25 Things Cruisers MUST Know Before Your First MSC Cruise [MSC Cruise Tips 2024]
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2024
- Are you going on an MSC cruise & wondering what to expect? Even if you've been on other cruise lines, there are some things you need to know before sailing with MSC Cruises in 2024! We recently went on our first cruise & there were some things no one told me!
In this video I share MSC cruise tips about embarkation day, food & dining, booking your cabin, & the overall experience onboard an MSC cruise ship.
MSC Cruises has some differences from other popular cruise lines. You'll want to know what to expect on an MSC cruise vacation, including how to save money, get status match & more!
If you're going on your first cruise, this video is full of cruise information you need to help you have a better cruise holiday.
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Please note that I am unable to give personal cruise and travel advice. If you leave a comment I try my best to answer.
ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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With regards to the service banter, I’m American but have lived abroad most of my adult life. I actually prefer the “European” style of service because, to be frank, I didn’t come to the restaurant with my family/friends to talk to the servers. It’s also quicker service because less time is wasted taking.
The end of June will be our 3rd sailing within a year on msc. I love it! I actually prefer it over RC, and would choose them every single time. The entertainment is the best I’ve seen on any line. Every single night, new shows & big productions. I enjoyed the food, but when comparing it to years ago, the food isn’t the same on any line. The photo packages are the absolute best, the quality is amazing & the photographers are wonderful. The staff in general is great. I can’t say enough good things about this line, but there will be ppl who are devoted cruisers on other lines who will disagree with me & that’s ok… just enjoy whatever you do.
Not only is having a lot of Europeans onboard something that "isn't bad" - it's absolutely great!!! Makes for very interesting conversations and the potential of new international friends!
True :)
Yes, I enjoyed hearing all of the different languages.
I've cruised with MSC so many times, and totally agree with every single one of your points in here, Ilana. I genuinely think that lots of the dissatisfaction with MSC is from people who just don't know what to expect, so great overview - I'm sure this will help so many people!
We always stay in the Yacht Club on MSC cruises and have superb service. The staff couldn't be any nicer or more helpful. Tiziana Piccaluga is the Yacht Club Director and exceeds any expectations you have of the Yacht Club. She handles everything with excellence. Even though we have a private dining room we still love to go to the buffet for a light lunch or late-night snacks like the delicious pizza.
The ambiance of the MSC ships is beyond words. The Swarovski crystal staircases are magnificent and getting your picture taken on them makes you look like a queen. Very elegant. The MSC designers are to be commended for their outstanding design elements that make you feel special and enjoy the beauty of the ship. This is our "go-to" ship for all our vacations.
I’d love to try Yacht Club. Only heard good things- thanks for sharing
I’ve been on 25 cruises, 5 of which have been with MSC. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world. 3 of those cruises have been from South America to Europe, my last one a 25 day cruise. What I like is that despite not having a lot of US passengers on those ships they have always put me in a dinner table group with other passengers with English as their primary language. On one cruise a couple of my table mates were headliners on the ships shows. The Italian and Seafood on MSC is fantastic. I will be on the Seascape when MSC starts cruising out of Galveston.
That’s great to know
We love MSC. Four cruises booked this year and 2 of them are total free from playing in the casino 😊
Sailed on the Meraviglia twice and we loved it. On one cruise, we booked a guarantee interior cabin and they upgraded us to a deluxe balcony room at no extra charge. Booked a cruise on Seascape this year, can’t wait.
Wow, nice
If we didn't already have a cruise booked for later in the year, I'd be booking to go back on the Meraviglia. However it's not all bad as we booked to go on her again in the Fall of 2026 and I can't wait.
I hope you have a wonderful time.
MSC has become our favorite cruise line!
Thank you so much for a great review! I’m a big fan of MSC. In my opinion, MSC is great in every way, not to mention that they are a great value for your money! MSC deserves an honest review!
Glad this was helpful - especially from the perspective of someone who knows MSC :)
JUST HEARD BACK - MSC matched me Diamond for Diamond! I'll need to book for December.
June will be my first MSC cruise. I’ve been on Carnival twice. I’ve been watching YT vids since October! This is helpful info and I’m looking forward to the experience
Glad this was helpful. Personally I liked it but it’s good to know that you won’t have the multiple casual “fast food” style options that carnival has. Enjoy!
