Considering MSC, Is it for Us?

[LuckyStar]

Hi, all,

 

We are experienced cruisers, aged 61 for both of us.   We have cruised most of the major lines and like them fine but looking for a bit more refinement if possible and maybe older crowds.  

 

Is this a line we should consider?  We're not big on night life but the 11 day we are considering in the Caribbean is port intensive. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

J

[firefly333]

Following. Similar age and want some unusual ports when I'm in miami but I'm a picky eater.

 

Sorry I am just asking the same question. .. have no idea about msc. I've done princess, celebrity, ncl, rcl, and carnival .. never msc. I'm not picky about much else other than food lol. 

[Paphillyguy]

I have only cruised on MSC once and it was in the Yacht Club.  I can let you know my experience compared to the NCL Haven.  I have found that the Seashore Yacht Club was superior to the Haven in most aspects.   The biggest negative for me with MSC is their land based customer service and their website and IT.  It is very poor.  The ship side service was outstanding and the public areas in the Yacht club were much bigger then the Haven.  The butler service was good but not great on Msc but it could have been our Butler because in the Haven we had a great butler once and a decent butler once.  We like MSC so much that we have 2 more cruises booked in the Yacht club both times. 

[Paphillyguy]

Regarding night life, it is hard to say as we traveled in December and there were only about 1,200 aboard the ship so everything was fairly empty.  Except bingo, that was very popular   

[hapytobehr]

There are many reviews on MSC.  Some good, some bad.

 

Food is subjective.  

 

We sailed on MSC seaside back in 2018 in the yacht club and it was fantastic.

 

The food is hit or miss (IMHO) on any ship.  We ate in the yacht club every night and some nights the food was just okay.

 

I sail on Carnival most of the time and I feel the food is hit or miss there as well.

 

We are sailing on MSC Divina next Sunday and are looking forward even though there have been many adverse reviews about the ship, service, food, etc...

 

As for the ship Seaside, it was absolutely beautiful, much "finer" than Carnival, although I have not been on any of Carnivals' newer ships recently.

 

If you get a good deal-go for it, you might be pleasantly surprised-----or not.😉

 

(btw-we are in our sixties as well)

 

Happy Cruising!

 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by hapytobehr

[JT1962]

Hi, 

 

I am 60 and sailed on the Meraviglia solo on 1/23 for my first MSC cruise and loved it.  It was my 20th cruise and I have sailed with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess, Holland America and other now defunct lines. Meraviglia was the nicest (and largest) ship I have sailed on. The cabin, service, food, entertainment and amenities were equal to or better than other ships I have sailed. Ocean Cay, their private island, is very nice.

As far as food, I found good selection and quality in both the dining room and buffet. The menu options in the dining room were less than other lines, but I had no issue finding items that interested me. They combine soups, salads and appetizers into one menu section, but you can order multiple items. I usually ordered an appetizer and soup or salad, entree and dessert. The portion sizes were not large, but sufficient.  

One thing different from other lines - steak & shrimp cocktail had an up charge in the dining room, other than on “Elegant” night.

 

There were less than 600 passengers on my sailing, so it was very quiet in most areas. I did go to the main theater shows and enjoyed them. There were no full production shows or live orchestras, but the 2 singers and comedian I saw were good. I’m not sure if the shows were cut back due to Covid or they were typical, but I enjoyed them.
 

One suggestion is to read about the option to get a status match for their rewards program and apply before booking. They match your status not only on cruise lines, but hotels, airlines and possibly more. Pick the highest program you have for the best chance of getting the highest level. 

 

Many complain of issues with the website and customer service. The only issues I had was trying to enter my credit card online prior to boarding and not getting a response after a week on my status match request. I easily added it at one of the several kiosks once I boarded and re-submitted my status match request and was approved within 24 hours.

 

I was in a Fantastica level balcony and was happy. I’m sure Yacht Club is even better, but I’m not sure I would find it worth the price which was 4-5 times what I paid.

Edited February 25, 2022 by JT1962

[Europeantraveler1]

We’re (hopefully) going to be cruising with MSC in their Yacht Club for an overdue 50th wedding anniversary celebration with my hubby.  We’re bringing along and treating our daughter/son-in-law and two grandsons to this adventure!!  

We have sailed on HA many times and find that to be a good value with the clientele in the older range. We particularly enjoyed the newer ships (Niew Amsterdam and Konningsdam).  

