HAL vs MSC

[mcrcruiser]

Just got off the phone with my wife's cousin in Florida who has gone on 2 MSC   cruises . Yes their ships are beautiful  ;but that is where it stops . she said that the food was awful ,People leaving whole meals in plates    ,Only thing included in the cruise fare was the MDR & Buffet . Every thing else was charged , The main show room you needed tickets at $18 each   .A cup of coffee extra tea extra  cost ie    ,.The pizza was not as good as Princess pizza  . 

 

 Even if MSC came to the SD or LA market we would not sail with them after she told me their experiences  9 years apart 2 cruises 

 

  

[mcrcruiser]

JaL is our Go to line here in the San Diego cruise pier   .Never been disappointed with HAL's product 

[CruiserBruce]

Some comparisons from a thread just a few days ago:

 

 

[Hobby3333]

43 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Just got off the phone with my wife's cousin in Florida who has gone on 2 MSC   cruises . Yes their ships are beautiful  ;but that is where it stops . she said that the food was awful ,People leaving whole meals in plates    ,Only thing included in the cruise fare was the MDR & Buffet . Every thing else was charged , The main show room you needed tickets at $18 each   .A cup of coffee extra tea extra  cost ie    ,.The pizza was not as good as Princess pizza  . 

 

 Even if MSC came to the SD or LA market we would not sail with them after she told me their experiences  9 years apart 2 cruises 

 

  

One thing is for sure, you are not talking about the YC on MSC

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

Just got off the phone with my wife's cousin in Florida who has gone on 2 MSC   cruises . Yes their ships are beautiful  ;but that is where it stops . she said that the food was awful ,People leaving whole meals in plates    ,Only thing included in the cruise fare was the MDR & Buffet . Every thing else was charged , The main show room you needed tickets at $18 each   .A cup of coffee extra tea extra  cost ie    ,.The pizza was not as good as Princess pizza  . 

 

 Even if MSC came to the SD or LA market we would not sail with them after she told me their experiences  9 years apart 2 cruises 

 

  

WOW!  Am 5* Star on HAL, long time Elite on Princess, and recently finished our  3 rd cruise (actually 5 if you consider the back to backs) on MSC.  I do not agree with your cousin, and I will tell you why.  Yes, you can book MSC in an inexpensive cabin/experience with no amenities like drink packages.  You can do the same on HAL.  And yes, you can book MSC's Yacht Club (our way of cruising MSC) where you are in a private enclave (entry by electronic key), have a private restaurant, private lounge, unlimited drinks, unlimited Internet. etc.   And you can also book various other "experiences" that include various things.  Bottom line is that MSC's booking options are very varied and each cruiser can choose what best fits their own wants, desires, and budgets.  

 

Obviously, your wife's cousin decided to book one of the bare bones options and that is what they got!   You get what you pay for :).  As to the pizza, we love Princess pizza which we think is the best at sea.  MSC actually offers two different pizza options, and they are different.  The free pizza in the LIdo (breakfast - late at night) is quite good (far better than on HAL) but not as good as Princess pizza.  But MSC also has a pizza/Italian restaurant where the pizza is a good or better than on Princess.  That pizza does cost extra except for those of us in the Yacht Club where there is no extra charge if we order it via room service.

 

Oh, and speaking of MSCs drink packages, they do not have any silly 15 drink limit.  As part of our Yacht Club booking we get included drinks up to $15 per drink anywhere on the ship.  That includes French champagne and plenty of top shelf booze.  Your wife's cousin could have purchased such a drink package (just like they can purchase a drink package on most lines including HAL)   They apparently decided not to purchase an "Experience" that included drinks nor did they buy a stand-along drink package.  I guess they simply preferred to whine about no free wine :).

 

As to the Main Show Room (with a different production show every night) there is no charge for anyone!  On a few of the newest ships (I think it might be 3 out of over 20 ships) they also have a 2nd theater which does offer some shows that have an extra charge.  We have not been on any of those ships, but have heard that the shows are quite spectacular (think...Cirque de Soleil).  Compare that to HAL where they do not have any Production Shows.   The fee for those  new secondary shows are a new thing and only time will show whether that is a good move on MSC's part.  I am not sold on the idea.  On the other hand, we have been on HAL where they consider a BBC Documentary as a Main Show.  This would never happen on MSC!  On our recent MSC cruise we generally had our choice of 4 or 5 live music entertainment options plus the free Production shows (song, dance, acrobatics).  One thing you will not see on MSC are comedy shows since that does not work on a true international cruise line where passengers speak many different languages.

