MSC vs Carnival or RCI

I have a chance to book an MSC cruise on the new Seaside in June. We have cruised RCI Oasis of the seas and 6 Carnival ships. We are a family of 4. We eat in the main dining room for Supper each night. Love the atmosphere. We travel with a another family of 7. We have kids in their 20's and a few teens. Love the shows at night. We are looking for some help comparing the cruise lines. Thanks

I traveled with my cousin's family in August 2017. She had cruised Carnival many times and she really hated Divina. She said when she was on Carnival on first day, she could hear lot of music on deck to make her feel this is a party and have fun. She said Divina was too quiet. Then I started hearing her comments on Divina everyday such as limited choices in buffet, fixed time dining, shows were boring as performers just flying around, travelers were rude, waiters not helpful, don't allow bringing soda/ bottle water onboard and even she thought gelato tasted not good and normal ice cream was much better than that.

I asked her to try MSC Seaside and she said unless she really hated that person, otherwise she would not suggest. She urged me trying other cruse lines. I only took two MSC Divina before so I had no comparison. However, I really enjoy Divina. My kids went to kids club while I had massage (not that time with my cousin as her girl told my kids kids clubs were super boring so my kids only stayed there for 10 mins on 1st day).

I have a chance to book an MSC cruise on the new Seaside in June. We have cruised RCI Oasis of the seas and 6 Carnival ships. We are a family of 4. We eat in the main dining room for Supper each night. Love the atmosphere. We travel with a another family of 7. We have kids in their 20's and a few teens. Love the shows at night. We are looking for some help comparing the cruise lines. Thanks

Never been on RCI can only compare to CCL. First and most important for me - MSC ships are much cleaner than CCL. Food for me better on MSC but arugula salad with bocacchini cheese is my perfect lunch, not burger and hot dog. Night shows in theater on MSC just very different and upscale level from CCL. I can not even think of anything better on CCL. :rolleyes:

It come down to personal tastes, I've cruised on Carnival, RCI and just recently had my first cruise on MSC. I would disagree with every word in the post above, for me Carnival is much better than MSC. I found Carnival to be lively and fun but MSC is more sedate. The food on Carnival and RCI is much better than MSC but again it comes down to personal taste, nothing wrong with a good burger for lunch.

Given the age of your kids, I would consider NCL. They seem to cater to the older kids much better than RCI, CCL, and MSC.

It come down to personal tastes, I've cruised on Carnival, RCI and just recently had my first cruise on MSC. I would disagree with every word in the post above, for me Carnival is much better than MSC. I found Carnival to be lively and fun but MSC is more sedate. The food on Carnival and RCI is much better than MSC but again it comes down to personal taste, nothing wrong with a good burger for lunch.

Sure CCL is more fun where else you can find drunk people falling from stairs or puke in public washroom or even sex in pools?:*

I have a chance to book an MSC cruise on the new Seaside in June. We have cruised RCI Oasis of the seas and 6 Carnival ships. We are a family of 4. We eat in the main dining room for Supper each night. Love the atmosphere. We travel with a another family of 7. We have kids in their 20's and a few teens. Love the shows at night. We are looking for some help comparing the cruise lines. Thanks

Sure CCL is more fun where else you can find drunk people falling from stairs or puke in public washroom or even sex in pools?:*

I've done 5 carnival cruises and honestly never seen any of that. I have seen lots of people enjoying themselves and having fun.

Not saying it doesn't happen but tbh it can happen on any cruise line.

I've done 5 carnival cruises and honestly never seen any of that. I have seen lots of people enjoying themselves and having fun.

Not saying it doesn't happen but tbh it can happen on any cruise line.

I have only done 2 and saw all of it. Never saw it on any other cruise line. Longer CCL cruises are better for this matter . CCL forum been known for threads about smuggling alcohol on board . Don't get me wrong , I don't mind go on CCL cruise again but difference is huge

I have only done 2 and saw all of it. Never saw it on any other cruise line. Longer CCL cruises are better for this matter . CCL forum been known for threads about smuggling alcohol on board . Don't get me wrong , I don't mind go on CCL cruise again but difference is huge

SNJCruisers is right on..... I've cruised Carnival, Cunard, RCL, NCL, Costa, and Princess....and YES.... I CONFESS!!!! I brought bottles on all cruises. But I also managed to have a 4 figure number in my going home present for onboard charges.... So I contributed to their bottomline!!! No longer do now since all lines offer beverage package.

