PROS & CONS of an MSC Cruise: Great or terrible idea?
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- If you are new to MSC Cruises and thinking about giving them a try, there are a lot of benefits to sailing with this European cruise line. They offer some of the cheapest cruise fares in the market, making their voyages an incredible value.
MSC Cruises has become increasingly popular, especially in North America. Not only do they have some of the best budget-friendly prices, but they also often include add-ons like basic wi-fi and drink packages as part of their promotions, luring cruisers from other cruise lines. So what’s the catch?
There are many pros to sailing with MSC, but there are a few cons that cruisers should know about when booking. The European cruise line does a few things differently than some of the other mass-market cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line.
Here are my thoughts on the top benefits and drawbacks of sailing with this cruise line.
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MSC is the only cruise line that I have found that has numerous mid-tier suites with their own, private hot tubs on the balcony. This is a big plus for us. We LOVED our cruise on Seascape last year, and we WILL book again.
You get what you pay for. I'm an early retiree, and last summer, I snapped up a bunch of cheap MSC cruises that I took starting in fall of last year and wrapping up in February this year. I was a first-time cruiser, and had nothing to compare it to until I took my first cruise on Royal Caribbean earlier this year. Check-in and muster are pretty clunky on MSC. The food is fair at best - it's basically all discount fare. And they try to nickel and dime you to death at every opportunity. And the low fares mean just about anyone can afford them, which is both good and bad. I want everyone to be able to cruise if they want, but some have no consideration of others and think nothing of causing a ruckus on their way back to their cabins in the wee hours of the morning after partying most of the night in the bars. Everything was better on my Royal Caribbean cruise. Much smoother check-in and muster, better food, better quality overall on pretty much everything (including cruisers). RC is a few bucks more, but well worth it in my book. I don't plan to sail with MSC ever again - just not worth it to me.
One of your cons is actually a blessing as far as the internet being bad! People, if you will leave the darned phones and devices in the car before you board, you will actually have time to enjoy the cruise life without the distraction of having that device in your hands 24/7! Try it!!
We did our first and possibly last MSC cruise last month on Magnifica. The pizza 🍕 was the best of any cruise line and the balcony was a plus. The things that disappointed us the most were our dinners being laye to our table every night, although our server was outstanding. They didn't offer any options for breakfast for those that can't eat pork products. One of our dinner partners was a travel agent and she said that she would not recommend MSC to any of her clients.
We did a 28 day transatlantic cruise on MSC Seashore. Pros 1. Very inexpensive were talking a mini suite with balcony 1,600 per person for 28 days. 2.The drink service was real good. 3. Staff was friendly. Cons 1. Hands down the worst food I've ever had on a cruise ship. It's right in line with hospital or dorm food. 2. They will nickle and dime you up the rear. They bother you about taking photos the entire time your on there even if you say no. Holland American was so much better.
I disagree completely on you putting "add ons" as a con for MSC. MSC as you said has multi level drink packages. With Royal you get a max alcohol drink package or none. As far as the arcades I do believe only Virgin Voyages has the arcades included. And every line has speciality dining at an extra cost, not just MSC.
Very good coverage of msc. We were on two back to back on Seascape last year and one on mareviglia this year. Next year we are going to Rome from Miami and after five days in Rome, back to Miami. A total of six weeks on MSC. We decided to go for the Aurea experience for these cruises with a balcony. Maybe if we do the world cruise in 2026, we'll even splurge on Yacht Club. We are trying Carnival for the first time in August, bringing a Veterans' group on what for many are their first cruise. Should be lots of fun.
I've done 5 MSC cruises in the past 2+ years as they were a lot cheaper than the Royal Caribbean cruises I normally do (1 cruise away from Double Diamond). They are good value for the money, but you need to have proper expectations. I view them as a budget cruise line as they definitely lack the polish/quality of RC, Carnival or Norwegian so I would rate MSC below them. If you are ok with that then I say give them a shot.
I do agree that they need more included dining options which I have heard the World class ships have addressed. The muster drill is a mess and barely a step above the old pre-Covid muster drills. I do think MSC is taking their customer feedback seriously and have taken great strides forward since the post Covid startup.
