Almost platinum and my husband's family sets up a MSC in 5 weeks. Any MSC people?

[Snowwhyt]

I joined MSC pages and every other comment there is “I read all the negative reviews” and I’m shocked. It can’t be that bad, right?

So I just wanted to hear from any DCL frequent patrons if they had any MSC suggestions or warnings to help me with this trip on such extremely short notice. It’s in about two weeks and outside of my suitcase I’ve got no preparation done for this.

I’m going with 10 rooms of people and could use some advice on how to get groups together, or other recommendations.

Can I make a magnet for the 10 rooms? I’d assume that’s okay. Is bringing a cup needed? How do I make the best of the unknown, I would love your suggestions. I really just want to make the best of this last minute trip for a very nice elderly man’s birthday.

It will be on the Meraviglia.

 

[dcassetta]

Have you looked at the Cruise Critic boards? They have dedicated MSC info.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I joined MSC pages and every other comment there is “I read all the negative reviews” and I’m shocked. It can’t be that bad, right?

So I just wanted to hear from any DCL frequent patrons if they had any MSC suggestions or warnings to help me with this trip on such extremely short notice. It’s in about two weeks and outside of my suitcase I’ve got no preparation done for this.

I’m going with 10 rooms of people and could use some advice on how to get groups together, or other recommendations.

Can I make a magnet for the 10 rooms? I’d assume that’s okay. Is bringing a cup needed? How do I make the best of the unknown, I would love your suggestions. I really just want to make the best of this last minute trip for a very nice elderly man’s birthday.

It will be on the Meraviglia.

I have a friend who sails with them pretty regularly because of how affordable they are. If you go in with managed expectations you will have a much better time. The ship is separated by "levels of service" the highest of which is Yacht club. You basically buy into whatever level you want for the cruise.

Most basic food is free. Upcharge options are also available. I usually like to look at the Cruise Critic Editor reviews for a ship as they are a bit more unbiased.

 

[Pens Fan]

I've never sailed on MSC, but I really enjoy the YouTube channel Emma Cruises. She has sailed on most any cruise line you can think of. Here is a link to her MSC playlist. And no, I have no affiliation with her at all. I just think her videos are fun and informative .

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZINe6US8uzZuKrRmo5Iye0fZsFb4gIQg

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

 

[bearette]

As someone else suggested- cruise critic. We just booked a MSC cruise and I hear on the ship is nice, but lots of languages so announcements can take a while. It isn't Disney, but also half the price. Youtube videos can give you a sense too. Just go in knowing what it is and you may love it, or still hate it.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We did one MSC cruise in Europe and really enjoyed it, although we were in Yacht Club and I'm sure that helped. I found the service to be generally really good, if a bit culturally different. I would describe it this way: DCL seems to have trained its staff to be of the "bend over backward" sort to try to assist you, or at least really soften the blow if the answer is no. On MSC I felt that if the answer was no, it was just no, and there was no blow-softening. Totally fine, but that sort of thing might irk some people. I got the impression that MSC was adjusting to more American/North American styles of customer service.

Their ships are quite sparkly and pretty, and from what I could tell they kept things nice and clean. Yes, announcements are made in many languages (on our cruise, the cruise director spoke at least 6 languages fluently, very impressive) and also many of the MSC cruises are multi-embarkation cruises so people are getting on/off at many ports. Our 7 night cruise had 4 embark/disembark ports. Really not an issue for us at all but you may see people with luggage more frequently than on another line.

The entertainment was good, it was not as cheesy/sentimental/broadway-ish as Disney is, but still entertaining. The pools were saltwater and were also generally deeper than pools I've been in on other ships. We did not dine in the MDR as we had YC dining (excellent) and also tried the 3 Asian-themed dining spots on board (also very good).

