How I was trying to cruise on MSC. A REAL story step by step in pictures & video.

[Tatka]

I wish MSC somehow steals a piece of NYC market, so we can cruise more often with them. Wonderful experience.

[camofwilliamsburg]

I have fallen in love with MSC. It has a soul. I think the big difference is that MSC is family owned and I have always felt after my mSC cruise that I was leaving family. I have had fantastic experiences. I have always been treated like a Princess. A smile wins all the time! Their ships are so clean and beautiful to look at.

HAL was a snooze. each time I remind DH that we have those credits and he rolls his eyes. Although the aft pool looks nice on those pictures, it is a dump. People DUMP their trays all over the tables out of the picture range, in the front of the pool and to the sides. The barrier around the pool proved too high to get around for most of the cruisers and they said there was too many steps to go up by the hot tubs to go down to the pool. The ship was dead after our late dinner. We went to the disco and were told by the dj to stay( he bought us drinks to keep us there). On Eurodam the disco was on a lower deck and they had to keep the music very low as to not upset those around them in cabins....at 10 PM!!!

 

There is something so unique about MSC USA. It is more than a cruise, it is an experience! We will be on Divina Jan 18-25, Jan 25- Feb 1.

[All aboard??]

it is a dump

 

I think we must have been separated at birth.....:D

[PC168]

Thank you very much cruisetrail for all your time to post all the pictures. Pictures says a thousand word.

 

Cheers,

[GOLDENBONNY]

We did one HAL cruise, and although there were some hefty issues and they offered us $250 obc, 2 category upgrade and vip status for another cruise, we have not gone back. WHY? BORING..... Shows were horrible. WE were on EURODAM and it was a mess. The food was close to boring also. Service was horrible.

 

We love MSC. It is totally different cruise. Where I hated Opera night 5 years ago, I now look forward to it. WHY? Because the singers on MSC can really sing, and the dancers can really dance....unlike the high school productions found on most of the other cruise lines. You will see amazing entertainment on any MSC cruise. You will interact with staff, talk with them, dance with them. The servers are not always asking you for a drink order to sheer annoyance. The theaters are not for selling liquor but to enjoy a show.

 

The european flair is wonderful. We have LOVED their food. I would not order the Stars and Stripes ( always there for the American palate) side. I would always go with the Italian side. Their pastas are wonderful. What you did not see on the menu was that the dining captain would prepare a pasta with different sauces each night and then deliver them to the tables.

MSC has the best baked Alaska with wonderful flavors unlike the traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. We have had pistacio, butter pecan, banana. They bake it to perfection. Their food is mouth watering and melt in your mouth subtle flavors. Their ships sparkle with CRYSTALS and cleanliness. There is someone there cleaning each stairwell every day. The lounges have such wonderful LIVE music, with dancing.

 

MSC is a very different cruise. It is full of PASSION and Heart. It remains our favorite no matter what other line we try we concur that nothing compares to MSC ( USA Division).

 

 

:) I agree with every thing

PS no ,I am not getting free cabins on MSC LOL

[Tatka]

Well, while I agree that Opera singers (and singers) are the best on MSC, I don't think dancers are worse on the other lines. MSC has good dancers though.

[SeagoingMom]

Have to say that the Eurodam buffet looks just like the Diner we were in last November in Fort Lauderdale! the Divina looks far better.

Please, give me the name of that "Diner!" Is sounds (and 'looks") fantastic!! I will definitely try to visit it before I board my next HAL cruise.

[SeagoingMom]

I will concede that the breakfast buffet on Nieuw Amsterdam was superb; but that was where it ended; the rest was overcooked, unimaginative, oily and flavorless.

Rest of the buffet, or all the food on Nieuw Amsterdam? We were more than happy with the food on Zuiderdam -- beautiful, flavorful, perfectly cooked.. We would not have ordered food which had involved being cooked in oil, so can't speak to that.

