Why so many bad reviews on MSC.

[8420PR]

MSC offers excellent value - but you get what you pay for.

 

E.g. Looking at all cruises departing Miami or Fort Lauderdale in October 2022:

•  cheapest on MSC you pay GBP288 (USD331) on MSC Seashore for 7 days on 15th October, including gratuities.
•  cheapest on RCI is GBP380 (USD437) on Explorer of the Seas for 8 nights on 1st October, plus gratuities.
•  cheapest on NCL is GBP420 (USD483) on Norwegian Sky for 7 nights on 9th or 23rd October, plus gratuities.
•  cheapest on HAL is GBP574 ((USD660) on Nieuw Statendam for 7 nights on 22nd October, plus gratuities.
•  cheapest on Carnival is GBP626 (USD720) on Carnival Spirit for 7 nights on 22nd October, plus gratuities.
•  cheapest on Celebrity is GBP644 on Infinity for 7 nights on 22nd October, plus gratuities.

 

MSC is almost half the price of the competition (including gratuities), and I love it because it enables me to take more cruises each year.  But compared to Celebrity there is less crew per passenger - so I'm less likely to get customized service for my special requests, and there is less food budget per passenger so steak is a payable extra in the MDR.   I think this is the root cause of the poor reviews.

 

[frank808]

On 8/30/2022 at 11:33 AM, tweakes said:

Because MSC is not really great at anything other than their price point. It doesn't mean they're bad - I'm Diamond with them - but they are not really great at any aspect of cruising. Everything is mediocre. But their ships are beautiful, their staff is untrained, their food is fine, their entertainment is laughable, but when it comes down to it... if you can't have fun on a cruise, it isn't the cruise line's fault. 

Also Diamond with MSC and D+ with Royal.

 

I would not say everything on MSC is mediocre. Have had the best waiter ever on MSC out of our 60+ cruises. Had great service from bartenders, room stewards, etc that I would say comparable to Royal. Only real difference is with their guest services always having to ask shoreline for guidance. Food in YC restaurant was better than the food we have eaten in Coastal Kitchen(Royals restaurant for their suites guest).

 

I am fine sailing MSC. But we have averaged 2 MSC cruises (14 days) vs 7 Royal cruises(60+ days) a year.  Royal is still our cruise line of choice but gladly sail MSC twice a year. 

 

I say go ahead and give MSC a try. You will never know if MSC meets your needs.

[mowogo]

The food on MSC is passable.  If you have access to the Diamond status match, having access to a specialty dining one night can come in handy if you have a day that the dinner doesn’t really entice you. While on most cruise lines, the pizza is a meal of last resort, MSC makes a good case for pizza all day with good pizza.  The other issue many people have with the main dining room is that the portions are much smaller than traditional American portions. 

 

The entertainment I can see again hitting some cultural barriers because the shows are much more dance oriented with professional dancers backing up the singers, with Amazing choreography and costumes but again more European taste rather than an American designed show.  I’d almost say the bar for entertainment on MSC is if you are somebody that can go to a non English Cirque show (Not MJ One, Beatles Love, Mad Apple etc) then you will be fine with the entertainment, but definitely not something that will grab the kids.  

 

If you want a cruise line that has you triple booked with scheduled activities you are interested in, MSC is not the cruise line for you.  While Carnival will try and overstuff the day, MSC offers some activities but gives you room to enjoy your vacation at leisure rather than rushing to all activities.

 

 

 

[Ptroxx]

Well booked my first msc cruise.    
 

it will be a b2b2b  3 cruise. With msc in the middle.  
NCl joy Panama 15 days. 

msc 7 days 

RC wonder 7 days. 
 

not worried about the food I can eat pizza 7 days lol. 
going with an open mind and have fun 

 

[Heisler123]

We have done 2 previous cruises with MSC and have no issues. We’ve done 15 cruises on other lines and find them comparable but they are better priced for sure. We’ve got 2 more back to back cruises booked on the Seascape for a total of 28 days. Looking forward to getting away from the snow for a month. 

[Markanddonna]

We are Diamond (Black status) on MSC and have had excellent sailings but the IT issues sometimes bring us to the point of "we're never going to sail MSC again."  One day, I discovered my account had vanished and IT never was able to recover that login. I have to use my husband's login. The CS agents are generally pleasant but their help is affected by MSC's terrible IT. It is laughable when they say, "The problem should be fixed by IT by Monday."  I'm pretty sure they have a banner with that phrase over their work stations.

 

Our last cruise in March was plagued by pandemic issues. Our ship went from 1,000 passenger to 3,300 the next sailing and the staff was overwhelmed and their were basic food shortages. Still, all the crew were pleasant. The food quality took a step down on that sailing. The specialty restaurants are excellent.