Brand new to MSC- teach me

[amydandrea]

I have cruised NCL 12 times and RC once. Trying MSC in Nov 2020, tell me what I need to know! What dining venues are included? What’s different between NCL and MSC? We will be on Meraviglia, what is a must do? How are dining prices in specialties and drink prices ? Don’t have any packages as of yet..any recommendations? If you have cruised NCL is it more or less casual than NCL? I am a planner.....love info! Thanks in advance!

[hummer88]

I have been on NCL Escape, MSC Seaside X2 and MSC Preziosia. (some but limited experience)

 

Overall I felt that MSC was a little more formal than NCL.  I believe it was due to the higher percentage of European travelers.  We dressed nicely (long pants and collared shirts, dresses on both lines) and did not feel over dressed on NCL or under dressed on MSC.

 

What experience do you have on MSC?

 

I had old deluxe drink package on MSC and whichever one came with the free at sea with NCL.  I would give the edge here to MSC.  Drinks overall were equal but MSC package included espresso and gelato.  Gelato is no longer included with premium MSC package but espresso is.

 

Dining is very subjective but in my opinion, we prefer MSC.  I felt the anytime dining with NCL seemed very limited on menu selection and they tried to get you in and out to make room for the next group.  Our anytime dining with MSC last year (depending on the experience) we had the same table and waiter almost every night, every though it was at different times.  It felt more personal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[amydandrea]

Thanks so much! I know very very little about MSC I have been watching YouTube videos etc and reading threads but I love hearing right from people who have experienced it!

[Jembeccatoo]

1 hour ago, amydandrea said:

I have cruised NCL 12 times and RC once.

 

First, did you do Status Match with MSC? Your NCL status will give you perks on MSC.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Jembeccatoo

[amydandrea]

Yes! I did that first! I love that they match the status!

[brillohead]

I come from a Royal Caribbean background, and one thing I was looking forward to turned out to be the biggest dud -- the food.

The SERVICE in the MDR was absolutely outstanding, but the food itself in most cases was disappointing.  I expected an Italian cruise line to serve delicious Italian food, but everything was very, very bland -- to the point that I would have preferred Ragu sauce straight out of the jar versus the unseasoned tomato sauce that they served.  (I was on board for 13 days and never once smelled or tasted garlic, if that gives you an idea.)

Another dud was late-night food options... there basically are none besides pizza, and even that was only cheese pizza unless you were willing to wait 10 minutes for them to bake one with pepperoni on it.  

A big difference for me was the internet plan -- it's sold like a cell phone data plan with X amount of data allowed, so I had to log on and off the internet every time I wanted to use it to make sure I didn't use up all my data too soon.  If you're used to always having access to your social media or always being reachable via Wi-Fi calling/texting, you'll want to spend more for the fully unlimited internet package.

Other than that, I found MSC to be rather comparable to Royal Caribbean.  (Note that I rarely go to production shows, so I can't comment on that, but from people I talked to, Royal has the edge there.  Royal also does a better job with their Promenade parties and nightclub offerings.) 

If prices were comparable, I'd choose Royal over MSC, but for a good cost savings, I'd have no problem going on MSC again.  

 

[jkgourmet]

45 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I come from a Royal Caribbean background, and one thing I was looking forward to turned out to be the biggest dud -- the food.

Another dud was late-night food options... there basically are none besides pizza, and even that was only cheese pizza unless you were willing to wait 10 minutes for them to bake one with pepperoni on it.  
 

 

Thank you for the quick compare and contrast.  Food is the single, most important thing to my level of enjoyment  - cruise or land vacation.   We're sailing on the Mera in February and, after reading so MANY complaints about the food, it's kinda become work to remain excited about this cruise.

 

BTW, pepperoni is not used in Italy as a pizza topping except in touristy areas.  That said, if MSC is trying to attract N Americans,  they need to serve it.

[brillohead]

1 minute ago, jkgourmet said:

Thank you for the quick compare and contrast.  Food is the single, most important thing to my level of enjoyment  - cruise or land vacation.   We're sailing on the Mera in February and, after reading so MANY complaints about the food, it's kinda become work to remain excited about this cruise.

I was genuinely disappointed, and I'm one who is happy with the offerings in the MDR on Royal Caribbean, which so many people think is horrid.  Their red sauce honestly was like someone just opened up a can of tomato sauce... cooked tomatoes with literally nothing else in it.  The white sauce was like cream... no taste at all.

