Thinking of taking a Mediterranean cruise on MSC cruises? Is it worth the lower price

[kyra's mommy]

I've been shopping cruises in Europe for next year (November) and I have found a good one in terms of price and ports. Has anyone cruised on MSC before? Do they charge for meals or are meals included like most cruise lines? I've heard the service isn't great. I'm going with two kids and I think they have no babysitting...

I'm a little worried but they are $1000 less then other cruises for seven days.

Any thoughts?

 

[pigletto]

Interested to see the replies on this one. I did see some incredible last minute deals for MSC but my only experiences are with Carnival and Celebrity, and I found there to be a big difference in quality between those two.

 

[kyra's mommy]

That's so funny. Those are the identical two cruise lines I've sailed before and I agree, soooo different!

 

[abbyndrewmom]

Haven't sailed on them myself but was a TA so I have a little bit of insight. They are a European line so announcements etc will be in a number of languages, english may be 2nd or 3rd on the list. Other pax will also be from a mix of countries probably mostly Italian. Food, drinks, shows, decour, etc will be catered to the European more then the American passenger. Shows, on board entertainment and tv's may not be English or may have very limited English. If this is going to bother you don't do it, I would only send passengers that understood this and were okay with it on this cruise line.

This is not your typical American cruise line and if you go in with those expectations you will be disappointed. However if you are looking for something different outside the sterotypical North American travel experience you may have a great time!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We have sailed MSC many times and love them.
2) They are now our favorite cruise line.
. . . if not when/where we want to sail, we use Princess as back-up
. . . we avoid Royal Caribbean like the plague
3) Being foreign-based, the atmosphere is so different on board.
. . . marble everywhere
. . . lots of fine art and sculptures
. . . wide variety of food types
. . . many, many nationalities and people experiences
4) We recommend MSC them to everyone.
5) By the way, we like medium-sized boats.
. . . more intimate among passengers
. . . not so sold as mega-boats being made today

6) When not doing MSC, we cruise on
. . . Windjammer (full-sail tall-ships)
. . . Cunard (ocean liners)

NOT: By the way, almost everything is in English, with other languages as secondary.

 

[erincon23]

Not personal experience, but my parents are veteran cruisers (25 plus cruises), and took an MSC cruise in '09. My aunt is a TA with an MSC-preferred agency (she does all my parents' travel), so they got a big upgrade and the cruise was definitely rock-bottom cheap. HOWEVER, they said the food was the worst they had ever had on a cruise, the activities were lacking, and they would probably never go on this line again.

 

[kyra's mommy]

Hmmm. Thanks everybody! I still feel torn. I'm nervous about going back to Europe, it's been 10 years since we've been there and I was younger then with no kids. The idea of going on a more "American" cruise (since that's easier) with kids appeals to me but the price difference doesn't!

 

[Fyrefly]

Not even considering the cruise factor, here's my $0.02:

You're going to Europe. What's the point of going to Europe on some Americanized boat that will have the same money system, entertainment, food, beds, etc. as home. You might as well STAY home, IMHO.

And I wouldn't worry about the kids. It does them good to go somewhere where they might have to guess what's on the dinner menu and they won't be able to read all the street signs, or have to use a phrasebook to talk to someone. Gives them a good worldview, I think.

My parents did Europe with me in B&Bs and other small places, sometimes getting rooms in Germany by finding the neighbor of the owner who spoke French which my dad sort of spoke and relaying, and holding up fingers and writing numbers down to buy food at the deli - it's more fun that way I think.

Also unless you're totally set on doing a cruise, you could probably see more in-depth and be cheaper just doing it on your own...

 

[KKB]

THey have cruised every major line, happily, but won't cruise MSC again.
Same complaints as before--poor food, not enough activities, VERY different feel than the other lines--very European.
I do know that when I visited Europe, service is not as prompt as America (and cruise in Caribbean/MX)--service is king in America & on most major cruise lines. Europe does not have the attitude that the customer is always right.
NO judgements--I had a wonderful time in Europe & met many wonderful people, including servers, bartenders, etc. BUT service IS different. More leisurely, perhaps. It can be perceived as pompous (my uncle's perception...).
Now, a European cruise is like a Hawaiian cruise--it is more about the ports than the actual cruise. And for that much less money, I'd give it a shot, personally, even with all I've heard (and 6 cruises on Princess, DCL & RCCL--we love our big ships!)

 

[kyra's mommy]

Okay we are going to do it! This cruise is only $1462 for 4 of us! It's just too good of a price to pass up. Wish us luck, lol.


Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy
Nice (Villefranche), France
Valencia, Spain
Ibiza, Spain
La Goulette, Tunisia
Catania, Sicily, Italy
Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy
Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate all the imput.

 

[KKB]

What a fantastic deal!
What is airfare?

 

[kyra's mommy]

I work for an airline so I will use our pass agreements for reduced airfare. It will be approx. $800 for the four of us.

 

[KKB]

I work for an airline so I will use our pass agreements for reduced airfare. It will be approx. $800 for the four of us.

A TREMENDOUS value! (I just LOVE a good value) I look forward to hearing your opinion of the cruise next fall.
Have a wonderful time!

 

[momandkidslovedisney]

Wow!! How did you get such a good deal? What website to I go to in order to get a price quote? My husband and I area looking at a cruise for our 10 year anniversary. We would love to go back to Europe!!

Have fun on your trip!!!

Okay we are going to do it! This cruise is only $1462 for 4 of us! It's just too good of a price to pass up. Wish us luck, lol.


Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy
Nice (Villefranche), France
Valencia, Spain
Ibiza, Spain
La Goulette, Tunisia
Catania, Sicily, Italy
Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy
Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate all the imput.

 

[kyra's mommy]

I went through Vacationstogo.com and our agent was:

Franny Fortier
Phone: 800-338-4962 ext. 7064

The kids are sailing free through a promotion Msc was having and I know I got an airline discount but I don't think the airline discount was huge. You can pm me if you need anymore info and I'll give you my #.

Oh and my new sailing date is October 1. I was going to take the November cruise but then realized we would be traveling on Halloween and my kids would not be okay with that-lol.

Erica

 

[mommasita]

This is really interesting to me. We have cruised a lot, but always the Caribbean, and want to try Europe next year (summer).

I have seen these prices for MSC and wondered the same things as you OP. For that price, you should be great! I love the ports of call.

We book (when not DCL) with vacations as well. Interliner here too. They offer Great service. Keep checking the price, you never know when you might see a drop. We did a Carnival in November, and I checked daily, and ended up with 360$ onboard credit.