 

But I do like to compare MSC's Yacht Club (about 5% of the passengers are in that Experience) with the Neptune suites on HAL.  The Yacht Club recently cost us about $385 per passenger day.  That included a small suite (think Signature Suite on HAL), 24 hour butler service, an exclusive part of the ship limited to less than 250 passengers, an expansive private sun/pool deck with loungers that all had thick cushions, a private MDR (all open seating dining with no waits), a private large lounge (with beautiful bow view) with free drink service and a small snack buffet..21 hours a day, free unlimited Internet (2 devices per person), and even more benefits.  And keep in mind all that was less than $400 a day.  Have you looked at the price of a Neptune Suite and what is included?  Go into the Yacht Club's Lounge at any time and there are lots of staff to bring your included drinks or even grab you some snacks from the buffet (if you are too lazy to get your own treats).  That Lounge also has live entertainment every night from about 6:15 until after midnight.

 

That is some (not all) of the good on MSC and while we have returned (multiple times).  We think their Yacht Club is the best value (by far) in the entire cruise industry.  Outside the Yacht Club (where your wife's cousin resided there are lots of negatives and I would not consider cruising outside of their Yacht Club.  But others tell us it is an amazing bargain when compared to some other mass market lines such as RCI and Carnival.  

 

As to MSC they are a very interesting company primarily owned by one Italian family (Aponte).  Their mariner routes go back to the 1600s and their container ship division is now the largest container ship company in the world.  They have more than 20 cruise ships (most never get to North America) and continue to add about 2 new large ships per year.  In addition, they are now starting a new luxury line (Explora Journeys) which has 6 ships either on order or optioned.  Those ships will each have about 900 passengers.  Unlike CCL (who owns HAL), RCI and NCLH, the MSC group is not in financial trouble with strangling debt.  MSC's container division is very profitable which gives them the deep pockets (without deep debt) that is now weighing down all the other large cruise companies.   It is still a relatively unknown cruise line in North America since they have only been operating 4 ships out of Florida ports   But they seem destined to expand their North American footprint.  Unlike the American-based lines (such as HAL), MSC does attract many Europeans.  On our US departures about 1/2 of the passengers were from various European countries.  

 

Hank

 

 

[dwc13]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Just got off the phone with my wife's cousin in Florida who has gone on 2 MSC   cruises . Yes their ships are beautiful  ;but that is where it stops . she said that the food was awful ,People leaving whole meals in plates    ,Only thing included in the cruise fare was the MDR & Buffet . Every thing else was charged , The main show room you needed tickets at $18 each   .A cup of coffee extra tea extra  cost ie    ,.The pizza was not as good as Princess pizza  . 

 

 Even if MSC came to the SD or LA market we would not sail with them after she told me their experiences  9 years apart 2 cruises 

 

  

 

Based upon my recent experience aboard MSC Seashore, I'm absolutely baffled when someone claims the food at MSC Marketplace buffet is 'terrible'. Is the person a disciple of James Beard (Epicurean Delight) or does he/she expect Mobil 5 star dining? To each their own I suppose, but I'm glad I took the cruise on Seashore rather than listening to those who had complained about the food. From my perspective, food wasn't the issue on the MSC cruise, not even close. I thought it was pretty good overall, with some items such as the pizza being excellent.   

 

A buffet is a great opportunity to try out things a person might not otherwise eat at home. It's also a key reason people leave full plates at ALL buffets, not just MSC Marketplace buffet. Even at Bacchanal, Wynn, and Wicked Spoon, to name a few of the better ones I have enjoyed multiple times over the years. It's an unfortunate by-product of an all-you-can-eat for a fixed price setting. If it's not great, move on and something else rather than filling up on something that is not what was hoped for. At least the food waste is recycled and redistributed into the food chain while at sea.

 

For the masses, MSC has a very low base rate. That's a big part of the appeal. Sure, extras can add up -- but the passenger has the option to pick and choose, rather than having them already bundled into a (higher) base price. BTW, tea and coffee (non-specialty varieties) are available at no extra charge in the buffet/MDR. I don't think it is unreasonable for MSC to charge a passenger (a la carte or beverage package) in exchange for the convenience of ordering tea/coffee elsewhere on the ship. 

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by dwc13
Formatting

[mcrcruiser]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

WOW!  Am 5* Star on HAL, long time Elite on Princess, and recently finished our  3 rd cruise (actually 5 if you consider the back to backs) on MSC.  I do not agree with your cousin, and I will tell you why.  Yes, you can book MSC in an inexpensive cabin/experience with no amenities like drink packages.  You can do the same on HAL.  And yes, you can book MSC's Yacht Club (our way of cruising MSC) where you are in a private enclave (entry by electronic key), have a private restaurant, private lounge, unlimited drinks, unlimited Internet. etc.   And you can also book various other "experiences" that include various things.  Bottom line is that MSC's booking options are very varied and each cruiser can choose what best fits their own wants, desires, and budgets.  