 

 

3 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

BTW, pepperoni is not used in Italy as a pizza topping except in touristy areas.  That said, if MSC is trying to attract N Americans,  they need to serve it.

That I could understand, except for the fact that this was something they DID offer, and even though they KNEW that everyone wanted pepperoni pizza at night, they still never altered their quotas. 

I was on a 13-night repo cruise from NYC to MIA (hitting a bunch of Caribbean islands in between), so it started and ended in North America, and EVERY late night in the buffet they would have ten cheese pizzas and one pepperoni pizza, which was emptied literally the second they put it out -- then it was another ten minute wait while they cooked another one.  If you weren't one of the first four people in line, you didn't get pepperoni.

Since pizza is literally the ONLY food that is available at that hour, wouldn't you think they'd at least make more of the one kind they always ran out of???  But the second week of the cruise was more of the same.... nothing but cheese pizza after midnight (and no desserts at all) unless you were number 1-4 in line and willing to wait ten more minutes for them to cook another pepperoni pizza. 


You might want to look into specialty dining, if food is a big deal for you.  I literally NEVER do specialty dining (I've only gone to Chops or Izumi on Royal Caribbean because someone else was paying for it, as I've always been able to find something to satisfy me in the MDR, even with the repetitive menus), but I would consider it when sailing on MSC in the future.

[jkgourmet]

3 minutes ago, brillohead said:

You might want to look into specialty dining, if food is a big deal for you.  I literally NEVER do specialty dining (I've only gone to Chops or Izumi on Royal Caribbean because someone else was paying for it, as I've always been able to find something to satisfy me in the MDR, even with the repetitive menus), but I would consider it when sailing on MSC in the future.

 

Since MSC stupidly won't honor the Easy package in speciality restaurants, we won't be eating in them.  (And frankly, I thought the prices were very high compared to other cruise line speciality restaurants.)

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

Since MSC stupidly won't honor the Easy package in speciality restaurants, we won't be eating in them.  (And frankly, I thought the prices were very high compared to other cruise line speciality restaurants.)

Then maybe pack some small seasoning bottles to take into the dining room with you in your purse?  

[jkgourmet]

58 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Then maybe pack some small seasoning bottles to take into the dining room with you in your purse?  

 

Garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes to the rescue!   😁 

 

Seriously,  that's not a bad idea.  I want garlic powder on my pizza and DH insists on red pepper flakes.  

 

(I assume salt and pepper are available on the table.)

[brillohead]

Yes, salt and pepper are readily available.  A canister of garlic and pepper flakes smuggled into the MDR will definitely make your experience more palatable!!!

 

[dexddd]

Main difference from NCL, you won't pay as much in extra fees and charges on packages and DSC as an entry level room fare.

 

Dress a bit more formal on US sailings.

 

Felt food on par with NCL but entertainment not as good but both of these subjective.

[Homosassa]

8 hours ago, brillohead said:

I come from a Royal Caribbean background, and one thing I was looking forward to turned out to be the biggest dud -- the food.

The SERVICE in the MDR was absolutely outstanding, but the food itself in most cases was disappointing.  I expected an Italian cruise line to serve delicious Italian food, but everything was very, very bland -- to the point that I would have preferred Ragu sauce straight out of the jar versus the unseasoned tomato sauce that they served.  (I was on board for 13 days and never once smelled or tasted garlic, if that gives you an idea.)

Another dud was late-night food options... there basically are none besides pizza, and even that was only cheese pizza unless you were willing to wait 10 minutes for them to bake one with pepperoni on it.  

 

Your post gives me the "idea" that your only experience with "Italian" food comes from such outstanding restaurants as Olive Garden and Pizza Hut.

 

As someone who learned the regional recipes from my straight off the boat relatives from Naples, most of the recipes do not contain garlic.

 

Another hint: tomato based sauce does not contain oregano, including any used on pizza (basil - maybe).

 

And I am not surprised that pepperoni was in limited use on pizza. It is a Naples based cruise line serving the food of the region.   

 

It used to be that many cruise lines did serve the food of their culture. Examples are Celebrity (Chandris) Greek, Princess (Sitmar) Italian, HAL Dutch.  It is only within the last twenty years that this tradition has seems to have disappeared .

 

MSC is a welcome change from this homogenization and gives  a traveler a chance to broaden his horizons .

[allyfrizzle]

6 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Your post gives me the "idea" that your only experience with "Italian" food comes from such outstanding restaurants as Olive Garden and Pizza Hut.