I have a chance to book an MSC cruise on the new Seaside in June. We have cruised RCI Oasis of the seas and 6 Carnival ships. We are a family of 4. We eat in the main dining room for Supper each night. Love the atmosphere. We travel with a another family of 7. We have kids in their 20's and a few teens. Love the shows at night. We are looking for some help comparing the cruise lines. Thanks

We are booked on seaside this summer but we are about ready to cancel because we have read so many awful reviews about msc. We have read A LOT of msc reviews at this point. Sure, some people post positive experiences, but they are not the majority and usually in Yacht Club. I am also turned off by the pull out sofa that msc expects 2 people to share if you have four people in a room as opposed to the bed that folds into the ceiling. Not really interested in the whole "attitude" thing that many on the staff seem to have. And it seems like there are not enough public spaces for the amount of people on board. And the reports on Meraviglia (newest msc ship) of people being turned away and told there is not enough room to eat in the dining room??? No thanks, MSC. We like pizza, but we are not in college anymore. Lol.

Went on the Carnival Vista last summer, loved it. Food was amazing. We have mostly cruised Disney and Carnival was just as good with a better price. Just where we are right now. Not sure if this helps you. Oh and we do not drink alcohol.

After 21 NCL cruises we decided to try MSC Divina 7 days turned into 13 thanks to hurricane Irma, and we loved it. The set dinner times, themed nights, special dessert presentations, free drinks in most bars prior to formal night, shows(very elaborate, beautiful costumes, somewhat repetitive), parties, lounge acts all wonderfully great!! And this pizza absolutely fantastically great-the best ever!!!!!The staff is wonderful, except for the rude cruise consultants. The captain handled the hurricane very well, with extreme compassion for the passengers. Opened up free WiFi for all, so people could contact home and officers were also making phone calls for people. Even though we were away from the storm, some Florida residents asked to be brought home before the storm hit, so we returned to Miami at top speed-and had a two hour window to disembark people and load more provisions, then back we sailed to safety. This cost the company much $$ in fuel, that didn't need to be spent, but their compassion for people came first. No extra fees or port charges, all plans still in effect. I wouldn't be afraid to sail MSC, and we will definitely sail again on MSC

Safe sailing

PS-we were not in the yatch club

I found MSC to be much more enjoyable than both Carnival and Royal, given my personal taste when it comes to cruising. To start, MSC's décor is much more elegant. Between the lobby, bars, lounges, stateroom, general décor, etc, I feel like MSC definitely takes the cake.

You may also really enjoy the main dining room on MSC compared to Royal and Carnival because there is a big variety in the food options, they have dishes from all over the world. We enjoyed our nights in the MDR, we didn't skip it once. Note, though, that because the ship is very European, dining times will be much longer, and portions will be much smaller. Europeans like to take more time at the dinner table, as they value the time spent with friends and family much more than Americans tend to. So, do not be surprised if you're stuck in the dining room for 2+ hours. Also, most Europeans don't prefer pushy waiters, so if your waiter doesn't come around every 10 minutes to ask how everything is, it is not "bad service", it is what they're taught to do.

The shows may not be what you're looking for. RCI has big Broadway shows on their Oasis class ships, and Carnival has the high-tech playlist productions. While MSC does have a few playlist productions, such as the Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson tributes we saw on our cruise, they are very based in opera and more authentic Italian music/singing, so do not expect the crazy, flashing lights of Carnival every night from MSC. While we did enjoy the Opera shows, and MSC's playlist shows, I know many would not, as you would need an appreciation for opera. But, that's the best part about trying new things, you may get onboard and discover that you love opera. :)

Lastly, you and your teens will love the ship in terms of the crowd that's on it. Expect to see many Europeans, which in my opinion, are muuuuuuuuch cooler than Americans. If you get seated together at dinner or in a lounge, instead of talking about your favorite NFL team ,you can compare and contrast your country vs theirs, which is personally one of my favorite things to do. Your teens will meet many international teens in the teen club, and I imagine they'll come home with a whole new sense of fashion. Oh, and on formal nights, it is taken more serious than any other ship I've ever been on. The people get VERY dressed up, which is a big contrast to carnival. I wore a regular tie and coat and felt underdressed, many men came in full tuxedos.