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Niclovesdisney]

We sailed on MSC Meraviglia last July in Europe after 9 cruises on the Disney Magic. We had a Fantastica balcony cabin for a great price. It wasn’t a patch on Disney and we wished we could hop over the the Magic when we sailed past her in Barcelona! However the ship was big, clean and beautiful and we loved having a balcony for a fraction of what an inside cost on the Magic. The speciality dining and champagne bar were fantastic but we found the main dining room, buffet and shows were ok but not near Disney standards. The pool area certainly was very busy and the front of the ship was Yacht club only so we missed being able to use that area and not having a walking deck like deck 4 to hang out on.
In answer to your question on magnets, they were certainly permitted last year. We also travelled as a group and would meet near the elevator bank because there was a large seating area and plenty of room to wait. We took water bottles to refill but didn’t need a refillable coffee cup because we just used the mugs in the buffet. There isn’t a drinks station elsewhere like on Disney so we would just buy a drink from a bar.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Lauri]

We're going on our 18th DCL next month and are going on our first MSC cruise the month after. We live in
FL, and some friends are celebrating an anniversary, so about 8 cabins of people are going. I like your idea of magnets for all of the cabins! Make sure that you status match with MSC (you should be gold on MSC.) You get lots of small goodies, including a 5% discount on your cruise. We have read the same reviews as you, and we're going into it with an open mind, as the cruise is so much cheaper than Disney. We're only doing a 3-night cruise, so if it's really bad, we'll still be home just a few days later. And if it's good, we found a new way to travel cheaply more frequently.

 

[Mle8308]

We did one MSC cruise in Europe and really enjoyed it, although we were in Yacht Club and I'm sure that helped. I found the service to be generally really good, if a bit culturally different. I would describe it this way: DCL seems to have trained its staff to be of the "bend over backward" sort to try to assist you, or at least really soften the blow if the answer is no. On MSC I felt that if the answer was no, it was just no, and there was no blow-softening. Totally fine, but that sort of thing might irk some people. I got the impression that MSC was adjusting to more American/North American styles of customer service.

Their ships are quite sparkly and pretty, and from what I could tell they kept things nice and clean. Yes, announcements are made in many languages (on our cruise, the cruise director spoke at least 6 languages fluently, very impressive) and also many of the MSC cruises are multi-embarkation cruises so people are getting on/off at many ports. Our 7 night cruise had 4 embark/disembark ports. Really not an issue for us at all but you may see people with luggage more frequently than on another line.

The entertainment was good, it was not as cheesy/sentimental/broadway-ish as Disney is, but still entertaining. The pools were saltwater and were also generally deeper than pools I've been in on other ships. We did not dine in the MDR as we had YC dining (excellent) and also tried the 3 Asian-themed dining spots on board (also very good).

Good to know about the pools, I hate the salt water pools on cruise ships. When I was a kid, I was so excited to jump into the pool on the cruise ship, and to my surprise, it was salt water! This was pre-DCL. That is one of the many things I love about DCL, no salt water pools. Speaking of that, what other lines have salt water pools now? It's been a LONG time since I've cruised on a non DCL ship.

 

[95DVC]

My husband and I are DCL platinum. We did MSC once, in 2022. We did not enjoy the dinners & the up selling to premium restaurants. My husband actually got food poisioning on board - it was the shrimp, took one bite and knew it was not right.
The service is not great but we did enjoy the entertainment in the evening...that was about the only thing we enjoyed. MSC is one and done for us.
We do enjoy NCL, did a few of those cruises.

 

[tigerchic89]

We sailed the Meriviglia 3 weeks ago. MSC matched us diamond/black with our DCL platinum status match. That and the price of the MSC were the factors that made me want to try it. We had a fun 3 day cruise, as we would have stayed home if not for this cheap opportunity ($1200 for 3 in a balcony room,, wifi and drinks included)

The ship/room were clean and very nice. Ocean Cay was gorgeous, I love a natural huge white sand beach, and this was wonderful. I will sail MSC again for their island. Best day of the trip.

