Why are MSC cruises in the US so much cheaper compared to other cruise lines.

[RandomUser123]

A couple days we booked a 6 night cruise on MSC Meraviglia in Interior Cabin out of New York to Bermuda in November the week before thanksgiving. The price of the cruise was so much cheaper than other cruise lines and the price we paid included Easy Plus Drink Package for me, my wife and minors package for our 2 kids as well as wifi for 2 devices (no video). I do see a lot of mixed reviews about MSC but we could not pass up the deal and we have never cruised on MSC (We have done Royal Caribbean and Carnival with the kids). It seems like the only issue I may have is lack of included (I do not use the word complimentary or free since I am paying for it in the cruise fare) dining options compared to Royal or Carnival but other than that the ship looks like it will be amazing. Are there issues I should be aware of?

Edited January 10, 2023 by RandomUser123

[Galveston Cruiser]

MSC is trying to break into the US market so offering great deals.

We have sailed MSC and are doing so again but out of Spain.  We actually prefer the international feel aboard the ships.

[twangster]

I'm a frequent Royal cruiser who has also done Carnival, Princess and Celebrity since the restart.  

 

I've come to appreciate that MSC has not jacked up pricing like some other cruise lines.  

 

I just sailed Meraviglia for the second time since the restart and I've sailed Divina.  I have more cruises booked including one in an interior and one in Yatch Club both on newer amd larger MSC ships.  

 

There are some differences but I choose to embrace the differences and go with them since the pricing is attractive.  

 

I feel like MSC sometimes will get a poor review from some folks who are used to the their primary cruise line and had their expectations set that it would be very similar but not everything maps between MSC and other cruise lines in that manner.  Some people don't research and find themselves locked out of my time dining for example because they book the wrong MSC experience.   That's not MSC's fault, the 'experience' concept isn't used by other cruise lines so it's different and for some people different equates to bad.  The new muster drill isn't as smooth as Royal's new eMuster but it's not the old stand for 20 minutes at your muster station either so it's okay.

 

I enjoy Meraviglia.  It's a nice ship.  The Easy Plus package is okay but it does prevent some better whiskey that I prefer for example.  Decent beer choices.  Very drinkable but not superb wines are included.  Drinks like Margaritas and Mojitos are included.  Easy Plus is better than the basic Easy package and I manage to find something to drink even if it's not "my" preferred whiskey.  

 

The basic wifi appeared to be speed limited to around 2 mbps down but Meraviglia uses O3b, a newer satellite technology so it's not terrible internet that is included in some cruise fares.  It's promoted as basic wifi and that's what you get.  They do lock their wifi package to the first device you log in using unlike some other cruise lines so pick your device carefully.  

 

Keep an open mind, don't make assumptions and research.  If they fine tune a few things they'll become a real threat to the competition in the mass market cruise segment.   They are moving in the right direction.  

[Td6462]

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

I'm a frequent Royal cruiser who has also done Carnival, Princess and Celebrity since the restart.  

 

I've come to appreciate that MSC has not jacked up pricing like some other cruise lines.  

 

I just sailed Meraviglia for the second time since the restart and I've sailed Divina.  I have more cruises booked including one in an interior and one in Yatch Club both on newer amd larger MSC ships.  

 

There are some differences but I choose to embrace the differences and go with them since the pricing is attractive.  

 

I feel like MSC sometimes will get a poor review from some folks who are used to the their primary cruise line and had their expectations set that it would be very similar but not everything maps between MSC and other cruise lines in that manner.  Some people don't research and find themselves locked out of my time dining for example because they book the wrong MSC experience.   That's not MSC's fault, the 'experience' concept isn't used by other cruise lines so it's different and for some people different equates to bad.  The new muster drill isn't as smooth as Royal's new eMuster but it's not the old stand for 20 minutes at your muster station either so it's okay.

 

I enjoy Meraviglia.  It's a nice ship.  The Easy Plus package is okay but it does prevent some better whiskey that I prefer for example.  Decent beer choices.  Very drinkable but not superb wines are included.  Drinks like Margaritas and Mojitos are included.  Easy Plus is better than the basic Easy package and I manage to find something to drink even if it's not "my" preferred whiskey.  

 

The basic wifi appeared to be speed limited to around 2 mbps down but Meraviglia uses O3b, a newer satellite technology so it's not terrible internet that is included in some cruise fares.  It's promoted as basic wifi and that's what you get.  They do lock their wifi package to the first device you log in using unlike some other cruise lines so pick your device carefully.  