Overall, you will absolutely love MSC cruises. It is a different experience, but you may end up realizing that it is truly the experience you look for in cruising. The Seaside will also be a beautiful ship and have many things for you and your teens to do. I really hope you book it, I'm so glad we made the decision to book MSC, because, as stated, our Divina cruise was our best cruise to date :D

I have friend that is platinum with RCI and they say the food has gone way down hill in the last 10 years. My first cruise was Princess Alaska in 1992 and it was fantastic, midnight buffets, ice sculptures, steak and lobster, very formal. Since then we have been on Azamara, RCI , NCL, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, and Disney.

Celebrity was great for adults only and it was very nice. RCL and NCL wont get any more business because of the food quality. We like to eat in the MDR and expect good food. Most cruise lines deliver good food in the pay specialty restaurants. So if you want to pay extra every night pick any cruise line. For a family cruise with older kids we prefer Princess.

My wife's favorite is Princess and my favorite cruise was Disney Magic without kids. Disney does lot of things right and with out the kids we had great time. Food was great, rotating dining was fun, and service was fantastic. Disney had the best entertainment. Adult areas were well separated from kids areas.

Take any mass market 3-4 night Bahama cruise from Miami and it is the same booze cruise crowd, not just Carnival. Drunks are everywhere.

We are taking a 7 night Carnival Cruise in a week. Hopefully the food quality has not gone down hill since our last Carnival cruise in 2011. I have not cruised MSC but have had friends that did and they did not like it. So I never bothered trying myself.

For all posters raving about MSC. Stop. Please stop IMMEDIATELY!!! You are letting the secret out and spoiling a good thing!!

Everyone just keep cruising Carnival please. ;p

For all posters raving about MSC. Stop. Please stop IMMEDIATELY!!! You are letting the secret out and spoiling a good thing!!

 

Everyone just keep cruising Carnival please. ;p

This post took a different turn than expected, but I like where it went ;)

I am Diamond on Royal and have cruised multiple times on Carnival and enjoyed all of them. We sailed MSC Divina and loved it! Beautiful ship! Multiple lounges with live music at night. Fantastic food on the Buffet. Food is subjective...but if you like pizza, pasta, cheeses and antipasto you will be very happy! Last couple of times we were in the Yacht Club and went to the Buffet on port days because we liked it that much!

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There is smuggling on Royal and other lines as well, please don't add fuel to the nonsense that everyone on a Carnival Cruise is a redneck drunk and thus Carnival is the Wal Mart of the seas. There are people that behave like juveniles on various cruise lines, not just on Carnival. I have first hand experience with this on various lines over the past 31 years encompassing 30 cruises including 17 on Carnival.

There is smugglers on any line but not in amounts like on CCL. I never said anything about rednecks on CCL its NCL clientele ;p and why should I stop? I just share my experience .

We are booked on seaside this summer but we are about ready to cancel because we have read so many awful reviews about msc. We have read A LOT of msc reviews at this point. Sure, some people post positive experiences, but they are not the majority and usually in Yacht Club. I am also turned off by the pull out sofa that msc expects 2 people to share if you have four people in a room as opposed to the bed that folds into the ceiling. Not really interested in the whole "attitude" thing that many on the staff seem to have. And it seems like there are not enough public spaces for the amount of people on board. And the reports on Meraviglia (newest msc ship) of people being turned away and told there is not enough room to eat in the dining room??? No thanks, MSC. We like pizza, but we are not in college anymore. Lol.

Went on the Carnival Vista last summer, loved it. Food was amazing. We have mostly cruised Disney and Carnival was just as good with a better price. Just where we are right now. Not sure if this helps you. Oh and we do not drink alcohol.

Before I went on my first NCL cruise I read a lot of good and very good reviews about NCL on this board:confused: . I had absolutely different opinion about this line . Not even a free cruise will make me go on other NCL cruise again. I strongly believe that only when you try something by yourself you can decide if you like it or not.

Before I went on my first NCL cruise I read a lot of good and very good reviews about NCL on this board:confused: . I had absolutely different opinion about this line . Not even a free cruise will make me go on other NCL cruise again. I strongly believe that only when you try something by yourself you can decide if you like it or not.

