RCCL Allure vs. MSC Seaside

[RachLovesSteak]

Hi cc friends!

 

I've been comfortably back in my cc lurking ways for a couple of years now, but coming out of hiding to seek opinions from the pros 🙂 We are debating booking a fairly last-minute cruise this fall. We have one week to work with and were planning to go for the Allure since it's driveable for us. The price for an OV balcony has been fluctuating almost daily, and today it's back at a price we consider a good deal. Only problem is, during all the fluctuation (and several days of it being "sold out") we found a steal of a deal on MSC Seaside. I have never been on MSC, and while I know there's mixed reviews, I'm always down to try anything once. All variables considered, the total cost difference is around $1,000 when priced out apples to apples (drink package, wifi, flight vs. no flight, etc.)

 

I've been lurking around on the MSC board and doing lots of Googling, but thought I'd see if anyone has any insights to share. I love learning from you all and sharing in your vacations, and am grateful for your guidance!

 

**important to note - SO must have good WiFi, so if you happen to have insights on Allure or MSC wifi quality, that would be hugely helpful. I'm also estimating the drink package at $87.99/day based on a current 3-day sailing I have booked, but thinking it may be a bit lower for 7 days.

 

Thanks in advance!!

[Nacho.Daddy]

I have sailed several Oasis class ships and on the MSC Seashore (sister to the Seaside). IMO, an Oasis class ship will win hands down any time BUT, for a good price I enjoy sailing MSC. The food is a little more European (that seems to matter to some folks, I enjoy it as I lived in Europe for 13 years) but the service all around (MDR, buffet, bars, etc....) was top notch. I had wifi on the Meraviglia and had no problems at all. For a good price, if I were you I'd give MSC a shot so as to see how it compares to what your likes and dislikes are. IMO, it is not as good as an Oasis class ship but plenty good enough for the money spent.

[firefly333]

$1000 difference for how many. Imo flying adds a level of stress. Eventually msc will go from Galveston,  I think it's already approved, but lacks infrastructure in Galveston.  I'd wait on msc and drive. 

 

I've flown for royal, celebrity, princess, and ncl. I will not fly for msc or carnival  .. it would need to be free. I'm not a italian food fan so maybe this doesnt apply to me. I passed on a almost free carnival cruise to alaska  msc is even lower imo.

[Nacho.Daddy]

7 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

$1000 difference for how many. Imo flying adds a level of stress. Eventually msc will go from Galveston,  I think it's already approved, but lacks infrastructure in Galveston.  I'd wait on msc and drive. 

 

I've flown for royal, celebrity, princess, and ncl. I will not fly for msc or carnival  .. it would need to be free. I'm not a italian food fan so maybe this doesnt apply to me. I passed on a almost free carnival cruise to alaska  msc is even lower imo.

Having sailed both, I disagree with the MSC/Carnival comparison. Especially as of late with the lower class of people sailing Carnival. One doesn't always have to fly either. I have a B2B on the Jewel out of Galveston for Mar/Apr 2025 and I'll be driving from Florida (picked this because I've never been to Galveston before). It's about a 14 hour drive so 2 easy days of driving. It's also much easier to see the country from ground level instead of 35,000 ft.

[nferr]

I'm lucky. MSC Meraviglia cruises out of NYC which is actually a little more convenient than NJ for me. I'm cruising on the Oasis in October and the Meraviglia in January. I booked the Oasis last year and got a great price but couldn't find anything reasonable for next year.  MSC came in way lower and I got the drink package and free wifi promotion. I do get the four free drinks a day on RCL but it still wasn't competitive for any future cruises versus MSC pricing. I suspect I'm going to like the Oasis better, the Meraviglia seems more like a direct competitor to the Anthem. But I'm giving MSC a shot (nine day cruise to the Bahamas) and I'll see if I like it. From what I've been reading seems fine for the price.

[RachLovesSteak]

28 minutes ago, Nacho.Daddy said:

I have sailed several Oasis class ships and on the MSC Seashore...

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. 

[RachLovesSteak]

14 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

$1000 difference for how many....

Great question! It's a $1,000 total price difference for a party of 2. I completely agree about the flying adding a level of stress, especially since we already had the idea of a driveable port in our heads. I've actually never sailed out of Galveston (SO has), so could be a cool experience! Thanks for your insights 🙂 

[RachLovesSteak]

5 minutes ago, nferr said:

I'm lucky. MSC Meraviglia cruises out of NYC which is actually a little more convenient than NJ for me. I'm cruising on the Oasis in October and the Meraviglia in January. I booked the Oasis last year and got a great price but couldn't find anything reasonable for next year.  MSC came in way lower and I got the drink package and free wifi promotion. I do get the four free drinks a day on RCL but it still wasn't competitive for any future cruises versus MSC pricing. I suspect I'm going to like the Oasis better, the Meraviglia seems more like a direct competitor to the Anthem. But I'm giving MSC a shot (nine day cruise to the Bahamas) and I'll see if I like it. From what I've been reading seems fine for the price.

You'll have to share your comparison thoughts after you've finished both cruises! MSC prices are an incredible deal, especially when the rest of the cruise industry seems to have record-high prices. If flights were a factor for the Allure it wouldn't even be a debate. We'd definitely be hopping on MSC!

 

Jealous that NYC is your home port! I did an NCL cruise out of NYC in 2016 - the sail away views are incredible!

[nferr]

Just now, RachLovesSteak said:

You'll have to share your comparison thoughts after you've finished both cruises! MSC prices are an incredible deal, especially when the rest of the cruise industry seems to have record-high prices. If flights were a factor for the Allure it wouldn't even be a debate. We'd definitely be hopping on MSC!

 

Jealous that NYC is your home port! I did an NCL cruise out of NYC in 2016 - the sail away views are incredible!

 Yeah, I'm 60 miles from the city. Hourly train service into the city takes about 75 minutes. Many more trains during rush hour. I'll share my thoughts after both cruises. But I enjoy them all, I pretty much roll with the punches, don't expect perfection.

[ZoeyVictoria]

I am D+ on Royal and cruised on the Seaside in May and again in July.  Although Royal is my favorite, I enjoy the differences between cruise lines. The Seaside lacks the Flowrider, skating rink, and carousel (there is a zip line). If those activities are important to you, you would be happier on the Allure.  Those activities do attract a lot of children, so there are generally fewer kids on MSC. We find the food and service comparable, but we enjoy trying something different. MSC’s shows are fabulous, but so are those on the Allure.  If I was in your situation, I would have a hard time making a decision and would be looking for a way to do both 😄 

[firefly333]

6 minutes ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

I am D+ on Royal and cruised on the Seaside in May and again in July.  Although Royal is my favorite, I enjoy the differences between cruise lines. The Seaside lacks the Flowrider, skating rink, and carousel (there is a zip line). If those activities are important to you, you would be happier on the Allure.  Those activities do attract a lot of children, so there are generally fewer kids on MSC. We find the food and service comparable, but we enjoy trying something different. MSC’s shows are fabulous, but so are those on the Allure.  If I was in your situation, I would have a hard time making a decision and would be looking for a way to do both 😄 

Did you think the pizza was better on MSC. Sorry to ask about pizza, but I have read it's good on msc. Carnival so far has the best pizza, but I'd try msc pizza. Carnival makes their own dough, for each individual pizza. Each sauced or not as you wish. I cant get rcl pizza no sauce. Carnival does a awesome white pizza. 

[Nacho.Daddy]

1 hour ago, nferr said:

I'm lucky. MSC Meraviglia cruises out of NYC which is actually a little more convenient than NJ for me. I'm cruising on the Oasis in October and the Meraviglia in January. I booked the Oasis last year and got a great price but couldn't find anything reasonable for next year.  MSC came in way lower and I got the drink package and free wifi promotion. I do get the four free drinks a day on RCL but it still wasn't competitive for any future cruises versus MSC pricing. I suspect I'm going to like the Oasis better, the Meraviglia seems more like a direct competitor to the Anthem. But I'm giving MSC a shot (nine day cruise to the Bahamas) and I'll see if I like it. From what I've been reading seems fine for the price.