 

Keep an open mind, don't make assumptions and research.  If they fine tune a few things they'll become a real threat to the competition in the mass market cruise segment.   They are moving in the right direction.  

I find your input across the boards to be very valuable. So much so that we decided to book an MSC trip after a posting you did on the other RC site you are on. The post was regarding the other cruise line and their current pricing strategy regarding 3 & 4 days out of Florida and peak pricing. 

I had originally planned a 14 day out of Barbados with RC, after a some research we made the jump and are doing a B2B on Seascape next week. 

We sailed 7days in 2021and 28 days last year on that one cruise line. When weighing cost vs. experience it seemed to make more sense for us to try something new. 

We enjoy Europe and the European vibe. I'm hoping for a little more of that and not so much of a theme park feeling. 

It was as you mentioned a bit different to wrap my head around the "pricing options" but we can always adjust on a future cruise.

[Bobbiegentry]

2 hours ago, RandomUser123 said:

(I do not use the word complimentary or free since I am paying for it in the cruise fare)

👍🏻

[Nunagoras]

36 minutes ago, twangster said:

I'm a frequent Royal cruiser who has also done Carnival, Princess and Celebrity since the restart.  

 

I've come to appreciate that MSC has not jacked up pricing like some other cruise lines.  

 

I just sailed Meraviglia for the second time since the restart and I've sailed Divina.  I have more cruises booked including one in an interior and one in Yatch Club both on newer amd larger MSC ships.  

 

There are some differences but I choose to embrace the differences and go with them since the pricing is attractive.  

 

I feel like MSC sometimes will get a poor review from some folks who are used to the their primary cruise line and had their expectations set that it would be very similar but not everything maps between MSC and other cruise lines in that manner.  Some people don't research and find themselves locked out of my time dining for example because they book the wrong MSC experience.   That's not MSC's fault, the 'experience' concept isn't used by other cruise lines so it's different and for some people different equates to bad.  The new muster drill isn't as smooth as Royal's new eMuster but it's not the old stand for 20 minutes at your muster station either so it's okay.

 

I enjoy Meraviglia.  It's a nice ship.  The Easy Plus package is okay but it does prevent some better whiskey that I prefer for example.  Decent beer choices.  Very drinkable but not superb wines are included.  Drinks like Margaritas and Mojitos are included.  Easy Plus is better than the basic Easy package and I manage to find something to drink even if it's not "my" preferred whiskey.  

 

The basic wifi appeared to be speed limited to around 2 mbps down but Meraviglia uses O3b, a newer satellite technology so it's not terrible internet that is included in some cruise fares.  It's promoted as basic wifi and that's what you get.  They do lock their wifi package to the first device you log in using unlike some other cruise lines so pick your device carefully.  

 

Keep an open mind, don't make assumptions and research.  If they fine tune a few things they'll become a real threat to the competition in the mass market cruise segment.   They are moving in the right direction.  

This, exactly!... May I add: A cruise is mostly what one makes of it. Is MSC perfect? No. Nothing is perfect in this world... But for the price tag, they used to be a great value. Oh, well, at least for us at this European side of the pond, not so much these days where mainstream prices are pretty much all on the high... But sometimes, even us here can to snag that lovely deal... My pro tip here would be really to research a bit the product one is purchasing. For example: Yes; typically an MSC cruise will have less included or paid food venues than an RCI's Oasis class... But MSC's ships are mostly smaller, the larger ones on the RCI's Freedom class size, I believe, and MSC will offer such a 20 hours a day buffet opening time.

 

MSC is promoting by wonderful fares on the US because want to become well known, preparing for the day they can be profitable there, so, yeah, the day they have some of the specific problems ironed out, I believe they'll be a strong competitor. They're currently the 3rd largest cruise line on earth for a reason!...

[NMsunset]

They are taking market share away from the others.

 

Strategy for customer acquisition and impacting their competitions' bottom line.

 

See what MSC did in the shipping industry and expect a repeat in the cruise industry.

 

MSC is doing to the cruise industry what the amazon did to the book stores.

 

Cheers

[Galveston Cruiser]

12 minutes ago, NMsunset said:

They are taking market share away from the others.

 

Strategy for customer acquisition and impacting their competitions' bottom line.

 

See what MSC did in the shipping industry and expect a repeat in the cruise industry.

 

MSC is doing to the cruise industry what the amazon did to the book stores.

 

Cheers

It's called "free market and competition".

Without this we would still be using smoke signals, living in caves and wearing animal skins.

[cobber1967]

I'm pretty sure we are still wearing animal skins.