 

Obviously, your wife's cousin decided to book one of the bare bones options and that is what they got!   You get what you pay for :).  As to the pizza, we love Princess pizza which we think is the best at sea.  MSC actually offers two different pizza options, and they are different.  The free pizza in the LIdo (breakfast - late at night) is quite good (far better than on HAL) but not as good as Princess pizza.  But MSC also has a pizza/Italian restaurant where the pizza is a good or better than on Princess.  That pizza does cost extra except for those of us in the Yacht Club where there is no extra charge if we order it via room service.

 

Oh, and speaking of MSCs drink packages, they do not have any silly 15 drink limit.  As part of our Yacht Club booking we get included drinks up to $15 per drink anywhere on the ship.  That includes French champagne and plenty of top shelf booze.  Your wife's cousin could have purchased such a drink package (just like they can purchase a drink package on most lines including HAL)   They apparently decided not to purchase an "Experience" that included drinks nor did they buy a stand-along drink package.  I guess they simply preferred to whine about no free wine :).

 

As to the Main Show Room (with a different production show every night) there is no charge for anyone!  On a few of the newest ships (I think it might be 3 out of over 20 ships) they also have a 2nd theater which does offer some shows that have an extra charge.  We have not been on any of those ships, but have heard that the shows are quite spectacular (think...Cirque de Soleil).  Compare that to HAL where they do not have any Production Shows.   The fee for those  new secondary shows are a new thing and only time will show whether that is a good move on MSC's part.  I am not sold on the idea.  On the other hand, we have been on HAL where they consider a BBC Documentary as a Main Show.  This would never happen on MSC!  On our recent MSC cruise we generally had our choice of 4 or 5 live music entertainment options plus the free Production shows (song, dance, acrobatics).  One thing you will not see on MSC are comedy shows since that does not work on a true international cruise line where passengers speak many different languages.

 

But I do like to compare MSC's Yacht Club (about 5% of the passengers are in that Experience) with the Neptune suites on HAL.  The Yacht Club recently cost us about $385 per passenger day.  That included a small suite (think Signature Suite on HAL), 24 hour butler service, an exclusive part of the ship limited to less than 250 passengers, an expansive private sun/pool deck with loungers that all had thick cushions, a private MDR (all open seating dining with no waits), a private large lounge (with beautiful bow view) with free drink service and a small snack buffet..21 hours a day, free unlimited Internet (2 devices per person), and even more benefits.  And keep in mind all that was less than $400 a day.  Have you looked at the price of a Neptune Suite and what is included?  Go into the Yacht Club's Lounge at any time and there are lots of staff to bring your included drinks or even grab you some snacks from the buffet (if you are too lazy to get your own treats).  That Lounge also has live entertainment every night from about 6:15 until after midnight.

 

That is some (not all) of the good on MSC and while we have returned (multiple times).  We think their Yacht Club is the best value (by far) in the entire cruise industry.  Outside the Yacht Club (where your wife's cousin resided there are lots of negatives and I would not consider cruising outside of their Yacht Club.  But others tell us it is an amazing bargain when compared to some other mass market lines such as RCI and Carnival.  

 

As to MSC they are a very interesting company primarily owned by one Italian family (Aponte).  Their mariner routes go back to the 1600s and their container ship division is now the largest container ship company in the world.  They have more than 20 cruise ships (most never get to North America) and continue to add about 2 new large ships per year.  In addition, they are now starting a new luxury line (Explora Journeys) which has 6 ships either on order or optioned.  Those ships will each have about 900 passengers.  Unlike CCL (who owns HAL), RCI and NCLH, the MSC group is not in financial trouble with strangling debt.  MSC's container division is very profitable which gives them the deep pockets (without deep debt) that is now weighing down all the other large cruise companies.   It is still a relatively unknown cruise line in North America since they have only been operating 4 ships out of Florida ports   But they seem destined to expand their North American footprint.  Unlike the American-based lines (such as HAL), MSC does attract many Europeans.  On our US departures about 1/2 of the passengers were from various European countries.  

 

Hank

 

 

Hank what go me thinking is that they said that they had to pay $18 each for the main show  .Seems to me MSC is pushing ala carte pricing   . Are they interested is starting a new cruising trend  alacarte pricing ?   Chargingv for a cup of coffee   is ala carte  pricing  . Regardless of the Yacht Club  bot everone has  deep pockets to afford  that luxury  .Additionally NCL  has Haven  similar to the Yacht  Club .All cruise lines have upscale   suites like Neptune  wirth special perks same with Celebrity  ie 

 

 Some times  I get the feeling that you are several cruise lines cheering section  that comes here to the HAL board to tell us all about your other cruise line experiences   ?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

Hank what go me thinking is that they said that they had to pay $18 each for the main show  .Seems to me MSC is pushing ala carte pricing   . Are they interested is starting a new cruising trend  alacarte pricing ?   Chargingv for a cup of coffee   is ala carte  pricing  . Regardless of the Yacht Club  bot everone has  deep pockets to afford  that luxury  .Additionally NCL  has Haven  similar to the Yacht  Club .All cruise lines have upscale   suites like Neptune  wirth special perks same with Celebrity  ie 

 

 Some times  I get the feeling that you are several cruise lines cheering section  that comes here to the HAL board to tell us all about your other cruise line experiences   ?

Even HAL charges me for a cappuccino (although we get a 50% discount) unless we have a drink package.  My reason for posting about MSC was the thread (not started by me which I thought was misleading).   As to this new MSC thing about charging for some shows (on a few ships) it is not something I like just like I do not like that HAL has add ons in the MDR, Pinnacle, etc.  

 

The topic about "luxury" is near and dear to my heart.  To the best of my knowledge there is no other mass market line that does LESS for their suite passengers than HAL!  The trend towards "ship within a ship" and special Suite perks has swept the entire cruise industry.  What has HAL done?  Yes, they have the Neptune Lounge which does not even include unlimited adult beverages.  They have some special dining for the big suites which anyone can buy-in via Club Orange.   So now, we have MSC trying to charge for some specialized shows (keep in mind those ships still have the usual free Production Shows).  I do not like this latest idea and a show would have to be very special before we would consider paying extra.    One thing DW and I love about MSCs Yacht Club is that inside that enclave nobody asks to see a cruise card or even talks about paying for anything.  You just get what you want.  If you do want to order something truly expensive like Remy XO or JW Blue, they will warn you that you must pay (it exceeds the $15 per drink allowance).  There is a menu of the very expensive booze items for those who have an interest.  But even the most upscale lines like Seabourn, Regent, etc. have expensive wines and booze items that is above the all-inclusive items.

 

You mention NCL's Haven Suites and that is a common topic among many folks in the YC.  We have overheard plenty of discussion of the Yacht Club vs Haven Suites and which is better.  And now folks are adding the Retreat cabins on Celebrity to that discussion.  I have not heard anyone talk about HAL's Neptune/Pinnacle Suites as part of that conversation because HAL is not even a player in that world.

 

As to being a cheering section, no doubt I support any line that has given us reason to cheer just like we will trash any line we think deserving of negative comments.  I believe that is what CC is all about...talking about the positive and the negative.  We have expressed similar feelings about All-Inclusive's, Airlines, and hotels on appropriate forums.  The nice thing about doing this online is that if folks want to tune it out, they can ignore any poster or post.

 

Hank

[ChinaShrek]

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 

 

As to being a cheering section, no doubt I support any line that has given us reason to cheer just like we will trash any line we think deserving of negative comments.  I believe that is what CC is all about...talking about the positive and the negative.  We have expressed similar feelings about All-Inclusive's, Airlines, and hotels on appropriate forums.  The nice thing about doing this online is that if folks want to tune it out, they can ignore any poster or post.

 

Hank

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by ChinaShrek

[Heartgrove]

We just disembarked yesterday from the MSC Splendida in Genoa, IT. I will definitely agree with everything that Hank said. The level of service in Yacht Club is excellent! The ship that we were on is from the first class to offer Yacht Club in MSC's fleet. The YC dining room is separate and requires walking to the rear of the ship. We found it actually improves digestion by allowing one to walk back to the YC after your meal. We ate all of our meals aboard in either the restaurant, special noon buffets on sea days on the sun deck, or breakfast and lunches in the One Club. We did try the ship's buffet one day to sample that food for comparison and found the selections plentiful and just as delicious.

 

A few YC advantages (Fantasia-class) are: Priority boarding of 10:00 am, escorted Butler service on and off the ship in ports, express elevator service using your key card, unpacking by your butler, express laundry, free mini-bar, WiFi for two devices per person, and a fully stocked library in several languages. I'm sure there were some other items that I left off

 

Our concierge provided a nice bagged lunch on our disembarkation day as we had a 6-hour train ride to Venice. Service is way beyond even what Viking Ocean purports to do. Our 7-night cruise in Yacht Club cost $272.00 USD per person per night.

 

One other item to compare is the included crew gratuity was only $70.00 pp.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by Heartgrove