 

As someone who learned the regional recipes from my straight off the boat relatives from Naples, most of the recipes do not contain garlic.

 

Another hint: tomato based sauce does not contain oregano, including any used on pizza (basil - maybe).

 

And I am not surprised that pepperoni was in limited use on pizza. It is a Naples based cruise line serving the food of the region.   

 

It used to be that many cruise lines did serve the food of their culture. Examples are Celebrity (Chandris) Greek, Princess (Sitmar) Italian, HAL Dutch.  It is only within the last twenty years that this tradition has seems to have disappeared .

 

MSC is a welcome change from this homogenization and gives  a traveler a chance to broaden his horizons .

 

I agree with this. I sailed the Divina in 2014 and was enamored by the different food from Carnival. I dream about the pizza and other Mediterranean food they stocked the buffet with. I can't wait for my next sailing at the end of February. 

When I last went on NCL, I was so bored by the ship even though I'd never been on it. They are all so similar, same experience, same food, same everything. I'm looking forward to a change. That said, I will bring my own bottle of sirarcha to spice things up.

[brillohead]

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Your post gives me the "idea" that your only experience with "Italian" food comes from such outstanding restaurants as Olive Garden and Pizza Hut.

I've actually been in actual owned-by-Italians restaurants as well as mainstream franchises like the ones you've mentioned.  I'm sorry, but I've never had ANY type of Italian food that was literally bland to the taste.  

 

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

As someone who learned the regional recipes from my straight off the boat relatives from Naples, most of the recipes do not contain garlic.

 

Another hint: tomato based sauce does not contain oregano, including any used on pizza (basil - maybe).

I have a hard time believing that actual Italian tomato based sauce doesn't contain anything besides tomatoes, though.... I don't care if it's oregano or basil or pepper or garlic or something (ANYTHING!) else entirely, but I do expect more than this:

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

And I am not surprised that pepperoni was in limited use on pizza. It is a Naples based cruise line serving the food of the region.   

So, chicken nuggets are the food of the region?  And burgers and hot dogs?  Because they served those on the buffet, too -- and in sufficient quantities.  I didn't know burgers and nuggets originated in Naples, I learned something new on Cruise Critic today.  🤣

 

My point was that with a crowd that obviously wanted pepperoni pizza -- which they did have available and offered on the buffet -- they still refused to alter their quantities to meet demand.  

That would be like if they knew the vast majority of the passengers wanted burgers, but they put out one platter of burgers next to 40 pots of risotto. 

 

I can understand it being an issue the first night, if they didn't know what that particular group of passengers would be interested in.  But after sending away a bunch of hungry people who wanted the all-gone burgers and after scraping 39 pots of unwanted "authentic from Naples" risotto into the garbage can at the end of the night, you'd think someone in the kitchen would switch the ratios around on the following nights.  Same with pizza.  If you have a backlog of ten whole cheese pizzas sitting untouched in the warmer and the pepperoni pizza pan is empty, you didn't make the right product in the right quantity. 

[Kmkub]

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Your post gives me the "idea" that your only experience with "Italian" food comes from such outstanding restaurants as Olive Garden and Pizza Hut.

 

 

As a couple who frequents an Italian restaurant run by Italian cooks who came here from Italy, I resent that. We are just off the Divina today.  We were so excited to have access to delicious Italian food every day.

 

Our risotto wan't Al Dante, it was crunchy. Our ravioli wasn't overcooked, it was like eating paste. There was almost no sauce at all, and what there was, had absolutely no flavor. 

 

Our favorite Italian restaurant sauces their pasta with richly flavored sauce, and the pasta has a bite, but is never crunchy. Should I tell the owners they are doing it wrong?

 

Side note: We had some excellent dishes on the Divina, but also a lot of the food did lack flavor. Salt was our best friend. 

 

The one thing we learned about MSC (it was our first time,) was that the only consistency is inconsistency.

 

I'll be posting a review in the next couple of days. We had an amazing time and will probably sail MSC again. (Just not for the food.)

[shipgeeks]

18 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

 

BTW, pepperoni is not used in Italy as a pizza topping except in touristy areas.  That said, if MSC is trying to attract N Americans,  they need to serve it.

MSC has already made many concessions for North Americans.  We are still a small minority of the passengers at any time. If pepperoni pizza or other American foods/activities is important, there is still Carnival/RC/NCL and others to sail on.  I hope MSC will not go any further in watering down the experience.

