Loyal to Royal BUT Wanting to Try MSC? Key Differences between Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises

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  • Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024

Комментарии • 96

  • @TheWeekendCruiser
    @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +3

    If you have gone on a cruise with Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, what was your biggest difference?

    • @lexa_power
      @lexa_power 9 месяцев назад

      I have only done MSC but want to follow this question to see the answers especially to hear more about the solo experience on Royal!

  • @rapunzel1701
    @rapunzel1701 10 месяцев назад +1

    Yes! The overnight at Ocean Cay is fantastic especially with the beach party and lighthouse show.

  • @FraserAtSea
    @FraserAtSea 10 месяцев назад +3

    Great video - I'm actually looking to put together a very similar one talking about this exact topic. I get asked this question SO often, mostly sparked by how cheap MSC are coming in currently!

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      haha right?!?! Those prices are making people do double takes! and for me trying to cruise every weekend, I am here for those cheap prices!

  • @hereyago
    @hereyago 10 месяцев назад +7

    I must say... I am Diamond on Royal and about to take my 5th MSC cruise (Seashore) in 7 days (been on Divina, Seaside twice and Seascape last week) I am loving the difference and the casino offers seem to be better on MSC... Plus no tax forms for jackpots 🤭 All of my sailings have been comped after the first one. Royal is home but MSC is a sassy side piece.
    *I looooove the fact that my stateroom could be cleaned anytime with a push of a button!!

    • @RoyalCaribbeanCruiseChronicles
      @RoyalCaribbeanCruiseChronicles 10 месяцев назад +1

      How can they not give you W-2G if you get a slot jackpot

    • @hereyago
      @hereyago 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@RoyalCaribbeanCruiseChronicles no idea... That's why people love gambling on their ships. 😉

    • @thomaskuykendall4024
      @thomaskuykendall4024 10 месяцев назад +1

      I was wanting to try MSC, but after hearing your negatives I think I'll pass. Sounds like too many hurdles to jump over. Thanks for the info!!

    • @hereyago
      @hereyago 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@thomaskuykendall4024 I'm glad the negativity didn't deter me... Other people's opinions never affect me. I wouldn't have done half the things I have done in life if they did 🤣 Going on my 19th trip THIS year. Enjoy life.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      @hereyago haha I am glad I am not the only one who talks about cruise lines in terms of dating! I like saying I am in an open relationship with four cruise lines right now haha

  • @lexa_power
    @lexa_power 9 месяцев назад

    I’ve only ever cruised MSC due to it being the only line that’s been affordable for me as a lower income solo and so I have the privilege of watching this video as a reverse person who has only done MSC and to see what upgrades would await me if I splurged for Royal!
    I’ve never had any issues changing my dining time on MSC but I’ve never been on a super packed ship because I only cruise in the off season to save money - so maybe that’s why! I love how the buffet is open all day so that way if I’m hungry outside of my dining time, I just check out the buffet!
    The MSC shows I’ve seen have all been AMAZING but I’ve heard such amazing things about Royal like the best at sea! So the entertainment is definitely one reason I want to try Royal. But no shade to MSC entertainment!
    I am disabled and do rely on the elevator as I can’t do stairs. I appear able bodied because my disabilities are not visible with clothing on. I have never had any issues with the elevators - but again, maybe that’s because I don’t travel over summer or holidays (can’t afford the higher prices anyway and enjoy better value during the off season).
    As a lower income person, I really love the prepaid nature of the cruise card and how I can add just cash on there. I don’t have any credit cards proper and am not eligible for any (my divorce took me to the cleaners) so this msc system is perfect for me! I don’t know what I would do if I was on a line where I needed a credit card proper as I’m only eligible for debit cards with my poor credit history.
    Trust me I tried to leave my light on too! I tried to use my ID haha. But at least on the Divina I didn’t have the power outlet issue you described - I was still able to have my oil diffuser plugged in all day and diffused peppermint oil into my room to prevent nausea all day! My cabin attendant loved it so much and told me he was going to get one for his room too so I left it for him and just bought myself another one. But so the MSC power outlet when the light turns off thing must be on a ship by ship basis!
    Ocean Cay is so amazing! Completely agree with everything you said. And day 2 on Ocean Cay they discount all the goodies in the shop!
    Would love to hear a video about reasons to splurge on Royal as a solo and any tips on how to avoid the solo supplement on Royal, especially out of Los Angeles!