Our very favorite cruise line, however, is Oceania.  We cruised on the Riviera to the Caribbean a few years ago and were very impressed with the ship; the staff; the food (out of this world); and the other passengers were older professionals that enjoy being pampered. We like to be seated at larger tables so we can meet others and found on this cruise some really interesting people!  The only downside of our vacation was two days out of disembarkation, my poor husband began the horrible process of dealing with a kidney stone.  It was hell.  But that had nothing to do with Oceania…

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, LuckyStar said:

Hi, all,

 

We are experienced cruisers, aged 61 for both of us.   We have cruised most of the major lines and like them fine but looking for a bit more refinement if possible and maybe older crowds.  

 

Is this a line we should consider?  We're not big on night life but the 11 day we are considering in the Caribbean is port intensive. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

J

The actual cruise is decent in yacht club which is my favorite.

 

The customer service is horrendous!!

I have had nothing but issues on 6 cruises from last December so far including two in two weeks.

Once these two are done, I am done with them.

 

Here is what can happen to you and these are all from personal experience.

You can be booted out of YC and stuck in a regular balcony cabin with no reduction in fare less than 4 weeks from sailing.

You can have your room taken away.

You can have them mysteriously charge you 30% more less than 4 weeks from sailing for cruise paid in full last July, which in my case is over $1800 for a B2b in two weeks. 

Just pay it they say and they will fix it later.

They still have not fixed stuff from last year yet.

 

If you like refinement, then you probably won't like the circus.

 

Stay as far away as you can!

[morpheusofthesea]

4 hours ago, LuckyStar said:

Hi, all,

 

We are experienced cruisers, aged 61 for both of us.   We have cruised most of the major lines and like them fine but looking for a bit more refinement if possible and maybe older crowds.  

 

Is this a line we should consider?  We're not big on night life but the 11 day we are considering in the Caribbean is port intensive. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

J

We would say "Only in the Yacht Club."

  So far so good, we have no problems with our bookings that have been described. ( Maybe because we have 10 others booked).

  We had one cruise payed in full which we cancelled and MSC applied it to one of the future10. We had another that MSC cancelled and they refunded our cc 60-90 days later.  And we had one cancellation the day after we paid in full, which we disputed with our cc and got it credited by the bank.

  Also we tend to book online directly with MSC and then turn it over to our TA for additional OBC.  Let her handle if any problems should arise.

  We dress for dinner every evening in the YC. The food is really a personal matter, suffice to say I gained 10 lbs in one week.

  The entertainment is also personal. More of an international clientele dictates a more eclectic sophistication with 2-3 shows in the theatre every evening of 45 minutes.

  Ports are iffy at the present moment with every cruise line, but the one highlight of any MSC cruise is their manmade island Ocean Cay. Lunch at their YC secluded enclave Ocean House is reminiscent of Singapore's Raffle House famous for the Singapore Sling. The terrace dining is out of a Hemingway novel with Caribbean Sun beating down on the rocks as the surf rolls in just feet away, azure waters and coconut palms swaying in the breeze. There is a butler or waiter always within 10  feet actually anxious to serve.

  We weren't sure about sailing this February 2022 due to forced testing on board and possible isolation/quarantining in a lessor cabin (even packed our own comfort food just in case roomservice in isolation was a disaster). But we went and had the best time ever that we booked again the YC for March 2022. Didn't touch our comfort food, instead spent $$ on Venchi chocolates by the pound.

  We just finished our 60's in 2021. As for cruises, we've had a 'few', but only MSC Yacht Club is worth the mention.

Edited February 25, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[cruiseguyinorl]

6 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Here is what can happen to you and these are all from personal experience.

You can be booted out of YC and stuck in a regular balcony cabin with no reduction in fare less than 4 weeks from sailing.

You can have your room taken away.

You can have them mysteriously charge you 30% more less than 4 weeks from sailing for cruise paid in full last July, which in my case is over $1800 for a B2b in two weeks. 

Just pay it they say and they will fix it later.

They still have not fixed stuff from last year yet.

 

If you like refinement, then you probably won't like the circus.

 

Stay as far away as you can!

 

Or none of this can happen which has been the case with my 25 cruises with MSC. Just sayin'.

Bret

[hamrag]

15 hours ago, LuckyStar said:

Hi, all,

 

We are experienced cruisers, aged 61 for both of us.   We have cruised most of the major lines and like them fine but looking for a bit more refinement if possible and maybe older crowds.  

