New to MSC. Can you tell me all the things you like about it?

[fluffybunny22]

I just booked a June 2024 Norway cruise on MSC last night after I let my husband watch a couple episodes of Mighty Ships. We've never sailed MSC or really heard anything about it. A Viking ship is what got my husband interested in the itinerary but they don't sleep 3. We'll have our 21 year old son with us. I booked the easy plus drink package. Is that usually suitable or should we upgrade for those of us who drink? We like good food so hopefully the food is good. Don't mind paying for a specialty restaurant or two. I think the ship we have booked is the Preziosa (sorry if I spelled that wrong). Any advice anyone can give would be great. TIA.

[Tapi]

I discovered MSC lured by their very affordable prices, frequent kids sail free promotions (we are a family of 4), and their loyalty status match program (they will match whatever status you have with another cruise line or hotel brand to their equivalent status). That meant that, from our first cruise, we already had some added perks, including an additional fare discount. 
 

For reference, what cruise lines have you sailed on? In terms of quality and overall product, I think that they are one step above Carnival and at par with Royal Caribbean. Unless you’re sailing in the Yacht Club (their ship within a ship concept), MSC is solidly a mass market cruise line.

 

What I like about MSC:

 

- As mentioned before, pricing. Their competitive pricing and many promotions truly add value and make cruising more affordable. 
- Their ships are tastefully decorated. Even if it isn’t s luxury cruise line, the ships are welcoming and pleasing to the eye. 
- Their newest ships have that “wow” factor, somewhat like Royal’s newest ships. They’re truly marvelous. 
- The overall atmosphere. Contrary to other cruise lines that cater heavily to one nationality or demographic (for example some American or British cruise lines catering heavily to cruisers from their home country), MSC is very international, and it attracts cruisers from all over the world. You can expect important announcements to be made in up to seven languages, and for cuisine and entertainment to appease a broader clientele. 
 

MSC does have its quirks and idiosyncrasies which will be more apparent if you’ve cruised aboard other cruises lines, but I don’t find any of them to be deal breakers. 
 

About cuisine and drink packages, we’ve done the easy package before and it was good enough for us. But we’re simple drinkers, just enjoying wine with dinner and a few beers throughout the day. Cuisine at the main dining room and the buffet is at par with what should be expected on a mass market cruise line. Nothing truly outstanding. If you appreciate finer cuisine, you may want to consider their specialty dining. They do offer some packages if you’ll be going to their specialty restaurants multiple nights. 

Enjoy your cruise! 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Tapi

[fluffybunny22]

We've sailed pretty much most mass market cruise lines before. Our favorites are Celebrity and Princess. We didn't opt for Yacht Club because my husband wanted a particular corner suite. My first cruise was on Costa so we are okay with a more European cruise line. We didn't find anything wrong with Royal Caribbean except their very gelatinous desserts. Do they have bingo? My son has very good bingo luck so we like to try that out every cruise.

[Tapi]

14 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Do they have bingo? My son has very good bingo luck so we like to try that out every cruise.

I can’t recall. I must admit we’re not bingo players. 😃

[CruiseIreland]

1 hour ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I just booked a June 2024 Norway cruise on MSC last night after I let my husband watch a couple episodes of Mighty Ships. We've never sailed MSC or really heard anything about it. A Viking ship is what got my husband interested in the itinerary but they don't sleep 3. We'll have our 21 year old son with us. I booked the easy plus drink package. Is that usually suitable or should we upgrade for those of us who drink? We like good food so hopefully the food is good. Don't mind paying for a specialty restaurant or two. I think the ship we have booked is the Preziosa (sorry if I spelled that wrong). Any advice anyone can give would be great. TIA.

Hi. We like MSC because it's great value for money. Many don't care for the food and, to be honest, we had better food on Royal and Norwegian, though that's 10 years plus ago. The shows on MSC tend to be 'samey' except for the Michael Jackson tribute and I'm not sure if they still do that. The shows are short and use backing tracks rather than live music. There will be acrobats in almost every show, regardless of the theme. Speciality dining is quite good and a nice break from the MDR. I think a stateroom with 3 adults will be snug but your call. If anyone in your stateroom has a drinks package, all must have the same package. We did Norway a couple of years ago and loved it. Preziosa was one of our first MSC ships, we liked it but it's old now and not as glitzy as the newer ships. Enjoy. Ken 

[heatherb1958]

Preziosa maybe an older  ship with some funky decor but MSC keep their ships spotless , we have been on her out of Southampton  and loved all the different bars onboard each having live music. 