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад +1

      Great feedback! It is doubtful you will hear me talking about splurging on RCL these days. Honestly, it isn't worth it and MSC is a VERY similar experience for a fraction of the cost!

    • @lexa_power
      @lexa_power 9 месяцев назад

      @@TheWeekendCruiser thanks Brandon that’s so great to know! Maybe I’ll catch you on an MSC cruise one day and we can chat about the solo experience cause I’m with you - cost of living is so high and rent takes up so much of my income these days there’s barely enough left over for essentials and I want the most bang for my buck when it comes to cruising. Royal looks so amazing but MSC’s price points allow me to go so many places and see so many things that wouldn’t be affordable to me on other lines. I’ve had good luck getting the msc solo supplement waived in the past booking long distance but I’m still always open for tips on how to save money as a solo.

  • @rosnav604
    @rosnav604 4 месяца назад

    Thanks Brandon for your video and tips/info about your MSC cruise experience! I've been on one Royal Caribbean cruise with my two daughters, the summer before covid, we left from Miami, visited Coco Cay and Nassau, and overall I really enjoyed the whole cruise experience. The dining and food, the music and entertainment, and the staff was always very helpful. We had a balcony ocean view room, which made it a great experience.
    Now I am thinking about planning another cruise, and the MSC cruise line has been mentioned to me as an option, on the Musica ship I believe, and the itinerary shows Ocean Cay with overnight stay before going to Nassau. So I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the most up to date info on the MSC cruises, especially the Musica ship. I really liked the RC cruise experience we were on, but I don't want to rule out too quickly the MSC option. So I'm as yet not sure what to do..

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  4 месяца назад

      I say give MSC a try. To me, they have been a great cruise line and feel like they are under valued. It will also save you a solid bit of money if traveling with many folks. Overnight in Ocean Cay is one of the best experiences!

  • @seanras1965
    @seanras1965 9 месяцев назад

    with the elivators, you have to keep in mind that Yatch club has prority. So if they scan their braclet, the elivator skips everyone else and goes to them.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      That certainly could have a negative impact on how effective they are.

  • @Davey7358
    @Davey7358 10 месяцев назад +1

    Your eyes match your shirt! Thanks for the info on MSC.

  • @adamp2384
    @adamp2384 10 месяцев назад

    as a late diner I love the fact there are later times to eat but I agree 9:45 is really late I would pick an 8:15 or 8:30 for me that would be my sweet spot, the good news is if you get yacht club or Aurea you have anytime dining as well

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      That is a great thing to those features! I am still bidding on the yacht club and hope to make it in there one day!

  • @hughp2879
    @hughp2879 10 месяцев назад

    Definitely will cruise with both. Thanks for the informations..really helpful !

  • @mismatmom
    @mismatmom 3 месяца назад

    I love the two day ocean cay stay and only do that. Designated marine reserve island that will never have a waterpark. Snorkeling, fish, turtles, flounder, conch abound. I even take my own gear. No tender to shore here, just walk off the ship.

  • @m.m.4645
    @m.m.4645 10 месяцев назад +3

    We are on an MSC ship right now, and we will NOT be booking another cruise.
    The food is mediocre at best
    The entertainment not to our liking
    Too much smoking everywhere (from Crew and passengers!)
    Extremely loud
    No. Not for us.
    We prefer other lines.
    You can have MSC.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Sorry you are not having a good experience! Can I ask which ship and where it is sailing from? I am often curious if the experience I have in the Caribbean is different.

    • @m.m.4645
      @m.m.4645 10 месяцев назад

      I suppose it is totally different.🤷
      We are sailing the 11 night eastern Med ex Venice on the Armonia. Our rating has nothing to do with the change of the route (no Egypt and Cyprus) due to the political situation. Instead, we have more Greek Isles, which is totally fine and very nice for us.
      We know that it is an old ship, but we usually also cruise on the smaller older ships from RCL, where by the way we are Diamond +, in general having cruised 55 sailings over the years. Therefore I think we know how to rate.
      We find it here in comparison to our last 3 voyages this year on RCL and HAL very disappointing.
      As I said before, the food is a disappointment and the entertainment is non existing besides lots of music, music, music for hour after hour, all day long. 😮
      Also, when I want to see an evening show I want to see the show and not be bothered for more than 25 minutes with extreme loud and blatant advertising for the new ships, the routes etc.
      That sucks.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      @@m.m.4645 great feedback and thanks for sharing!

