Trying to plan a family cruise and looking for information / advice

[Danny61231]

Good afternoon,

   My wife and I are in the process of looking at cruises to book for the winter of 2024. We have only been on 1 cruise which was the MSC Seaside about 2 or 3 months after it started sailing. This time we're looking to take our children with who will be 7 and 10 at the time we sail and they've never been on a ship before. 

 

The current sailings that we're considering are:

 

MSC Seashore sailing out of Port Canaveral

MSC Seascape sailing out of Miami

Carnival Mardi Gras sailing out of Port Canaveral

 

My wife is nervous about sailing out of Port Canaveral due to having to get from the Orlando airport to the cruise port so how difficult / expensive is that and what is the best way to get to / from the airport and cruise port? We would be flying in a day early and needing a hotel the night before our cruise as well. 

 

The MSC sailings are cheaper than the Carnival sailing and also offer free drinks and Wifi which the Carnival sailing doesn't. We aren't huge drinkers, but it is fun to have a few while on vacation which tips the scales towards MSC again.

 

Do the MSC ships offer any more restaurants or places to get free food other than the main dining room and buffet? That was one thing I though MSC lacked when we cruised with them compared to other lines I've researched. Do they offer any late-night dining options that are included in the sailing price? When we were on Seaside all they offered was a VERY limited buffet selection after about 9-10PM that was fairly disappointing (besides the good pizza). From what i have seen, the Carnival Mardi Gras seems to offer a MUCH better selection of restaurants that are included in the sailing price and for late night food options. Does MSC offer free ice cream anywhere on the ships?

 

How is MSC for children? As I said, mine will be 7 and 10 when we sail and want to make sure we won't feel out of place if they aren't always quiet and perfectly behaved. They will spend LOTS of time around the pool / water park areas and may or may not be interested in the children's clubs / areas. Do they have a children's menu in the main dining room and if so what kind of food options do they have? My kids are both kind of picky eaters which scares me being that MSC's menu tends to be a little less Americanized. It seems to me they may enjoy the food on Carnival a little more but...?

 

Are there any pros or cons to the Seashore vs. Seascape given our situation and what we're looking for? From what I've seen they both look fairly similar and quite a bit like Seaside so I just want to make sure we end up with the best fit for us. Anyone have comparisons of these MSC ships vs. the Carnival Mardi Gras?

 

Lastly, what kind of discounts does MSC offer now days and which can be combined? Do they still offer the government discount? Voyagers Club (even if it has been years since sailing), etc...? I know for a while they had offers on the MyVegas app which I no longer see, do they not offer these anymore?

 

Thanks for anyone that can help and sorry for all of the questions,

Dan

 

[Tierun]

My wife and I loved seashore. Miami is an easier port to get to versus PC. Uber XL is usually in the $30 range from an airport area hotel. While PC can cost over $100. 
 

sadly, buffet and mdr are the only free options. Carnival, especially MG, wins this hands down. 

[Two Wheels Only]

Seashore and Seascape are the same class of ship with minor differences. Seaside is similar to the slightly larger Seashore and Seascape but a few things have been moved around on the newer ships.

 

Seaside had some teething problems when it was new just as Seascape has some teething problems now. Seaside's wrinkles were worked out just as Seascape's will be. I'll be on Seashore again later this year with Seascape booked for a few months after that. I also sailed Seaside for the first time a few months after it came to the US. Clearly, I enjoy both classes and I even enjoyed Meraviglia last year.

 

Like many people, I started with Carnival then moved on. MSC and NCL are the lines that currently best fit my family (kids slightly older than the OP's) with RCCL's large ships in 3rd. I'd like to sail Icon OTS but the dates and itineraries either didn't match for us or I already had a MSC cruise booked for those weeks. Waiting to jump and book World America as soon as I can...

 

There are plenty of kids onboard with plenty for them to do. The same is true for Carnival, RCCL, and NCL so I wouldn't worry about fitting in with the other guests.

 

I haven't sailed Mardi Gras so I can't compare/contrast the ships that you're considering.

 

As for port vs. port, I can drive to any of the 5 Florida ports on the morning of the cruise so I can't really help in that area.

 

Voyager's Club memberships were extended twice so it's possible that yours is still active. You might be able to still get that discount. If not, maybe a status match could work.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[mscdivina2016]

{{{{{

My wife is nervous about sailing out of Port Canaveral due to having to get from the Orlando airport to the cruise port so how difficult / expensive is that and what is the best way to get to / from the airport and cruise port? We would be flying in a day early and needing a hotel the night before our cruise as well.}}}}}}

 

AS a local to PC area it is one road from MCO to PC. 45 minutes tops.

IN the next few months the new train from the airport to the port should open.

hotels all around airport and around PC so no issue there.

[deweytrader]

My kids now 10 & 11 love the MSC Seaside class of ship.  If this is their first cruise, they will be blown away by any of the 3 ships you listed.  The kid's waterpark is awesome and so are the slides.  They have the quintessential "kids" options at the buffet as well.  I have cruised on many different lines and did not think MSC's food was any better/worse than other lines.  Based on your information the MSC Seascape may be the way to go... (the easy plus drink package covers most drinks too)

[Itchy&Scratchy]

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

My wife is nervous about sailing out of Port Canaveral due to having to get from the Orlando airport to the cruise port so how difficult / expensive is that and what is the best way to get to / from the airport and cruise port?

imho, add about $120-150 each way for an uber from MCO to the port... That was an unpleasant surprise for us a year ago. Or you could try to find a shuttle that is cheaper, but with 4 people it adds up.

 

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

The MSC sailings are cheaper than the Carnival sailing and also offer free drinks and Wifi

they aren't really free. On our 7 night Nov MSC Seascape cruise they are about $143 pp at this time. Including minors. But the overall price is still lower than other main cruise lines, so we bought the "free drinks and wifi package." I am thinking - if we are disappointed in the cruise, at least we can drown our sorrows. 🙂

 

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

Do the MSC ships offer any more restaurants or places to get free food other than the main dining room and buffet?

apparently not.

 

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

Does MSC offer free ice cream anywhere on the ships?

like soft serve? My boys love it and it's free with minor's package, but not with an adult package. It appears to be free for all during very limited times and only at the buffet.

 

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

My kids are both kind of picky eaters which scares me being that MSC's menu tends to be a little less Americanized.

don't know but mine loves pizza and fries so he'll be happy in any case

 

23 hours ago, Danny61231 said:

Voyagers Club discount

definitely

Edited January 26, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy