MSC vs Celebrity

[ronniecy1993]

Hi guys,

 

I am considering the 2 companies (MSC vs Celebrity) on a similar itinerary in June 2014.

 

Ports of call:

MSC Magnifica: Amserdam, Hamburg, Bergen, Tromso, Longyearbyen, Cruising Magdalenefjord, Honningsvag, Hellesylt/ Geirnanger (14 nights)

 

http://www.msccruises.co.uk/uk_en/Cruise-Departures/Cruise-Itinerary-MSC-Magnifica-Rates.aspx?cruise_id=MA20140612AMSAMS&ship_code=MA

 

Celebrity Constellation: Amsterdam, Stavanger, Alesund, Geirnanger, Tromso, Honningsvag, Molde, Bergen (12 nights)

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/searchResultsVacationItinerary.do?packageid=CS12U133&dest=EUROP&shipCode=CS&sailDate=1140614&cabincls=B&promoType=

 

We are considering the balcony for MSC and concierge class for Celebrity.

 

I have recently researched a little for both companies ( I have sailed with MSC Fantasia once). The only advantage for the MSC itinerary is that it will sail to the Longyearbyen. While Celebrity will sail to most of Norway's famous ports and the services provided will be more luxurious. Personally I think it would be much enjoyable for Celebrity cruise, but the Longyearbyen attracts me a lot.

 

May someone give me some comments or experience? Many thanks and much appreciate!!! :):)

[gek]

I've sailed on both lines. I like MSC's ships and they have decent size cabins but in all other areas they are vastly inferior to Celebrity. With a similar itinerary I would never choose MSC over Celebrity even if they were half the price. Well...maybe. I guess MSC aren't that bad but they really do struggle in comparison to Celebrity.

[goody1]

Hi,

My wife and I were on a Marco Polo cruise last month which went to Magdalenafjord and Longyearbyen. The scenery in the fjord is breathtaking however we found Longyearbyen disappointing. It does have a good polar museum but not much else to hold your attention. You won't see any polar bears, however last year on a Princess Cruise in Magdalenafjord we did see 2 walrus sitting on ice foes. With regards Celebrity, we went on a 12 night cruise on the Silhouette just after the Marco Polo cruise and it is our favourite cruiseline.

I suppose your choice comes down to whether you really want to visit Spitzbergen. If so, then it's Msc, however having done the North Cape 3 times, whichever you choose it will be a great cruise.

[kobecat]

We have sailed both Celebrity and MSC.

 

We have also been to Longyearbyen in June this year on the Celebrity Constellation. I was pleased we saw it but if I had my choice there is no way I would pick MSC over Celebrity for anything. IMO Longyearbyen is not a deal breaker.

 

Go Celebrity, you will be very happy.

 

Beryl

[rolfecms]

Hi,

My wife and I were on a Marco Polo cruise last month which went to Magdalenafjord and Longyearbyen. With regards Celebrity, we went on a 12 night cruise on the Silhouette just after the Marco Polo cruise and it is our favourite cruiseline.

 

Hi Goody1,

 

We have cruised Celebrity for quite a while as my signature below indicates. We are now considering a Marco Polo cruise. This is off-topic, but I see you've cruised both too. How was Marco Polo as a cruise line?

 

Thanks,

Clarence

[grayjay]

It's a difficult choice! In regard to itinerary I'd say you should consider MSC, because they offer Hamburg as one of their ports of call , which is really a city worthwhile to visit plus 2 days in Spitsbergen (Svalbard). Longyearbyen as a town is in itself not really exciting, but in general it was a great experience to see the surrounding (bleak) countryside. In Magdalenenfjord you'll have a chance to see polar bears.

On the other hand I have just read that MSC has changed the way how the sell cabin categories: for example if you choose the lowest balcony cabin ( of three) you get the worst cabins, you have to pay for room service and for access to a quieter sundeck and you can't choose your dining times. There are two more expensive categories ( Bella and Aurea ) with different extras like better tables/cabins, access to room service breakfast etc.

Seeing this I'd personally choose "Constellation" again even if they don't go to Spitsbergen any more - which is a pity! As I see it: it's service, good food, an almost smoke-free ship and a great crew against the better itinerary.

As an alternative you might also look at HAL (Prinsendam), Princess ( Ocean Princess) Costa (Pacifica) or the German cruiseline AIDA , all of which go to Spitsbergen in the summer of 2014, too.