That said, we were just on Seaside for two weeks, and saw pepperoni pizza every day, all day, as well as three other varieties, not only cheese.  They were all delicious.  They were not Pizza Hut.  Late night snacks also included desserts, fruits, etc.

We loved the MSC experience, and will be booking them again soon.

[brillohead]

26 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

That said, we were just on Seaside for two weeks, and saw pepperoni pizza every day, all day, as well as three other varieties, not only cheese.  They were all delicious.  They were not Pizza Hut.  Late night snacks also included desserts, fruits, etc.

Just to clarify, there may have been adequate pepperoni pizza available during the daytime -- I rarely ever went to the buffet, so I can't comment on that.  

My experience of one pepperoni pizza (gone as soon as they set it out) versus ten cheese pizzas was after midnight, when the pizzeria area of the buffet was literally the only food option available on the entire ship (and they didn't have desserts or fruits available after midnight -- just the pizza).  

Just wanted to clarify that my comments about pizza were the late-night offerings only.

[jkgourmet]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

MSC has already made many concessions for North Americans.  We are still a small minority of the passengers at any time. If pepperoni pizza or other American foods/activities is important, there is still Carnival/RC/NCL and others to sail on.  I hope MSC will not go any further in watering down the experience..

 

Concesdins?  It's what the MSC marketing dept needs to do to keep the ships fully booked.

 

Watering down the experience?  If they can keep the ships full offering a non-watered down experience, they would.

 

Seriously folks.  Ultimately it's not about what the customers think feel, review, or tell their friends.  It's about the bottom line for the stockholders

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by jkgourmet

[nednrom]

1 hour ago, jkgourmet said:

 

Seriously folks.  Ultimately it's not about what the customers think feel, review, or tell their friends.  It's about the bottom line for the stockholders

 

Actually MSC is the only family owned cruise line.  It is not public so no shareholders. So the stock holders are members of a family.

The food, the culture, habits are quiet different, more European in nature and MSC is trying to adapt to Caribbean passengers.  We were in the YC on Meraviglia so have no complaints about food or the service and felt like Royalty.  It was our first MSC cruise and we have over 30+ cruises with Royal, NCL and others.  If you don't like a particular food, they don't hesitate to replace it with something else like any other cruise line.  No need to take spices from home, they do exist in the buffet or you can ask your waiter. (Not sure that I saw garlic, but hot sauce was definitely available)

The atmosphere is more international, announcements are repeated in several languages and most people don't wear shorts to the MDR.  We liked talking to people from different nationalities and had a great time.  We booked a second cruise on the Seaside onboard.  

 

 

Quote

 

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by nednrom

[alyssamma]

13 minutes ago, nednrom said:

Actually MSC is the only family owned cruise line.  It is not public so no shareholders. So the stock holders are members of a family.

The food, the culture, habits are quiet different, more European in nature and MSC is trying to adapt to Caribbean passengers.  We were in the YC on Meraviglia so have no complaints about food or the service and felt like Royalty.  It was our first MSC cruise and we have over 30+ cruises with Royal, NCL and others.  If you don't like a particular food, they don't hesitate to replace it with something else like any other cruise line.  No need to take spices from home, they do exist in the buffet or you can ask your waiter. 

The atmosphere is more international, announcements are repeated in several languages and most people don't wear shorts to the MDR.  We liked talking to people from different nationalities and had a great time.  We booked a second cruise on the Seaside onboard.  

100% agree.

 

Many of these comments seem silly to me. Pep pizza is not watering down the "experience". While pep pizza anywhere in Europe is rare, salami pizza is everywhere, including the most non-touristy parts of Italy. And given that McDonalds and the like are all throughout Italy, I'd say there is a lot of America already there.

 

Anyway, the food on MSC *is* more Italian/Mediterranean than other cruise lines. And the passengers are certainly more diverse. But they still have "American" things, just like any other western European country does. If you go into a McD or KFC in Europe, most of the people there are locals and not tourists.

 

That being said, the biggest difference between MSC and other lines is the crew is not your friend. Many Americans find this "rude" as they expect bartenders, waiters, etc. to do their jobs with a smile. In Europe, the job is done, and done correctly, but they aren't trying to be your friend. This is neither good nor bad, just a difference.

 

Similarly, if there is a problem, they work to fix it and once fixed, it is over. Americans, in general, expect something given to them when a mistake has been made. Again, neither good nor bad, just different.