  • @bocajay7481
    @bocajay7481 10 месяцев назад +1

    Hey Brandon I did a few cruises with MSC when the cruising started up and the ships with 30 to 40% I'm a solo cruiser just like yourself there was a lot of inconveniences with MSC especially with the internet because I also work from the ship as well and that's a major inconvenience. Overall I enjoy the experience on Royal Caribbean even though there is a significant price difference I'm still willing to take cruises with Royal Caribbean

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +2

      Great feedback Jay! At the end of the day, that is exactly what it comes down to! What is it "worth" and is that a good fit for you. I cannot answer this question for folks but hope to share the various experience to hep people decide. I have found wifi on Seaside to be MUCH better than Divina. Not sure if it is the old ship/new ship thing but it was fine on Seaside.

    • @lexa_power
      @lexa_power 9 месяцев назад

      @@TheWeekendCruiserBrandon I wonder if you just had a bad experience because I took 2 amazing cruises on the Divina and just fell in love with cruising from that ship 😍 but have only cruised MSC so only have other MSC ships to compare it to. But for the value I would love to cruise the Divina again and wonder if maybe a different cabin or a different time of year would have improved things for you!

  • @raidermickey4071
    @raidermickey4071 10 месяцев назад

    We did Seaside in July 2023, we had a 630 and 830 dining time. We were also able to register our CC from home before we got to the ship. We also bought the RFID wristband so we could leave our card in the wall. Love you’re content, we just had a different experience.

    • @rebeccalyons1327
      @rebeccalyons1327 10 месяцев назад

      We were able to register ahead too for the CC.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      Thanks for sharing! Not sure how mine wound up with the late, late seating on the same ship. Might be driven by ship capacity? What did you think of the RFID wrist bands? I heard a few folks not happy with how limited they were but I didn't get one.

    • @raidermickey4071
      @raidermickey4071 9 месяцев назад

      We LOVED the RFID wristbands. Worked for everything we needed them to work for. Kept us from digging for our cruise cards for stuff like drinks, and purchases. We did need our cards to exit and re-board the ship, but other than that, the wristband worked for everything. We loved MSC.. going again in February on Magnifica

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      @@raidermickey4071 depending on when you go in February, I might see you there! Magnifica is my own ship January through March for the most part

    • @raidermickey4071
      @raidermickey4071 9 месяцев назад

      @@TheWeekendCruiser we’re on the Feb 2 cruise to Key West and Ocean Cay. Taking my mom on her first cruise to see if she likes cruising. She asked for a short one. Hope to see you there, if so, let’s meet up. Like to shake your hand.

  • @supersuperwendy
    @supersuperwendy 10 месяцев назад

    Great information, thanks Brandon!!!

  • @mjade3939
    @mjade3939 10 месяцев назад

    Thank you for sharing. ❤

  • @wimvanderpas5846
    @wimvanderpas5846 10 месяцев назад +1

    You can't compare Coco Cay with Ocean Cay, okay the lighthouse show is nice but Coco Cay food, offerings, bars, food trucks, surroundings, hot air balloon, water park etc. is so much better as Ocean Cay.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      lol, um, you just compared Ocean Cay to Coco Cay....😂 Though, to your point, they are two totally different experiences as each private islands takes a very different approach to their guest experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts for others looking at CocoCay vs. Ocean Cay to have more opinions to draw from in making their decision!

  • @TravelSpreeOfficial
    @TravelSpreeOfficial 10 месяцев назад +2

    We did not like the 9:45 time, it was rough!

    • @freejyou
      @freejyou 10 месяцев назад

      My Boo's 👋🏽

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      haha right?!?! How do people not get heartburn?!?! Hope you all are doing well!

  • @tomegg7707
    @tomegg7707 10 месяцев назад

    In April I put my credit card on file on the web site before my cruise and it worked on the ship.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Hey Tom, I have tried this a few times and had no luck! For some reason, it didn't like my card and rejected it. So, I got to know the machines better than I would like 😂

  • @DiannaJ62
    @DiannaJ62 10 месяцев назад

    You can in fact use more that one device but you must log off before logging onto the new device.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Hey Dianna, maybe it is different by ship? The two I have been on do not permit this and I even checked with the Internet folks onboard one time. Can you advise how to buy a one device package and use multiple devices? I have not figured out how to get this to happen but would love it if it did!