All the cruise lines we've been on have COOL hot tubs. They're not hot!
MSC has the BEST PIZZA at sea. We enjoyed our cruise on the Seashore. For the elevators, I found out you have to push the button for the number of guests in your group. If you have a scooter or wheelchair, you need to push the button 1 extra time.
We have been on 5 MSC cruises as well as other cruise lines (HAL, RC). We were on the same cruise as you last year and on the Seashore out of Port Canaveral this year and MSC is our preferred line. I agree with everything that you said. One of the things that we like is that it is different from the other lines. Most of the complaints that we have heard on social media are more with regard to personnel taste or lack of knowledge, especially with regard to food. We have never found a lack of choices either in the dining room or buffet; most people do not check out the entire buffet. Those looking for more burgers and hot dogs outside of the buffet, my feeling is that you don't travel to another country and look for a MacDonalds. With regard to the levels, we have cruised Aurea the last two cruises. Even though we are not "spa people," the cabin choice and anytime dining are worth it. The prosecco and chocolate upon embarkation are pluses. While they eliminated the gift, robe and slippers, and free room service (except continental breakfast) on our last cruise (5/12-19/2024), these are minor.
We had one of the cabins in the very rear and they eliminate the major complaints about cruise-ship cabins: The bathroom is much larger, the shower is at least twice as big, and there is more storage than needed including three closets for hanging clothes and another with drawers.
I appreciate that they may have eliminated some little things to keep the prices down; it is still the best bargain.
This video is right on time since I’m considering an MSC cruise for next year. Thank you!
Thanks for the video. I’ve wondered what MSC is like and this definitely helped.
Informative, as always, thanks, Ilana! I wouldn’t even consider an MSC cruise without consulting Ilana’s views.
So glad this was helpful!
Thank you for this video, Ilana! My husband and I just booked our first MSC cruise this past week for a September sailing and you definitely answered some of the questions we had and made us feel a lot more confident about our choice!
We did an msc cruise from
Barcelona and loved it.
Really enjoyed this, thank you! Very informative, especially as we’re looking to go on MCS next year.
So glad you enjoyed the video :)
I am so eager to try MSC. It looks like they’re really putting their best foot forward. Can’t wait to try!
We always cruised with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. However, tried MSC for the first time last year. Also purchased the Fantastica package which included drink and WiFi. The ship was absolutely Gorgeous. We had a wonderful time. I will say I hope embarking was not great we got on quick due to a special needs family member. Some cruisers were in line for hours. Debarking also needs to improve. Maybe this was just in NY. I will sail again with MSC the crew was welcoming and Fantastic!
Great information
Great video ❤❤❤❤
I must be European. I give 5 stars to a lyft driver who says nothing during my ride. I hate small talk.
Haha too funny 😂
Same here.
This is a great video for new MSC cruisers. Well done! We have sailed with MSC several times and never had a bad experience. As compared to RC we actually prefer MSC and find it to be a much better value.
Glad to hear your feedback! Thanks for watching 😊
just did the first MSC out of Miami to the VR ! beautiful boat !! everything was great ! the Captain is a hoot !
Just came back from the MSC cruise. It was great! Tasty food and good service at Dinning, fresh food choisces at buffer, the pizza was tasty. The visiting time for the private Island was parfect, we were able to see beautiful sunset. I would like to go again with MSC.
Do you have to go to the specialty restaurants? Hubby and I perfect the buffets. Do they have it like other cruise lines
LOVE LOVE MSC!
LOVE your vids! My first cruise ever was on MSC Seashore two years ago. I chose MSC because I’m single and they had the most economical single supplement pricing. I had a “free” balcony upgrade and I got the drinks and WiFi package. Be careful when you go, though. I went for my birthday in late September and they didn’t tell me that the entire itinerary had changed due to hurricane Ian. I didn’t find out until I got to my cabin, but if they had time to print and distribute that info, they could’ve emailed me or at least told me at check-in. Other than that, I had a very nice time. You are assigned a restaurant for dinner, but apparently the dinner menu is the same at all the general restaurants. I bought a spa package onboard and it was about 50% cheaper the next day, but it was cheapest in the MSC app two days before sailing. I would like to go on another cruise line next, but since I seem to be stuck on single, I might have to go on MSC again to avoid paying for double for cruising solo. Thanks so much for all you do! 😊
We love MSC!!!
