Longtime NCL cruiser, first time MSC; any tips or things that I need to be aware of?

[Warm-Water Diver]

Many many cruises under NCL but we just booked a 4 night aboard the MSC Seashore sailing in November '23 because NCL's has reduced service and cut entertainment while raising costs to the point that it's just not a viable cruise choice for us anymore.

 

I've tried to read as much as possible about MSC but there's still a lot I just don't know. Wondering what the major differences are between NCL and MSC.

 

Any must have tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Essiesmom]

Depending on the experience you booked, you may have fixed dining, not freestyle.  Just read many threads here, even if they are not about Seashore.  The culture onboard will be the same…people dress just a little better in the evenings that, say, Carnival (no NCL experience).  The Gelato is divine.  Ocean Cay is not an amusement park.  Give us a little more info and we might have more suggestions.  EM

[JamieLogical]

I used to be a loyal NCL cruiser with my first nine cruises having been on NCL. My last two cruises were on MSC (lots of Celebrity, one NCL, and one Princess in the middle there) and I am trying to convince my parents, who have only sailed NCL to join me for an MSC cruise in April.

 

I'll go ahead and tell you some of the things I have warned my parents about. There is no Freestyle dining on MSC. Unless you have the Aurea or Yacht Club experiences booked, you will be assigned a dining time, room, and table for the duration of your cruise. This may or not be a table shared with other guests. If you have the Fantastica experience, you can set your dining time preference, but there are no guarantees that's the actual dining time you will get. There is also no included sit-down dining venue (like O'sheehan's/The Local) on MSC ships.

 

The dining packages work differently on MSC, if you decide to book one (they aren't included like with the NCL Free-at-sea). The dining packages on MSC only entitle you to options off of the "tastings menu" at a couple of the specialty restaurants or a limited menu at Teppanyaki. I can go into more detail about that if you care.

 

The website and online purchasing options pre-cruise leave a lot to be desired. Not that NCL was all that great either! You cannot make reservations for specialty dining or shows ahead of time through the website. You need to wait until you are onboard.

 

You will also likely have to wait until you are onboard to link a credit card to your onboard account. It's hit and miss if you will be able to do this through the website ahead of time. There are kiosks set up throughout the public areas of the ship that allow you do this.

 

There is little/no bar service available in the MDRs. Only wine is easily available if you are looking for alcohol to accompany your dinner. There are no drinks allowed in the main theater at all.

 

The main theater entertainment is different from NCL. They have a different show every night, which is nice, but the production value is lower.

 

Muster drill is handled differently than the e-muster on NCL. You will go back to your stateroom when it is time for muster. You watch a video on your stateroom TV. Once the video is over, a number will display on the screen for you to call from your stateroom phone. Once you have done that, you then need to go down to your muster station and have your keycard swiped. Until a sufficient number of people have swiped in at their muster station (I was told 75%) all bars and services onboard will be closed and most of the elevators will be deactivated.

 

Wifi packages are limited by device. If you get a one-device package, once you log into it on one device, that is it. You can't log out and then in on a different device. That one device is your one device for the duration of the cruise. However, unlike NCL's included wifi package, the time is unlimited, so you don't have to worry about logging out to save your minutes.

 

TV stations are s different selection. My dad is concerned about the lack of Fox News. I couldn't care less about watching TV on a cruise except for NFL football.

 

Now, that all sounds like a lot of negatives. But here is why I continue to sail on MSC versus NCL. Pricing is better, as you already pointed out. NCL has cut a lot of services that MSC still has like room service breakfast in Fantastica and above, nightly turndown service in all cabins, and late-night buffet. Also, MSC's included drink package (Easy Plus) is FAR superior to the included drink package with NCL's Free-at-sea. It covers a lot more alcoholic drinks, plus it includes espresso-based coffees from the bars (they all have espresso machines for lattes, cappuccinos, etc.) and bottled water.

 

Also, I prefer the food in the MSC MDRs. Some people might think it's too fancy or European or the portions are too small, but it suits my tastes. I also like that the buffet is open straight through from breakfast to lunch and that there are breakfast items still available at one station in the buffet at lunchtime in case it's more of a "brunch."

