MSC vs RCCL

I am booked on my first MSC this October.

It was cheap!

Drinks packages are only £20pd which is also much less than RCI.

This first thing I have noticed is their class system. We are in a Bella grade, which is the lowest. Apparently we are not even guaranteed a table in the MDR...[emoji57], I would have thought this was a basic given on a cruise line! This has soured things before we even board.

I will write a full review/comparison.

 

 

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I love MSC ive sailed twice now on Splendida and Fantasia both absolutely beautiful ships. Both times Ive been Bella experience and both times we had main dining room dining , the drinks package is fab there was a choice of a sweet or dry Cava that I would have with my evening meal and the peach Bellini is bliss . on one cruise I had booked an inside cabin and was upgraded to a balcony , the room was amazing :D entertainment in the main theatre was often mesmerising with fantastic acrobats, contortionists and amazing costumes . We are booked on Seaview for next year and cant wait

Wasn't your experience based on a charter?

Yes But I think the food, crew and all that the ship has to offer were the same.

OP....Loved sailing MSC Divina so much, I booked the Meriviglia for a Mediterranean Cruise this Fall. Really looking forward to that. The Divina is beautiful and the service was great. Granted, I was in the Yacht Club (which at the time when I booked, was less expensive than a Superior Ocean Balcony on the Oasis Class ships I was looking at. That said, I found a "deal" on the Harmony in a Superior Ocean Balcony, which is coming up next week. Looking forward to that, too.

Status Match (Platinum on NCL) was Black Level. Nice perks like a free dinner at EATALY (which was wonderful). Service was sterling (again, having a Butler and a Concierge in the Yacht Club didn't hurt). It was good all over the ship, however.

Pizza was as good or better than any I've had on any ship on any cruise line and certainly surpassed most of the chains you ordinarily get pizza from.

If interested, expand the links in my siggy to see the review and pics I posted right after my cruise. Hope it helps.

It's in the contract. They didn't have to compensate you anything. For that reason you will never sail RCCL again? Wow...

We cruised Divina in October after cruising Allure in April. Divina was very good. Very Italian but that isn't bad. The ship is beautiful and spotless. Our cabin (aft balcony) was very well decorated. Food in MDR was good. Liked the drink coupon book option. We booked Seaside before sailing Divina and look forward to sailing her in April (2018). I liked Divina so much that we plan to stay with MSC and Celebrity. No more RCCL after the Empress fiasco. They changed my 5 night (4/24) to a four night with very little OBC as compensation. We did status match on MSC to gold. Fear not MSC [emoji41]

 

 

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We sailed MSC for the first time on Meragavilia a few weeks ago and got the black card match status.

For what we payed probably about 30% less than RCI it was a decent cruise but honestly think the only thing that MSC wins with is the price of there drinks packages although they take some understanding.

Would I cruise with them again maybe if the price was right but we could all see why MSC was 30% cheaper and would never pay an identical price.

In all honesty I think RCI wins hands down on everything as did all of our party six in total.

We've been loyal to Royal Caribbean including a couple of upcoming cruises … but next year, we're booked on the MSC Seaside (new ship starting in December 2017). Any RCCL cruisers been on a MSC Caribbean cruise that can offer any insight into differences?

 

The prices are very good and they do a status match for their Loyalty Club.

Yes, and this may just be my opinion:

Stick to Royal, unless you are booking the Yacht Club Experience.

So let me throw some cold water on the MSC Divina. We did their regular Caribbean itinerary last year and it was the worst cruise we have ever been on. Now don't get me wrong, the ship is magnificent, but

#1 Communication with the crew was a problem as many spoke very little English

#2- We do not eat meat, so we go for the seafood entrees at dinner. For the 7 day cruise, we never got a decent piece of fish. In fact 2 of the days, we ordered salmon and it was inedible. We even complained to the maître 'D, and it still wasn't that good. We felt that they pre cooked the fish and then when ordered they warm it up. A no-no for any fish dish.

#3-We like shade and there simply is NONE on the Divina. You cannot sit on the Promenade deck as that's where the lifeboats are. Whatever little shade you can find, is in the middle of all the noise. We borrowed plastic chairs from one of the restaurants, just to sit out for a few hours.

#4-We found the entertainment to be different (they have a full Opera) but it really wasn't to our liking. They try to have too many things going on at the same time. We really never enjoyed any of the shows.

FYI--We are seniors, and we do NOT go for the pools. We like to find a shady spot to just sit and relax, and on the Divina, there were none. And if you enjoy watching 60-70 year old men parading around in Speedo's, then this could be the ship for you.

We have sailed RCI twice so far, with another booked next month and there I s no comparison. MSC is cheap and I cannot speak for any of their other ships, but our experience on the Divina wasn't very good.

