Please note that you can only status match once and from one loyalty program, so pick the one that will give you the best match. With only one
Disney cruise, I matched to Silver on MSC (Silver, Gold, Black) but Platinum should match to the highest, black tier. There are some hotel loyalty programs that match, but most are cruise lines.
On MSC, black status should get you priority boarding, fresh fruit basket, one hour thermal session, a specialty restaurant dinner, a chocolate ship, a special party, a welcome back cocktail and priority disembarkation. Some of the priority items will still be second to certain cabins though (Yacht Club rules all on MSC).
Keep in mind that MSC is very much a class system, whereas with Disney I never felt like I was anything but a special guest my first time on the ship. Of course we stayed in the Yacht Club (the highest class) on Seaside so had access to everything, but I've heard multiple people complain about booking a less expensive cabin and being treated less well. But some great deals can be had on the Seaside and there's still plenty to keep you entertained.
Our kids are 8, 6, 4 and 2 and I just didn't feel like MSC would have been as good a fit as
DCL for a family like ours. As a couple we loved it and would do it again if we could find someone to watch the kids. When they are older, for sure though (once youngest is like 8) and if we were more sensitive to Disney pricing.