    • @diannajohnson2719
      @diannajohnson2719 10 месяцев назад

      @@TheWeekendCruiser Seaside

  • @slipperyRat-e4q
    @slipperyRat-e4q 10 месяцев назад +3

    You have just given me every reason to never ever ever book on msc. Thanks.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      That's fantastic Steven! Always glad to help people decide which cruise line is the best fit for them and sometimes, the answer is a very strong "not that one!". 😂

  • @nelsongarcia4398
    @nelsongarcia4398 10 месяцев назад

    I stick with royal..did 2 weeks straight on msc seascape, and didn't like a all
    ..maybe for short weekends, because Ocean cave is beautiful

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Hey Nelson! Thank you for the feedback! Mind sharing what you didn't like compared to Royal? Will help others trying to decide if MSC is for them or not. And agree on Ocean Cay, it is by far my favorite private island these days and love the over nights!

  • @rehanshaikh-yn5yh
    @rehanshaikh-yn5yh 9 месяцев назад

    Hii sir hope you doing well .i rehan who have cut your hair on freedom of the seas .now i am work with msc

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      Hey Rehan!!! Hope you are enjoying MSC!!! What ship?

  • @user-ko8md4ui6m
    @user-ko8md4ui6m 9 месяцев назад

    Going on my first solo cruise Jan 2025 with Norwegian but now thinking I may check MSC out.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      Try both!!! I have not done NCL yet but they have the most solo cabins of any cruise line.

  • @Elited
    @Elited 10 месяцев назад

    Brandon! How was the internet? Can I confidently work from home? Is it as good and reliable as starlink on Royal? Yes I know it’s not AMAZING, but much better than whatever was before

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Talked a little bit about this in my review of the Seaside ruclips.net/video/9slunuqotgo/видео.html The internet uses OB3 technology which is what Royal used to have. I will say, sense Royal, Celebrity, and a few others switched to starlink, OB3 has been a good provider with the freed-up bandwidth. It did everything I needed it to and was reliable. With that said, I don't work from the ship because there are various reasons it could go out or mess up and not worth loosing my job. If you only want to do a "little" work, it will probably be fine, even for video calls.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      This is also only the case for Seaside. The Divina, no, their internet was horrible lol

  • @seanras1965
    @seanras1965 9 месяцев назад

    Just get a braclet or opps, I lost my card. Then you get a second card to leave in the room.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      hahah Why didn't I think of this!!! I wonder if they de-activate the RFID, if it would still work? I will certainly be trying this out on another sailing!

  • @TheRiverPirate13
    @TheRiverPirate13 10 месяцев назад

    We have been on 4 RCCL cruises and visited Coco Cay 3 of those 4 times. The RCCL cruises don't stay till even sunset on Coco Cay! MSC Seaside did overnight at Ocean Cay which I agree was fantastic! MSC cruises is still a learning curve for us however you provided info that explains somethings we experience on MSC Seaside back in April. I wish the MSC for Me App was less clunky to use.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      Thank you! Yes, I am a HUGE fan of the over-night and love Ocean Cay! It is my favorite private island! MSC for ME needs several million dollars worth of work and isn't even available on all ships. Will be interesting to see what they do with it!

  • @SeanReigle
    @SeanReigle 10 месяцев назад

    All the Royal theater shows I've seen are not live orchestra.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      Hey Sean, the only shows that might not be are Effectors on the newer ships. The others very much have an orchestra pit or a band on stage. With that said, they still pipe in additional music and backup vocals. So not a 100% live experience.

  • @DiannaJ62
    @DiannaJ62 10 месяцев назад

    Card didnt notify room stewards the buttons are above the card slot that turn on the lights outside your door do. You are really not giving good information here.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      Hi Diana, check out this video and go to the 1:00 marker. It highlights the one of the two ways the lights outside the room work. I talk about the top two lights are the DND and the make up room lights. The lower two lights indicate if a card is inserted in the slot (someone's in the room) or not. ruclips.net/video/uBbcoObVRAA/видео.html

  • @ToddRileyRealEstate
    @ToddRileyRealEstate 10 месяцев назад

    Does your Cell Phone have personal hotspot wifi? If so, you might be able to use just 1 internet package.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад

      It does! Though, with android I cannot connect to a wifi and then hotspot. Have to have a cell tower to do that. Though, have learned I can use a USB tethering process from phone to laptop which works well.