Cheers

Len

#3-We like shade and there simply is NONE on the Divina. You cannot sit on the Promenade deck as that's where the lifeboats are. Whatever little shade you can find, is in the middle of all the noise. We borrowed plastic chairs from one of the restaurants, just to sit out for a few hours.

The forward enclosed pool has two levels of seating, all in shade. Outside of that on upper deck, more shade w lounge chairs. Shaded lounge chairs on port side forward of pool deck, rest is tables. As you go aft go further up and one side of ship will be in shade. Chairs on promenade would be nice addition, I agree - I liked the Waterfront on NCL Escape the best for that. . Also, in adults section aft there is seating around sides of Le Muse in shade and then going forward below sports court/upper hot tub areas. Not sure what restaurant you took chairs from because there are ample chairs (non-lounge) provided in shaded areas outside. If you head to one shaded spot in the noise and park yourself there and don't find the others, it's not really fair to say they do not exist.

The forward enclosed pool has two levels of seating, all in shade. Outside of that on upper deck, more shade w lounge chairs. Shaded lounge chairs on port side forward of pool deck, rest is tables. As you go aft go further up and one side of ship will be in shade. Chairs on promenade would be nice addition, I agree - I liked the Waterfront on NCL Escape the best for that. . Also, in adults section aft there is seating around sides of Le Muse in shade and then going forward below sports court/upper hot tub areas. Not sure what restaurant you took chairs from because there are ample chairs (non-lounge) provided in shaded areas outside. If you head to one shaded spot in the noise and park yourself there and don't find the others, it's not really fair to say they do not exist.

For us, any area that was 'in the shade' was either inside, by a pool or where there were, what seemed like 100 other people, also seeking some shade. As I said, we wanted a quiet place to just read and relax and there was NONE.

Cheers

Len

It's in the contract. They didn't have to compensate you anything. For that reason you will never sail RCCL again? Wow...

Yeah sorry that would not fly. If you pay for a seven day cruise and you get 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 days with no compensation.. you think that is okay? Keep drinking that Kool-Aid.

Even RCI is aware that is not okay any longer. We were on the shortened Majesty 9/4/17, and we were given a 25% refund for the reduction of 25% of our cruise. That is fair, and what I would expect.

Status Match:

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Loyalty-Match-Program.aspx

 

Benefit Levels:

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Voyagers-Club.aspx

We’ve been holding out on Trying MSC till we get 8 more points on RCCL to make Diamond so we can make Black with MSC. But we’re already Platinum with Carnival... Would that get us Black with MSC?

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We’ve been holding out on Trying MSC till we get 8 more points on RCCL to make Diamond so we can make Black with MSC. But we’re already Platinum with Carnival... Would that get us Black with MSC?

Yes, I believe Platinum on Carnival gets you Black on MSC.

Ooo, that would be swell. With DD doing college in England, we’re thinking it’s time to do that Med Cruise. And MSC wakes all the sense in the world for that.

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I am booked on my first MSC this October.

It was cheap!

Drinks packages are only £20pd which is also much less than RCI.

This first thing I have noticed is their class system. We are in a Bella grade, which is the lowest. Apparently we are not even guaranteed a table in the MDR...[emoji57], I would have thought this was a basic given on a cruise line! This has soured things before we even board.

I will write a full review/comparison.

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I am curious about not having a guaranteed table in MDR. Is that the same as RCI only offering MTD when booking or does it actually mean you don't even have access to MDR?

I am curious about not having a guaranteed table in MDR. Is that the same as RCI only offering MTD when booking or does it actually mean you don't even have access to MDR?

Yiou may also want to ask on the MSC forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80

I am curious about not having a guaranteed table in MDR. Is that the same as RCI only offering MTD when booking or does it actually mean you don't even have access to MDR?

Apparently, there is a chance that you don’t get a table allocated in MDR, if you are Bella class, you dine in buffet but off MDR menu.

I’m boarding today and will find out shortly!

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We are Platinum on Royal Caribbean and took our first MSC cruise last summer aboard the Divina. There's a full review with photos in my signature if you're interested to read more.

 

In a nutshell:

 

- I'd rank MSC one notch above Carnival but one notch below Royal

- It has a bit of a more traditional feel. Somewhat like before cruise ships started becoming floating amusement parks.

- The ship was beautiful and tasteful. Besides one isolated cleanliness issue at the beginning of the cruise (detailed in my review), the ship was impeccably clean.

- The shows were professional and entertaining, although not quite at the same level as the productions on Oasis class ships.

- Fellow passengers are definitely more international. It felt as if English speakers were actually the minority. Publications and important announcements are done in 6-7 different languages.

- Because of the multi-lingual clientele, MSC doesn't do comedians or other forms of entertainment that rely heavily on verbals. But it's all done very well.