 

Is this a line we should consider?  We're not big on night life but the 11 day we are considering in the Caribbean is port intensive. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

J

Based on your stated preferences.....'looking for a bit more refinement'; 'and maybe older crowds'.....I'd suggest no is the answer to your question.

 

If you are talking Yacht Club, the answer graduates to a definite yes! 😉

[Fla Mike]

50 minutes ago, hamrag said:

I'd suggest no is the answer to your question.

 

I'm really hating to write this...really.

 

If you get a good deal, including the "all in package" I'd say give it a try, maybe. Otherwise look elsewhere.

 

My comments DO NOT refer to the Yacht Club.

 

Like you we have been on many lines, I like to use the Phrase from " Carnival To Cunard", and everything in between, (no ultra luxury).

 

We took our first MSC cruise on the Divina in November 2021 and it was stellar.

The service, food and the ship were far above average for the price paid.

We took some cruise newbies with us and they were blown away.

Lovey still says the Divina is the most beautiful of ships she has been on !

 

Yes, we had some Customer Service woes, but nothing like some others.

 

We liked it so much, as soon as we got home, we canceled our March 2002 Princess cruise for MSC Meraviglia in early February 2022.

 

Total opposite experience...

The ship was beautiful, but that is where it ends.

 

From the minute we walked into the terminal it was a "cluster".

Two and a half hours to board, due to the total incompetence of the shoreside staff.

A room steward who never heard of a sharps container, and thought bringing a box of tissues and an extra roll of TP was like asking him to walk into a burning building. Yet he almost begged for and extra gratuity the last day.

 

A waiter in the MDR who had no problem yelling at me to wait my turn after I asked if we could get some initial service after being seated for close to 30 minutes. Obviously, the Maître D' had to get involved.

 

Kids and diapered infants in the Bamboo Pool area, which we thought was adults only. After I inquired, I was told, it's OK, we let the kids be.

 

Yes, there was some good, the service in the Sky Lounge was first class. The Activities Staff was great, and we ended up with a waitress in the MDR that was phenomenal.

 

So, with all that said, still not the worst cruise we have ever been on, but never again.

Back to Princess, Celebrity, and HAL.

And, depending what we are looking for even... Carnival

[adam7392]

Have sailed RC and Princess.  Did a Feb 2022 7 night Dubai cruise on MSC Virtuosa in balcony cabin, Fantastica level (i.e.not YC).  Came back last saturday and on sunday booked another 7 night Dubai cruise next year on MSC Opera.  Yes embarkation was a trial but that is due to covid and all the paperwork.  Once on board everything was great.  Wife and myself not too fussy on food, ate in MDR all 7 nights and I'd say 4 nights were good, 2 were v.good and 1 was adequate.  If ordered different courses results may have differed.  Used MDR for breakfast a couple of times and that was good.  For lunch used MDR 3/4 times and that was a bit hit and miss, not much lunch choice.  Mainly used buffet for snacks which was fine.  MDR service and bar service was excellent.  Went to 2 theatre shows, one was ok the other we left after 10 mins.  

[Croooser]

We are in your age bracket and have done one MSC in Yacht Club and one in a regular balcony. We concur that the Yacht Club is very good.

 

But outside the Yacht Club...refined is not a word that comes to mind.

 

An alternative to the Yacht Club at similar price points is Oceania. We rate O highly.

 

Looking to cancel one of our four upcoming Oceania bookings and replace with another Yacht Club sailing. Not planning to go on MSC again if not in Yacht Club.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Croooser

[carlmm]

Refinement is indeed not the first word one gets unto one's mind talking about MSC.

BUT:

Refinement is also not found anymore on the likes of Celebrity and HAL. Since they dropped any mentionable Dress Code all other standards fell down, too. In my experience. 

Compared to what one reads about Carnival, MSC is the heaven of refinement. 

MSC even has things like live opera performances. The choice of live music is quiet wide anyway.

Being an European line, lunch is a real multi course meal not sandwiches and burgers.

[Homosassa]

My husband and I are in our seventies and have been cruising for close to fifty years.

 

We have cruised on numerous cruise lines over the years (including, shudder, one on Carnival).

 

We enjoy MSC and we do not go Yacht Club (if we want to have luxury service, we cruise on Viking Ocean or another luxury line).

 

Our usual cabin is a Bella inside (before the change to Bella being a guarantee).