We are seasoned cruisers since 1993… Have taken many cruises and decided to try MSC in 2017… Have taken six or seven MSC cruises so far… Two of which were in the Yacht Club… And have the Yacht Club booked again for September on the seashore booked in the fantastica experience on the inaugural world America Cruise… We love MSA… We love all cruise lines for their different offerings🚢 thanks for a great video
I sailed on MSC Seashore last year and enjoyed it. Sailing again on Aug 1st with my grandsons!
I just signed up for MSC Status Match, we'll see what happens as I'm Hilton Honors (HH) Diamond. I'll check back in and provide an update. I'd figured I'd do it now as I'm going to drop to Gold at the end of the year as HH changed their point schemes after Covid ended.
I love MSC! The service was great.
I agree.....it was the best!!
Great review, we've also have done the Yacht Club and the experience is the best of ANY cruise line. We've got 3 more booked and we're looking forward to the Grandiosa coming to Port Canaveral. We've cruised Carnival, RCL, NCL in the Haven, but we love the Yacht Club.
We just booked our first MSC cruise for next February 2025. One thing I found odd in the booking process is that there is no option to pay gratuities. In fact, they don't even mention that gratuities are required. Anyone new to cruising isn't going to find this out until they get their final bill with a couple hundred dollars of unexpected charges.
I just booked mine for October and paid ahead of time. So it won't be added to my credit card after. But there is one.
I sailed with both Virgin Voyages and MSC in the last year and preferred MSC for easy dining, more food options and great private island. Virgin Voyages was great for the adult only but kids aren't the rowdy ones on cruise ships anyway! The only drawback for me: The crowds. They are popular cruises for the value they provide and often sell out so this is to be expected. It's definitely not enough of an issue for me and look forward to sailing with MSC again!
Our families experience on MSC April 2024 was a great one. Staff were friendly and helpful. The food was great, and we didn’t do any specialty restaurants on our 7 day cruise.
My wife, who has a Korean passport, even had a letter in our cabin on embarkation written in Korean by a crew member at the excursion desk offering further discounts on excursions that we took advantage of.
Our teen boys loved teen club and were so busy with soccer tournaments, basketball tournaments, scavenger hunts and pool parties at the jungle pools that on at sea days we only saw them at lunch and dinner.
My main suggestion on my survey was that they dump the Bahamas port stop and instead just go to their private island.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad to hear
I agree with you wholeheartedly!
They can't just stop at private island if coming back to US port
@@FelixTorres-wl5vt our 7 day cruise was Bahamas, amber cove and Puerto Rico. Maybe they can do ocean cay instead of Bahamas on that itinerary.
@@steveshideler1333 I live in PR it is a US port, can't
Swiss language, you are so cute! I’m sure you meant Swedish really, but it just made me laugh so much since they speak German & French in Switzerland & nothing else (with the exception of English being quite widely spoken of course too.) I didn’t mean that to sound disrespectful by the way, it really did tickle me & make my day. I thought it was really sweet. Thanks for this video- really informative. I absolutely love cruise ships. I’m fascinated by them,same with cars on a very wide scale & aeroplanes- especially the bigger & military ones, but I’m still too scared to go on a cruise ship. I’m sure one day I will go on one & I am trying to decide which company to go with. I’m even wondering if I contact a company before- they might let me have a look at one &let me speak to some people who might be able to reassure me, because I’m sure at the end of the day they want your custom & you to feel safe. I’m not really sure what to do about it, because it’s something I really would love to do. I used to be a swimming teacher & I am the best swimmer all my family & friends know, they don’t understand with me being so good with water, why I feel this way. The idea of being in the middle of the sea not anchored to anything terrifies me, even though they did nearly go work on an oil rig (but it was one of the platforms that is fastened into the ground!) Again thanks for the information. MSC does sound good being a European myself & again please don’t take what I put the wrong way. It just made my day when you said Swiss language. 😊
Haha I have a feeling it may have been German they were speaking but the accent was different than German in Germany. If you can find a travel agent that specializes in cruises near you, this person might be able to guide you as to what cruise line (& ship) & itinerary would be best for you. Cruise ships are safe - actually when in the Caribbean something that I always got comfort in is that there are often between 1-3 other cruise ships that you can see in the distance, even when in the open water
Great timing- I’m sailing on MSC soon for the first time. Thanks for this!