Would go on her again in a heartbeat.  

[CruiseIreland]

Indeed, that's true. Very well maintained.

I would add, in relation to shows, that many of the ships have a themed show, such as Rock of Ages.

[fluffybunny22]

52 minutes ago, CruiseIreland said:

Hi. We like MSC because it's great value for money. Many don't care for the food and, to be honest, we had better food on Royal and Norwegian, though that's 10 years plus ago. The shows on MSC tend to be 'samey' except for the Michael Jackson tribute and I'm not sure if they still do that. The shows are short and use backing tracks rather than live music. There will be acrobats in almost every show, regardless of the theme. Speciality dining is quite good and a nice break from the MDR. I think a stateroom with 3 adults will be snug but your call. If anyone in your stateroom has a drinks package, all must have the same package. We did Norway a couple of years ago and loved it. Preziosa was one of our first MSC ships, we liked it but it's old now and not as glitzy as the newer ships. Enjoy. Ken 

We actually have a suite booked so we aren't worried about the room being tight. Even a regular room is fine for the 3 of us since regularly share a hotel room or a cruise cabin.

[mscdivina2016]

1 hour ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I just booked a June 2024 Norway cruise on MSC last night after I let my husband watch a couple episodes of Mighty Ships. We've never sailed MSC or really heard anything about it. A Viking ship is what got my husband interested in the itinerary but they don't sleep 3. We'll have our 21 year old son with us. I booked the easy plus drink package. Is that usually suitable or should we upgrade for those of us who drink? We like good food so hopefully the food is good. Don't mind paying for a specialty restaurant or two. I think the ship we have booked is the Preziosa (sorry if I spelled that wrong). Any advice anyone can give would be great. TIA.

My advice would be if you did not use a TA, transfer it to one. You have 30 days.

To many stupid things can go wrong so it's best to have a TA deal with them.

[fluffybunny22]

24 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

My advice would be if you did not use a TA, transfer it to one. You have 30 days.

To many stupid things can go wrong so it's best to have a TA deal with them.

I don't normally use TAs. What types of things can go wrong that I would need a TA to resolve?

[JAGR]

4 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I don't normally use TAs. What types of things can go wrong that I would need a TA to resolve?

Here we go!  You opened Pandora's box! 😜

[morpheusofthesea]

Never sailed on a MSC ship in a cabin outside the Yacht Club. But we can list now all the things to look out for when booking any cruise ship.

#1 E muster drill is better

#2 Two cabin cleanings per day

#3 No % charge for gambling unless using cash

#4 No extra charge for can sodas vs fountain drinks

#5 Reserved seating in the theatre for all shows

#6 Complimentary bottled water

#7 Reserved or ability to reserve pergola/cabanas on pool deck

#8 'Cushioned' pool lounges

#9 Escorts on and off ship avoiding long lines

#10 First to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender

#11 Dedicated restaurant that is so good one need not book Specialty Restaurants

#12 Service that does not involve 2 hours to complete a meal

#13 An attentive butler

#14 Cabins ready upon embarkation/ key cards in hand at checkin

#15 Dedicated restaurant open port days

#16 Dedicated buffet to only suite guests

#17 Dedicated pool and sun deck only for suite guests

# 18 All the advantages of a mega ship with the exclusivity of a gated community

#19 walk-in shower not low profile tub/shower combo

Just a few off the top of my head....

[JamieLogical]

I am on my first MSC cruise now. I have primarily sailed NCL and Celebrity in the past with one terrible Princess cruise in there. So far, it has been a fantastic cruise! There are definitely some oddities, like specialty dining packages being limited to specific menus, butter not existing in the MDR at breakfast, and toast not existing in the buffet. But overall, it has been wonderful. Service has been fantastic. My husband says they keep the ship "Italian grandma clean." The ship is spotless and you can't take three steps without tripping over someone cleaning. I also love that they still have two stateroom cleanings a day and free continental room service breakfast in Fantastica and above, when other lines have cut those services.

 

Oh that does remind me that unless you are in Aurea or YC, you will have a set dining time and table. Some people might not like that if they are used to anytime dining on other lines.

[fluffybunny22]

23 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I am on my first MSC cruise now. I have primarily sailed NCL and Celebrity in the past with one terrible Princess cruise in there. So far, it has been a fantastic cruise! There are definitely some oddities, like specialty dining packages being limited to specific menus, butter not existing in the MDR at breakfast, and toast not existing in the buffet. But overall, it has been wonderful. Service has been fantastic. My husband says they keep the ship "Italian grandma clean." The ship is spotless and you can't take three steps without tripping over someone cleaning. I also love that they still have two stateroom cleanings a day and free continental room service breakfast in Fantastica and above, when other lines have cut those services.

