Do Not Choose This Cruise Line

[gaddgie]

 

 

 

I find MSC service strikes exactly the right balance of formality, correctness, politeness and friendliness. I find American-style service invasive, hard-sell and fake-friendly. Staff on U.S. lines appear to have been trained in sales tactics but not in discreet, formal service.

 

 

Nail firmly battered on the head. Well said.

[Mikesa1721]

I am of the opinion that any review says at least as much about the reviewer than it does about the thing they are reviewing.

 

I have been introduced to drinks on MSC ships that I have never heard of before by bartenders of the nation from which the drink originates. If I were parochial and just asked for what I normally drank in my back yard, then I would not expect everyone to know what I was talking about.

 

I find MSC service strikes exactly the right balance of formality, correctness, politeness and friendliness. I find American-style service invasive, hard-sell and fake-friendly. Staff on U.S. lines appear to have been trained in sales tactics but not in discreet, formal service.

 

There is a grey piece of card that we can all see. Some say it is too light, some say it is too dark and some say it is blue. I can see it! Don't tell me what to think. MSC is the most enjoyable cruise line for me I have so far found. If it is not for you, don't do it! A cruise is far better without professional complainers or those unfit to leave their own backyard.

 

Skip,,Isn't this what the cruise industry is resorting to now?? Sell, sell, sell?? Prices are low to get the pax onboard, and then once onboard, pax are faced with a barrage of salesmen selling drink packages, dinner packages, photo packages, spa packages, 50% off sales. I can understand the need to offset low fares with options and upgrades that generate revenue for the cruise line, but come on!!! If I want to expose myself to a sales pitch, I'll go visit my local car dealer. I'm on vacation and shouldn't be subjected to this. This is one of the reasons we love to sail on Divina,,no waiters walking around trying to sell you a drink of the day, no photographer in my face every time I get on or off the ship or go to dinner, just a laid back, casual atmosphere that we should expect when on vacation.

[resstation]

Skip,,Isn't this what the cruise industry is resorting to now?? Sell, sell, sell?? Prices are low to get the pax onboard, and then once onboard, pax are faced with a barrage of salesmen selling drink packages, dinner packages, photo packages, spa packages, 50% off sales. I can understand the need to offset low fares with options and upgrades that generate revenue for the cruise line, but come on!!! If I want to expose myself to a sales pitch, I'll go visit my local car dealer. I'm on vacation and shouldn't be subjected to this. This is one of the reasons we love to sail on Divina,,no waiters walking around trying to sell you a drink of the day, no photographer in my face every time I get on or off the ship or go to dinner, just a laid back, casual atmosphere that we should expect when on vacation.

 

 

Maybe they haven't yet figured out how to get to us yet, what with no Promenade and stairs to decks that go nowhere. LOLOL!

 

 

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[Mikesa1721]

Maybe they haven't yet figured out how to get to us yet, what with no Promenade and stairs to decks that go nowhere. LOLOL!

 

 

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I know exactly where you are coming from resstation!!:D

[dogchopper]

We are on the same cruise as Mike and we are so looking forward to it. We have been on 13 other cruises, all American 'type' cruise ships and to be honest, after a while they seem to be about the same and a bit boring if you know what I mean. Now don't get me wrong, even a bad cruise is a good cruise, as we simply love cruising. But the Divina seems to offer something that I have not had in several years of cruising, something a bit different. Whether or not we like it, we shall know in about 3 weeks, after we return. We are simple folks who just want to get on a ship. We are not Yacht Club/Suites/Gold card or whatever people. We book inside cabins and we love it. MSC and the Divina offered us a fantastic deal on a 7 day cruise and this is the most anticipated cruise we have taken in years. Different foods, different shows, different people, and a completely different attitude by the cruise line.

Again, we will know a lot more in about 3 weeks.

 

Cheers

 

Len

I am kind of in your line of thinking. I'm sailing on her sept 6th. We usually book the inside cabins on our cruises, we did upgrade to a balcony since the price was so good. Gotta say I'm pretty excited about that. But 7 days of no cooking or cleaning. A bunch of shows, good food, and places to visit. How can it be so bad. I think it's all in your prospective ... At least that's what I am hoping. I will find out a few weeks.

[papcx]

Maybe they haven't yet figured out how to get to us yet, what with no Promenade and stairs to decks that go nowhere. LOLOL!

 

 

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MSC ships don't have a wrap-around promanade?

Edited August 11, 2014 by papcx

[Mikesa1721]

MSC ships don't have a wrap-around promanade?

 

The Fantasia class ships kind of do,,,but they are referred to as an evacuation area, the sea views are blocked by hanging lifeboats. You will not find chairs or loungers in this area.