  • @shellyt7325
    @shellyt7325 8 месяцев назад +1

    Why should anyone in their right mind the loyal to a Corporation, are they loyal to y'all when they raise the prices thousands of dollars, Smdh

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  8 месяцев назад

      I think it's easy to fall into the marketing and the loyalty programs. They've done a really good job of convincing us that loyalty is important, when it probably never should be important. We have to watch out for ourselves.

  • @svetlanakozic5740
    @svetlanakozic5740 10 месяцев назад

    I will not experiment I am loyal to Royal

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  9 месяцев назад

      That fantastic! Royal is certainly a good cruise line to cruise with!

  • @jeldisney22
    @jeldisney22 10 месяцев назад

    I like how you think you are now an expert with MSC and Virgin Voyages just because you took a couple of cruises with them. Please try other cruises too. You are not an expert on those other cruise lines!! Try a LOT of them. You'll then have a good basis to compare. Still love my Royal, but live some other cruise lines too and especially love MSC's Ocean Cay

    • @DelosFive
      @DelosFive 10 месяцев назад +5

      I'm curious, where does he say he's an 'expert', and where are you just interpreting the feedback of an enthusiastic and articulate content creator, with your own labelling?

    • @brantthompson199
      @brantthompson199 10 месяцев назад +5

      Brandon’s insights and experiences are invaluable for us and we have found his tips very useful. He never claimed to be an expert.

    • @DelosFive
      @DelosFive 10 месяцев назад

      My point exactly. Feels like they're watching and thinking 'who is this expert?', but that's on her, not on Brandon surely?
      @@brantthompson199

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      @jeldisney22 That is my dream! I would love to try all of the cruise lines and see what they have to offer as to your point, they are all a bit unique in what they offer. Though, right now, I am limited by money and vacation time from work. Unfortunately, many cruise lines are out of my budget or do not offer short three or four night cruises. The strategy for now, is to focus on four cruise lines: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC Cruises, and Virgin Voyages. I don't believe I will ever be an "expert" but hope by staying with four cruise lines, I can go deep in my content and get to know these lines the best I can.
      And maybe one of these days I will run into you at Ocean Cay! Ocean Cay is by far my favorite private island these days as well!

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      @freejyou leaving a quick note to say I appreciate the sentiment but did remove your comment as it included items you mentioned you didn't like to see in comments 🤗😂🤗

  • @KissesFromCanada
    @KissesFromCanada 5 месяцев назад

    Nope. Never going to try MSc, I just don’t trust them.

  • @user-lj4iv8tf9i
    @user-lj4iv8tf9i 8 месяцев назад

    Tried MSC, felt like a ripoff, wanted a refund. Crowded, boring, bad food, terrible service, nothing to do. Rooms were filthy, the vibe quality of people was low class and lame depressing.

  • @DelosFive
    @DelosFive 10 месяцев назад

    I’m probably trapped in the Virgin ecosystem now, so no plans - but enjoy your yours regardless! 👌🏼🛳️

    • @brantthompson199
      @brantthompson199 10 месяцев назад +1

      Haha. Me too! We just finished our first Virgin cruise and just booked another one. Amazing. We have done 2 MSC, not sure we will go back. Extremely inexpensive but hit or miss for us.

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      hahah I love how you started out very hesitant when you got onboard Virgin and by the end of it you found the new love of your life! I think I recall hearing a travel agent say VV has the most returning cruises. Once people get there and figure it out, they want to keep going back!

    • @TheWeekendCruiser
      @TheWeekendCruiser  10 месяцев назад +1

      Price isn't everything that is for sure! Have to always balance it. I am going into a season of "budget cruising" and it fits perfectly!

    • @DelosFive
      @DelosFive 10 месяцев назад

      @@TheWeekendCruiser haha yeah, absolutely wasn’t sure it was for me. Right now I can’t see even taking a vacation in a different way, let alone a different line 🤣