 

Oh that does remind me that unless you are in Aurea or YC, you will have a set dining time and table. Some people might not like that if they are used to anytime dining on other lines.

We are in Aurea. We usually prefer set dining and are not huge fans of anytime dining because our son has food allergies. Since it is summer in Norway and our sail away times are pretty late the anytime dining might be more handy. One of the benefits it lists in Aurea is in room breakfast. Does that mean cooked breakfast or just continential? 

[mscdivina2016]

27 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I don't normally use TAs. What types of things can go wrong that I would need a TA to resolve?

If you ever need need to call, your booking, once open may revert to current pricing and may go up.

 They may change your ship.

 They may change your dates.

 They may change the embarkation port.

 They may add extra days without telling you.

 They may downgrade your cabin and not give you any refund. In my case they downgraded me from a Yacht club grand suite to a regular balcony.

 

All the above has happened to me.

 

Great product but there are allot of other things detract from it.

 

Simple solution, give it to a TA. It costs you nothing and if anything does happen they will need to deal with it.

 

 

 

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

We are in Aurea. We usually prefer set dining and are not huge fans of anytime dining because our son has food allergies. Since it is summer in Norway and our sail away times are pretty late the anytime dining might be more handy. One of the benefits it lists in Aurea is in room breakfast. Does that mean cooked breakfast or just continential? 

 

Only the continental breakfast is free in Aurea. Hot room service items are still an upcharge.

[Tapi]

2 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I don't normally use TAs. What types of things can go wrong that I would need a TA to resolve?

Personally, I haven’t had too many issues with MSC, but a lot of people do post several nightmare scenarios pre-cruise when dealing with MSC’s customer service over the phone. Their website and IT are notorious for having glitches as well. If you do have an issue, it’s better to shoot a quick email to a TA that can do the dirty work for you instead of you wasting time attempting to get someone who can actually help you. 
 

For me, the worst issues had to do with when we did the Loyalty Match Program. Their system kept merging my account with my son (who has the same first and last name as me), and several times when I’d log in to look at my reservation, it would return an error saying that my booking was invalid. The system kept flagging the booking as having the same person double booked. 
 

It took several phone calls and literally countless hours trying to get it rectified every time it glitched. They finally solved it by having both my first and middle name listed under my first name.

 

Another issue was when we booked one cruise which was later canceled. No notice from MSC. I found out about it because I logged in to look at my reservation and MSC decided to move us to a shorter sailing on a different ship from a different port of embarkation without consulting with us to see if that would work. Once again, it took several calls, first to rebook us on an itinerary that would work for us, and eventually canceling altogether when we decided that we didn’t want to cruise at the time. Getting a refund took a lot of time, patience and self control but I got it resolved. 
 

The good news is that once onboard the ship, their customer service has always been responsive and willing to help.  One example was for our first post COVID cruise when we learned that the cabin that I had cherry picked was changed to “TBA” a few days prior to the cruise. The new cabin that was assigned at the port was not acceptable to us so we proceeded to guest relations. The cabin change had to do with the limited capacity and reduced staffing that the ship was sailing under which blocked our original cabin. But they were very helpful, apologetic and willing to rectify the situation. They pulled up a deck plan showing all the cabins that I could choose from and made the change. They even offered to allow me to go look at the cabin before committing to it to ensure that it was to our liking.
 

Funny thing was that the new cabin had 2 bottles of wine chilled and waiting along with a ticket for a reserved umbrella at Coco Cay with someone else’s name on it. Apparently, whoever had originally reserved that cabin had ordered those items and then had canceled last minute. I took the items to guest relations telling them that they were for someone else but they told me that we could keep them. So we got some free wine and an umbrella out of the whole situation. 😂

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Tapi

[Stockjock]

MSC the Good the Bad.

Good:

Beautiful ship design.

Mostly newer ships.

Cruises often favorably priced, although prices seem to be going up.

Drink packages more affordable than on other cruise lines.

Generally a solid cabin design, although closet space on newer ships is a bit lacking.

Hands down, the best gelato at sea.

One of the best pizzas at sea (might be 2nd to Princess, surprisingly).

Yacht Club, while not inexpensive, offers an elevated experience at a better price point than others.

The on board staff was bad on my first trip in 2015 out of "Rome".  But they've improved to the point where I'd now categorize them as "pretty good".