My recent voyage on the MSC Euribia fell far short of expectations. While a cruise should be a time of relaxation and exploration.
The most significant disruption was the unrelenting noise on Deck 14. A room change wasn't an option. This constant disturbance significantly detracted from the enjoyment of the entire cruise.
Adding to the frustration was the lack of responsive service when encountering problems. Situations that should have been addressed promptly were met with apathy and a sense of being brushed aside.
To make matters worse, upon reviewing my credit card statements after the cruise, I discovered unauthorized charges. Needless to say, this incident eroded any remaining trust I had in the MSC Cruises operation.
While I understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, the combination of these issues paints a disappointing picture. Based on this experience, I can confidently say that this will be my first and last cruise with MSC.
Due to their ‘low priced’ fairs they attract people who don’t often cruise and don’t understand basic etiquette.
CON: Reduced security and crowd control in areas that need it (theatre). Drunk passengers reign out-of-control. A woman punched me because I asked her to stop kicking my seat. No security to get her under control. It was left to the passengers to get her out of the theatre.
It’s only Oceania or Princess for us. Thanks for validating our thoughts on MSC.
I was on MSc Sea😅 shore this past February. The wifi was really horrible. The beds and pillows were hard ,but the staff were friendly.
I would love to book more cruises with MSC but the carribean itineraries are very limited. I just don’t want to go on the same cruise over and over and paying thousands of dollars to fly to Europe doesn’t sound worth it. Yacht club is weird too. I wasn’t in it but it took a lot of the ship away from us.
I did enjoy the cruise I went on though. Complimentary food was terrible so I would definitely get the biggest specialty dining because that was amazing. The entertainment is incredible- both the theatre shows and just around the ship in general. The ships are designed wonderfully.
We have travelled numerous times with msc, due to their very attractive prices. If you take one of their cruises, remembering the $$$ you saved will help justify the mediocre food and so-so entertainment. We have found that sometimes your prepaid tours get cancelled at the last minute due to lack of participants. That is a big drawback.
MSC is like a Euro version of Carnival -- lots of emphasis on parties, dancing, and noise. Very little that's quiet or thoughtful. What used to be the library on our ship had been converted into an extension of the casino. As for low fares, they're obviously a double-edged sword. We had our own hot tub on the balcony of our MSC cabin -- fantastic! But the TVs in the suite were tiny and the programming was poor. And aggressive nickel-and-diming was a daily occurrence. Here's how cruise line cultures stack up: We enjoy the art auctions on NCL. On Viking, which we otherwise like a lot, there are no art auctions because they are deemed too "lowbrow." But on MSC, there are no art auctions because they're considered too highbrow!
I was on a reposition cruise from Copenhagen to Barcelona in September 21 on MSC Grandiosa. I agree with the person saying that they will not go on MSC again. It was an ok starter cruise, but nothing more. I didn't get the perks everybody was talking about on UA-cam with other cruise lines. One positive thing: I didn't know before this video that I couldn't bring soft drinks. I need my energy drink in the morning and they didn't have it on the ship. But I was on a Titanic tour in Southampton and after the tour, we still had so time, so I went to the nearest ALDI and bought enough for the rest of the trip. I had it in a shopping bag with some crisps, but nobody stopped me.
I've cruised twice with MSC, both times in Europe. Overall, a good value for your money. But it was very crowded in most venues. Their itineraries were excellent. I would cruise with them again if they ever make it to the West Coast.
Does MSC status match with Princess? I am Elite on Princess, with FREE, unlimited laundry and dry cleaning.
We tried it last summer for cruise number 36 and will never make that mistake again. Bad service because of reduced staff, few food options and mediocre food, so-so entertainment. We are not beach people, so we didn't disembark at any ports. It was nearly impossible to find an open bar on those days, and the only food option was the buffet. We did like the trivia which was better organized with friendlier staff than other lines.
is MSC Yacht club worth it for my 50th birthday vacation or should I go to Vietnam or the Philippines?
Also can you tell me the most days that it could go like 100 days?
Where do you get that $200 cruise?