 

We have not sailed with MSC. We found HAL's food to be consistently better than that on Celebrity, at least.

[SeagoingMom]

The point is we all different , right? Plus don't you think it’s really .....funny when someone talking about cruise line he never been on? I love HAL its nice line , but not for us for now. Should I go on HAL forum and spend there 2 years explaining to people how boring is HAL:rolleyes:?? At least I have right to do so ,I cruised HAL twice:p) Really some people should get a life.

You have to understand that this is what Cruisetrail does, and how he does it. The idea that he would post on the MSC board is certainly inviting criticism (which may be in the plan), but I for one appreciate the pictures he presents, and as long as you "get" his take on things, you can consider what he presents as being just someone else's opinion (which is all you can take anything on CC for!) If you read others of Cruisetrail's posts, you will understand that to some extent, ships are his life -- a passionate hobby of his at the least (like most of us on these boards...) :)

[Tatka]

You have to understand that this is what Cruisetrail does, and how he does it. The idea that he would post on the MSC board is certainly inviting criticism (which may be in the plan), but I for one appreciate the pictures he presents, and as long as you "get" his take on things, you can consider what he presents as being just someone else's opinion (which is all you can take anything on CC for!) If you read others of Cruisetrail's posts, you will understand that to some extent, ships are his life -- a passionate hobby of his at the least (like most of us on these boards...) :)

 

Yeah, so it would be only natural to consider other cruisers feelings. And shshshsh big secret ... difference in tastes and opinions.

[bltrn]

Can't we all just get along??? :( We must admit that we ALL love cruising. Which line and/or itinerary is a personal choice. What is good for one may not be enjoyed by another.

[AmoMondo]

Can't we all just get along??? :( We must admit that we ALL love cruising. Which line and/or itinerary is a personal choice. What is good for one may not be enjoyed by another.

 

Well said!

[All aboard??]

Rest of the buffet, or all the food on Nieuw Amsterdam? We were more than happy with the food on Zuiderdam -- beautiful, flavorful, perfectly cooked.. We would not have ordered food which had involved being cooked in oil, so can't speak to that.

 

We have not sailed with MSC. We found HAL's food to be consistently better than that on Celebrity, at least.

 

SeagoingMom; I find the MDR and Buffet (excluding the Breakfast) such an insult to my pallet and food in general to the extent that now, while investigating a 28 night cruise of New Zealand and South Pacific Islands on the Oosterdam I am already budgeting an additional US$700 for extra charge restaurants as an alternative.; take into consideration that this is already up and above the US$6,600 fare for an inside cabin.

 

Don't misunderstand me; I don't think there is much wrong with HAL, I just think that it will leave worldly people wanting.

[bltrn]

Thank you Amo! I have read many of your posts and you seem like the voice of reason. :)

[Deckhandoug]

Rest of the buffet, or all the food on Nieuw Amsterdam? We were more than happy with the food on Zuiderdam -- beautiful, flavorful, perfectly cooked.. We would not have ordered food which had involved being cooked in oil, so can't speak to that.

 

We have not sailed with MSC. We found HAL's food to be consistently better than that on Celebrity, at least.

 

HAL's food and selection is much, much better than MSC

[Tatka]

HAL's food and selection is much, much better than MSC

 

I wouldn't call it much.

[cruisetrail]

Some pictures of MSC Splendida from my collection.

 

The Splendida is a sister ship to the Divina.

Prospective cruisers, take a look.

Can you see your future balconies here?

 

 

I like open veranda balconies in the forward "wide-bodied" part of the supestructure - there are no lifeboats below.

Note "in-hull" balconies vs open verandas.

 

 

 

 

 

I would skip the middle part. I don't like huge overhang above and lifeboats below.

 

 

 

 

 

However, those angled balconies look spacious and may be interesting:

 

 

 

 

 

The aft part is wide-bodied too. Balconies with no obstructions in the view:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget about "hidden" stairs in the aft corners.