In the USA at least, many cruises, excluding Yacht Club, are fully refundable until final payment.

Generally, MSC ships are extremely well-maintained.  I feel this harkens to their vast experience as a global shipping superpower.

Some of their tours are better priced than the competition.

Innovative attempts to create ships that are less polluting and more forgiving toward marine life.

Status match on MSC Diamond Club is the best I know of in terms of offering a fast elevation to the highest loyalty club tiers.  That said, Diamond Level offers fewer perks than the competition.  So you can get there quicker, but you don't get as much, in terms of benefits.

Bad:

MSC customer service, while well-meaning, is atrocious.  Often, making a simple change, such as moving a dining time, can result in massive price increases.  You'll also get very different answer from different agents.  Try to avoid calling customer service, if possible.

Zoe, MSC's digital assistant on some ships, is the most useless "innovation" I can recall on any cruise line.

At times, MSC may not properly inform you of major changes.  It's important to log in periodically to see if anything has changed.

Stubborn Italian mentality.  For example, I was on a tour bus that not only got broken down on a sweltering hot day with no air in St. Martin, but fully blocking both sides of the main road that surrounds the island.  People honking continuously, police present, passengers sweating their buns off.  Refund or future discount refused by MSC.  I've had a number of cruises changed or cancelled, sometimes without notification.  On the most recent, they moved me to an inferior cabin at the front of the ship w/a steel balcony and refused to move me to another location, even within the same category.  Just using these as 2 of many examples.  

The food can be hit or miss.  It's almost always quite edible, rarely terrible, but rarely memorable either.  Specialty restaurants are better, but you'll pay up for that.

Mixed drinks sometimes do not resemble each other, depending on the bar you visit.  Seems to be improving somewhat, but I've ordered the same specialty drinks from different bars and at times, they only minimally resemble what I just ordered elsewhere.

Entertainment: Again, hit and miss.  While the performers are often good, I find many of their shows to be unimaginative and lacking in terms of content and set design.

Announcements in 6-7 languages.  Most of us understand that there are many different nationalities of passengers on board, but the long announcements in so many languages can get tedious.

I'm sure there are plenty of other pros and cons, but these immediately came to mind.

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Stockjock

[fluffybunny22]

How far out from the sailing do these cancellations with no notice usually take place? I won't be buying airfare until January but I'd rather not spend the extra money on refundable air.

[Stockjock]

3 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

How far out from the sailing do these cancellations with no notice usually take place? I won't be buying airfare until January but I'd rather not spend the extra money on refundable air.

It really varies.  I know that they do try to inform passengers, but I've had several situations where I have not received notice.  Most of the time you'll be fine, but there's always that chance.

I have a cruise late in the year.  I booked a one-way ticket to Europe using frequent flyer miles, so I can get a refund if things change.  I booked a fully refundable ticket from Europe to the USA on TAP Portugal, which has many bad reviews, but newer planes & I couldn't touch the price for a refundable ticket, 2 checked bags, and extra roomy seats (basic tickets offer none of this).

I'd strongly recommend that you purchase insurance that covers you in the event of trip cancellations.

[fluffybunny22]

13 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

It really varies.  I know that they do try to inform passengers, but I've had several situations where I have not received notice.  Most of the time you'll be fine, but there's always that chance.

I have a cruise late in the year.  I booked a one-way ticket to Europe using frequent flyer miles, so I can get a refund if things change.  I booked a fully refundable ticket from Europe to the USA on TAP Portugal, which has many bad reviews, but newer planes & I couldn't touch the price for a refundable ticket, 2 checked bags, and extra roomy seats (basic tickets offer none of this).

I'd strongly recommend that you purchase insurance that covers you in the event of trip cancellations.

Would I need to purchase insurance now because I just booked it or could I purchase it after I buy airfare? I don't need the cancel for any reason kind because once we get to the point where we purchase air we are positive on our end we are going. I was looking at air today for this June to get an idea and the refundable fares were like $500 per person more than the nonrefundable. We would most likely be flying Lufthansa since they fly direct to Munich from our airport. We leave out of Hamburg. We just got screwed over by Lufthansa when Germany went on strike. We lost 2 days of our trip without any type of compensation because it was strike related. Our credit card didn't cover anything because we were delayed at home. 

[Tapi]

17 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Would I need to purchase insurance now because I just booked it or could I purchase it after I buy airfare?

I normally don’t add travel insurance until close to final payment and before purchasing non refundable items like airfare.

 

The caveat is that if anything happens before you purchase insurance that eventually prevents you from taking the cruise , you won’t be covered.