[sidari]

MSC ships don't have a wrap-around promenade?

 

Papcx .... Have you learned nothing on the cruises you have taken with them ........ :D:D:D

[cjvinthechair]

I was on the same cruise and will say the same as the OP. This was the worst cruise i have ever been on. This company has no idea what customer service is all about. they should stay in europe, where i am assuming the expectations are lower. beautiful ship, horrible staff......save your money

 

Looked at this thread fresh from lack of activity on my MSC Opera roll-call for the end of this month. It'll be my 4th with them, & knowing MSC was very much a European line made me a little anxious before the first, since the English way, though we are part of Europe, is not necessarily the Italian etc. way.

Fortunately the English way is also to compromise a little, and be prepared to adjust your expectations, & I've had 3 lovely cruises on beautiful Fantasia class ships.

I am sorry to hear from our American friend that our expectations are 'assumed' lower. My expectations on this forum are that everyone is entitled to a reasonably held & justified view of different cruise line norms and procedures. They don't I'm afraid stretch to being told by a disgruntled American passenger that all Europeans must of necessity have lower expectations than our cousins in the States.

I fear that says more about said cousins than it does about us on the other side of the 'pond'.

[jkgourmet]

Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion and I would never begrudge anyone for saying what they think. That being said, the MSC Divina has become my favorite ship to sail. Three times so far and two more this year. Enough said.... :p

 

Bret

 

How about sharing some of the things that make you love this ship/cruise line so much? We're doing our first MSC in Sept and I'm genuinely interested.

[Mikesa1721]

How about sharing some of the things that make you love this ship/cruise line so much? We're doing our first MSC in Sept and I'm genuinely interested.

 

jkgourmet,,Here is my list,,and I hope others can chime in as well.

 

1. No bar servers walking around everywhere trying to sell us drinks.

 

2. No photographers in our face everywhere we go.

 

3. Very few to no announcements during the day.

 

4. No loud music playing on the pool decks.

 

5. No one trying to sell us drink packages,,spa packages,,specialty dining packages.

 

6. Partnership with Chicco for families traveling with infants and toddlers:

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/About-MSC-Cruises/News/MSC-CRUISES-AND-CHICCO-ANNOUNCE-NEW-PARTNERSHIP.aspx

 

7. First and Only cruise line to offer 24/7 Pediatric Telemedicine:

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/About-MSC-Cruises/News/MSC-Partnership-With-Giannina-Gaslini-Institute.aspx

 

8. Fantastic food, LeMuse, Top Sail Lounge, One Bar (Yacht Club),,the best pizza at sea(La Cantina Di Bacco)

 

9. Incredible service: Yacht Club

 

10. Great shows and Live music venues in The Pantheon Theatre and 10+ bars and lounges

 

11. A personable and interactive Captain, who really cares about his passengers and crew.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Mikesa1721

[GOLDENBONNY]

Your hard earned money will be better spent on Anything But MSC and this is my opinion but if you are a smart American and want your money spent for a great experience that includes great service, fun activities that have crew members actually show up on time and know what they are doing, enjoy comedy, bartenders that actually know what is in the drink you ask for

you will not find it on MSC. Choosing a cruise really is a hard decision really think long and hard before you choose MSC, they get upset about the bad reviews but they do nothing to fix things that couldmake them a better line, they use excuses of the different cultures that is so wrong just listen to what people are wanting to change and do it.

 

 

Had to read 3 times to understand your "smartamerican" english ...but ok we will not go if you say so .

[GOLDENBONNY]

I was on the same cruise and will say the same as the OP. This was the worst cruise i have ever been on. This company has no idea what customer service is all about. they should stay in europe, where i am assuming the expectations are lower. beautiful ship, horrible staff......save your money

 

1.How do you know if you were on same cruise ? :rolleyes:

2. Do something with your English if you trying to troll from 2 accounts.

[jkgourmet]

jkgourmet,,Here is my list,,and I hope others can chime in as well.