With our diamond status, we got a free speciality meal, we chose the steakhouse, and it was the best meal on the ship, but probably on par with DCL MDR's.... maybe a step up from current DCL MDR food. But nothing like Palo food or service wise. But the food was good and the service was fine.

DD and I did choose to pay for lunch in the speciality sushi, and it was delicious, and our service was also fine.

Overall, in Feb'23, the bars and dining rooms were severely understaffed for the amount of passengers booked, so service was slow and inconsistent most everywhere. sometimes we could go to a different bar with no line to get a drink or a coffee, but at peak times (like all afternoon on the private island) the bars were a zoo. Our MDR dinners were hit or miss with the food, even when 2 of us ordered the same item, one would be delicious, one would be dried out and not good... one night we would get bread and waters refilled, other nights we had to ask. Staff were working their tails off, just not enough of them for the demand.... and some passengers were *quite* demanding, LOL The buffet food was fine, we could always find something to eat there. some items were quite good, it was just crowded. never a problem getting a seat, just crowded at the food counter and insane at the coffee/drink counters

Overall, I'd sail MSC again for the price, but I'd try to go during an off timeperiod, and I'd totally try to get into Yacht Club, even an interior room, to get the superior service that would have fixed a lot of theshortfalls that we experienced. HTH

 

[ScooterScott44]

We have been Platinum with DCL for a while, and are diamond with Royal. Our son has done MSC twice, once with me and once with mom since we couldn't get work schedules to align. It is his favorite right now. We did do Yacht Club and we have been in regular rooms as well as DCL's Concierge and Star Class on Royal, so he has a good level of comparison.

It was mentioned once above but MSC is one of the lines that will "status match". Their status program isn't the greatest but it is something you should take advantage of. Since you sail in two weeks, submit a match that ASAP. It should be processed pretty quickly but they state it can take 14 days. We were matched to Diamond with Platinum on DCL, so guessing if you are not there yet you will get Gold.



https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match

The MSC ships are nice and more "sparkly" than DCL so just a different take on décor. You will see magnets/decorations but just not as many.

Not sure what all the negatives you are seeing but I take most posts and many reviews with a grain of salt. Most of the cruise lines we have experienced are much more similar than most people state. MSC was a bit of the outlier since it really has more of an European clientele. Holland did also but MSC was much more noticeable. It wasn't necessarily bad it was just a different feel. As long as you understand that going in, it should be much less of a "problem".

 

[Snowwhyt]

The line for regular cruisers at Miami was long. Maybe PC will be better organized.

So how long are in line? I have some issues where I stand and my back goes crazy and I’ll need to lay down or apply pressure to my back.
I also wonder what will happen for my family members in their 90’s.

The shows are typically not English-language based, so as to appeal to a multi-language crowd. But many songs are in English. They have acrobatics, dance, other non-story production shows. I love Disney story shows and just didn’t bother with the shows on some nights (or my second cruise).

So shows are action not dialogue? That should be fine I’m hard of hearing and can take out my hearing aids and enjoy the show better.

If you are in the (edit) Fantastica-level booking (you picked your stateroom), you will have bottled water at dinner (typically a large bottle of Aquafina per room or couple). I always brought the bottle back to the room; it was always a fresh bottle.

I drink milk, watered down juice, mixed drinks and several Iced-coffee’s until noon. I was gifted a large cup by FE. Then by using a Disney cup filled my cup with ice, coffee then cream. Could I still make my iced coffee and fruit flavored water on MSC?

There were more groups of extended families, which seemed to stay together, rather than split up. They also dressed nicer than other cruises I have done In recent years.

Good to know. DCL has gotten so casual over the past 15 years. I’ll dress better like I prefer.

….“It helps if you don’t think you are going on a Disney cruise. And no free sodas. I just paid for them the first cruise - and got a bottle of water at night to take to the room (I didn’t realize the free water in dining room). In the buffet, the drink waiters would take care of you. There was water, coffee, tea, fruit juice in the buffet. Milk next to the cereal.”

