New to MSC, best bang for my buck.

[WindinmySails]

Greetings!  I am considering a 25 day Transatlantic cruise in October.  I love cruising in a balcony cabin and do like libations when I am cruising.  Typically I cruise Norwegian, so drinks and limited WIFI are included.  I LOVE the itinerary on this sailing on the SeaShore.  My 85 year old mother will be joining my husband and I.  She did this cruise last year solo, and said she loved it.  She doesn't drink, and had a cabin to herself, last year.  I really can't see her staying in the same cabin with us for 25 days, although I'd want her to be close by.

I also realize that MSC is different from the "American" lines. I am confused to the the different experiences, and the drink packages, one experience seems to have this included?  I am not necessarily wanting the cheapest option, but the most cost effective for the best experience.  I also do like a good coffee in my room in the morning; I heard MSC has some of the best. 

I enjoy the specialty restaurants on Norwegian, but that is not a deal breaker.  No idea how the food compares.  I enjoy vegetables, seafood and stay away from processed foods, rarely eat red meat, maybe once a month.

I've been reading through threads, and it seems that people dissatisfied with MSC are those that compare it to the American lines.  I am a pretty flexible person, and do enjoy new experiences.  My mother is Hungarian, and lives in Austria for part of the year.  

I welcome and appreciate suggestions and tips.  Thank you in advance!

[FamilyCruiserUK]

We have also just booked our first MSC cruise from the UK to France and Germany. A quick hop to see how if we like the company. So the experiences, bella and fantastica i think its called is with or without the drinks package. Also for our cruise you have to pay for extras onboard, the fun activities such as bowling, F1 simulator, and some other games things. You can buy a pass  after you have booked a cruise online through MSC for our cruise of £70 and they will give you a £140 pass. So you use that to pay for the fun activities. Bowling you pay for the use of a lane, not per person was £25 i think for an example. I will post again after we have cruised (31st March) with better feedback. 

[Tin can]

6 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We have also just booked our first MSC cruise from the UK to France and Germany. A quick hop to see how if we like the company. 

 

We are the same, UK based and just booked our first MSC cruise to see what they are like. I think I have seen you in the Royal Caribbean forum, we have only ever cruised with Royal and are excited and apprehensive at the same time.

 

 

 

 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

52 minutes ago, Tin can said:

 

We are the same, UK based and just booked our first MSC cruise to see what they are like. I think I have seen you in the Royal Caribbean forum, we have only ever cruised with Royal and are excited and apprehensive at the same time.

 

 

 

 

Hi nice to meet you. Yeah i am in the  royal forum a lot. Will be interesting to see whats different, what we enjoy or dislike. So yeah excited but also apprehensive 

Edited March 1, 2023 by FamilyCruiserUK

[WindinmySails]

11 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We have also just booked our first MSC cruise from the UK to France and Germany. A quick hop to see how if we like the company. So the experiences, bella and fantastica i think its called is with or without the drinks package. Also for our cruise you have to pay for extras onboard, the fun activities such as bowling, F1 simulator, and some other games things. You can buy a pass  after you have booked a cruise online through MSC for our cruise of £70 and they will give you a £140 pass. So you use that to pay for the fun activities. Bowling you pay for the use of a lane, not per person was £25 i think for an example. I will post again after we have cruised (31st March) with better feedback. 

I look forward to your feedback on this cruise line!

[turbotravelers]

Same here - first time MSC cruisers. We booked a Bahamas and Mexico out of Port Canaveral this May. We've been wanting to try this line - they matched our Celebrity status (our go to line) and the price was unbelievable for the two of us. I understand MSC is trying to break into the US market and this is the reason for the excellent cruise fares. But the reviews are all over the place. Has anyone been on the MSC Seaside recently? I'll be leaving my review after our cruise. We are going with some friends the we talked into trying this with us so 🤞

[ChattTenn]

@turbotravelers.  Welcome to CruiseCritic.  MSC matched our status to Princess Elite.  We already had 2 MSC cruises Divina just after Covid 2021 and Meraviglia in December 2022 from Pt. Canaveral.  We will be boarding on Seaside in May too and already booked another one for July.  We enjoyed MSC very much so far with the price is very good and the food had been improved on our December 2022 cruise.  The price won't stay on this low very long therefore we will enjoy MSC while it lasts.

 

Hope your group will enjoy MSC.

[WindinmySails]

The matching status is a really nice, unexpected perk.