 

1. No bar servers walking around everywhere trying to sell us drinks.

 

2. No photographers in our face everywhere we go.

 

3. Very few to no announcements during the day.

 

4. No loud music playing on the pool decks.

 

5. No one trying to sell us drink packages,,spa packages,,specialty dining packages.

 

6. Partnership with Chicco for families traveling with infants and toddlers:

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/About-MSC-Cruises/News/MSC-CRUISES-AND-CHICCO-ANNOUNCE-NEW-PARTNERSHIP.aspx

 

7. First and Only cruise line to offer 24/7 Pediatric Telemedicine:

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/About-MSC-Cruises/News/MSC-Partnership-With-Giannina-Gaslini-Institute.aspx

 

8. Fantastic food, LeMuse, Top Sail Lounge, One Bar (Yacht Club),,the best pizza at sea(La Cantina Di Bacco)

 

9. Incredible service: Yacht Club

 

10. Great shows and Live music venues in The Pantheon Theatre and 10+ bars and lounges

 

11. A personable and interactive Captain, who really cares about his passengers and crew.

 

Thank you, though many of your high points are non issues for us. We have no kids and would never pay fir the Yacht Club. #1 and #5, however, do concern me. If no servers are walking around, does that mean I have to get up to get a drink? I kinda prefer being waited on.

[Mikesa1721]

Thank you, though many of your high points are non issues for us. We have no kids and would never pay fir the Yacht Club. #1 and #5, however, do concern me. If no servers are walking around, does that mean I have to get up to get a drink? I kinda prefer being waited on.

 

There are servers who will walk around taking drink orders, but they do not walk up to you unless you call for them,,

[jkgourmet]

There are servers who will walk around taking drink orders, but they do not walk up to you unless you call for them,,

 

Great. That IS an improvement!

[oreosmile]

I don't think it is a case of not lowering expectations, but understanding that there is not one "correct" way of doing things. There are different service styles, different ship styles, different cultural styles.

 

I frequently travel with work to different countries and am comfortable adapting to whatever I find. I also travel super cheaply at times, and super expensively, depending on the cash flow and my needs (I have booked owner's suite and inside guaranteed). I am probably about as adaptable and determined to have a good time as any one out there. And depending on my mood, that good time can take on many different shapes.

 

In my mind, there are so many different models of a "excellent cruise vacation". I did a 2 week Alaska trip on HAL with my adult son - the first week I worked out every morning, retreated to the thermal spa, and relaxed while he made new friends - the second week I joined him and his new found group and took mixology classes, sang karaoke, got social, and built up quite the bar bill! HAL was flexible enough to have both experiences and MSC also seems to offer up that same flexibility. Ultimately, it is the cruiser that needs to figure out what is most important to them and what is a deal breaker, do their research, and then book accordingly. Not everything will be exactly as you hoped, but that doesn't make it a bad cruise.

 

Last year I chose Splendida because their schedule with multiple Embarkation ports allowed our family to accompany me to a conference in Europe and tack on a family cruise. I was leery based on some of the reviews, but figured that our primary goal was spending some family time together, and the ports were great, so we went for it. To be honest with you, I don't even think of it as an 'Italian ship' - it was a cruise that we went on and enjoyed, despite my child having a very stressful reaction to new places /food /situations (perhaps much as some of the MSC haters might have experienced!). The different culture/languages/styles really didn't have an impact on our experience, beyond the fact that all the new experiences triggered my child - but that wasn't ship specific - it happened the moment we hit Europe.

 

Things I liked:

- our balcony room (can't recall the number/class). We spent more time in it than usual due to melt-downs, and boy was it comfy! I really liked the classier/muted colour scheme than is found on some lines. The couch was comfortable. The room was big enough, the water was hot and plenty, and the adjoining balconies (after they gave us a separate room due to a misunderstanding of our sleeping needs upon booking) worked great. And the stewards kept us clean and well-stocked even though we were incredibly inconsistent in our schedule.

- the buffet. We ate there every meal but one, due to kiddo's issues around food. She ate chocolate croissants, fries, and hotdogs. And desserts. We ate tons of excellent food - never had an issue finding tasty and varied food to eat. Never had problems finding a table for 4 (plenty at the back!), getting table service for drinks, having the 'zoo' interfere with our ability to get food. Was it crowded? sure. Was the layout good for spreading people out and minimizing lines? yes

- the gelatto and the fancy non-alcoholic drinks - that was a saving grace for our daughter. The Allegrisimo package meant that we could order what we wanted and the variety of drinks covered meant that we were happy morning, noon, and night and did not break the bank!

- the ability to always find a quiet place to play cards. Whether we were at a table by the pool, tucked away in a lounge, sitting in the main square after eating icecream, we could always find a table and 4 chairs and some peace and quiet

- the pool was great (the one day we used it - only on the last day did my daughter relax enough to try out some of the classic cruise activities)

- the quick embarkation/debarkation and port visits - very low stress, minimal waits

- the staff - there when we needed something, responsive to questions, not intrusive at all. We got temporary tattoos by the pool, but that was our only interaction with spa staff.

- the activities - we did not partake in much, but we saw lots of fun things that we could have done if my daughter had not been so triggered. We could have had a very different cruise, but were happy that we were able to find what we needed instead.