 

[Homosassa]

19 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

 

 

MSC is promoting by wonderful fares on the US because want to become well known, preparing for the day they can be profitable there, so, yeah, the day they have some of the specific problems ironed out, I believe they'll be a strong competitor. They're currently the 3rd largest cruise line on earth for a reason!...

Besides breaking into the US market, MSC also has a good handle on controlling costs.

 

Make sure that when booking a MSC cruise, that one reads and understands the MSC cruise contract and the terms and conditions.

 

One of the ways that MSC has headed off fare churning by passengers is by tight control over their definition of cancellation with attendant fees and price drops on fares.

[GOLDENBONNY]

they don't have wash cloth lol

[Aeroplex]

On 1/10/2023 at 4:41 PM, RandomUser123 said:

A couple days we booked a 6 night cruise on MSC Meraviglia in Interior Cabin out of New York to Bermuda in November the week before thanksgiving. The price of the cruise was so much cheaper than other cruise lines and the price we paid included Easy Plus Drink Package for me, my wife and minors package for our 2 kids as well as wifi for 2 devices (no video). I do see a lot of mixed reviews about MSC but we could not pass up the deal and we have never cruised on MSC (We have done Royal Caribbean and Carnival with the kids). It seems like the only issue I may have is lack of included (I do not use the word complimentary or free since I am paying for it in the cruise fare) dining options compared to Royal or Carnival but other than that the ship looks like it will be amazing. Are there issues I should be aware of?

 

MSC is not only passenger cruise. They are a big player in the freight / cargo cruise industry with.

 

 

[St Pete Cruiser]

Just returned from MSC Divina 4 day cruise.  If our experience is typical, they still have a lot of work to do. Maybe because announcements are done in 6 languages, no communication from officers or staff with the exception of the cruise director's basic agenda.  They saved a great deal of fuel by staying close to Miami on our cruise.  Their private island is just below Bimini, 65 miles from Miami. The buffet consists of a lot of cheap carbs.  You have to look hard to find the more nutritious items.  Most people seemed to have taken the drink package, which results in some very "over served" behavior.

[twangster]

9 hours ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

they don't have wash cloth lol

 

I know right?  So bizarre.  

[wcook]

1 hour ago, Aeroplex said:

 

MSC is not only passenger cruise. They are a big player in the freight / cargo cruise industry with.

 

 

They have a ton of money from their cargo business. Better yet, they are privately owned so don’t have to worry about short term profits to make shareholders happy. Their prices are low because they can sacrifice profits to grow the American market. Their basic product doesn’t feel any cheaper than Carnival/Royal/etc  

[styles27]

9 hours ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

they don't have wash cloth lol

They do. Just ask your room steward for them the first day and they will appear every day after that. (Box of tissues and ice too.) Just did this on our Divina cruise. 
 

OP I think everyone has answered your question. We’re just off a two week cruise on Divina that cost half of what it would have cost on Royal and NCL. It was our 3rd MSC cruise.  First two were fantastic, this one wasn’t. 
 

We’re hoping it was because it was a holiday cruise and too many people. (3800)

[styles27]

1 hour ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Just returned from MSC Divina 4 day cruise.  If our experience is typical, they still have a lot of work to do. Maybe because announcements are done in 6 languages, no communication from officers or staff with the exception of the cruise director's basic agenda.  They saved a great deal of fuel by staying close to Miami on our cruise.  Their private island is just below Bimini, 65 miles from Miami. The buffet consists of a lot of cheap carbs.  You have to look hard to find the more nutritious items.  Most people seemed to have taken the drink package, which results in some very "over served" behavior.

Be happy you weren’t on the cruise before this. We were on from 12/30-01/13 and believe me the 4 day was so much better than the prior 10 days. 
 

We did get the “Carnival” feel though the entire 14 days. 
 

We gave up on the buffet by day 4 for breakfast and lunch and ordered room service or ate in MDR when open. 
 

 

Edited January 14, 2023 by styles27

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

I know right?  So bizarre.  

That's a European thing.  MSC is European.

[Galveston Cruiser]

6 hours ago, Aeroplex said:

 

MSC is not only passenger cruise. They are a big player in the freight / cargo cruise industry with.

 

 

MSC is the largest container shipping line in the world. Their entering the U.S. market will lead to expansion of their container shipping market.  This is the potential opportunity the Port of Galveston is pursuing along with their cruise line.

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:35 PM, twangster said:

I'm a frequent Royal cruiser who has also done Carnival, Princess and Celebrity since the restart.  

 

I've come to appreciate that MSC has not jacked up pricing like some other cruise lines.  

 

I just sailed Meraviglia for the second time since the restart and I've sailed Divina.  I have more cruises booked including one in an interior and one in Yatch Club both on newer amd larger MSC ships.  

 

There are some differences but I choose to embrace the differences and go with them since the pricing is attractive.  

 

I feel like MSC sometimes will get a poor review from some folks who are used to the their primary cruise line and had their expectations set that it would be very similar but not everything maps between MSC and other cruise lines in that manner.  Some people don't research and find themselves locked out of my time dining for example because they book the wrong MSC experience.   That's not MSC's fault, the 'experience' concept isn't used by other cruise lines so it's different and for some people different equates to bad.  The new muster drill isn't as smooth as Royal's new eMuster but it's not the old stand for 20 minutes at your muster station either so it's okay.

 

I enjoy Meraviglia.  It's a nice ship.  The Easy Plus package is okay but it does prevent some better whiskey that I prefer for example.  Decent beer choices.  Very drinkable but not superb wines are included.  Drinks like Margaritas and Mojitos are included.  Easy Plus is better than the basic Easy package and I manage to find something to drink even if it's not "my" preferred whiskey.  

 

The basic wifi appeared to be speed limited to around 2 mbps down but Meraviglia uses O3b, a newer satellite technology so it's not terrible internet that is included in some cruise fares.  It's promoted as basic wifi and that's what you get.  They do lock their wifi package to the first device you log in using unlike some other cruise lines so pick your device carefully.  

 

Keep an open mind, don't make assumptions and research.  If they fine tune a few things they'll become a real threat to the competition in the mass market cruise segment.   They are moving in the right direction.  

You have to really want anytime dining badly to pay an extra $400+ pp for the privilege. I'll dining assigned dining and like it. lol

[peanutzmom]

10 hours ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Just returned from MSC Divina 4 day cruise.  If our experience is typical, they still have a lot of work to do. Maybe because announcements are done in 6 languages, no communication from officers or staff with the exception of the cruise director's basic agenda.  They saved a great deal of fuel by staying close to Miami on our cruise.  Their private island is just below Bimini, 65 miles from Miami. The buffet consists of a lot of cheap carbs.  You have to look hard to find the more nutritious items.  Most people seemed to have taken the drink package, which results in some very "over served" behavior.

This. We did the Divina in December because we got a great rate and we’re terribly disappointed. I won’t cruise on this line again, unless there are some serious improvements.

[RD64]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

 

I know right?  So bizarre.  

Not bizarre - a cultural difference. Not everything is always American. Go to Carnival if you are so fixated with the need for a washcloth. My Italian relatives in Italy find the idea of a washcloth as bizarre!

Edited January 15, 2023 by RD64

[lcpagejr]

At this time...for regular cruisers , especially just couples....cruising in YC is your best bet. Pricing is not that high if you book 9 or more months out and in addition to the 5% discount you get as a Voyager club member...you get an additional 5% between 9-12 months and and/or and additional 10% on bookings over a year out. Can't beat the price and quality of service in YC.  Treated so well. 

 

We cruised Odyssey of Seas this past thanksgiving with a Large balcony cabin... after factoring in costs for Drink package, internet, etc.... Our cruise later this yeat on Seascape is LESS in Yacht Club with all the amenities included.

[GOLDENBONNY]

On 1/14/2023 at 9:58 AM, styles27 said:

They do. Just ask your room steward for them the first day

It was a joke . I really don't need it .

[Lugger11]

I'm guessing that a big part of the competitive price has to do with debt load. MSC was able to continue their commercial shipping business during the pandemic, while the other cruise lines had to shut down and incur debt. So now each cruise fare on the other lines includes a certain amount of debt repayment baked in, while MSC doesn't need to do so.

And yes, they are essentially running promotional pricing to gain market share, and that probably won't last. And yes, they do up-charge a bit more than other lines, but that's for things I wasn't really interested in anyways (like VR arcade). And yes, the nightly shows are not Broadway or Cirque du Soleil quality, but I was never that big in to the shows anyway. And I've heard the buffet food is basically just stuff kids will eat, but that works for the US market anyways, who are thrilled to have unlimited pizza and pasta without having to dress nicely for the MDR.

I'm also thinking they invest a bit more in the Casinos on their ships to try to recoup some $ there. I think that's one of the reasons Disney is so expensive, as they don't have casino revenue to offset the cruise fare.

Just my thoughts