I totally agree. I liked shows in Divina while my cousin hated them all!:')

We are booked on seaside this summer but we are about ready to cancel because we have read so many awful reviews about msc. We have read A LOT of msc reviews at this point. Sure, some people post positive experiences, but they are not the majority and usually in Yacht Club. I am also turned off by the pull out sofa that msc expects 2 people to share if you have four people in a room as opposed to the bed that folds into the ceiling. Not really interested in the whole "attitude" thing that many on the staff seem to have. And it seems like there are not enough public spaces for the amount of people on board. And the reports on Meraviglia (newest msc ship) of people being turned away and told there is not enough room to eat in the dining room??? No thanks, MSC. We like pizza, but we are not in college anymore. Lol.

Went on the Carnival Vista last summer, loved it. Food was amazing. We have mostly cruised Disney and Carnival was just as good with a better price. Just where we are right now. Not sure if this helps you. Oh and we do not drink alcohol.

Stanrock and Cafedumonde, you sound like where my family is right now as well.

We've been on many Carnival cruises, wife and I have been on Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Royal and have 2 married kids and 2 teenagers. All usually go on the same trip when we cruise. We booked Seaside last February and are booked for late April.

We don't drink, don't go to the Haven/Yacht club, don't go to the alternative restaurants and play lots of games together in the evenings after the main show.

In the past 2 weeks however, we've been second guessing our decision to book the Seaside and have thought about canceling and booking either CCL or Royal. Royal however is much more than CCL and MSC so that plays into the decision as well.

More and more as I read MSC reviews, those that love it are always those that have booked Yacht Club - of course they are going to love it! Same with the Haven on Royal.

I was really close to canceling Seaside and booking NCL Escape instead, but the lack of no-charge dining on NCL was a turn off last time we went on NCL and the MDR food was basically the same all week.

I thought we wanted to try something different this time around. We are not able to go on multiple cruises a year - we have to save up for a year or two to be able to do this, so I don't want to end up regretting it. We have no complaints with Carnival, just wanted a change of scenery, but just not quite sure now.

Of course, ANY cruise is better than NO cruise! :)

I'm interested in what both of you ultimately decide what you're going to do.

Stanrock and Cafedumonde, you sound like where my family is right now as well.

We've been on many Carnival cruises, wife and I have been on Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Royal and have 2 married kids and 2 teenagers. All usually go on the same trip when we cruise. We booked Seaside last February and are booked for late April.

 

We don't drink, don't go to the Haven/Yacht club, don't go to the alternative restaurants and play lots of games together in the evenings after the main show.

 

In the past 2 weeks however, we've been second guessing our decision to book the Seaside and have thought about canceling and booking either CCL or Royal. Royal however is much more than CCL and MSC so that plays into the decision as well.

 

More and more as I read MSC reviews, those that love it are always those that have booked Yacht Club - of course they are going to love it! Same with the Haven on Royal.

 

I was really close to canceling Seaside and booking NCL Escape instead, but the lack of no-charge dining on NCL was a turn off last time we went on NCL and the MDR food was basically the same all week.

 

I thought we wanted to try something different this time around. We are not able to go on multiple cruises a year - we have to save up for a year or two to be able to do this, so I don't want to end up regretting it. We have no complaints with Carnival, just wanted a change of scenery, but just not quite sure now.

 

Of course, ANY cruise is better than NO cruise! :)

 

I'm interested in what both of you ultimately decide what you're going to do.

I hope to hear what everyone ends up doing also. We first got interested in MSC for the price (well, I say we, but DH was always against me booking it because he is worried that a European mass market line will be Ikea of the seas, or Movenpick of the seas. Lol. So msc is my fight and I am not sure I am in it.). The added draw was the new ship. We did get a great price for 2 adults 3 kids around $2900 for bella experience one balcony and one inside with the 5% off status match. But, that does not include gratuities which puts us more in the $3500 range, plus budgeting for travel (we drive), excursions or adventuring off the ship, spending on the ship, etc, maybe another $1000 at least? We are booked the last week of May. I have noticed that Seaside's rates are much higher now. Over the last 2 weeks we have looked into going to Disney World instead, completely different vacation and surprisingly the price is less. So we have both booked. Basically, we are waiting to hear some reviews on Seaside. If people rave about it, we will probably go. If not, well.. we will let the ship sail! Here is what we (I am) are looking for in Seaside reviews:

1. Do people report not being able to get into shows with Bella experience or above?

2. Do people report not being able to get into evening complimentary dining in bella experience or above?

3. Do people report that the kids' clubs or waterslide play areas are too small to accommodate the passengers on board?

4. Do people report that the common areas in general (buffet, main atrium) are unable to accommodate passengers onboard?

5. Do people report that the buffet runs out of food and is not always replenished?

These are issues I have read about with MSC. We are not picky and very low key but even at the great price, we feel if people run into problems on the ship or if we will have to eat pizza every night, we can do better elsewhere. We have a 6 night Carnival cruise booked with 2 oceanview in March for $2800 before gratuities, so the prices are similar. And our kids love the Carnival kids club and fun vibe and the food choices are amazing.

It will be interesting to read reviews of the Seaside. If you read reviews of the Meraviglia (latest ship), they are unfortunately generally disappointing.

I hope to hear what everyone ends up doing also. We first got interested in MSC for the price (well, I say we, but DH was always against me booking it because he is worried that a European mass market line will be Ikea of the seas, or Movenpick of the seas. Lol. So msc is my fight and I am not sure I am in it.). The added draw was the new ship. We did get a great price for 2 adults 3 kids around $2900 for bella experience one balcony and one inside with the 5% off status match. But, that does not include gratuities which puts us more in the $3500 range, plus budgeting for travel (we drive), excursions or adventuring off the ship, spending on the ship, etc, maybe another $1000 at least? We are booked the last week of May. I have noticed that Seaside's rates are much higher now. Over the last 2 weeks we have looked into going to Disney World instead, completely different vacation and surprisingly the price is less. So we have both booked. Basically, we are waiting to hear some reviews on Seaside. If people rave about it, we will probably go. If not, well.. we will let the ship sail! Here is what we (I am) are looking for in Seaside reviews:

1. Do people report not being able to get into shows with Bella experience or above?

2. Do people report not being able to get into evening complimentary dining in bella experience or above?

3. Do people report that the kids' clubs or waterslide play areas are too small to accommodate the passengers on board?

4. Do people report that the common areas in general (buffet, main atrium) are unable to accommodate passengers onboard?

5. Do people report that the buffet runs out of food and is not always replenished?

These are issues I have read about with MSC. We are not picky and very low key but even at the great price, we feel if people run into problems on the ship or if we will have to eat pizza every night, we can do better elsewhere. We have a 6 night Carnival cruise booked with 2 oceanview in March for $2800 before gratuities, so the prices are similar. And our kids love the Carnival kids club and fun vibe and the food choices are amazing.

It will be interesting to read reviews of the Seaside. If you read reviews of the Meraviglia (latest ship), they are unfortunately generally disappointing.

 

 

 

 

 

While nobody has been on Seaside yet, we have been on Divina twice in the past year and are booked on Seaside for Feb 10. I can pretty much assure you now that you need not worry about anything other than #3 at this point. Addressing #1 and 2, Bella experience has nothing to do with shows or dining. Both are open to all passengers. Only showing up late to a show might keep you out if the seats are full.

As for #4, for the additional 1000 pax this ship has over Divina, it is proportionately larger, and if you have seen the photos/renderings of the ship it has enormous public spaces compared to Divina which was not overcrowded. IMO highly unlikely to be an issue. Lastly, buffets don't run out of food so much as they stop replenishing all stations at off peak times. That's not an MSC issue, all large ships are the same in that regard. Between 4-5pm for example all of lunch choices might not be out, but dinner isn't out yet either.

If you think Disney is going to be cheaper by the time all is said and done, I'd think again. We did Disney a few times with the kids, and that's why we switched to cruising. Had a great time, but everything once you are there adds up.

Sounds like you will have fun regardless of your choice, but they are different experiences and you should assume you will have fun either way. Just decide which you would prefer for this time.

Enjoy!

I have a chance to book an MSC cruise on the new Seaside in June. We have cruised RCI Oasis of the seas and 6 Carnival ships. We are a family of 4. We eat in the main dining room for Supper each night. Love the atmosphere. We travel with a another family of 7. We have kids in their 20's and a few teens. Love the shows at night. We are looking for some help comparing the cruise lines. Thanks

Forget Carnival.