Get rid of crows for a while and have some sea vieaws from here:

 

 

 

The stern

Another detail that seems to be sourced from HAL Signature class - stern upper deck extention (overhang).

I like it.

It helps with upper deck space and provides more privacy for the aft looking balconies.

It also alleviates kyphotic appearance of the stern (seen in MSC Musika class - Orchestra, Poesia, Magnifica).

 

Edited July 20, 2013 by cruisetrail

[Deckhandoug]

I wouldn't call it much.

 

OK, you wouldn't, I would.

 

:confused:

[Tatka]

OK, you wouldn't, I would.

 

:confused:

 

So it is not absolute value.

 

We liked food in buffets on Zuiderdam, in dining room .... it was very inconsistent. Add slow and not very good service and... By the way service in MDR on Poesia was terrific. I do not remember wrong dish or empty glass of water. :)

[Deckhandoug]

So it is not absolute value.

 

We liked food in buffets on Zuiderdam, in dining room .... it was very inconsistent. Add slow and not very good service and... By the way service in MDR on Poesia was terrific. I do not remember wrong dish or empty glass of water. :)

 

I thought MDR service on Poesia was horrible.

[Tatka]

I thought MDR service on Poesia was horrible.

 

They probably fixed this issue since your cruise. It was wonderful, very attentive during ours. The only thing I can complain about Poesia MDR was a quality of the steaks. Inconsistent. Other that that it was one of our better experiences with various dining rooms. Actually the only one we ever experienced problems was on Zuiderdam. Long waits, errors in our orders. Very understaffed.

 

As you can see from my cruising history we are not attached to any lines, but we are still hesitating to book another HAL cruise.

[SeagoingMom]

I also fail to understand why AT is that important in todays cruising. I hardly can eat anything between lunch and dinner. Sweets are available in buffet till 4-5 r maybe even later for starving. :)

Afternoon tea, in terms of the traditional dining room version (not just serving yourself in the buffet) is important to those for whom afternoon tea important -- it is a matter of taste, preference, passion, tradition, and culture, as much as practicality.

 

As it happens, in practical terms, there are many, like ourselves, who eat a substantial breakfast or brunch, and do not eat lunch (or eat a very light one). We value the tea itself, a snack or light meal, and socializing at tea time, as we get a little peckish around that hour, and it is a long time until late seating dinner.

 

If afternoon tea is not important to you, it is not important to you. Some value it and are happy to know which cruise lines offer it and which don't.

[SeagoingMom]

Now here, I really do have to disagree with you. I've sailed 16 times with MSC and spent well over 100 nights onboard and they most definitely are not a party ship. If they were, I most certainly would not sail on them. You may have done your research but you have not experienced them.

 

On holiday I want peace and quiet to relax, read and listen to my music without someone "pushing" drinks all the time. I love classical music and Opera particularly Puccini and Verdi and I get that too ( and its live music by very talented mainly Eastern European musicians and Italian opera singers).

 

I get it that you love Hal and it has all the things that suit you. I feel like that about MSC. they Re not perfect but they on the whole suit me. My list of requirements is very different from your though.

Is opera part of the evening entertainment on MSC? If not, when do you hear it? I love classical music but am not a huge opera fan, so I wonder whether MSC would be for me...

[Tatka]

Is opera part of the evening entertainment on MSC? If not, when do you hear it? I love classical music but am not a huge opera fan, so I wonder whether MSC would be for me...

 

Opera singers are part of the evening shows. Professional voices.

 

I made a really bad video (phone), plus it works only for about 35 sec...

 

Giuseppe not only participated in the evening shows (every night), but had solo performances.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Tatka

[Kelownabccan]

We must admit that we ALL love cruising. Which line and/or itinerary is a personal choice. What is good for one may not be enjoyed by another.

 

It is truly amazing the amount of drivel that goes on in the MSC main thread..!!!!!....my comment from a Canadian perspective