 

We are doing a 2 week cruise this fall (3 of us, including my daughter). She wanted to cruise again - good memories despite her stress last time. She asked for lots of sea days, because excursions were stressful. We decided to splurge on accommodations in the hopes of quieter pools and more consistency in where that quiet spot can be found (we always found it last time, but it shifted!). We considered NCL Haven (did on the Jade in the Owner's suite once) and MCS Yacht Club (untried) and went with MCS - the drinks/snack foods/lunch by the pool seemed to be a better package and the price was good (still expensive because we splurged on one week in YC2 and one week in YC3 after debating which would be better for us - having a separate bedroom when travelling with a teen is great!) I am also hoping that the butler/waiters in the dining room can help make the food issues less stressful (Pringles in the mini-bar is a selling point for her - if they can provide other kid friendly treats, then maybe mama can enjoy the fine dining!).

 

Whatever the outcome, we will be there as a family, enjoying our time to the best of our ability. And I have absolute faith that the staff and the ship will do their best to support us in that good time. We're hoping to be more 'classic cruisers' this time, but figure we've maxed our ability to have seclusion/quiet/flexibility, which are most important right now for our family.

 

I would agree with the original poster somewhat, the reviews show that there are many US citizens that should not choose this cruiseline:

- Do not choose MSC if you are not adaptable to new cultures/environments/people and are not comfortable in an environment where you may be the minority (I'm sure if MSC did comedy shows, the OP would still have hated it because it probably wouldn't have been in English!).

- Do choose this cruiseline if you are open to fun, new experiences; love a beautiful ship; enjoy a good drink package; and love a great itinerary and price point.

[oreosmile]

Thank you, though many of your high points are non issues for us. We have no kids and would never pay fir the Yacht Club. #1 and #5, however, do concern me. If no servers are walking around, does that mean I have to get up to get a drink? I kinda prefer being waited on.

 

We were waited on - but typically other than being approached when we first sat down, we caught the eye of the server and then she would come over and take our order. I found that all the places we camped out, there were servers circulating or standing and surveying a region, ready to be called over when you needed them, but not intruding when you didn't need them.

[jimw]

Please be specific.

 

Your hard earned money will be better spent on Anything But MSC and this is my opinion but if you are a smart American and want your money spent for a great experience that includes great service, fun activities that have crew members actually show up on time and know what they are doing, enjoy comedy, bartenders that actually know what is in the drink you ask for

you will not find it on MSC. Choosing a cruise really is a hard decision really think long and hard before you choose MSC, they get upset about the bad reviews but they do nothing to fix things that couldmake them a better line, they use excuses of the different cultures that is so wrong just listen to what people are wanting to change and do it.

[moomoocow]

MSC ships don't have a wrap-around promanade?

 

 

Well you learn something new every day.

 

No wonder we've booked Anthem of the Seas. Come June we will wonder how we got around the decks on all those MSC cruises we've had.

[papcx]

MSC ships don't have a wrap-around promenade?

 

 

 

Papcx .... Have you learned nothing on the cruises you have taken with them ........ :D:D:D

 

 

Next you'll be telling me they don't have forward observation lounges.

[papcx]

Well you learn something new every day.

 

No wonder we've booked Anthem of the Seas. Come June we will wonder how we got around the decks on all those MSC cruises we've had.

 

 

In fairness, the Anthem (and the Allure for that matter) doesn't have a wrap-around promenade either.

[moomoocow]

In fairness, the Anthem (and the Allure for that matter) doesn't have a wrap-around promenade either.

 

 

I'm phoning Kirsty and cancelling my booking now.

[papcx]

I'm phoning Kirsty and cancelling my booking now.

 

 

No don't do that. My cornflakes box model will help us find our way around.

[American Bear]

Your hard earned money will be better spent on Anything But MSC and this is my opinion but if you are a smart American and want your money spent for a great experience that includes great service, fun activities that have crew members actually show up on time and know what they are doing, enjoy comedy, bartenders that actually know what is in the drink you ask for

you will not find it on MSC. Choosing a cruise really is a hard decision really think long and hard before you choose MSC, they get upset about the bad reviews but they do nothing to fix things that couldmake them a better line, they use excuses of the different cultures that is so wrong just listen to what people are wanting to change and do it.

 

1) My hard earned money is still in my pocket cause I saved about $1000. :pby picking a Divina balcony over every other available 14 day cruise in May!

So you waste your money on another cruise line!:p

2) I am a smart American:confused:, and we got great service, great food, and great entertainment on the Divina!

3) As far as anyone getting upset over reviews, it sounds like you're the one upset, we're totally happy, and saved $1000. !:eek: