MSC advice for first timer (I know this is the Royal forum)

[JP350]

I’m thinking about trying an msc Merivillgia cruise in December going to costa maya and ocean cay. They are offering a deal I can’t refuse. 800 bucks with a 100 onboard credit. I’m also looking at a 4 night cruise to Labadee on oasis of the seas during the same time period, but this one’s 1200 with no onboard credit. If we go with MSC it’ll be our first time on msc, but we’ve been on 22 rccl cruises before and 3 on oasis. I know this isn’t the msc forum I’ve posted it there too, but I think that some of my fellow rccl cruisers could give me some insight.

[George C]

We liked MSc but traveled in there yacht club which is a suite area. I was surprised how good the entertainment was , not as good as rccl but good, great pizza. 

[Fredrik]

You get what you pay for. We did Yacht Club and we were not impressed at all. Food was lacking in quality, shows were horrible, fellow passengers….. It was right at the restart last summer and MSC were the only ones guaranteed to sail so we went for it. Happy we tried it so we can safely say we will not do it again. Try it and see if you like it. There is a cruise and a cruise line for everyone.

[footzz]

We've cruised MSC twice. The ships are slick/modern euro designs. The pax makeup was very International and the PA announcements got cumbersome as they are made in several languages. We found the quality of the food (included) to be lacking. The entertainment is geared to European tastes. The dining rooms are nothing like RCCL as they have low ceilings and they are very crowded. The photo service was a joke. The customer service desk bordered on surly. We recently had an opportunity to cruise on MSC for free. We didn't go. Twice was enough for us. YMMV.

Edited July 13, 2022 by footzz

[shipgeeks]

On your many RC cruises you've probably seen some of the shows multiple times. You might find the MSC shows, which are completely different, quite refreshing and entertaining.  We did.

We thought the food was good to very good.  Pizza is excellent!

No complaints at all with guest services.  Every crew member and officer we met was friendly and open to any questions and concerns.

Announcements were in several languages, but were only about the "essentials"; no spiels about art auctions, bingo, jewelry sales, etc.  We liked that!

[little britain]

Have cruised MSC several times.

Their ships are stunning and spotless.

Their equivalent of the promenade blows RCI out of the water. 
Their photographers are the best and take the most flattering photos I’ve ever encountered- no silly posed photos. 
Entertainment is visual rather than vocal to cater for the different languages onboard ( possibly not an issue in the Caribbean).

Food is excellent - smaller portions - if you want more just ask.

Yacht Club beats any other suite area in the market with superb food and service. 
Great pizza and freshly made mozzarella onboard. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by little britain

[George C]

1 hour ago, Fredrik said:

You get what you pay for. We did Yacht Club and we were not impressed at all. Food was lacking in quality, shows were horrible, fellow passengers….. It was right at the restart last summer and MSC were the only ones guaranteed to sail so we went for it. Happy we tried it so we can safely say we will not do it again. Try it and see if you like it. There is a cruise and a cruise line for everyone.

The food in yacht club was way better than rccl suite restaurant CK

[PompeySailor]

IMO

MSC yacht club better than Star Class

in so many areas.

But Royal and Oasis still a great choice 👍🏻
 

 

 

[jimdalva]

We sailed Meravilia twice and Loved it!

 

[sandebeach]

We have sailed in the Yacht Club on Divina, Seaside, and Meraviglia, and enjoyed all three ships. Food was great in the YC restaurant and also lunch poolside. Loved the complimentary snacks in the lounge.  The YC rooms are not as nice as suites on Royal, but having the private YC area was great. 

[Jimbo]

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Jimbo

[Sunshine3601]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

Yeah, not at price of $800  for 4 nights.

[mom4mom]

We sailed on Davina several years ago on an eastbound transatlantic. We were able to match to their Black level because we were Diamond on RCCL. We got a fantastic rate but will never sail them again. Disembarking at each port was a nightmare and as one poster pointed out that announcements went on and on!

[JP350]

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

On your many RC cruises you've probably seen some of the shows multiple times. You might find the MSC shows, which are completely different, quite refreshing and entertaining.  We did.

We thought the food was good to very good.  Pizza is excellent!

No complaints at all with guest services.  Every crew member and officer we met was friendly and open to any questions and concerns.

Announcements were in several languages, but were only about the "essentials"; no spiels about art auctions, bingo, jewelry sales, etc.  We liked that!

Yeah we’ve sat through cats and hairspray more times than we care to count, I like that there are no announcements about art bingo or port and shopping shows 😉

[JP350]

3 hours ago, little britain said:

Have cruised MSC several times.

Their ships are stunning and spotless.

Their equivalent of the promenade blows RCI out of the water. 
Their photographers are the best and take the most flattering photos I’ve ever encountered- no silly posed photos. 
Entertainment is visual rather than vocal to cater for the different languages onboard ( possibly not an issue in the Caribbean).

Food is excellent - smaller portions - if you want more just ask.

Yacht Club beats any other suite area in the market with superb food and service. 
Great pizza and freshly made mozzarella onboard. 

