MSC vs Carnival or RCI

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Totally agree with you!!! Sad when cruise lines get bashed. Good and bad things happen on all lines......

 

 

 

quote=finzup-kt;54519338]I've done 5 carnival cruises and honestly never seen any of that. I have seen lots of people enjoying themselves and having fun.

Not saying it doesn't happen but tbh it can happen on any cruise line.

[BestNC Cruiser]

Thank goodness that we're booked in the YC in an inside cabin. The only positive non YC reviews I have read have been from Europeans that have sailed MSC previously and obviously are familiar with the nuances involved with the line.

Hopefully six months from now the crew will have their stuff together, but the fact that there are close to 5200 people possibly on the ship at high season isn't going to change the fact that the main showroom is supposedly too small and the MDR overflow situation is something that I have never heard of in any of the US based lines. Maybe TUI and AIDA do the same thing, don't know.

 

I have read more than a handful of positive reviews from non-YC USA based cruisers.

[CRAustin]

17 NCL cruises MSC Divina YC last July. This year MSC YC Seaside March. Ncl Escape APRIL AND Bliss June and back on MSC Seaside July. Love NCL and MSC still deciding how much I like it but like it enough to book again

 

 

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[Cafedumonde]

I believe it truly boils down to what someone likes and how much money they are willing to pay for it. I wouldn’t say that Disney (cruise line or parks) is a complete ripoff. Overpriced? Absolutely. But for people that enjoy what Disney has to offer, the premium paid is money well spent. Our friends, who encouraged us to finally give Disney a shot, vacation exclusively on anything Disney multiple times a year. Last year they went to the parks (and stayed on property) 2 times, took a Disney cruise, and went to Aulani. They easily spent over $20K on Disney vacations. For us, it’s insane that they do this. For them, what’s insane is that we had never taken a Disney vacation. We are happy with our choices, they are happy with theirs. Nobody is wrong.

 

 

 

Not a better experience, but one more aligned with the tastes of American cruisers. As far as a better deal, there are some insane deals to be had on MSC, but I believe that as their name becomes more recognizable in the USA, that may change. When we sailed on the Divina during the summer of 2016, we took advantage of a balcony 2 for the price of 1 promotion, kids sail free promotion, and loyalty match discount. By the time it was all said and done, the cost for our family of 4 in a Fantástica balcony, all taxes included was $1,285, for a summer cruise! It was impossible to pass up!

 

We also chose MSC for our next cruise in big part because of another deal hard to pass up. I had no intention to sail in the Mediterranean this year until I started pricing it out. Out of curiosity, I priced out their new Aurea Duplex Suites (equivalent to Royal’s Loft Suites on Oasis ships) and realized that we could have one of those for about half what we paid to sail on Disney in a standard balcony or about 1/4 the price of a loft suite on Royal in the Caribbean. I’m glad that MSC offered such a deal because it prompted us to up the ante, broaden our horizons, and head to a part of the world that I haven’t been to in many years.

 

 

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It sounds like you got an amazing deal on the Divina. You are right, "ripoff" is too stong a world and overpriced is more accurate. I also agree that everyone has different preferences. We are Disney nuts and have been on many DCL cruises but their prices have risen dramatically over the last 3 or so years. A cruise we took with DCL for just under $8000 3 years ago would now be $13000 for us. Same rooms, same cruise. When we finally tried other lines a few years ago, we were blown away. DCL cannot even compete with other lines with food, service is comparable, and well, price... no contest, DCL loses there too. We found out last summer that our kids prefer the Carnival kids club over any other line. We thought this was a riot. After all we spent on Mickey!! DCL is very nice, but IMHO the price premium does not reflect a real difference in quality but a difference in marketing. No one can compete with DCL in marketing.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Cafedumonde

[Cafedumonde]

I have not read all of the postings on this thread. However, when I read your posting as a quote I was very concerned about the comment you made about NCL and the last time you went on NCL. You stated that NCL has a lack of no-charge dining and the MDR food was basically the same all week. No flaming intended. Just asking.

When were you on NCL last?

What NCL ship were you on?

We have been on the NCL Escape last Nov 2017 and NCL has MDRs (3 in fact) that are no-charge. The food in these 3 MDRs were not the same all week. In fact, we rated NCL Escape as the best food when compared to RCI Harmony OTS and MSC Divina which we went on in Nov 2017 one right after the other like B2Bs.

 

We also were amazed by the food choices and quality on NCL and have not yet tried any of their upcharge restaurants. On our next cruise with them we have the free dining, so we will. My husband says NCL has the best food of any line he has tried (and brings it up a lot. Lol) One thing we found interesting is we usually end up buying a lot of coffee on cruise ships, but the "free" coffee is quite good on NCL and we realized the last day of our first cruise with them that we didn't even know where the coffee bar was! The atrium of course... we saw it when we went that last day to a cruise next presentation.

[Beamafar]

I do want to say though - from the videos on YouTube I get a bit of a feel of "airport terminal" in the YC lounge/restaurant area... in comparison to other MSC ships, especially.

I am not mistaken that the dining room is above the lounge but set back and with barely any window seats, correct? I find that strange.

Nobody mentioned in their reviews that it lacked comfort so it's probably just my impression from the videos - and either way, I am happy with my choice.

 

That was my impression, too, when I saw the videos. I can't imagine that the atmosphere in the Top Sail Lounge is very pleasant if there's the noise of cutlery, glasses, plates, etc being set and cleared from tables in the background. I would think that the deathly quiet from the restaurant area when it's not in use would also have an impact.

 

I agree with your assessment of the set-up being strange. However, I'm sure, and I hope, you'll enjoy your time in YC on Seaside. :)