From Princess to MSC

[windsurferfirst]

I have an option for MSC Seashore for April 2022. I have only ever sailed on Princess and a little nervous to cruise a different line. The option is for a suite with whirlpool on deck 9. 

If anyone else has made this kind of change can you please enlighten/calm me about such a change.

 

TIA 

[shipgeeks]

We've done most of our cruises on RC and X; one on Princess.  We tried MSC a year ago, liked it better than any of the others.

Any particular concerns?

[sidari]

Sailed Princess, Royal, NCL, Costa and 10 with MSC so far with Seashore booked. Sail MSC with an open mind and try not to compare it to Princess, both are different.

[shipgeeks]

I agree, it is different; that's one of the main things we liked!  Our cruises had become very "comfortable", almost like a vacation home in many respects.  

Do you have a loyalty level with Princess?  If so, it's worth applying for MSC Status Match.

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

a little nervous to cruise a different line.

 

OP,

 

As you can tell by my signature, I have sailed on a variety of cruise lines.  While I am most partial to HAL, I wanted to try something "different" and maybe even out of my "comfort zone".  That's one reason I booked Meraviglia for January, 2020.  No "discomfort" whatsoever as far as the cruising experience was concerned.  Yes, there were differences between the HAL and the Princess cruise products experiences, but all that I encountered were positive.  I am glad that I tried something "new", at least for me.  If I am able to cruise again, MSC will be on my radar.  

 

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Do you have a loyalty level with Princess?  If so, it's worth applying for MSC Status Match.

 

This is good advice and since, OP, you have sailed on Princess, you ought to have some kind of loyalty status with them.  Check it out!

[windsurferfirst]

15 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We've done most of our cruises on RC and X; one on Princess.  We tried MSC a year ago, liked it better than any of the others.

Any particular concerns?

I think it's because I will be out of my comfort zone. I know what I get with Princess so there is no worries around booking. I am familiar with the ships layout, staterooms, dining rooms etc.

Thanks for you reply.

[windsurferfirst]

14 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I agree, it is different; that's one of the main things we liked!  Our cruises had become very "comfortable", almost like a vacation home in many respects.  

Do you have a loyalty level with Princess?  If so, it's worth applying for MSC Status Match.

I do have a loyalty level with Princess. The MSC rep explained that I will get the price discounted once they have proof of my Princess level.

[hamrag]

18 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

I have an option for MSC Seashore for April 2022. I have only ever sailed on Princess and a little nervous to cruise a different line. The option is for a suite with whirlpool on deck 9. 

If anyone else has made this kind of change can you please enlighten/calm me about such a change.

 

TIA 

 

We have 47 cruises sailed, across 15 different cruiselines including Princess and MSC (Yacht Club).We thought Princess was way overrated and haven't sailed with them in the last 5 years.

 

On that basis, on our experience with Princess, MSC Yacht Club is waaaaaaay ahead. I would recommend you try Yacht Club, rather than the suite on Deck 9, you will not be disappointed! 

[emmas gran]

30 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

On that basis, on our experience with Princess, MSC Yacht Club is waaaaaaay ahead. I would recommend you try Yacht Club, rather than the suite on Deck 9, you will not be disappointed! 

Totally agree --you haven't said where you are cruising but I would try YC if you are able

[capriccio]

We are elite on Princess (booking mini-suites and the occasional full suite) and took our first MSC cruise in January 2020 on the Meraviglia.  My initial experience with the website almost turned me off completely (Princess as an informative and easy to use website; MSC does not).  When I asked my longtime TA about making a reservation for the Yacht Club she commented that she was sure we would like the YC but couldn't recommend any other cabins (she has sailed on MSC) to us.  She was right; we loved the YC but the rest of the ship seemed extremely crowded (and loud) in the evenings and on sea days and I'm not sure I would have ever figured out the perks attached to each 'experience.'

 

Some day post-Covid we hope to sail on another MSC ship in the YC.

Edited January 26, 2021 by capriccio

[windsurferfirst]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

We are elite on Princess (booking mini-suites and the occasional full suite) and took our first MSC cruise in January 2020 on the Meraviglia.  My initial experience with the website almost turned me off completely (Princess as an informative and easy to use website; MSC does not).  When I asked my longtime TA about making a reservation for the Yacht Club she commented that she was sure we would like the YC but couldn't recommend any other cabins (she has sailed on MSC) to us.  She was right; we loved the YC but the rest of the ship seemed extremely crowded (and loud) in the evenings and on sea days and I'm not sure I would have ever figured out the perks attached to each 'experience.'

 

Some day post-Covid we hope to sail on another MSC ship in the YC.

I agree with you about the website. It is so lacking compared to Princess. To be honest I am only going along with this cruise because it is something my granddaughters want to do.

[windsurferfirst]

4 hours ago, emmas gran said:

Totally agree --you haven't said where you are cruising but I would try YC if you are able

The cruise we have now booked is San Juan - Puerto Plato - St Thomas - and the MSC Island Ocean Cay I think its called. 

I am now wondering if we could change the booking without cost to YC. 

[hamrag]

47 minutes ago, windsurferfirst said:

The cruise we have now booked is San Juan - Puerto Plato - St Thomas - and the MSC Island Ocean Cay I think its called. 

I am now wondering if we could change the booking without cost to YC. 

You should be able to do so, other than any price differential, and I thoroughly recommend that course of action!

[drsel]

MSc Yacht club is way better than Norwegian haven, Celebrity suites, Royals owners suite, etc

The best ship within a ship concept among all Cruise lines.

