Harmony of the Seas will have some new competition

[graphicguy]

The way they run their cruise line...

 

We were actually considering 2 different cruises they offered...until...we spoke to 4 different friends - all who tried them separately and shared how awful the service and food was...and their cabins are already tight...we prefer not to be sardine passengers thank you. If we wanted that kind of overall cruise experience...we'd sail Carnival.

 

Really? My one and only MSC cruise (Divina) ranks as one of the best cruises I've ever taken. Service was outstanding. Food was great! The ship is absolutely gorgeous. I liked it so much, I'm taking another one this Fall on the MSC Meriviglia

[jacksonx]

Really? My one and only MSC cruise (Divina) ranks as one of the best cruises I've ever taken. Service was outstanding. Food was great! The ship is absolutely gorgeous. I liked it so much, I'm taking another one this Fall on the MSC Meriviglia

 

We just did the MSC Divina (Yacht Club)

My goodness, what a wonderful time! We were spoiled beyond our wildest dreams.

We are looking to take the Harmony of the Seas, if only because it seems like our kids would love it (Trolls/Dreamworks etc...) Unfortunately, it looks like the cheapest cabin on the Harmony is far more expensive than the Yacht Club on MSC (which includes buttler, unlimited drinks, your own pool and hottubs, escort onto the ship, etc...)

[deliver42]

The Yacht Club experience is second to none of the mass market lines. I can't speak to the super premium lines.

[Ocean Boy]

A lot of people might call this concept ugly, but I'm curious about what's inside that lead up to it looking the way it does on the outside? But, right off the bat, I would have to take off points for this concept not having any balconies.

Did you have anyone in particular in mind when you wrote that?;):D

[BNBR]

I don't quite get why people trying to come up with new designs think that creating something that looks like anything but a ship is the way to go. I still like being on a ship that looks like a ship. If the actual build looks anything like that concept picture I wouldn't be likely to want to book it no matter what they put inside of it.

 

Ships used to look like they Mayflower... then they looked like the Titanic... then the Norway... Maybe you should specifically define the era of "ship" that you think looks "like a ship"... 1995 - 2017?

[Ocean Boy]

Cut your post just to save space...

 

I agree with what you had to say. I very much like the modern innovations that are appearing. I just prefer a ship that looks more like a ship on the outside. It isn't much different from when I buy a car. I love the latest gadgets but they have to be packaged inside of a car that I find visually appealing or I'm not buying.

 

As a kid I had a keen interest in the classic liners of the old Italian line. There wasn't much inside of them that would appeal to me to want to take a vacation on one these days but the packaging sure was beautiful.

 

Ships used to look like they Mayflower... then they looked like the Titanic... then the Norway... Maybe you should specifically define the era of "ship" that you think looks "like a ship"... 1995 - 2017?

Ok, the Italian liners of the 50's and 60's. In particular the Rex (1930's), Andrea Doria and her sister the Cristoforo Columbo, Leonardo DiVinci (the replacement for the lost Doria), and the twin Michelangelo and Raffaello. The two big queens of the Cunard line... Mary and Elizabeth. And of course, the United States was magnificent.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Ocean Boy

[GuavaTechAngels]

Ok, the Italian liners of the 50's and 60's. In particular the Rex (1930's)

 

Had to look that up: http://cruiselinehistory.com/the-other-ss-rex-a-gambling-ship-off-santa-monica-california-in-the-1930s-and-early-1940s/

 

#nostalgiaBrag be damned I, for one, am glad that ship building has progressed beyond that for sure!

[Ocean Boy]

Had to look that up: http://cruiselinehistory.com/the-other-ss-rex-a-gambling-ship-off-santa-monica-california-in-the-1930s-and-early-1940s/

 

#nostalgiaBrag be damned I, for one, am glad that ship building has progressed beyond that for sure!

What are you talking about. The picture of that second Rex from Los Angeles is stunning!:eek: An further down the Tango and Lux are quite spectacular also.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Ocean Boy

[peteukmcr]

I can say this much, my next RCI experience ought to be tip top if they are to win back a larger share of my business from MSC. My last two MSC cruises had both good food and good service, no issues there. I often wonder what people were expecting when they come back and say they had bad service. Did they expect crew to pretend to be their new best friend (as you find on many lines that base sailings from the US) or did they want actual prompt, polite, and effective service (what I have had on MSC without the fake best friend schtick).

 

Unfortunately, some on this forum, and this goes for any brand, are such devout loyalists that they will not step out of their comfort zone and try something different. I say unfortunately because they miss out on new experiences that way.

 

You can continue to listen to opinions of those who you trust and value, or you can find out for yourself. MSC is, I believe, unfairly maligned on these forums, as if it angers some to believe there is a cruise line comparable to RCI or Princess at much lower cost; that their decisions on spending money can not possibly be fallible.

 

Try it, you'd probably like it. Do a little research on the company and you'll find out why there is a near zero chance that they would be gone in 5 years. They have got money to burn and money to spare.

I agree 100%. After 2 MSC sailings which were booked due to becoming tired with RCI's downward spiral in food quality and price hikes for beverages and speciality restaurants, our upcoming Oasis better be good.

 

As for small cabins, ours on Splendida and Fantasia were amongst the largest standard balcony cabins we've had, definitely bigger than Allure and even Celebrity Reflection we've just sailed on.

 

There are plus and minus points on all lines, but to judge a line on chatter, is not a good idea.

[Ocean Boy]

I keep toying with the possibility of booking MSC because I think it would be fun to be on a ship with an Italian speaking crew as well as other things that I have read here. And RCI's pricing games are getting to be more than a bit annoying.

[Clarea]

I keep toying with the possibility of booking MSC because I think it would be fun to be on a ship with an Italian speaking crew as well as other things that I have read here. And RCI's pricing games are getting to be more than a bit annoying.

I have even stronger feelings about trying MSC and can pretty much guarantee that it will happen in the near future.

 

 

More annoying than the pricing games are the constant, in your face, upselling, especially on the first day. Who knows, maybe they do the same thing on MSC.