the drinks packages aboard

Kids prices (U17!!!!)

Ship quality

Development plans and new look fleet

Ship diversity

Expanding itineries

Ocean Quay when she opens

Loyalty match

Black card benefits (especially previously)

As with all lines there are negatives too and that should not be brushed under the carpet, but this was a positive thread in the making I think!

[heatherb1958]

Yes MSC have a very good price point and do some great deals with either free upgrades or included drinks packages but once you step inside one of their ships they are stunning and kept beautifully clean. 

Entertainment has been very good in the theatres , the cabins and beds have been comfortable . Crew are friendly and not in your face.

We enjoy the food in both buffet and MDR, been to Butcher’s cut for free a few times now with our  Voyager club perk , excellent. 

We only started cruising with MSC in Feb 2017 enticed by the Status Match programme and by the end of December this year will have 60 nights with them having been on Splendida, Magnifica , Seaview, Meraviglia , Bellisima, Preziosa and soon Grandiosa.

 

 

 

Until you have actually tried MSC you will never know if it is for you.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

17 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I'm curious..... why do you feel Meraviglia is far superior to the Breakaway class? 

 

I feel that Seaside is a closer comparison to Breakaway since both ships are built for warm water sailings. Meraviglia is closer to Quantum class which is built for cooler climate sailing (ie, not as much exterior space). 

Thanks for asking! I have been on Norwegian Getaway; otherwise my opinions are based on what I read about BA/+ vessels, especially the new Norwegian Encore. NCL pool decks from Epic onward are notoriously crowded. That is largely a function of NCL allocating a lot of space to water slides and for-a-fee "beach clubs" (e.g. POSH on Epic and Vibe on BA/+). At the extreme of Encore (coming to the U.S. right after Meraviglia), NCL has two side-by-side pools for 4,000 passengers. That's it. Two pools. Even on ships with Spice H20, you still only get two pools and a water feature in which you can cool off.

 

By contrast, Meraviglia has three outdoor pools and one indoor pool under a roof that opens. Additionally there's an aqua park on a completely different deck to keep the children somewhat segregated. And while Haven/Yacht Club are somewhat similar, YC has a proper pool and more space. My sense is that there is a lot more deck space on Meraviglia for folks who want the lay-by-the-pool experience.

 

I never thought about the similarities between Meraviglia-class and Quantum class. Are they based on the same architecture?

Edited September 23, 2019 by Cruiser Bruiser
Punctuation

[GOLDENBONNY]

On 9/22/2019 at 10:59 AM, Rabbi-Reefer said:

So far, price seems to be the key factor. I'm not going to sail on a line just because it's cheaper than most.

I am not going to sail NCL even for free and I will try to avoid Carnival as much as possible. I love MSC  and I cruise with them because I love product. (even if web is terrible) 

[GOLDENBONNY]

On 9/22/2019 at 11:36 AM, ronbe65 said:

A new private island.

The Meraviglia is the lowest quality product overall (along with Carnival Vista-class ships), but we know how to enjoy cruises. We'll focus on the itinerary.

Happy cruising!

Have you been on Meraviglia to name it lowest quality product? 

[sfaaa]

On 9/22/2019 at 6:43 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

Prices significantly lower than the competition. 

Plus OBC if you book onboard. Friendly cancellation rule and low deposit for N American cruisers. It's a no-brainer.