How would you rank?

[jobinseattle]

How would you rank the following cruise lines as far as suite benefits (including Haven and MSC Yacht Club) and price value? I know some benefits depend on the size of ship. I am just asking generally speaking:

 

Royal Caribbean
NCL

MSC

[Lois R]

I have never sailed with NCL or MSC so no votes from me....as for Royal, I think I have 3 or 4 cruises with them over the last 20 years so not much experience with them either. I should say I cannot rank them. 

 

[Hlitner]

A tough question because each has their pros/cons.  In terms of service and amenities I would rank MSCs Yacht Club #1.  But the downside of MSC is that their cuisine, in the YCs restaurant, is somewhat uneven. 

 

Why do we like MSC?  Both MSC and NCL house the suites in a separate (protected by electronic entry) part of the ship.  They truly define a ship within a ship.  RCI is kind of a hybrid product because many of the amenities are scattered around the ship (depending on the vessel).  I will also tell you that we cruise on some of the best luxury cruise lines (Seabourn, Silversea, Explora Journey, etc) and the service/amenities within the MSC YC is on par.

 

I cannot comment on RCI since we stopped cruising that line many years ago.

 

Hank

[George C]

I am a huge fan of MSc yacht club , love there ship within ship.great perks premium drink package and WiFi included , love everything.

 

My last 9 rccl cruises have been in full suites , best thing is entertainment, bad is mediocre suite dining room , happy hour for hard liquor only 3 hours, no drink package included, free WiFi only on oasis and newer ships , older ships have no suite restaurant.

 

I dislike ncl so haven’t tried Haven.

[SelectSys]

4 hours ago, George C said:

I am a huge fan of MSc yacht club

Does the Yacht Club have a private pool?  

[George C]

25 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Does the Yacht Club have a private pool?  

Yes small like celebrity edge class but deeper.

[Hlitner]

56 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Does the Yacht Club have a private pool?  

Not jusr a private pool, but a private pool as part of a large private sun deck (above the bow) which also has its own outdoor bar and food area that serves breakfast and lunch.  The one negative, on the ships we have cruised, is that lack of a decent shade area.  Lots of sun, very nice padded loungers, and never a hassle getting seats.

 

Hank

[SelectSys]

Just now, Hlitner said:

never a hassle getting seats.

that was what I was hoping to hear

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

that was what I was hoping to hear

We have an amusing story about the sun deck.  On a Divina cruise, one morning, DW and I were relaxing on the sundeck (I am sure we had mimosas in hand) when apparently, a passenger left one of the electronic gates ajar.  This is on the sundeck and allows YC folks to access outside steps that lead down to the main deck (outside the YC).  A group of about 10 passengers, not in the YC, discovered the open gate and decided to come onto our expansive sundeck to explore.  The YC Staff, who do quickly get to know most of the YC passengers, soon realized we had been invaded.  They were moving to and from talking about chasing down all the "interlopers" and politely escorting them out of the YC area.  Most of the YC passengers were amused, but the staff were not happy...at all!

 

Hank

[Markanddonna]

I have traveled with at least 8-10 sailings on all three and several on each since shutdowns with the pandemic. I've been in the Haven, but not the Yacht club. Really, you can't compare the experience in the Haven or Yacht Club with the other cabins. You pay a lot more so of course you will have a better experience. 

 

I would rank the three very closely but in this order: RCL, NCL, and MSC. I would sail on any of them if the price and itinerary were right. My two absolute favorites were NCL Spirit in 2022 to Israel and RCL Anthem TA in 2022. I loved two earlier MSC Divina sailings, but my worst cruise ever on the same ship was in 2023. Go figure.

[zqvol]

On 8/13/2024 at 6:54 AM, jobinseattle said:

How would you rank the following cruise lines as far as suite benefits (including Haven and MSC Yacht Club) and price value? I know some benefits depend on the size of ship. I am just asking generally speaking:

 

Royal Caribbean
NCL

MSC

None of them are worth the money. Just go on a luxury line with under 500 people if you are going to pay that much. 

[jobinseattle]

1 minute ago, zqvol said:

None of them are worth the money. Just go on a luxury line with under 500 people if you are going to pay that much. 

Like a river cruise or do you mean something else? We are pretty new to cruising.

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, jobinseattle said:

Like a river cruise or do you mean something else? We are pretty new to cruising.

Hi, welcome to the wonderful world of cruising!

I think the poster was referring to luxury lines such as Silversea, Seabourn or Regent, just to give you 3 examples.

 

River cruises are totally different...the riverboats only hold about 150 or so. 

 

The luxury lines I mentioned are ocean cruises. Usually it is all inclusive and the ships are smaller than the big mass market lines.

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, jobinseattle said:

Like a river cruise or do you mean something else? We are pretty new to cruising.

Not a river cruise. Something like Seabourn, SilverSea, Regent, or Sea Dream Yacht Club. On the surface they might look more expensive but when you put in all of the things they include that you have to pay for, even in the ship in a ship areas, on a mass market line and where they go, the cost difference is not so much. 

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi, welcome to the wonderful world of cruising!

I think the poster was referring to luxury lines such as Silversea, Seabourn or Regent, just to give you 3 examples.

 

River cruises are totally different...the riverboats only hold about 150 or so. 

 

The luxury lines I mentioned are ocean cruises. Usually it is all inclusive and the ships are smaller than the big mass market lines.

Thanks, you got my drift exactly.