Huh that’s different than I’ve heard. what so much better about the msc promanade what do you mean the entertainment is visual like more acrobatic acts

[CanadaRob]

Sailed Divina, beautiful ship, great price, did not like the shows in general, nor the service. Looked recently at pricing, saw the same as you, won’t go again, unless it’s a crazy itinerary. Try ‘‘em once 

[JP350]

1 hour ago, sandebeach said:

We have sailed in the Yacht Club on Divina, Seaside, and Meraviglia, and enjoyed all three ships. Food was great in the YC restaurant and also lunch poolside. Loved the complimentary snacks in the lounge.  The YC rooms are not as nice as suites on Royal, but having the private YC area was great. 

We’ve sailed in suites on rccl. How do the size of the rooms compare like grand suites and junior suites 

56 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I'm pretty sure the OP will not be a Suite or be using the Yacht Club.......might better to answer his question judging a Regular Balcony Cabin against another Regular Balcony Cabin on the two lines.

We weren’t planning on it, but we’re now wondering if yacht club is worth it.

[JP350]

28 minutes ago, mom4mom said:

We sailed on Davina several years ago on an eastbound transatlantic. We were able to match to their Black level because we were Diamond on RCCL. We got a fantastic rate but will never sail them again. Disembarking at each port was a nightmare and as one poster pointed out that announcements went on and on!

You can match loyalty program on msc? I’m diamond and going to be diamond plus by December. 

[Rusty_lock]

If you can't afford Yacht club forgo MSC and stick with Royal.  MSC's standard offering are a step down from Royal.

[JT1962]

I sailed on the Meraviglia in January and loved it. By far the nicest ship I have been on. I have sailed on several Royal Caribbean ships, but not Oasis Class. I had a standard balcony cabin, so no Yacht Club.
 

i thought the food was equivalent to or better than Royal Caribbean. The selections were fewer on the dining room  menu than Royal, but you can order multiple items from each section and I always found several items to choose from. They do charge extra for some items (shrimp cocktail, steak) other than Elegant Night, but there were still plenty of choices. The buffet had a good selection at breakfast and lunch and the pizza was excellent. 
 

I enjoyed the entertainment since it included more than the standard singers / dancers (not a big fan). There was a 2nd showroom with an excellent band playing each night as well. 
 

Ocean Cay is the best Private Island I have been to. It has multiple beaches and is more natural than Coco Cay with no water park. 
 

The vast majority of passengers on my sailing were from the US and all announcements on the ship were made in English only (I see many complain about announcements in multiple languages, but that was not the case on my sailing).

Edited July 14, 2022 by JT1962

[JP350]

2 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

If you can't afford Yacht club forgo MSC and stick with Royal.  MSC's standard offering are a step down from Royal.

We can afford yacht club, but we rather book balconies on more cruises than suites on few. Do you think yacht club is worth it. We’ve sailed in suites on rccl how do they compare.

[JP350]

4 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

I sailed on the Meraviglia in January and loved it. By far the nicest ship I have been on. I have sailed on several Royal Caribbean ships, but not Oasis Class. I had a standard balcony cabin, so no Yacht Club.
 

i thought the food was equivalent to or better than Royal Caribbean. The selections were fewer on the dining room  menu than Royal, but you can order multiple items from each section and I always found several items to choose from. They do charge extra for some items (shrimp cocktail, steak) other than Elegant Night, but there were still plenty of choices. The buffet had a good selection at breakfast and lunch and the pizza was excellent. 
 

I enjoyed the entertainment since it included more than the standard singers / dancers (not a big fan). There was a 2nd showroom with an excellent band playing each night as well. 
 

Ocean Cay is the best Private Island I have been to. It has multiple beaches and is more natural than Coco Cay with no water park.

They charge extra for shrimp contrail and steak??? I’ve heard that the pizza is good as well. Call me crazy, but I like coco cay and it’s amusements, but the natural feel of castaway cay and labadee appeal to me.

[renza]

Good luck. The ship was beautiful, food is terrible. Customer service is the worst, they truly do not care if you are happy or not. Nothing like listening to announcements in 6 languages before every show. I could go in and on. All I know is we tried the seaside and once was enough. No way. 

[Rusty_lock]

8 minutes ago, JP350 said:

We can afford yacht club, but we rather book balconies on more cruises than suites on few. Do you think yacht club is worth it. We’ve sailed in suites on rccl how do they compare.

Ive never had yacht club but every review i have read that is positive towards MSC seems to indicate they cruised in YC.  My experience was in a balcony cabin on deck 8 with the Bella experience.  I'd never cruise MSC again.

[George C]

6 minutes ago, JP350 said:

We can afford yacht club, but we rather book balconies on more cruises than suites on few. Do you think yacht club is worth it. We’ve sailed in suites on rccl how do they compare.

In my opinion, there is no comparison between suites on rccl and MSc yacht club, MSc yacht club is way superior. I never did top suites on rccl just grand and owner suites, I find it very similar to celebrity edge class retreats suites.