Glad it was helpful! Have an amazing cruise 🛳️🎉
@@LifeWellCruised I hope you have a wonderful time! My daughter and I went on our first MSC cruise in April'24 and absolutely loved it. So much so, we booked another while we were still on board. It was my 24th cruise and I have to say, it was my favourite. Enjoy!!!!
We are sailing in October from NY, thanks for the tips🐸
Hope you enjoy it! I’m assuming on Meraviglia? I’ve heard a lot of good
We had no issues on our first MSC Cruise. We were on the Meriveliga!!
My first cruise was a 7 night on the MSC Seashore just after Thanksgiving (US) last year. It was *fantastic*! I went from that to a short cruise on the Serenade of the Seas and was... underwhelmed. I think it came down to the cruise staff who run the parties and games and such -- they make or break the cruise for me.
I had a great time on my 2 MSC cruises. I’ve booked for 2 more.
Good for you......I hope you enjoy both.
I have sailed on MSC 4 times since 2012. Hubby and I love them but prefer the smaller ships. Also, all the pasta, bread, and mozzarella are fresh made on board. 😋 MSC is the only cruise line where I eat pasta.
We haven't cruised since having to cancel a cruise booked for early 2020. Now it's our 25th anniversary year and have booked MSC Seascape in October - can't wait!!! Thanks you for all the information you give us - I've been taking notes so I don't miss anything. Let you know how we do in October!
Sounds very similar to our thoughts. We will be on our 7th MSC in the past 2 years or so our of Port Canaveral. We were on the first two Meraviglia cruises and they have made major strides with respect to the North American market since then. Agree, great value, beautiful ships and great crew. Food is an opportunity for improvement but you will not go hungry. Specialty venues are pricey for some reason, maybe that explains the complimentary fare? Our Captain was also Italian one our last cruise on the Seashore. Only two language announcement was his noon update. He was a great guy, he happened to sit down next to us in the sports bar one evening for a Coke and talked to us for a while. Booking and IT is not the best. I've actually had to call before each sailing to fix something, good luck being a Jr. The people who answer the phones are very nice and helpful though. We had people trying to game the elevators as well and after two weeks didn't notice it changing anything but maybe slowing down things. The credit card stations are apparently how they operate in Europe but they quickly figured it out on US sailings so just register your CC like you do on the other lines. Then you can ignore all the announcements about that, I think they are mostly for the Europeans on board used to that. There was no smoking in our Casino except for a small slot area next to (outside) the sports bar. This ship apparently had a lot of inside smoking while in Europe hence the videos. Couldn't detect any odors inside and I dislike smoking.
Very interesting! It seems like the experience of cruising in Europe would be quite different
We went on MSC Seashore out of Miami a couple of years ago. We had the Aurea experience and had a private hot tub on our balcony which was awesome! Overall ,we had a wonderful cruise. We did rent one of the cabanas on their private island. It was really nice because it so hot and the shade was nice. However, we had kept having people ask to take our loungers from the front of the cabana. It was my first MSC cruise and I was not sure if we were responsible for keeping track of the chairs or not, so initially I said “no”, but then a person became upset with me and made the statement that it was only my husband and I and we did not need the other two loungers. It was awkward. Looking back I would have happily offered them to someone I just was not sure if we were responsible for them as we were renting the space. The only other issues we had on that particular cruise were embarkation, disembarkation and at times long waits to get drinks. We are sailing again with MSC on the Virtousa this October on the Yacht Club out of Southampton,UK. It will be our first Yacht Club experience so we are looking forward to it. We will also be sailing on P and O, Iona out of Southampton a week after our MSC cruise. We are from Oregon and we enjoy the European cruises but also the cost is a lot less than some of the US cruises and also we enjoy hearing all the different languages aboard.
Sounds wonderful......enjoy!!!