- The food was one of my biggest letdowns. Being an Italian ship, I would've expected the cuisine to be more memorable, but we found it to be generic, uninspired and repetitive.

- We had a balcony stateroom. It was well appointed and spacious. I complaints about the actual cabin.

- All the staff that we met were friendly and helpful, although more aloof. If you approach them, they are happy to help and go out of their way. But don't expect employees to initiate that kind of rapport.

- We matched our Carnival Platinum status to MSC Gold. Our Royal Platinum would've given us a lower MSC status. The added perks were nice, including an additional 5% off an already low cruise fare, a logo gift (a blue baseball cap with white MSC logo), a free photo, passes to the Thermal Suite at the Áurea Spa, a and a complimentary drink. None of these perks would make me be loyal to MSC but they were still greatly appreciated.

 

The main reason why we chose to try MSC was because we paid a ridiculously low rate for this cruise. They offered a 2 for 1 balcony promotion, and a kids sail free promotion. That in addition to the 5% for the loyalty match brought the per person cost (including all taxes) to about $250 for a 7 night summer cruise in a balcony stateroom! It was hard to pass up!

 

For the right price, I would definitely sail on MSC again, but pricing being equal, I'd gravitate towards Royal. Go knowing that it's a different experience than what Americans may be used to, but embrace and enjoy what sets MSC apart

 

 

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Yes, I believe Platinum on Carnival gets you Black on MSC.

We've been loyal to Royal Caribbean including a couple of upcoming cruises … but next year, we're booked on the MSC Seaside (new ship starting in December 2017). Any RCCL cruisers been on a MSC Caribbean cruise that can offer any insight into differences?

 

The prices are very good and they do a status match for their Loyalty Club.

Just back from the Divina Sept 16 sailing. I sent in my D+ and got Black from them. I must say that I totally agree with Tapi especially about the food,However their desserts are excellent. Their is one very big exception. The crew ( at least most of them) was not friendly at all. I even mentioned it to the captain at the Welcome Back Party and he seemed surprised. I told him that they have to step up their game if they want a chunk of the american cruise market. I will eventually try Seaside, but not in a hurry at all. When I see an excellent price next year, I will go ahead and book that ship. On a side note, after this cruise I boarded the Norwegian Escape after a 7 year hiatus with NCL, and must say that NCL has step up their game big time. Everything was very good to excellent. Food both quality and taste.

According to Tapi Platinum on Carnival gets you Gold on MSC.

☹️

I guess I can see MSC’s point of view on this: while the cruise day requirements for CCL Plat and RCCL Diamond are comparable, the perks are not.

I guess I’ll head over to the MSC board for more answers as I trust both HostBob and Tappi, but have they have given me conflicting information.

Once we finish our CCL Breeze cruise this Thanksgiving, I’ll have to scratch my cruise booking itch. We very much want to try MSC in the Med, but want to go in as Black. We’ll never make the next tier on Carnival, so if Tappi is right we need to find an 8 dayer on RCCL or a good deal on a JS for this summer and save the MSC cruise for next summer.

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Found this older thread since I'm researching MSC, specifically Seaside. We've booked our first MSC cruise in their Yacht Club for January, 2019. Our last cruise with RC was the Harmony TA back in fall 2016. Great cruise, loved Coastal Kitchen and their suite lounge. Since then we've also done a few cruises with Celebrity in their suite class. Loved those too.

The MSC price is what made us book. A YC Deluxe Suite (looks comparable to a sky suite on X, maybe a little smaller than a JS on Royal, and no walk in closet) was $1800 less. We will have to pay for our own grats and internet. We did the status match, Diamond to Black, which gives us a few more things, including a specialty dinner, although from a fixed menu. Priority boarding, which won't apply since we'll be in YC. It's nice that they offer the match, although it's only valid for 3 years unless you continue booking with them.

I'll be checking out Bob's comparison links when I'm done with work.

From what I've read so far, it sounds like everyone agrees the pizza is very good on MSC. :D I've read some people hated the MDR food (won't apply to us) and others were fine with it.

I've read mixed reviews about friendliness of the staff. We'll have to see when we sail.

Shows are shorter, and people seem to like them. No live orchestra in the big theater.

I've read the ship is beautiful and clean. Not as easy to navigate as a RC ship (no promenade, which always made it easy for us). I've read comparisons to a Radiance Class ship (lots of ocean views), and size more like Freedom class.

More European passengers. Is this true of their new ships permanently housed in Florida? Not that it matters, just curious. Longer announcements because they do them in many languages.

Anyway, continuing to do my research. Sounds like we made the right choice going with Yacht Club. It's a 7-day cruise in Jaunary. (We're from Chicago so escaping the cold is always good!) It would have to be pretty bad for us to not have a good time.