 

The reasons we enjoy MSC are as follows:

 

1. We love the international flavor of MSC. While this may not be part of the MSC experience in the USA during the Covid restrictions on international travel, we enjoy the multicultural passenger and crew composition.

 

2. MSC reminds us of the "old" days of cruising when different cruise lines maintained a cultural identity such as Dutch for HAL, Greek for Celebrity (Chandris), Italian for Princess (Sitmar) and Danish for Royal Caribbean (couldn't beat the chocolate). MSC is definitely Italian and European in approach. While the Olive Garden and Pizza Hut crowd  on board will be confused at having food that is Italian, the Italian specialties on board on excellent. MSC will also provide ethnic specialties in the buffet for the different passenger groups on  board. 

 

3. The service, as mentioned in number two above) is "European." It will be quiet and professional. No obsequious fawning.

 

4. Due to the international composition of the passengers, on board production shows will be done in a way that all can appreciate them. The performers are topnotch. Before Covid, the onboard production troupe  were recruited from London, NYC and Milan (opera quality voices). I don't know if this is still true in Covid times. If the cruise is seven days or longer, there will be a abbreviated performance of a opera on board on one of the sea days.   

 

5. The ships are beautiful and display the design that Italians are known for.

 

6 There is a dress code on board and it is usually enforced. Those who decide "it is my cruise and I will do what I want" will stand out like a sore thumb (might as well wear a sign saying "Carnival cruiser"). Those from cultures where dressing appropriately is part of their cultures will be dressed well. The formal nights (by whatever name MSC uses, I don't remember) will see women in formal gowns, men in tuxes, and some in their own version of formal wear (Kilts for the Scots, beautiful silk kimonos for the Japanese).  

 

In short, if you have limited travel experience and expect everything to be done just as it is in Nowhereville, USA or a bottom tier cruise line, you will be disappointed with MSC. If you a traveler with  more experience of other cultures, you will enjoy MSC.

[mscdivina2016]

18 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

.

 

6 There is a dress code on board and it is usually enforced. Those who decide "it is my cruise and I will do what I want" will stand out like a sore thumb (might as well wear a sign saying "Carnival cruiser"). Those from cultures where dressing appropriately is part of their cultures will be dressed well. The formal nights (by whatever name MSC uses, I don't remember) will see women in formal gowns, men in tuxes, and some in their own version of formal wear (Kilts for the Scots, beautiful silk kimonos for the Japanese).  

 

When was the last time you were on MSC?

 

I have been on 3 in the last 2 months and it was always the overdressed that stood out like a sore thumb.  

 Now I will clarify that I am speaking of Caribbean cruises. On European cruises you are correct, direct opposite.

How did/do they enforce it?

[Homosassa]

Regarding the comments about "cheap" fares: It is my opinion that those who are commenting on the lower fares on MSC are equating low fares with low tier cruise line.

 

MSC controls  fares where fare churning is not part of the MSC culture (read the Terms and Conditions on the MSC website carefully, especially the cancellation section) and the refusal to play "the customer is always right" game with OBC or other appeasement  has allowed MSC to control costs on board which are passed on to the passenger.

 

The best example for a response was one  I overheard at Guest Services where a passenger started his complaint with "On carnival..." The immediate response was "Sir, you are not on Carnival. Next passenger."

 

I was the next passenger and I was still laughing when I asked my question (which was quickly and courteously answered).

 

It is unfortunate that those fares in many cases attract passengers who are not ready to cruise MSC.

[steveywtc]

The worst customer service I’ve received on any cruise line. MSC stinks.  Never again!

[Homosassa]

2 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

When was the last time you were on MSC?

 

I have been on 3 in the last 2 months and it was always the overdressed that stood out like a sore thumb.  

 Now I will clarify that I am speaking of Caribbean cruises. On European cruises you are correct, direct opposite.

How did/do they enforce it?

My last MSC cruise was in March 2020 and it was the last cruise out of Miami before the shutdown. All my cruises on MSC were in the Caribbean.

 

If you read my post, you will note that I was speaking of my experience before Covid  and the restriction of the passenger composition from countries other than the US and Canada.

 

The dress code was enforced by simply refusing entrance to the MDR. One woman was fuming in the elevator because her husband, dressed in clothes to work out in the Gym, was refused entrance to the MDR for breakfast.

 

I witnessed a family party dressed in bathing suits (no cover ups) sit down to eat in the buffet for lunch. The head waiter for the area asked them to leave. 