I sailed the Meraviglia back in January and enjoyed it very much.

[ZoeyVictoria]

35 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Did you think the pizza was better on MSC. Sorry to ask about pizza, but I have read it's good on msc. Carnival so far has the best pizza, but I'd try msc pizza. Carnival makes their own dough, for each individual pizza. Each sauced or not as you wish. I cant get rcl pizza no sauce. Carnival does a awesome white pizza. 

I think MSC’s pizza is a major improvement over all other cruise lines. I almost never eat pizza on other ships, but had pizza for lunch every day on the Seaside. It is also available at 10 p.m., when they put out the best cookies we have ever had on a ship - we stay out later than we would really prefer to wait for those cookies.  There are two buffets on different decks, with one quite smaller than the other. Those are some of the tiny differences that make MSC enjoyable to us. 

[Nacho.Daddy]

46 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Did you think the pizza was better on MSC. Sorry to ask about pizza, but I have read it's good on msc. Carnival so far has the best pizza, but I'd try msc pizza. Carnival makes their own dough, for each individual pizza. Each sauced or not as you wish. I cant get rcl pizza no sauce. Carnival does a awesome white pizza. 

Yes, pizza on MSC is definitely better than on Royal. Pizza on almost every cruise line is better than Royal's though, IMO.

On Carnival I get the Quatro Formaggio (4 Cheese) which doesn't have sauce as such (garlic butter instead) and then ask for pepperoni added. It's FANTASTIC!!!

Edited August 18, 2023 by Nacho.Daddy

[firefly333]

11 minutes ago, Nacho.Daddy said:

On Carnival I get the Quatro Formaggio (4 Cheese) which doesn't have sauce as such (garlic butter instead) and then ask for pepperoni added. It's FANTASTIC!!!

Yes there is one white pizza on the menu. I asked for pepperoni last time and thought it was a bit too rich and went back to regular. Maybe its the garlic butter that makes it taste so rich. Idk but I love that one too. 

[LorraineP]

Did MSC Yacht Club on Seaside. Absolutely best cruise ever. Loved everything about it. Spoiled. Would never do MSC other than YC. We venture out on a port day & walked around different. Then did same on sea day hectic so many people kids couldn’t wait to get back to secluded YC area. Shows were different but excellent. 

[ReneeFLL]

3 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

Did MSC Yacht Club on Seaside. Absolutely best cruise ever. Loved everything about it. Spoiled. Would never do MSC other than YC. We venture out on a port day & walked around different. Then did same on sea day hectic so many people kids couldn’t wait to get back to secluded YC area. Shows were different but excellent. 

Was this a short cruise or a school holiday with so many kids?

[LorraineP]

12 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Was this a short cruise or a school holiday with so many kids?

7 nights in October 6th leaving from Miami 

[George C]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Did you think the pizza was better on MSC. Sorry to ask about pizza, but I have read it's good on msc. Carnival so far has the best pizza, but I'd try msc pizza. Carnival makes their own dough, for each individual pizza. Each sauced or not as you wish. I cant get rcl pizza no sauce. Carnival does an awesome white pizza. 

 Pizza on MSc was fantastic the best we had on any ship by far , entertainment was good , we always book suites on rccl and booked MSc yacht club which has way better perks than rccl . Definitely looking forward to booking yacht club again . 

[barb in ga]

We sailed MSC Divina on a 10 day Southern in January. The ship was decorated nicely from Christmas/New Year. I did not like the layout of the public areas, there was no central promenade, so you had to walk through one activity to get to another.

Food in the main dining was ok, not great. Breakfast in the buffet was ok, but not great, The lunch buffet focused on pizza, burgers, hot dogs and tons of french fries. Usually 2 hot dishes were offered, but very litle that moved me. Announcements were in 5 languages as if this were the Mediterranean. Nothing was really a special event.

 

The shows were a disappointment, but we're used to the Oasis class entertainment. We will probably not cruise MSC again. The disembarkation in Miami including finding luggage and moving through immigration was an absolute nightmare!

Barb in GA