Thanks for sharing this! True the cabanas are a bit of a mystery 😂
Good to hear MSC have simplified the process for ratifying credit cards, it was very confusing when we sailed on the Virtuosa a couple of years ago. That bit about Europeans being very reserved made me laugh, we love the table banter. We’ve had supervisors tapping their watches disapprovingly at waiters, we keep serving staff chatting for so long. (BTW, I emailed you about something a couple of weeks back, hope you got it!)
4:25 I believe that you might’ve meant Swedish spoken from Sweden? I loved this video and it’s subject matter very much!
We did our 1st cruise on MSC Seashore Nov 2023 from Orlando. This was our 22nd cruise after sailing Carnival, Hal, Celebrity, and NCL.
1st comment is that we were impressed with the design of the ship and our cabin. The shows and entertainment were very good with lots of places to watch performers. There was a cabaret lounge at the rear of the ship that that had different acts every night, some that were on the production crew that had their own shows.
The food we were told was changing from a European menu to a more NA menu with some success.
The price of the cruises and itinerary are what made us try MSC. This cruise was $199 US for a 7 day cruise. Not sure if you can beat that.
We are so impressed we booked a TA in October then a B2B in April (this cruise is 1/3 the cost of a similar Princess or NCL)
At this stage we care more about the ports then fancy meals or larger cabins.
We just got back from our 1st MSC cruise out of Rome and won a bid for Yacht Club! Not sure I can do anything else now - the service and food was amazing! In the Med, every day is an embarkation day for someone - you don't sail with the same people all week. The photos also link to your account via facial recognition! I was looking for my hubby's photos - went to the photo table - they quickly showed me how to add his face to my account and boom all of our photos were there. MSC also has an interior room with yacht club privileges. We had an incredible first experience w MSC and booked another one out of England.
I was also worried about smoking, but you answered my question before I could ask you about it.
i am going a second time with MSC Cruises Maravillia. I compare it to Norwegian Cruises of 10 to 5 years ago. have good bang for the dollar
I did the YC on Seascape and really liked it. But the included food was mostly meh IMO, even in the YC restaurant. It’s fine and edible of course, but I found myself skipping the buffet and mostly doing specialty dining. Pro tip on specialty dining - skip the package and just go a la carte (the sushi restaurant is only a la carte BTW, and it’s great - loved you showing the shots of it!). If you’re on the package, you can only choose from a limited menu, rather than the full menu. Just go with the a la carte option. The steak house in particular was really excellent IMO as was the sushi. Agree that Venchi coffee place is great but you didn’t mention that they make their own fine chocolates there too! The pillow chocolates all come from there … and the syrup in your caffe mocha is the same chocolate that they use to make candy from! Overall, I found the service good but the passengers less friendly … so it wasn’t so great for a solo traveler like me compared to NCL or Celebrity for example. But you really can’t beat the MSC value especially the YC compared to the Haven or the Retreat. Agree the private island is super nice and relaxing. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for sharing this! I haven’t cruised solo yet, but I could definitely see that
And honestly I think it’s because of so many European families who have a different social cruising culture than North Americans plus the language difference. I sat next to a German couple my age (early 60s) in the YC restaurant for dinner. I said hello and asked how they were enjoying their cruise. The husband said sorry they didn’t speak English well. I said ok no worries! Then when the waiter arrived, his wife did a deep dive on the entrees with the waiter in perfect English. I looked at the husband and he just shrugged lol. That’s what I meant! :)
We have been on 2 MSC cruises. The last one was from Dubai and has put us off. The cruise before had an outbreak of covid and it was not isolated and sanitised. Consequently we all had covid as did the cruise after us. So germ control is obviously not their highest priority. Customer service is good but not a patch on Princess, food good, ship good, the Virtuosa, but overcrowded. Prices are very favourable.
I recently sailed with MSC out of NY. I was pleasantly surprised.
Ha ha very funny voice text gets me every time lol
We sailed MSC for the first time last December. We loved it and booked two more. We found that you have to ask for a top sheet for the bed because they don't use them.
Once MSC comes to Galveston, next year we might try it especially since we'll be Platinum by our next sailing with Carnival and status match would be probably worth it.
