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MSC vs RCCL

soccer2010

By soccer2010,
in Royal Caribbean International

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soccer2010

soccer2010

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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.

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hhalliv

hhalliv

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

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the information that they match Loyalty statuses?? I was looking at booking the Seaside but decided on sticking with RC because of my loyalty perks. This would be a great opportunity to try a new cruise line!

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funship freddy

funship freddy

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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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vanceml

vanceml

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My sister had a Cruise on MSC Divina and think it is a peace of mind compare to planification with RCI. They drive her nuts!

 

 

I'm not quite sure I understand what you are saying. What difference did she find between the two cruise lines and what RCI ships has your sister been on?

 

 

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TX_Atlantis_Cruiser

TX_Atlantis_Cruiser

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Not sure what the reviews are saying, but my experience on MSC Divina was at least as good as the RCI cruises I was on. Granted we were a full ship charter, but the service was exceptional with a few minor hiccups like slow dining room pace which may have been due to the European nature of the ship's service. Food was fine and the ship was awesome both in aesthetic and layout. Shows staged by the ship's normal crew were very good and entertaining though different from the US norm. I count Divina right up there with Mariner and Allure as my favorite cruises and it was far beyond the experience the next year on Regal Princess so that's how highly I would rate this MSC cruise.

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Tapi Great Review Rare

Tapi

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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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LMaxwell Great Review Rare

LMaxwell

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Had a terrific cruise on Divina last year on an itinerary that RCI does not offer. Booked again for Divina this May; same week on Allure was 3X the price. Status match was great, ship is beautiful, priced the same as a 3 or 4 day cruise on Royal or Carnival. Strongly recommend.

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Happyreb

Happyreb

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Just did my status match with MSC over the weekend. I'm Diamond RCI and was quickly granted Black status on MSC. It was quick and easy - comes with some great perks! I think this is a wonderful marketing feature for MSC. No need to sail with Royal just to get your loyalty perks.

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  • 2 months later...
gatlinburg

gatlinburg

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we are loyal to Royal, but could not pass up the incredible offer to do a Western Med Cruise on MSC Meraviglia next April. *kids sail free, and BOGO offer as well. Happy to hear you liked your Divinia cruise. We booked a *fantastica level Balcony room, and this includes 12 free drinks for each of us in the Cabin. Kids get 12 drinks as well, but non-alcoholic. :cool:

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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Spurschick

Spurschick

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Really would love to try MSC next year, suite perks look better than RCCL, did a old MSC ship 10 or so years ago and loved the food

We booked Royal Yacht Club suite for less than we were paying on Liberty. The suite perks and getting status match to Black Card status made it a no brainer. The only RC ships that have real benefits for suites are Oasis and Quantum Class. The other class ships leave little to be desired when it comes to suite perks. We are also looking forward to trying their suite exclusive area on their private island.

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little britain "Live from...." Rare

little britain

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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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Karter

Karter

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Everybody of course has their own opinions but for us there is no comparison Royal far exceeds MSC in almost every way. In all fairness we are D+ on Royal and only tried MSC once but for us once was enough. The one on positive for the MSC Divina was that the stairway in the main atrium was beautiful with the glass and lights after that it went downhill quick. Except for cruises we work on we have never lost weight on a cruise but this cruise was the exception. We could not not find anything to eat even the pizza was not that great and we are not picky eaters. We even like the pizza on Royal. There was very little that stood out on that ship where we said wow that was nice and different. We have been on Royal, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, Princess and Holland and in comparison MSC would be dead last for us. I keep getting tempted by the price but then I remember our experience and move on to other cruise lines.

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LMaxwell Great Review Rare

LMaxwell

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Everybody of course has their own opinions but for us there is no comparison Royal far exceeds MSC in almost every way. In all fairness we are D+ on Royal and only tried MSC once but for us once was enough. The one on positive for the MSC Divina was that the stairway in the main atrium was beautiful with the glass and lights after that it went downhill quick. Except for cruises we work on we have never lost weight on a cruise but this cruise was the exception. We could not not find anything to eat even the pizza was not that great and we are not picky eaters. We even like the pizza on Royal. There was very little that stood out on that ship where we said wow that was nice and different. We have been on Royal, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, Princess and Holland and in comparison MSC would be dead last for us. I keep getting tempted by the price but then I remember our experience and move on to other cruise lines.

 

Wasn't your experience based on a charter?

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Tapi Great Review Rare

Tapi

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We could not not find anything to eat even the pizza was not that great and we are not picky eaters. We even like the pizza on Royal.

 

 

Interesting that you say that. After reading tons of reviews and listening to countless comments, If there's one thing that there seems to be a consensus on is that the pizza on MSC is excellent and far superior to what other cruise lines serve. I agree, and I didn't even try the upgraded pizza for an extra fee which a lot of people raved about! I just couldn't get myself to pay extra for pizza when the free one was already so good.

 

In comparison, the pizza at Sorento's on Royal tastes like something out of a cheap cardboard box purchased at the supermarket. But to each his own. I understand that taste is highly subjective.

 

 

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