Reasonable prices also

[Nashna]

I have sailed on Princess, Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, Carnival, Regent and 8 others.  We were tired of the towel games played in the pool areas, tired of the rush to get a seat in the theatre, tired of long lines at open seating dining and tired of not feeling like a honored guest.  While on a HAL shore excursion, we met a couple who raved about MSC and the Yacht Club experience.  The very next day while chatting about the lack of deck chairs, a very nice lady told me that she missed the pampering she had received by the butlers in the YC.  Three months later, I booked an 11-night cruise on The Divinia in the YC. We decided to do a B2B, but YC was sold out so we booked a lovely 2-room suite in Aurea Class.  That class featured anytime dining in a special area, a spa treatment, use of the spa and use of a private sun deck.  The Aurea suite was huge.  The YC Deluxe suites are comperable to a mini suite on Princess.  Fortunately, the Aurea experience was prior to our arrival in the YC.  We went from a very nice experience to a WOW in the time it took us to be escorted to the Yacht Club by the Butler.  There are no words to describe the difference.  One example...our drinks had just been delivered in the YC lounge, when we decided to go back to our room to see the sailaway.  I picked up my glass of wine to bring it back to our stateroom when a butler spied me, rushed over and insisted on bringing the glass to our room.  He quickly picked up a bottle of the same wine and delivered the glass and bottle to our room.  We were supposed to be on the Meraviglia this week.  We have rebooked the voyage for September.  Hope we get to go.

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, capriccio said:

we loved the YC but the rest of the ship seemed extremely crowded (and loud) in the evenings and on sea days and I'm not sure I would have ever figured out the perks attached to each 'experience.'

 

Agree that the public rooms/foyer just aft of the Main Theater (on Meraviglia--my experience) after a show ends is bedlam and very crowded.  Was even difficult to use the priority use of the elevators to YC.  But, at other times, at sea or in port, I did not find the ship to be too crowded.  Always found a table around the mid-ships pool for a slice of pizza from the nearby pizzeria or a stool at the bar forward of the mid-ships pool.  I rather enjoyed watching some of the games held on the stage by that pool.  

 

Agree that the different "levels of experiences" could be daunting to a newbie to MSC.

 

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

 The YC Deluxe suites are comperable to a mini suite on Princess. 

 

I have had two mini-suites on Princess:  one on Coral and one on the newest Royal Princess.  My YC suite was larger than either of the Princess' minis.  

[Nashna]

23 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

 

I have had two mini-suites on Princess:  one on Coral and one on the newest Royal Princess.  My YC suite was larger than either of the Princess' minis.  

I typically go for the larger mini-suites.  I am sailing in M108 in January on the Enchanted Princess and have found that club class mini is the best deal going.  The stateroom is the size of two rooms and features a picture window in the front and sliders on the side.   

[Stockjock]

My GF and I have sailed on Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, MSC, RCCL, Norwegian, even Pullmantur and so far our favorite is MSC.

I definitely agree with the person who said not to compare with Princess, as it is definitely different.

With MSC, I find that, generally, you get a great value.  I have an 11 night European cruise booked (fingers crossed) that is about half the price of a 10 night on Celebrity, and yes both include drinks and such.

In my experience, MSC makes more mistakes before the cruise and is slower to correct them, if ever.  So once your reservation looks the way that you want it to, try not to call and have them modify a thing.  Also, do check your reservation periodically, as they can be quite poor of informing you of some important changes.

But...the newer ships are gorgeous, the entertainment is good, the food is good enough at a minimum, and the value is outstanding, in my view.  I also like a bit of an international vibe, but I understand that some might not prefer that.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Stockjock

[eagletwo]

Our March 2020 sailing on the Meraviglia YC was one of our best cruises ever.  We have sailed on Princess in inside cabins, mini-suites, full suites and Owners Suites.  The Butler service on MSC was awesome from check-in, to the YC area on board. The Concierge desk would handle onboard reservation for dinning or shore excursions to airline flight changes. YC drinks were included including all over the ship.  Food in the YC was good to excellent as was the service. We enjoyed being escorted to the Cirque du Soleil and seated in the front row. Escorted off the ship at every port for excursions.  Ocean Cay was the best private island with the YC experience. Golf cart to and from the YC Club House, good food and drinks.  Your ship Butlers also work the YC Club area on the island.  Just wish the private beach would have a better sand base instead of the hard rock/sand combination they dredged from the surrounding area. 

 

We love Princess, but for the price of a full suite vs MSC YC, Princess needs to up their game a bit.  We do have a cruise booked on the Enchanted Princess for 2021 in Club Class.  Still love Princess.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, eagletwo said:

Our March 2020 sailing on the Meraviglia YC

 

Lucky you!  You must have been on one of her final cruises before cruising shut down.

 

Was Arthur and Luis still the Maitre d's in the YC Restaurant?  Great and friendly service from both gentlemen.  Watching Arthur "do his thing" during dinner was an entertainment delight for me.  He seemed to really love his job!

[eagletwo]

24 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Lucky you!  You must have been on one of her final cruises before cruising shut down.

 

Was Arthur and Luis still the Maitre d's in the YC Restaurant?  Great and friendly service from both gentlemen.  Watching Arthur "do his thing" during dinner was an entertainment delight for me.  He seemed to really love his job!

Yes, we were on the last sailing, docked on March 15th.  Arthur was so awesome! You are right, watching Arthur during service was a delight. He treated everyone in the dinning room as if they were his only customer and his staff was also top notch!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, eagletwo said:

watching Arthur during service was a delight.

 

One of my favorite memories of my cruise was one evening when a good sized family with a couple of children were seated near my table.  I was able to observe that table easily.  The children were of early to mid elementary age.  They obviously had been well trained as to their behavior in such a restaurant.  Arthur doted on them!  As did the Stewards for that table.  The service that I witnessed was "the best of the best" and, I would imagine, might make quite an impression on those two young cruisers.

 

Maybe they will be future members of Cruise Critic?