Good idea
As Texan, I also like to sail out from Galveston, but somehow I'd like North America based cruise lines.
We had a terrible time on the Seaside in Sept 2023. Staff didn't interact/engage with us, food was bland, the soda machines and air conditioning wasn't working in restaurants, I could go on and on. We'll wait for a few years and give them time to improve.
We just got back from our second sailing on the Seascape yesterday, and they said that there were only 800 English speaking passengers. We love MSC, we are going back on the Seascape in September and Divina in January.
Sailing on the Meraviglia October '25, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure some things will change before then, but at least I'm getting a good idea of what to expect.
Enjoy!!
We are too and are looking forward to it after enjoying being on the Meraviglia in April'24.
Cruised on the Meraviglia last June and also had the private cabana @ Ocean Cay and loved both! Cruised a couple months later for the first time with Carnival (alaska) and it was a shock in comparison. Sadly the Carnival ship was downright shabby and in poor repair. I knew it was a older ship but it had recently been in dry dock for "updating" not sure what was updated lol but Alaska was fantastic! Cruising again in a couple of weeks again on the Meraviglia and again rented the beach cabana. It is worth every penny! and price is reasonable. And yes I have cruised again with Carnival. Enjoying retired life 🏝🏝🏝
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your experiences
I think the service aspect is accurate. In general, I do think that Europeans find it a tad bit annoying if there is too much talk; it feels too complex. Naturally, we are friendly (hello, thank you etc), but yeah... it was certainly evident who were Europeans and who were Americans on board. Both were friendly, but... in a different way. And that is fine 😁
Thanks for sharing this - I’m glad to hear that this was pretty accurate. I think it helps to understand where the servers are coming from when some people might think they are being “rude” :)
Also please don’t miss brunch it’s excellent
Yes!! 👏👏
Be advised that during the day NONE of the inside, airconditioed bars were open. Only bars open before 5 pm were on pool deck (Hot, crowded, noisey).
That’s interesting. The atrium bar was open during the day on our ship, I didn’t notice other bars one way or the other
The Edge cocktail bar on the Meraviglia was open during the day and the staff was amazing.
I might add that I am a solo cruiser... The English that I heard was usually from groups of travelers who pretty much stayed together.....
Interesting thanks for sharing
Another great video. I agree with you, MSC has many positive elements. I've been on 20+ cruises on 5 different cruise lines, but only 1 trip on the MSC MERAVIGILIA. Pros: the status match is outstanding; we got so many free upgrades! Ships are new and gorgeous, extra-cost dining is some of the best at sea, cirque de soliel show was fabulous, pool deck, gym, and basketball court are excellent, private island is natural and pristine, staff is polite and efficient, main dining and buffet are satisfactory, especially the pizza and pastries, and best of all, the price of the cruise itself! What a bargain! The cons: hardest beds on the planet, even with TWO pillow toppers and 4 pool towels under the mattress, upcharges for every single thing, queing for all activities was a nightmare. No concept of crowd management, not enough free dining options. I actually lost a few pounds. Overall, I'd definitely sail MSC again!
Indeed crowd management is atrocious. Twice I couldn’t get through the elevator area, plus during muster station people jumped over me and pushed around me. I decided in an emergency I was going down with the ship! The other two happened right after breakfast where the hidden elevator was out of order. The hotel director, before we knew who she was, helped me get through the crowd to get back to my cabin and even she had to be a bit forceful.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree more included dining options in different areas of the ship would be nice
I sailed with MSC, and i had an amazing time. Beautiful ship (MSC SEASIDE) helpful staff and the checking process was so quick we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes.
The elevators at the back were my go-to lol 😆.
The only downside was i found that the private island didn't have anything to offer other than the beach . So i just stayed on the ship for most of the 2 days we were there. But i will sail with them again
Great mini review! I agree Ocean Cay is beautiful but it’s probably the most calm & beach focused cruise private islands
Hello, I did not hear you mention anything about wheelchair or people with disabilities needs. Any suggestions on what to do?? Love your tutorial, great information on what to do.
My daughter and I cruised with MSC last summer, 2023 on a Northern European cruise.
We flew from Barcelona the U.S. to meet the ship and finished in Italy near Rome. This 10 day cruise was an incredible value!