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 3/1/2023 at 9:49 AM, WindinmySails said:

Greetings!  I am considering a 25 day Transatlantic cruise in October.  I love cruising in a balcony cabin and do like libations when I am cruising.  Typically I cruise Norwegian, so drinks and limited WIFI are included.  I LOVE the itinerary on this sailing on the SeaShore.  My 85 year old mother will be joining my husband and I.  She did this cruise last year solo, and said she loved it.  She doesn't drink, and had a cabin to herself, last year.  I really can't see her staying in the same cabin with us for 25 days, although I'd want her to be close by.

I also realize that MSC is different from the "American" lines. I am confused to the the different experiences, and the drink packages, one experience seems to have this included?  I am not necessarily wanting the cheapest option, but the most cost effective for the best experience.  I also do like a good coffee in my room in the morning; I heard MSC has some of the best. 

I enjoy the specialty restaurants on Norwegian, but that is not a deal breaker.  No idea how the food compares.  I enjoy vegetables, seafood and stay away from processed foods, rarely eat red meat, maybe once a month.

I've been reading through threads, and it seems that people dissatisfied with MSC are those that compare it to the American lines.  I am a pretty flexible person, and do enjoy new experiences.  My mother is Hungarian, and lives in Austria for part of the year.  

I welcome and appreciate suggestions and tips.  Thank you in advance!

Bottom line:  I think, from what you have described, that you’ll do just fine on an MSC 25 day TA.  A lengthy TA of 25 days tends to be more subdued than a 4 day party cruise.  Place Mom in a nearby cabin and then you and your DH can enjoy a drink package as well as all the other amenities on the beautiful MSC Seashore..    There will be fewer dining options compared to NCL but then again you will find the food in the MDR is better than the NCL MDR and geared to the preferences you have described.  Yes there are complaints.  You should have been here 10 years ago when MSC was launching new ships.  There were tons of complaints and that’s what you can expect when a cruise line expands its fleet as rapidly as MSC.  It’s called teething problems.  Add to that the Covid interruption and you have staffing problems while they get all their ships back online.  All in all I think you’ll have a great time.  

Edited March 4, 2023 by CGTNORMANDIE

[WindinmySails]

11 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Bottom line:  I think, from what you have described, that you’ll do just fine on an MSC 25 day TA.  A lengthy TA of 25 days tends to be more subdued than a 4 day party cruise.  Place Mom in a nearby cabin and then you and your DH can enjoy a drink package as well as all the other amenities on the beautiful MSC Seashore..    There will be fewer dining options compared to NCL but then again you will find the food in the MDR is better than the NCL MDR and geared to the preferences you have described.  Yes there are complaints.  You should have been here 10 years ago when MSC was launching new ships.  There were tons of complaints and that’s what you can expect when a cruise line expands its fleet as rapidly as MSC.  It’s called teething problems.  Add to that the Covid interruption and you have staffing problems while they get all their ships back online.  All in all I think you’ll have a great time.  

Thank you so much for your detailed answer.  It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers.  The ship looks beautiful, and I do prefer cleaner eating.  I don't need a waiter to fawn all over me, either.  I realize the cultural differences, and look forward to this opportunity.  I actually would enjoy a more subdued environment.  I'm in my early 60's and, although I like a good party, I don't want one for 25 days straight. I think the itinerary is amazing, so many places I've yet to experience!  Any time on the water is a good time for me!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, WindinmySails said:

Thank you so much for your detailed answer.  It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers.  The ship looks beautiful, and I do prefer cleaner eating.  I don't need a waiter to fawn all over me, either.  I realize the cultural differences, and look forward to this opportunity.  I actually would enjoy a more subdued environment.  I'm in my early 60's and, although I like a good party, I don't want one for 25 days straight. I think the itinerary is amazing, so many places I've yet to experience!  Any time on the water is a good time for me!

Great to hear it!  You will find a lot of pleasing little details on MSC…not to mention some of the best coffee at sea.

[perakcruiser]

18 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 Yes there are complaints.  You should have been here 10 years ago when MSC was launching new ships.  There were tons of complaints and that’s what you can expect when a cruise line expands its fleet as rapidly as MSC.

So true. Actually I think the MSC complaints level was much higher 10 years before. For example when the Fantasia-class came. And we are talking about the timeless masterpieces Preziosa and Divina are. 

 

But for me MSC did not really change. MSC is MSC, ships change, people complain and complain. And happily book again. 

[Vatrahaki75]

I am new to MSC as well. My family and I have only cruised twice before, both with Carnival. We are pretty laid back people who will always make the most of any trip we go on. We set sail in August on a 3 night Bahamas cruise out of Port Canaveral on Seaside. I have read a lot of mixed reviews of the ship, and the cruise line in general, but I don't care. If it's crappy, well, I'll shrug my shoulders, say to my husband "I fcked up", and move on.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Vatrahaki75