Pirate Jumps Ship! A Live Carnival Vs. MSC Comparison 8/20/23 - 8/27/23

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

...

The elevator system onboard sucks. They take forever, and although supposedly my fancy YC status is supposed to override them/take priority, but I’ve get to figure that out. Other YC guests have said the same thing. 

 

I was really impressed with the priority YC elevators (w/wristband). There are times where you'd have to request it twice (with it saying something like "not available" or such initially), but then you'd have an elevator arrive within a minute or less and take you directly to your destination floor (non-stop, and your "private" elevator most of the time).

 

Tom

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I was really impressed with the priority YC elevators (w/wristband). There are times where you'd have to request it twice (with it saying something like "not available" or such initially), but then you'd have an elevator arrive within a minute or less and take you directly to your destination floor (non-stop, and your "private" elevator most of the time).

 

Tom

I’ve yet to have that luck…tried 2-3, sometimes 4 times, and it never works. Tried with the wristband and the card…nothing worked. Others in YC were complaining too, and we even had a butler look at it and it wouldn’t work. I gave up on that perk. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

32 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

I’ve yet to have that luck…tried 2-3, sometimes 4 times, and it never works. Tried with the wristband and the card…nothing worked. Others in YC were complaining too, and we even had a butler look at it and it wouldn’t work. I gave up on that perk. 

 

Glitch in the matrix perhaps... or, we just got lucky !

 

Technology can be finicky stuff ...

 

Tom

[CruizinSusan70]

47 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

I’ve yet to have that luck…tried 2-3, sometimes 4 times, and it never works. Tried with the wristband and the card…nothing worked. Others in YC were complaining too, and we even had a butler look at it and it wouldn’t work. I gave up on that perk. 

The time we were on the Seaside back in January of 2018, we stayed in the YC in an inside cabin.  One time late at night we were going back to our cabin and I swiped the band.  Then a couple came into the elevator and they pushed the button for 12.  The elevator went to out deck first and the guy from 12 was livid.  As we exited, my DH said, sorry Yacht Club.  Would have loved to have heard the conversation between the couple on the way back down to 12.

[pirate4me2]

I miss the fact that Carnival doesn’t change time to match the ports they’re visiting, they just stay on homeport time (for the most part). We fell back an hour the day we headed to Mexico, then jumped foward an hour today. However, my phone has been very slow about making the changes, so I’m having to make a conscious effort as to what time it really is. I guess when I cruise MSC again, I need to invest in a cheap watch. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

28 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

I miss the fact that Carnival doesn’t change time to match the ports they’re visiting, they just stay on homeport time (for the most part). We fell back an hour the day we headed to Mexico, then jumped foward an hour today. However, my phone has been very slow about making the changes, so I’m having to make a conscious effort as to what time it really is. I guess when I cruise MSC again, I need to invest in a cheap watch. 

 

That says a lot. When you do sail with them again - could you see yourself staying in non-YC accommodations ?

 

Tom

[Enggrl]

On 8/14/2023 at 12:20 PM, pirate4me2 said:

Hello CC family!

 

I can’t believe I am typing this….I think my mental breakdown has reached a whole new level. That, or maybe my drinking did and I accidentally got on the wrong website.  I, a loyal Carnival cruiser, have done the unthinkable….I booked a cruise on a different cruise line. WHAT AM I THINKING????

 

I actually think this could be a good thing. I love Carnival, but after 25 cruises I am getting, how should I say this…not quite bored, but not as entertained/pleasantly surprised each day, as I originally was. I think I need to sprinkle in cruises on other lines here and there to keep the experience fresh. Chris (my hubby) has agreed, but unfortunately for him, he isn’t along on this trip…my dear Mom is. She had expressed an interest in trying MSC back in 2020, and we actually had a cruise booked with them for September of that year, butttttt we all know what happened to that. So, as I was planning our first post-Covid mother/daughter adventure, I said what the heck….and booked us in Yacht Club cabin aboard MSC Seaside for August 20, 2023. We love the Havana area on the Vista class ships, so I thought this could be a similar experience to that.

 

I won’t be doing a full on review of the vacation on this board, since this is the Carnival forum, BUT I wanted to do a live comparison of the 2 lines to help anyone else who has sailed Carnival that may be wanting to try MSC. Each evening (or maybe every few days or as something that warrants a post happens) I will post pros and cons of MSC compared to Carnival. If you want my full live review, I will be doing that on the MSC forum (can I get directions to there, please? J/k).

 

So, without further ado….let the craziness begin. I feel like a fish out of water, this is all new. Hopefully this is just what I need to make my heart fonder of my dear old Carnival!

I think I cruised on the same  Mardi Gras last year with you and that was the last Carnival cruise for us. We jumped to Celebrity, have done one and have two more booked, one of which is in two weeks. I wish we had done this years ago. The staff, food, ship and basically everything else is so much better. We might cruise with Carnival once in a blue moon if the price is right and it’s an itinerary we want but we are basically done with Carnival. Our last cruise was not great, the food was average, too much fast food. The staff are overworked and the cruisers are getting out of control. Eg. Smoking, pot, fights and just plain rude behaviour.

[pirate4me2]

6 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

That says a lot. When you do sail with them again - could you see yourself staying in non-YC accommodations ?

 

Tom

No…I will admit to that! I’m too spoiled now, and after wandering thru the “general population” buffet, the food there was lacking. I really enjoyed the private lounge to get away to if I wanted a quiet area out of the room, and the private pool deck. i

didnt mind venturing out into the rest of the ship, but having “my” area to go back to

was Nice. 
 

3 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

I think I cruised on the same  Mardi Gras last year with you and that was the last Carnival cruise for us. We jumped to Celebrity, have done one and have two more booked, one of which is in two weeks. I wish we had done this years ago. The staff, food, ship and basically everything else is so much better. We might cruise with Carnival once in a blue moon if the price is right and it’s an itinerary we want but we are basically done with Carnival. Our last cruise was not great, the food was average, too much fast food. The staff are overworked and the cruisers are getting out of control. Eg. Smoking, pot, fights and just plain rude behaviour.

I think I remember seeing your name on the roll call group for that sailing. We have friends that rave about Celebrity! 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

No…I will admit to that! I’m too spoiled now, and after wandering thru the “general population” buffet, the food there was lacking....

 

Yep. If it came down to MSC vs. Carnival (non suites, both) I'd probably opt for Carnival - with some exceptions/reservations.

 

Tom

[MadManOfBethesda]

4 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

I miss the fact that Carnival doesn’t change time to match the ports they’re visiting, they just stay on homeport time (for the most part). We fell back an hour the day we headed to Mexico, then jumped foward an hour today. However, my phone has been very slow about making the changes, so I’m having to make a conscious effort as to what time it really is. I guess when I cruise MSC again, I need to invest in a cheap watch. 

Wouldn't it be simpler just to go into your settings and manually make the adjustments? It should take no more than 5-10 seconds each time there is a time change.

[broberts]

19 minutes ago, MadManOfBethesda said:

Wouldn't it be simpler just to go into your settings and manually make the adjustments? It should take no more than 5-10 seconds each time there is a time change.

 

As long as one remembers to do so. No fiddling when a watch is worn.

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

That says a lot. When you do sail with them again - could you see yourself staying in non-YC accommodations ?

 

Tom

We sure couldn't and because of the major price increase in the past 5 years with YC accommodations, MSC is now in our rear view mirror.  Princess at this point is our main cruise line and we're really looking forward to the Sphere Class ships (Sun & Star).  They are based on the same platform as the Excel Class, yet will have 2000 less people on board.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

We sure couldn't and because of the major price increase in the past 5 years with YC accommodations, MSC is now in our rear view mirror.  Princess at this point is our main cruise line and we're really looking forward to the Sphere Class ships (Sun & Star).  They are based on the same platform as the Excel Class, yet will have 2000 less people on board.

A few weeks ago I priced out a cruise over Thanksgiving on the Seashore and it would be a little over $5,000 for 6 nights. To have Wi-Fi, drinks, a private sun deck,  lounge and restaurant. Seemed a great value!

[pirate4me2]

3 hours ago, MadManOfBethesda said:

Wouldn't it be simpler just to go into your settings and manually make the adjustments? It should take no more than 5-10 seconds each time there is a time change.

I think a simple watch (I found one on Amazon for $17) that I can manually adjust in 5-10 seconds is easier than adjusting (and remembering to RE-adjust) my phone. 
 

2 hours ago, broberts said:

 

As long as one remembers to do so. No fiddling when a watch is worn.

exactly! 

[MadManOfBethesda]

1 minute ago, pirate4me2 said:

I think a simple watch (I found one on Amazon for $17) that I can manually adjust in 5-10 seconds is easier than adjusting (and remembering to RE-adjust) my phone. 

Umm, you have to remember to RE-adjust a watch as well. But whatever floats your boat....

[ninjacat123]

37 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

I think a simple watch (I found one on Amazon for $17) that I can manually adjust in 5-10 seconds is easier than adjusting (and remembering to RE-adjust) my phone. 
 

exactly! 

I would wear a Target watch that always had "ship time" on it, regardless of the local time.  Then I lost the watch snorkeling.  Some smarty pants dolphin is keeping time with my watch😉

[CruizinSusan70]

26 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

I would wear a Target watch that always had "ship time" on it, regardless of the local time.  Then I lost the watch snorkeling.  Some smarty pants dolphin is keeping time with my watch😉

I doubt it, some smart a*s barracuda probably stole it from him.

[jimbob22]

this has been interesting.  We live in Atlanta, and we're not sure what we're doing over Thanksgiving (latest plan might actually be a land-tour in Central America), but we were agonizing over deciding on: Spirit out of Mobile (an easy drive we can do morning of embarkation), or Seashore out of Canaveral (one night hotel stay, a considerably longer drive, and there's always awful traffic heading back north, south of Atlanta).

 

We've done several Carnivals, not done MSC.  The rest of my family nags about wanting to do MSC, but all I come away with is, (if sailing in gen-pop), the best things about MSC are that the ships are really shiny and new, and they have crystal staircases.  And I don't care about any of this.  None of this affects the quality of my cruise.

 

I've seen multiple posts about sporadic long lines for some things: embarkation, getting back on the ship at port, disembarkation, getting into the mdr for dinner, customer service to fix things like getting a dining time you did not request.

 

The buffet looks 'ok'--but not as wide of a selection as Hal/Princess/Celebrity.  And crowds are not spread out by having separate food venues out by the pool as every other cruise line does.

 

Others have said that the MSC shows are similar to Carnival's playlist shows.

 

Some have said that the msc buffet does not change drastically from one day to the next.  We just did Caribbean Princess and the buffet had a really good selection every day, and the variation from one day to the next was very good.  

 

MSC does seem good if you are really into the 'white party' and similar group dancing/party type things.  We aren't 'fun' people like that so that too doesn't matter to me.  I was curious about the tv in the cabins, but someone posted that it has good on-demand movies--and they're around $10 each.  It seems like almost everything is an upcharge.  

 

So I'm the only one in my family that values an awesome buffet over crystal staircases. Is that wrong?!?  

 

Keep the observations coming--but as others have said, since you're in YC, it's not really like a standard Carnival sailing.  

Edited August 27, 2023 by jimbob22

[pirate4me2]

8 hours ago, jimbob22 said:

this has been interesting.  We live in Atlanta, and we're not sure what we're doing over Thanksgiving (latest plan might actually be a land-tour in Central America), but we were agonizing over deciding on: Spirit out of Mobile (an easy drive we can do morning of embarkation), or Seashore out of Canaveral (one night hotel stay, a considerably longer drive, and there's always awful traffic heading back north, south of Atlanta).

 

We've done several Carnivals, not done MSC.  The rest of my family nags about wanting to do MSC, but all I come away with is, (if sailing in gen-pop), the best things about MSC are that the ships are really shiny and new, and they have crystal staircases.  And I don't care about any of this.  None of this affects the quality of my cruise.

 

I've seen multiple posts about sporadic long lines for some things: embarkation, getting back on the ship at port, disembarkation, getting into the mdr for dinner, customer service to fix things like getting a dining time you did not request.

 

The buffet looks 'ok'--but not as wide of a selection as Hal/Princess/Celebrity.  And crowds are not spread out by having separate food venues out by the pool as every other cruise line does.

 

Others have said that the MSC shows are similar to Carnival's playlist shows.

 

Some have said that the msc buffet does not change drastically from one day to the next.  We just did Caribbean Princess and the buffet had a really good selection every day, and the variation from one day to the next was very good.  

 

MSC does seem good if you are really into the 'white party' and similar group dancing/party type things.  We aren't 'fun' people like that so that too doesn't matter to me.  I was curious about the tv in the cabins, but someone posted that it has good on-demand movies--and they're around $10 each.  It seems like almost everything is an upcharge.  

 

So I'm the only one in my family that values an awesome buffet over crystal staircases. Is that wrong?!?  

 

Keep the observations coming--but as others have said, since you're in YC, it's not really like a standard Carnival sailing.  

Jimbo, I’ll leave it at this: I’ve ventured into “gen pop” daily for different things….and when I sail MSC again, it won’t be in that area. Buffet looked less than stellar, and I heard people saying the MDR food wasn’t very good. I can’t comment on theater lines since we were YC, but personally I hate having to make reservations for things ahead of time, which I heard general population needed to do for them. I never witnessed lines at bars/other venues tho. Getting back onboard from ports was a mess. 
 

I am not going to comment on disembarking this morning, as I realize this isn’t a normal one for MSC. I’m currently waiting in the lounge as we sail into port. 
 

I will sail MSC again (actually already have one booked for Chris to try next year), so

overall, I think this was a good venture away from “home”….but I will say, I’m looking forward to getting back on a Funship in a few weeks! 

[CruizinSusan70]

8 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

 Getting back onboard from ports was a mess. 

Surprised to hear that.  The lone time we were in the YC back in 2018 on the Seaside there were YC butlers with signs that escorted YC clients back onto the ship and we totally avoided the massively slow lines to get back onboard.

[Drew B 58]

On 8/25/2023 at 1:19 PM, pirate4me2 said:One last positive, I love their “do not disturb” system onboard. instead of snoozin/cruisin’ signs to hang on the door, your key card inserted into the light slot next to your cabin door activates the system here. When your card is inserted, a small red light is outside your cabin, letting the attendant know you’re inside. When you take the card out, the light turns green, letting the attendant know you’re out and they can clean. Pretty nifty! 

 

 

So does that mean if you want to have your cabin serviced, you take the card out, but that means your cabin has no power, meaning no device charging?  And if you want to charge your device(s), you have to leave your card IN, which means no cabin service?  

I don’t think I’d like that…

[Essiesmom]

In the regular cabins there are buttons above the card slot where you can request Do Not Disturb, and Service Cabin.  EM

[ray98]

On 8/21/2023 at 10:23 PM, pirate4me2 said:

Last comparison for today, and it’s a biggie…has to do with FOOD. 

Mom and I didn’t really want to dress to Yacht Club standards for dinner after our day on the island, so we wandered down to “gen-pop” to check the buffet offerings on deck 8. We made a few rounds and picked up a few things to try…and promptly proceeded back to the room to freshen up for YC dinner. I was so disappointed in MSC’s main dining buffet. Carnival always has a wonderful salad bar, and MSC’s was about half the size and just not as diverse in ingredients offered. I also love Carnival’s deli, and the “sandwich” station here had tuna salad, egg salad, or chicken salad to offer. I would have loved a Carnival caprese sandwich tonight! The pizza was good, I absolutely loved the flavor of the sauce, and the cheeses on the meat & cheese board were good, but overall I CAN see why people may complain about the food on MSC if this was all they experienced. Carnival definitely wins the food war as far as buffets go. 
 

I DO like how MSC has their buffet set up though! They had multiple stations all around, with 2-3 offering the same things, so you do not have to wait in a line like on some Carnival ships. That was a nice touch. 

 We had a similar experience with the buffet.  We were on Seaside in May, the MDR service was horrendous with a minimum 2 hour service so we decided to try the buffet.  It was a huge disappointment.  If you went the first night you would know exactly what would be served the rest of the week.  The dishes simply had no imagination and they were unable to maintain any sort of proper service temps.  Everything was cold and the few meats they had were dry.  

 

One thing I can count on with Carnival is on the dinner buffet they will have some selections that are also being served in the MDR that evening.  MSC does not follow that thought process.  I am not a picky eater at all and I left there less than satisfied every night, one night I swear the best thing was the chicken nuggets.  It was something I had never experienced on any other cruise line.

[pirate4me2]

12 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

So does that mean if you want to have your cabin serviced, you take the card out, but that means your cabin has no power, meaning no device charging?  And if you want to charge your device(s), you have to leave your card IN, which means no cabin service?  

I don’t think I’d like that…

Yes, this was one thing that drove mom crazy was the inability to charge when we left the room. 
 

57 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

In the regular cabins there are buttons above the card slot where you can request Do Not Disturb, and Service Cabin.  EM

We had these as well, but didn’t know if we would get lectured about leaving a card in and charging things when we left the cabin. 
 

11 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 We had a similar experience with the buffet.  We were on Seaside in May, the MDR service was horrendous with a minimum 2 hour service so we decided to try the buffet.  It was a huge disappointment.  If you went the first night you would know exactly what would be served the rest of the week.  The dishes simply had no imagination and they were unable to maintain any sort of proper service temps.  Everything was cold and the few meats they had were dry.  

 

One thing I can count on with Carnival is on the dinner buffet they will have some selections that are also being served in the MDR that evening.  MSC does not follow that thought process.  I am not a picky eater at all and I left there less than satisfied every night, one night I swear the best thing was the chicken nuggets.  It was something I had never experienced on any other cruise line.

Carnival definitely has a good buffet, and other complimentary options (Guys burgers, deli, Shaq’s, etc) compared to this past week. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, pirate4me2 said:

Yes, this was one thing that drove mom crazy was the inability to charge when we left the room. 
 

We had these as well, but didn’t know if we would get lectured about leaving a card in and charging things when we left the cabin. 
 

Carnival definitely has a good buffet, and other complimentary options (Guys burgers, deli, Shaq’s, etc) compared to this past week. 

Couldn’t you leave your card in the slot while you were out since you had the wristbands and told your butler they could make up the room?