Yacht Club is best of any cruise line including the massively overpriced Oceania, Seabourn, Regent, Silver Sea... you can take 2 to 3 cruises for the price of a single on those others... simply purchase the cheapest balcony then upgrade to yacht club ... usually $3500 total price for two!
I have yet to find a cruise consultant that has ever recommended MSC even to us budget cruisers. The reviews have been pretty negative across the board. I am not interested as the entire experience looks like a Costa experience.
How is this line for solo travel prices?
I paid $798 as a solo cruiser for a balcony room in June 2023. It was a 4-night cruise from Port Canaveral.
Paying just under $600 for a 7 day Caribbean, interior. It was slightly less than 50% more than 1 person sharing with a second.
The video misses that MSC has easily the worst food and dining experience of all the major cruise lines. Food was completely inedible at the buffet and main dining halls on the Meraviglia, and there is a general bad smell (like spoiled milk?) at all times in the buffet/dining halls. On top of that, the dining halls have banquet style seating, so you won’t get your own table but instead will be put at a giant circle table with 10 seats and all strangers.
MSC is a hard pass. I'd rather save up for a little bit longer and go on any other cruise line.
Aloha, see ya, bye bye
All you used was canned video.
Went on MSC Seascape last year and though it was a nice ship and the comedy show was hilarious, it was the worst cruise I’ve ever been on. The drink package was a joke. The drink selection sucked and all tasted horrible. Included food options were limited to buffet and MDR which served the same bland food every day. The primarily European cruisers on board were extremely rude! Never again!
I think this comment is a bit like an American expecting to be getting an American experience while traveling abroad. MSC is a European Cruise line and that shows across. I do not think the food was bland but yes it is different to what you get when I travel, as a European, in the US. However that is what I expect. If you want a US experience then stay away from MSC, Costa, P&O, Ioana and the German based Cruise lines like AIDA and TUI. Also suggest that while traveling in Europe ensure you always find a familiar McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut or Burger King to continue the American food experience. Traveling is all about trying new things and trying a Cruise line that is not aligned to the home country is a great experience. As European I tried Costa and MSC, Princess and Celebrity and found that MSC and Costa were closer to my taste but I equally enjoyed the more US experience on Princess and Celebrity.
@@robbroere1384if one is sailing MSC out of a U.S.port, there should be an expectation that it would cater to the American customer. If an American wanted their experience to be dominated with Europeans, they'd book a sailing out of a European port.
Why would anyone cruise with msc after what they did to Ben and David you might as well delete the video
I Cruise for my experience and honestly I do not care if UA-camrs are not allowed to film. As such I appreciate this video. just cruised MSC in February from Barcelona Spain and loved it. Reviews like this one are perfect to me.
They recently went on MSC again and gave it a decent review.
Oh stop it
Yacht club is the way to go. I use to pay $$$$ for Celebrity Retreat. Not anymore! I can sail 3 MSC Yacht Club vs 1 Celebrity Retreat. And you get more perks sailing Yacht Club. The service is top notch from your arrival to the terminal to the escorted embarkation. I love that the Thermal Spa is included. I had no trouble with their streaming internet and the YC food and drinks were excellent. I love that I can order any drink from the Top Lounge in the YC with no wait. I love that I can eat in the YC dining room anytime with no wait. I love that they have an awesome buffet in the YC outdoor deck. I love being escorted everywhere per request on or off the ship by our butler. I love Ocean Cay where the YC has their own private area with cabanas and their own restaurant. The only thing I wish they would change is not serving their pizza in the dining room. However, they will deliver a whole pizza to your cabin. It is the best pizza I have ever eaten at sea. The YC is truly an amazing ship within a ship. If you haven’t tried it, I would suggest you book one in the near future while prices are still low.
I agree. I've only sailed Yacht Club with MSC and wouldn't do it any other way.
My TA said the lowest amount for YC for a 7 day cruise was $3K. I paid $600, nothing in the YC would be worth the $2,400 mark up.
Although I’ve never paid 3k for the YC because I book on board and always get a deal and discount, I would still pay 3k for 7 night all inclusive because it’s totally worth it for me. When I can no longer afford it, then I’ll reduce accordingly. The best part is no matter what cruising is fantastic!