 

One example was last November when we were sailing on Celebrity. My wife had a car accident before final payment and before I purchased insurance. As we approached our sailing date, she was still in so much residual pain that we almost canceled the cruise a few days before departure.
 

Because the reason for her condition was the accident, the insurance wouldn’t cover anything since it happened before we added insurance. We ended taking the cruise, but we coordinate special assistance at the airport which was her worst concern. We made it happen probably against our better judgement, partly fueled by the fact that we’d loose all of our money. 

 

I do have a cruise for 2024 for which I already purchased insurance because I wanted to have CFAR coverage. And  even though we’re fairly young and in relatively good health, I also wanted to ensure that we wouldn’t be disqualified for any pre-existing issues after our situation last November. It’s a much more expensive cruise than what we normally book, and since it’s not for another year and a half, I wanted to ensure that all of my bases are covered. It was only a couple hundred dollars worth of peace of mind. 
 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Tapi

[Stockjock]

59 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Would I need to purchase insurance now because I just booked it or could I purchase it after I buy airfare? I don't need the cancel for any reason kind because once we get to the point where we purchase air we are positive on our end we are going. I was looking at air today for this June to get an idea and the refundable fares were like $500 per person more than the nonrefundable. We would most likely be flying Lufthansa since they fly direct to Munich from our airport. We leave out of Hamburg. We just got screwed over by Lufthansa when Germany went on strike. We lost 2 days of our trip without any type of compensation because it was strike related. Our credit card didn't cover anything because we were delayed at home. 

I usually book it pretty late.  In fact, I pay attention to the "free look" period (cancel insurance for full refund) and often buy just before leaving, as I can cancel it if I need to cancel for my personal reasons.

That said, if you want "cancel for any reason" insurance, which is more expensive (I haven't bought it), then you must buy the insurance very soon after booking your cruise.

I think I can mention the place where I buy from, since I believe they are a Cruise Critic partner, but let's just say that they helped me to Insure My Trip.  They have a nice comparison engine.  If you have questions, please do call their agents, who are quite helpful.  The devil is in the details and you might assume that something is covered which is not.

Remember too that you don't have to buy insurance for the full price of the trip.  Some might wonder why you'd do that.  I've done it a couple of times, mostly for the medical evacuation and/or quarantine/lockdown/flight change/delays and such.

Let's say my trip was $4,000.  I think I insured the last one for $1,500.  I figured, because I was using frequent flyer miles, I could credit them to my account if something changed at the last minute.  I also bought hotels fully refundable to the last day or so, thus probability (but no guarantee) I could cancel if something changed.  Plus, I had some protections on my Amex Platinum card.

But...if I had a medical emergency or needed to be airlifted, the $1,500 worth of insurance covered me the same as $4,000 of insurance.  Obviously, there could be circumstances where I was not fully covered, in terms of changes and such, and that was a calculated risk.  It's better to insure for the full amount, but there could be circumstances where one knowingly choses not to do that.

I also agree with the comment above that if something happens before you buy insurance then you are out of luck, so that's definitely worth considering.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Stockjock

[shipgeeks]

Re "no butter in MDR", post #13.  I have been a dinner guest at the Italian-Australian Club several times. The pasta was excellent, as were the sauces (but tiny sauce to pasta ratio, by American standards). The bread was excellent, but was never served with butter; it just was not part of a meal.

One of the things I like about sailing on MSC is the authenticity, even when I sometimes miss my usual way of doing things (I do like butter).  I can have moments of feeling like I could be in Italy, not just another suburb in PA.  If I were Chief Decision Maker for MSC, what would I Americanize, and what would I not?Personally, I don't want MSC to become another RoyalNorwegianCarnival.

[fluffybunny22]

35 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Re "no butter in MDR", post #13.  I have been a dinner guest at the Italian-Australian Club several times. The pasta was excellent, as were the sauces (but tiny sauce to pasta ratio, by American standards). The bread was excellent, but was never served with butter; it just was not part of a meal.

One of the things I like about sailing on MSC is the authenticity, even when I sometimes miss my usual way of doing things (I do like butter).  I can have moments of feeling like I could be in Italy, not just another suburb in PA.  If I were Chief Decision Maker for MSC, what would I Americanize, and what would I not?Personally, I don't want MSC to become another RoyalNorwegianCarnival.

My son is currently studying abroad in France and from my research butter isn't given with bread in Europe because it's not meant to be eaten by itself like Americans eat it. It's more for sauces. We're going to Europe for the experience not to Americanize it.