 

I am not surprised that those people dressed appropriately stood out on your cruises.

 

We just debarked yesterday from an eleven night cruise  on Celebrity. It was interesting to watch people who must have packed their cruise wear from previously bottom tier  cruise lines.

 

Definitely not what I expected from previous Celebrity cruises.

[Morgsmom]

19 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

I have been on 3 in the last 2 months and it was always the overdressed that stood out like a sore thumb.   

Totally agree. Post COVID there are grown men in SHORTS at dinner... and baseball caps, too.  There is zero enforcement of any dress code in the MDR anymore.

[morpheusofthesea]

While traveling in suite class on any cruise line we dress up for dinner every evening and are 'standouts' sometimes (One that is conspicuous by virtue of excellence or superiority) and at other times we just blend in the same way. It just depends on the 'respectfulness' of the group on board.

 

Not required BUT "Why you should always dress when you go out to eat. Yes, it still matters. By Sam Dangremond, Town & Country. John Winterman, who used to work for Daniel Boulud as maître d' at Daniel, and for Charlie Trotter before that, and asked if he thinks dressing up for dinner still matters."

"Absolutely," said Winterman, who's now managing partner at Batârd in New York City. "I break it down into self-respect and respect for others." Would someone's appearance affect the table they were assigned at, say, Daniel?

"On the record, yes," he said. "If someone comes in making an effort and looking fabulous and glamorous and they know they're in for a premium experience at a premium price, you give them a fabulous table in the middle of the room. And people react to that, when they see a crowd that's well-dressed and beautiful and sparkling."

Edited February 26, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Morgsmom said:

Totally agree. Post COVID there are grown men in SHORTS at dinner... and baseball caps, too.  There is zero enforcement of any dress code in the MDR anymore.

I recently got off rcl and a guy at my table wore shorts to elegant night.

 

Seems a lot here dislike carnival and blame them for everything and consider themselves superior. Hmmm. Not sure I care for attitude though I do think that guy should have worn long pants. I'm not into pretentious so I just enjoyed my dinner. Not my problem. Rcl let him into eat.

 

I'm more worried about the food that how people dress. 

[perakcruiser]

 

On 2/26/2022 at 3:06 AM, LuckyStar said:

We are experienced cruisers, aged 61 for both of us.   We have cruised most of the major lines and like them fine but looking for a bit more refinement if possible and maybe older crowds.  

 

Is this a line we should consider?  We're not big on night life but the 11 day we are considering in the Caribbean is port intensive. 

 

Basically you should consider MSC because you miss something if you not try them. Maybe the old MSC ten years before would have fitted you better than the new americanized MSC, but the chances that you will be disappointed are very small. 

 

Certainly you have to avoid the US school holidays for a Caribbean cruise and the Italy / Germany school holidays for a European cruise if you want to have "maybe older crowds".

 

Please follow the MSC rule to keep things simple. Book, pay, go on board, enjoy. Try to avoid any discussions with them. 

 

On 2/26/2022 at 3:18 AM, firefly333 said:

Following. Similar age and want some unusual ports when I'm in miami but I'm a picky eater.

 

Sorry I am just asking the same question. .. have no idea about msc. I've done princess, celebrity, ncl, rcl, and carnival .. never msc. I'm not picky about much else other than food lol. 

 

"Picky eater" is a little bit to unspecified. Food on MSC basically is good, but there are things that MSC - in my opinion - fails to deliver. You want a nice steak every night? Forget it or pay for it. Fancy seafood? No have. A decent egg benedict for breakfast as Celebrity does? MSC has it on the breakfast menu on every ships menu since they started business, so amazing it is still the worst egg benedict on sea and land. The fast food from MSC is not what I would eat, but I also don´t like a Burger from McDonalds. 

 

But food on MSC still is good. You are familiar to Italian food? Pizza, pasta, risotto, all is up to decent Restaurant standard. And better than other cruise companies for sure. Also at the buffet where there is anyway such a big selection that makes everyone happy. 

 

So you don´t need to worry about being a picky eater, maybe sometimes you will order the wrong dish as MSC first timer, but thats all. 

[perakcruiser]

9 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm more worried about the food that how people dress. 

Very true. And I have seen perfectly dressed guests on Gala night with unfortunately not perfectly matching abilities to sit at the eating table and holding the cutlery set. I don´t care as I am in the MDR for enjoying good food not for watching people.