Sell me on MSC - Please

[mscdivina2016]

1 minute ago, travelwide said:

What ships are you getting on in Dec./Jan. Perhaps if it is on one of the larger ones your issues will be handled to your satisfaction. Versus a small ship like the Divina.

 

Hope and positive vibes ring eternal.

Seashore on the next 3. Seaview on next 2

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Here's our perspective.

We have done 40+ cruises, on Celebrity, RC, Carnival, NCL, Princess, and others. Our MSC cruises were our favorites, in just about all respects.

However, we might not be like other cruisers.

We research, book, pay, and go on the cruise.  We do not book 11 cruises at a time, planning to (maybe) do one or two of them.  We don't change our minds about our cabin or other arrangements.   We've never had any reason to make a phone call to a cruise line.  We've rarely had any reason to go to Guest Services while onboard.

I might also mention that our MSC cruises were in Bella cabins, not Yacht Club. We were treated exceedingly well throughout.

Don't get me wrong, most of my recent animosity is from the failure to properly address the Salsa debacle. The reason I have 5 booked is I like them. As a rule I don't do short cruises. I have done 24 day, 30 day plus but mostly overseas. The Caribbean cruises are because of Covid.

Repeatedly told a supervisor will call, emails all unanswered, total avoidance. Was told that they will contact me to make things right. Never happened. Many others were compensated. Only us in Yacht club were treated like crap.

 Just to refresh.... Yacht club grand suite, taken away 3 weeks before sailing, put in a regular balcony under a lounge on deck 8 with no reduction in fare and outright told if I don't like it cancel. Yacht club cost 4 times as a Balcony cabin.

 

[RG306]

We just booked the MSC Seaview out of St Maarten for February.  We ran into issues with our flights for Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Explorer out of San Juan and the cost of rebooking a return with another airline or switching to another Royal cruise didn't make sense.  so we're rolling the dice on MSC.  We've sailed almost exclusively with Royal the past 5 years but have cruised with Princess and Celebrity.  I understand that the experiences will be different but is the quality of food and service on MSC actually lower? I'm just trying to temper expectations 🙃

[perakcruiser]

38 minutes ago, RG306 said:

I understand that the experiences will be different but is the quality of food and service on MSC actually lower?

Difficult to answer. As a MSC newbie you probably will have the experience that the quality of food seems to be lower, because you order the "wrong" dishes. The first time on MSC is always cruise and learn. It is like your first trip to Italy or France or Spain. Is the quality of food there lower? No one will agree on this, but it is very easy to get disappointed. Good thing, pizza (the best) and pasta on MSC never disappoints. Same as Italy. And in Italy I am usually not happy with the common meat dishes, on MSC they are OK. Don´t expect a bistecca alla fiorentina if you are not paying extra for it.

 

"Service" is also a difficult field. I hate to handle things with the main reception or the photo shop staff. Room service and restaurant and bars usually is great. 

 

Conclusion: Many Americans want pure "american" cruising. MSC is world cruising and will not offer this to you. That you will not get what you are used to from RCCL does not mean, that MSC is "lower". If there are problems, always think first it is your fault, not the fault of the company 😉 Just enjoy the experience, the prices are great, if you don´t like it, go back to RCCL.

Edited December 1, 2021 by perakcruiser

[ready2cruzagain]

9 hours ago, RG306 said:

We just booked the MSC Seaview out of St Maarten for February.  We ran into issues with our flights for Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Explorer out of San Juan and the cost of rebooking a return with another airline or switching to another Royal cruise didn't make sense.  so we're rolling the dice on MSC.  We've sailed almost exclusively with Royal the past 5 years but have cruised with Princess and Celebrity.  I understand that the experiences will be different but is the quality of food and service on MSC actually lower? I'm just trying to temper expectations 🙃

We have sailed both Princess and Celebrity but prefer MSC. You will get a million different answers.  I say try it for yourself.  We actually love their food much more than Princess.  I must say there are several things that I had never heard of and I love that.  Lots of pasta and as others have said the portions are small but feel free to order more than one dish.  

 

As far as service goes, IMO you will not find more friendly employees that are willing to do just about anything you ask or get anything you need and no I am not talking about Yacht Club, this is in regular cabins. 

 

I have had problems with Guest Services on board but that is easily resolved by going over their head to their boss and then they bend over backwards to make you happy.  I have never been on a ship in almost 50 cruises that had the officers pictures and phone numbers listed on the main atrium screen and told you to contact them if you have a problem.  I did and wow oh wow problem was taken care of immediately. I cannot praise the staff and officers on any other cruiseline like I do MSC and have sailed NCL, Carnival, Princess and Celebrity.

 

I have found the biggest problem is MSC Customer Service on land. They stink.

 

I say go into it with an open mind that it is not RCCL, Princess and Celebrity and enjoy your vacation.

[Tapi]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:39 PM, wesnliz said:

sell me on an msc cruise! 

What I like about MSC:

 

- beautiful, stunning ships 

- super cheap fares and tons of promotions (kids sail free, balcony for the price of an inside, loyalty match program, etc)

- the international vibe and their multi-cultural clientele mix

- affordable suites and perks

- their global outreach 

Personally, I am a Platinum Carnival cruiser, but I absolutely love MSC, specially in the Mediterranean which is their turf. The only way to know if MSC is for you is to try it. 
 

 

[Selion]

Not going to rehash MSC's positives.  As for the negatives, you'll find most, if not all, are related to on-shore customer service and lack of communication between corporate offices in Switzerland and US.  With that said and if you decide to try MSC, find a TA who has been booking MSC instead of someone who hasn't or has few MSC bookings.  MSC can be peculiar to deal with, and an experienced TA could be the difference between no stress and aggravation.

[quattrohead]

58 minutes ago, Selion said:

With that said and if you decide to try MSC, find a TA who has been booking MSC instead of someone who hasn't or has few MSC bookings.  MSC can be peculiar to deal with, and an experienced TA could be the difference between no stress and aggravation.

A TA that seems to be well placed to give you the good service with MSC has already posted in this thread.

[quattrohead]

23 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I disagree. Steve's issue is still ongoing with no resolution. It is certainly within your right to be tired of his posts, but it is not within your right to attempt to silence him. There are new people joining the forum every day who have not read his story. There is an ignore feature that many find comforting. 

I am sure he is well capable of looking after himself !!!!

They will not hit you with every ***** up on one cruise booking, they will spread them over a few.

I was royally pissed off with them over the whole Armonia thing, but battled through and ended up on a great cruise and had a wonderful time. One needs to set ones self up for success, not failure....so said my fortune cookie last night LOL

[BermudaBound2014]

32 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

I am sure he is well capable of looking after himself !!!!

They will not hit you with every ***** up on one cruise booking, they will spread them over a few.

I was royally pissed off with them over the whole Armonia thing, but battled through and ended up on a great cruise and had a wonderful time. One needs to set ones self up for success, not failure....so said my fortune cookie last night LOL

 

 I wasn't "looking after"  Steve, I was sticking up for freedom of speech on the forums in general. No one should be told to stop posting negative experiences, just as no one should be told to stop posting positive experiences.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I've sailed on pretty much all the cruise lines and it's based on ports and price. My last 3 cruises have all been on MSC and last 4 of 5 have been on MSC. They're a bit different and I think food choices are more limited overall for the American palate. But their prices are definitely very good and they often go to ports that few other lines go to. So I'm sold on MSC followed by NCL.