What times is buffet closed? Can I always get beverages they’re when open or only when I eat?

The speciality dining and champagne bar were fantastic but we found the main dining room, buffet and shows were ok but not near Disney standards.

Can you tell me more about your feelings on dinner. I felt that way when we were on Royal Caribbean but couldn’t quantify it for people.

We have been Platinum with DCL for a while, and are diamond with Royal. Our son has done MSC twice, once with me and once with mom since we couldn't get work schedules to align. It is his favorite right now. We did do Yacht Club and we have been in regular rooms as well as DCL's Concierge and Star Class on Royal, so he has a good level of comparison.

It was mentioned once above but MSC is one of the lines that will "status match". Their status program isn't the greatest but it is something you should take advantage of. Since you sail in two weeks, submit a match that ASAP. It should be processed pretty quickly but they state it can take 14 days. We were matched to Diamond with Platinum on DCL, so guessing if you are not there yet you will get Gold.

View attachment 745493

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/status-match

The MSC ships are nice and more "sparkly" than DCL so just a different take on décor. You will see magnets/decorations but just not as many.

Not sure what all the negatives you are seeing but I take most posts and many reviews with a grain of salt. Most of the cruise lines we have experienced are much more similar than most people state. MSC was a bit of the outlier since it really has more of an European clientele. Holland did also but MSC was much more noticeable. It wasn't necessarily bad it was just a different feel. As long as you understand that going in, it should be much less of a "problem".

I never did see the negative reviews only several people stating existence of multiple negative reviews out there for our ship on the group I joined for our trip. I felt it would be weird to ask what they read, like I was looking for trouble.


I think it’s going to be very busy since spring break is at this time (March 30).
I’m very concerned about checking in now. I can’t handle the standing over 10 minutes especially if I have to carry something. My purses are basically a wallet with a wrist strap.

I want to thank all the DCL patrons because you all truly know what I wanted to understand.

 

[Dug720]

I followed a cruiser on CC who did a Celebrity cruise and an MSC cruise back to back (she was in a suite on X and yacht club suite on MSC, but...). I forget the name of the MSC ship but it was an older one and the decor... YIKES! Mirrors and shiny reflective things all over to the point that even she said she had difficulty walking through some public areas and she's GenX age-wise. Her room had a mirror wall opposite the bed and the decor was mauve and plum zebra stripe! Yikes!

Reportedly they toned it down a bit on the newer ships.

Good luck!

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Snowwhyt]

Reading reviews, MSC has had a rocky start in the US. It seems to be slowly adapting to consumer mindsets of Americans (North & South - and even those are different from country to country).

The biggest complaint is landside Customer Service. A running joke / reality for many is that you won’t have problems if you don’t want to change anything after making your booking. But most dealings with Customer Service have been in the post-Covid era, with phone agents who may be new to their jobs. Or maybe it’s just a shift in customer care as seen in many places. Life changes. I have no memory of having pre- or post-cruise issues that weren’t able to be fixed. But that is from any cruise / line I have taken.

Food: I prefer Disney MDR meals over most other cruises - because I have learned what items I enjoy. Sometimes, I get a little adventurous and usually don’t repeat that mistake. . Others say to take the recommendations of the servers. They are usually right. It’s an Italian cruise line - you could have pasta at every dinner. I remember very little of what I ate on two cruises, but I was never hungry. Other cruise lines have left me with strong memories of tasty options in the MDR - and it is usually the soup!

I think our table mates on MSC had shrimp cocktail every night. I usually would get a soup and salad, then pick at my entree. But then, I went for a late night snack around 11 pm.

Overall, I had a positive memory of those 2 cruises. (And I don’t say that about Carnival; there was no way to escape the things that bothered me. But they did have great soups. And afternoon tea.)

Can you tell me anything about afternoon tea. Never had it.