 

These types of cultural differences are far more impacting on the cruise than the food - which is completely subjective.

 

All of that being said, MSC is a good and fun cruise line. Try it...you'll probably love it.

 

Kevin

 

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

That being said, the biggest difference between MSC and other lines is the crew is not your friend. Many Americans find this "rude" as they expect bartenders, waiters, etc. to do their jobs with a smile. In Europe, the job is done, and done correctly, but they aren't trying to be your friend. This is neither good nor bad, just a difference.

I actually didn't notice any difference in staff friendliness -- every room attendant I passed (and I passed a lot of them, all the time, as I had an aft balcony on Meraviglia, which is roughly 842 miles from the elevators! LOL) went out of their way to greet me with a smile.  Our MDR waiter's roommate brought his guitar to the MDR one night and we had an impromptu sing-and-dance party after dinner around our table.  

 

I chatted with our waiter a bit, and he said he much prefers the North American cruises (this was just a couple weeks after Meraviglia crossed the Atlantic).  When asked why that was, he smiled and said, "Americans tip!"  😄 

 

 

5 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

Similarly, if there is a problem, they work to fix it and once fixed, it is over.

Or, they just don't fix it at all. 

 

A friend had an electrical problem in his room... the outlets at the desk didn't work at all, and the lights went out automatically after a few minutes even with the room card in the slot.  Every time he wanted to take a shower, he had to take the card out of the slot, reinsert it, take a FAST shower, and then remove/replace the card again to dry off and get dressed.  More than once he had to finish his shower in pitch darkness (it was an inside room, totally dependent upon lighting) and feel his way to the bathroom door to remove/reinsert his card to reactivate the electricity.

Over the course of a 13-day cruise, they never got his electricity fixed at all.  He went 13 nights without being able to use his CPAP machine (which could have killed him).  He had to charge his cell phone using a ceiling outlet in the hallway.  And even though they had a bunch of empty rooms on the ship, they never even offered to move him to a functioning room. 

 

He's much more passive than I am -- I would have insisted on properly functioning electrical outlets (and lights!) in my room!  They even switched out the whole plug system at the vanity desk, but it still didn't work, and they were just like, "Huh, don't know what to do....." like it was no big deal.  

 

 

 

 

Ooooh, that reminds me -- teaching moment for the OP:  As you've probably deduced from this post, you have to put your room key in a slot by the bathroom door to turn on the electricity in the room.  I've had this on other ships before, but never had it be a requirement that it be my actual room key -- usually you can insert a library card, credit card, hotel room key, or even just some business cards, but not on Meraviglia.  ONLY your room key will activate the card slot.  So if you're used to keeping your room key somewhere else (purse, beach bag, lanyard, cell phone case), you'll need to devise a way to remember to grab your card when you leave the room.  

Also, instead of using door magnets or door-handle-hanger-signs, Meraviglia uses lights for "please make up room" or "do not disturb".  The switches will be right by the card slot, and they turn on/off different colored lights above the door frame in the hallway.  Don't forget to flip off "DND" and turn on "make up room" when you leave in the morning / at dinnertime, or your room attendant won't service your room. 

I prefer the light system, because pranksters can't switch the magnet or door-hanger around -- it's set from inside the room and can't be tampered with.  But I did forget a couple times to switch it over... maybe put a sticky note on your electricity card slot to remind you to flip the switches when leaving/entering the room.   

[philsuarez]

Probably the best thing too except early on is this is an Italian/Swiss brand so things are done a little differently to some other American based lines. Many Europeans don't like to wait very patiently in a line other than the Brits lol! That being said we've loved all our MSC Cruises. May be we've been lucky but the food has always been good especially when we've  been in the Yacht Club. Finances permitting it's well upgrading to YC if possible. The YC has some inside cabins which can be picked up at a reasonable rate. The YC facilities mean you don't feel short changed not having a balcony. YC is an all inclusive fare including drinks

[Kmkub]

4 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

 Many Europeans don't like to wait very patiently in a line other than the Brits lol!  

Yes. We noticed. I would put passenger rudeness as my number one complaint from our first MSC cruise. We were actively prevented from getting on and off elevators and also had people cut in front of us numerous times, as if they were oh so much more important than me. It didn't help that casino cashiers, bartenders, etc., would just start ignoring me to talk to the person who cut in front of me. 

 

Very strange - how do polite people manage to get anything done in Europe?