[nmg85]

I would also say that MSC is inferior to Celebrity so unless the itinerary is amazing on MSC I would pick Celebrity every time.

 

 

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[blueboro]

I would say you need to go on the reviews for MSC ships and absolutely know what you are getting into. They have some of the worst reviews of any line sailing and I think a lot is due to people not knowing they are very different than mainstream lines.

[goody1]

Hi Goody1,

 

We have cruised Celebrity for quite a while as my signature below indicates. We are now considering a Marco Polo cruise. This is off-topic, but I see you've cruised both too. How was Marco Polo as a cruise line?

 

Thanks,

Clarence

 

Hi Clarence,

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Marco Polo, however having cruised on the Silhouette shortly afterwards it was difficult not to compare the two. The M.P is obviously a much smaller ship with cabins being somewhat smaller. The food in the buffet restaurant is not at Celebrity standards, however it was still quite good and you won't go hungry. The itinerary was really good and excursion prices we found to be very reasonable, certainly compared with Celebrity. Drinks prices are also very good and there is no 15%surcharge. Although the ship is small, the public areas are of a decent size and we found the entertainment to be pretty good. Staff are very good and we could not fault the service at all. Finally, the cost of the cruise was just over a quarter of the cost of the Silhouette and it was this that made it a no brainer for us, especially as it sailed from Edinburgh. Hope this is of help to you.

[Jayneykul]

I dont know what happened to my last post so if this appears 2xs apologies.

We are due to sail on Equinox next week and sailed on Century last year. It was fabulous.

There is no comparison between celebrity and MSC. We sailed on MSC Armonia last May. We have nothing good to say about it. The food at breakfast and lunch was dreadful. The food in the evening was just about OK. The cabin was dreadful. The entertainment was dreadful. The staff were dreadful.

We wouldnt go back on MSC even if it was free our vacation time is too precious to waste!

[ronniecy1993]

hi guys! thanks for the quick reply. i have been to msc fantasia this May, perhaps i was lucky that it was an enjoyable cruise in my opinion. Staff of our dinner table was helpful and excellent. We feel good generally. I have read lots of review of MSC and half of them are bad and negative. So i think it was really lucky to me.

 

Thx for the experience and opinions guys! I have some ideas now!

[Montreal Marc]

One cruise (transat) on MSC was enough for me; never again. Their on-board activites were completely inane.

 

MSC and Celebrity aren't even in the same hemisphere when it comes to quality of service and food.

 

I've done 20 on Celebrity, and am sailing with them again in 9 days. Can't wait!

 

Marc

[kevinyork]

I would say you need to go on the reviews for MSC ships and absolutely know what you are getting into. They have some of the worst reviews of any line sailing and I think a lot is due to people not knowing they are very different than mainstream lines.

 

Ive sailed Celebrity but not MSC. However, I am an avid reader of reviews and can say there is no comparison. Show me someone that says they prefer MSC to Celebrity.

 

 

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[blueboro]

Ive sailed Celebrity but not MSC. However, I am an avid reader of reviews and can say there is no comparison. Show me someone that says they prefer MSC to Celebrity.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Did you think I was saying there were reviews where people said they prefered MSC over X?

[kevinyork]

Did you think I was saying there were reviews where people said they prefered MSC over X?

 

No, not you personally, the OP.

 

 

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[kevinyork]

Duplicated post, ignore me.

[mafig]

Every now and then I find an itinerary on MSC that interests me. Then I read the reviews! OMG!

When I was recovering from hip replacement surgery I passed some of the time reading MSC reviews....for fun. Some of them are hysterical. Not if you were the writer, of course. For instance, I recall one person who asked at the pursers if he could borrow a pen and the person behind the desk said NO and then turned his back and walked away. Another time a waiter told a person not to order an extra dessert because he was too fat. Just recently, there was a thread that went on forever where the MSC people were making fun of the Americans (and Canadians) who wanted water at dinner.

The ships are supposed to be beautiful and very clean. However, the food isn't that great, the ships have many smokers. amd the announcements are done in 5 launguages and are constant. I also found out that while the itinerary may read one thing, in fact, they do skimp on their time in port...getting in late or leaving earlier than posted.

 

[Fairhairmar]

We have sailed with a large group of friends over the past 10 years.

 

We have been blessed to bring all of our children with us. Our kids are now adults...last year, 15 of us took a MSC cruise from Spain to Italy.

 

We laughed our way through the cruise....and have nicknamed it....

MSC.....My ****ty Cruise.

 

Never again would we take MSC.

[ronniecy1993]

hey guys, it was a pity that I heard so many negative comments from you guys. I have only tried MSC once and did not have any Celebrity experience.

 

In my opinion, the reviews in the internet are really very very subjective. It is really uncertain whether you could meet good services provided by the company. In fact, I was really lucky that the services in my MSC experience was really good except some very minor aspects. Food is good, by valued at the cost paid for the ship. Waiter is good and tells us many tips and interesting facts. The main thing draws my attention is that we did not receive our luggage in our room even when the ship leaves the port!! Anyway, there is not much to complain in other fields.

 

I have compared the 2 companies generally. In my words, every aspect of Celebrity is better than MSC. A normal person will generally choose Celebrity. But what attracts me is that MSC will go to Longyearbyen. Prices for the 2 companies are close, which MSC (14 ngts) is just 50 GBP more expensive than Celebrity (12 ngts).

 

For ships facilities, food and services, I would definitely prefer Celebrity. It is a pity that Celebrity is not going to sail to Longyearbyen in 2014 June....:(:(

[ronniecy1993]

yes, many reviews say that MSC ships are heavily-smoked. but in my experience, there are rarely smell of smoke in every part of the ship, except casino?? (hardly recall from my memory)....yeah, i could say that food are just normal, but when you comparing the price you paid, it is good already. For the punctuality, in my journey we missed Santorini, as the wind speed is so high that even the tender service is stopped. The ship quickly announced and made a call to Mykonos. (Personally i think they have done their best already). The ship is on time and never shortens the duration in the ports.

 

I am not defending for MSC, but just want to compare the 2 companies fairly.

 

Every company has its goods and bads for sure.

 

Every now and then I find an itinerary on MSC that interests me. Then I read the reviews! OMG!

When I was recovering from hip replacement surgery I passed some of the time reading MSC reviews....for fun. Some of them are hysterical. Not if you were the writer, of course. For instance, I recall one person who asked at the pursers if he could borrow a pen and the person behind the desk said NO and then turned his back and walked away. Another time a waiter told a person not to order an extra dessert because he was too fat. Just recently, there was a thread that went on forever where the MSC people were making fun of the Americans (and Canadians) who wanted water at dinner.

The ships are supposed to be beautiful and very clean. However, the food isn't that great, the ships have many smokers. amd the announcements are done in 5 launguages and are constant. I also found out that while the itinerary may read one thing, in fact, they do skimp on their time in port...getting in late or leaving earlier than posted.

 

[ronniecy1993]

I did not say I prefer MSC over Celebrity ( i have not tried X, how can I compare??)

 

I just want to get more opinions from you guys, and compare it fairly. You know, reviews are subjective.

 

The situation now is MSC has an attractive itinerary, but Celebrity may make me more enjoyable.:)

 

No, not you personally, the OP.

 

 

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[ronniecy1993]

yeah, i agree with you. By reading only the descriptions and policies of both companies, the services provided by Celebrity should be better. Perhaps I would have the same opinion as you after I sailed with Celebrity...Much appreciate btw!

 

I've sailed on both lines. I like MSC's ships and they have decent size cabins but in all other areas they are vastly inferior to Celebrity. With a similar itinerary I would never choose MSC over Celebrity even if they were half the price. Well...maybe. I guess MSC aren't that bad but they really do struggle in comparison to Celebrity.

[gek]

Their on-board activites were completely inane.

 

Inane and often offensive too

[coldweathergirl]

We sailed MSC several years ago in Europe as they were the only ones offering a one week cruise and that was all the length of time we could escape from town during the summer.

 

The ship was nice and ports were great but everything else was awful. The passengers were mostly European and we found them to be so pushy everywhere on the ship especially anywhere food was involved. Other than their risotto, the food was not anywhere as good as Celebrity. The service wasn't as good. Everything was announced in multiple languages.

 

I don't think we would ever book another cruise with them unless possibly in their yacht class cabins and only if it were a really a special itinerary that someone else wasn't going to.

[Jayneykul]

Oh and I forgot to add that we were to disembark in Venice. The ship docked at 6.30am but it took until 12.30 to get our luggage off! It makes me shudder just thinking about the whole experience. As they say you get what you pay for!