Everything you address in trots video is accurate, except we sailed on an older ship, the Divina. There is no app or wristband option on this ship. It's "old school" sailing with itineraries delivered to your cabin daily and paper menus.
Most likely because our cruise ports included Spain, France, Malta and Italy, the announcements were in several languages every time.
We did have a couple of hiccups but overall I would recommend an MSC cruise line.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I love divina is old but classic ... love the people that choose is more like older crowd in they late 30s and up
An additional tip you need to know is that if you travel on MSC, travel in the Yacht Club, and picking an inside Yacht club cabin will save you a fortune, but can still experience all the benefits. We have sailed 5 times on MSC. Any other way would be crowded beyond belief, but on a positive note, MSC has the largest hot tubs at sea I think, especially the MSC World Europa
That’s a great idea
We are just boarding GoPort shuttle from Orlando airport to our first MSC cruise.
Have an amazing time! Love GoPort 👏
Where does go port go
ENJOY!!!!!!
For me service was difficult. My room steward was great but everything else lacked . . . Especially trying to get service at the bars. The drink package wasn't worth it because many times I gave up on getting a drink. I would wait 20+ times even when the bar wasn't that busy. Very few servers walking around and they weren't helpful. Trying to get a latte one morning took 40 minutes and then it was lukewarm and only half full.
If I remember correctly, the MSC Seaside room door are not magnetic. Also, I wish we would have taken advantage of their lobster dinner…definitely worth the extra money, at least for last year.
I had mixed feelings with MSC when we went on Seascape last year. The hubs and I put the deposit down for the new World America for next year. So we will see if it will be better being in a Suite level room
Thanks. Very helpful as we are considering our first MSC cruise after 30 cruises. Small point, there is not such thing as the SWISS language, I will forgive you on this one. ;-)
Wanted to try MSC. But I've heard about too many issues and bad service. Although we had a family go on their second cruise on MSC and said it was great. I might try it in the future. But where things stand right now. I'll stick with the couple of lines im very familiar with.
Before booking we felt the way you do but then said "how bad can it be?" So, we booked to sail on the Meraviglia and decided to go with an open mind and we're sure happy that we did as we loved everything about it and can't wait to go on the next one.
Can you please post what kind of travel toiletries tsa there are? I dont see that you have included them. See through bottles would be great.
Just to understand, do you want to see cruise toiletries that I pack?
The main dining room was very good and didn’t buy any extra food or beverages options, did not feel like we were missing anything. Also no beverage package. Only missed having some good music options, the main area was screaming loud couldn’t leave that area fast enough. Loved the private island brought my own snorkel gear. They were allowing children in the adults only pool so not happy about that. That was per management decision. Got off with only 1 excursion per person and gratuities on my credit card. Can be a very reasonable priced vacation.
Thanks for sharing
Hi, I am taking the MSC Sea View Mediterranean cruise in June. Which tour site should I book my cruise excursions from? I checked Shore Excursions; there were mixed reviews. Have you booked through them? Or could you suggest a tried-and-tested tour? Thanks a ton! And your tips have helped me a lot!
We did a great tour in Naples to Sorrento & Positano. The company I used is Shore Excursions Group. Their website is very easy to navigate to see the excursions available for your exact cruise & date
Disclaimer- please note this is an affiliate link, which means I make a small commission if you book through it
www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?id=1422218
Hi. Thanks for the quick response. Appreciate it. Thanks for the reco too. Will check them out.
Thanks for sharing this review on MSC with us. I have heard terrible things about them, specially when food is concerned. I have never cruised with them, only with Royal. I should get to diamond plus tier in Crown and Anchor Society soon, so I am waiting for that in order to status match with MSC and then request a free cruise with them, since I also have some status in Club Royale. I have heard other doing the exact same and not even having to pay cruise taxes and fees. Free should be free after all.
Glad it was helpful! Truthfully I’m not sure of the details how casino programs work :)
When I was cruising with MSC Fantasia the hot tub was so hot I almost burnt myself.. Me and my husband couldn't stand the heat and ran away with our legs all red! :D But this was just one day.. Other times these were really warm and nice!
lol, I love a burning hot tub 😂
wrist band similar to Princess Medallion?
# notification Squad
The hottubs on Princess aren't very hot either. On MSC, I had entered my credit card beforehand, but I still had to use the kiosk. The elevators are a little hard to get used to. I had heard all the negatives about MSC, but overall I I loved the 2 ships I sailed on.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Good for you! I'm glad you went ahead and didn't heed the negatives.
We’ve had that experience too, with the credit card - similarly with friends.
That happened to me, too, about the CC. I entered it online pre-cruise, I checked st the kiosk that my card was registered, but the next day, I received calls from the guest services that they didn’t have my card. I had to go to Guest Services to clear things up. I called my bank before embarking to let them know that was going on a cruise, so it wasn’t my bank’s issue. Once they entered the card, the rest of the cruise was fine.
The Cruising Canucks were on msc recently. Mrs Canuck's lunch was pizza everyday due to a lack lustre menu. Pizza was great mind you.
Interesting
I find that so hard to believe, as in my opinion, the buffet on MSC's Meraviglia was the best I have ever experienced......24 cruises total with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL. I wouldn't allow reviews to influence me one way or another and I'm sure happy that I didn't when it comes to MSC cruises as we had an amazing time.
@@marlenejohnston9046 msc seachore was their last sailing.
@@nicolemiller4688 It's like comparing different ships on any particular cruise line to a restaurant chain. There can be a vast difference from one location to another.
Will I be able to bring my own electrical extension cord for a CPAP machine?
We’ve done 5 cruises so far with MSC all out of the U.S. the Seascape and Seashore are the newest ships building off the Meraviglia class. I find I like the older Meraviglia better even though it’s 2017 not 2022 and 2023 like the seascape and seashore. If the Meraviglia had the pirates cove for my kid I would choose it every time. That is the one area in which I enjoy the Seascape and seashore. Also Meraviglia has an awesome promenade. This is what new ships are missing. And Meraviglia has double pool in main pool area rather than that stage area on Seascape/seashore
I could have been more concise lol
Thanks for sharing
MSC also has activities for solos, Friends of Bill W. Meetings, and LGBTQ meet-ups. Their specialty dining package requires you make reservations after embarking but not before. This means you stand in a long line to get a reservation only to walk by the restaurants to see many empty tables. Probably, because their MDR food is very good. I had a great time in MSC Meraviglia last year.
Thanks for sharing these things! I know a lot of people wonder
After watching the video I can def say that the hot tub thing just ruled them out permanently for me.
Did you mention what ship you sailed on?
I have been thinking about cruising MSC , from what you said l think I will try it.
I was on a ship with destination elevators, once I got the hang of it I really liked them.
Do you know if they have accommodations for solo cruisers?
We were on MSC Seascape & really liked this ship! I have a review video that might be helpful. Not sure about solo cabins but rates are generally good
I’m loyal to royal and celebrity.
I’m curious about MSC. Maybe I’ll try a three or four night just to try.
They’ve got the status match so might be worth it if you have the vacation time
Something we experienced and we did have a great cruise was we didn’t get any wash cloths We asked our room steward the first day and they told us Europeans don’t usually use them who knew , but from that point on we had them no big deal just fyi
Interesting. Lol we had so maybe they have made changes as they are making strides in the American market
I loved my time on the Seashore. Everything exceeded my expectations....excellent, friendly staff, terrific food (THE PIZZA!!!!), bartenders with heavy pouring hands, and a superbly clean ship. I would sail again with MSC without reservation. Highly recommended!!
Some people love to complain.... Maybe they are Carnival people😂😂
lol, Carnival is a lot of fun & does a lot well. In my opinion I can see why people who love certain aspects of carnival might not be as fond of MSC
Here to explain "Swiss language":
Switzerland's four languages - German, French, Italian and Romansh - are integral to national identity. Swiss multilingualism developed from cultural links with neighbouring Germany, Austria, France and ltaly. Swiss German is the most widely spoken language. The Swiss German, that people speak is very different from standard written German. German, French and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, while Romansh is used in dealings with people who speak it.
Hope, this information is useful.
I have heard plenty about MSC from people who have cruised them, even recently. I will never get on one of their ships.
It’s always good to know what’s not for you