[Warm-Water Diver]

Thanks for all that info Jamielogical!  Forgot to say that I had them match my NCL status to MSC Gold. Doesn't look like I'll get much perks for that but glad they at least did the match.

We booked an inside "BELLA" experience so I believe that is the bottom tier. We did opt for the Easy Plus drink package and looking forward to using that.

 

I didn't book any dining packages yet and the website doesn't appear to be giving me the option to buy one at this point; maybe we are still too far out from cruise date (November 16th)? I did see that you can't customize the pics of the restaurants with the packages which I thought was a bit odd and restrictive. Website also says dining time has not been chosen; not sure if I have a say on that or not as the website doesn't give me any details on that either?

 

I watched some YOUTUBE videos regarding the shows and it appears that will be one of the big differences from NCL, but I won't let that ruin my cruise as long as the MDR/buffet food is comparable and I get my free cocktails!

[MsTabbyKats]

One major difference....the pizza is great!

 

I prefer MSC entertainment....more singing and dancing. None of those game shows...no comedians..

 

As far as the buffet ...I'm a big fan of the NCL buffet.  Last time we sailed non-yacht club on msc was 2019, and I didn't care for their buffet (except for pizza....which i had multiple times a day).

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

One major difference....the pizza is great!

 

I prefer MSC entertainment....more singing and dancing. None of those game shows...no comedians..

 

As far as the buffet ...I'm a big fan of the NCL buffet.  Last time we sailed non-yacht club on msc was 2019, and I didn't care for their buffet (except for pizza....which i had multiple times a day).

 

The pizza is definitely great!

[Essiesmom]

And at breakfast…the sticky buns.  EM

[JamieLogical]

22 hours ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

Thanks for all that info Jamielogical!  Forgot to say that I had them match my NCL status to MSC Gold. Doesn't look like I'll get much perks for that but glad they at least did the match.

We booked an inside "BELLA" experience so I believe that is the bottom tier. We did opt for the Easy Plus drink package and looking forward to using that.

 

I didn't book any dining packages yet and the website doesn't appear to be giving me the option to buy one at this point; maybe we are still too far out from cruise date (November 16th)? I did see that you can't customize the pics of the restaurants with the packages which I thought was a bit odd and restrictive. Website also says dining time has not been chosen; not sure if I have a say on that or not as the website doesn't give me any details on that either?

 

I watched some YOUTUBE videos regarding the shows and it appears that will be one of the big differences from NCL, but I won't let that ruin my cruise as long as the MDR/buffet food is comparable and I get my free cocktails!

 

It's my understanding that people with the Bella experience cannot book specialty dining packages in advance as that is a "perk" listed under the Fantastica experience:

 

 

As for the web site saying you haven't chosen a dining time, that is true for everyone. The web site is just broken. You should see your dining time preference listed on your eTicket. You won't find out your actual dining time until you check in and receive your keycard. Your dining time, room, and table will be printed on it.

[Até]

47 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

It's my understanding that people with the Bella experience cannot book specialty dining packages in advance as that is a "perk" listed under the Fantastica experience:

 

I have seen a few posts regarding no specialty restaurant packages for Bella but I just saw a friend's Bella booking where they are offered dining packages.

 

I think a bit of this confusion is caused by MSC not listing the packages at consistent times before sail date. 

[pirate4me2]

18 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

One major difference....the pizza is great!

 

I prefer MSC entertainment....more singing and dancing. None of those game shows...no comedians..

 

As far as the buffet ...I'm a big fan of the NCL buffet.  Last time we sailed non-yacht club on msc was 2019, and I didn't care for their buffet (except for pizza....which i had multiple times a day).

I agree here (although coming from Carnival, not NCL) that the buffet on MSC left a lot to be desired. I missed the salad bar, the msc one was pretty pitiful. 

[pirate4me2]

18 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

And at breakfast…the sticky buns.  EM

Yes! Those were SO YUMMY!!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 9/14/2023 at 3:16 PM, JamieLogical said:

late-night buffet.

I would have preferred late morning buffet. On sea days we may wake up around 9:30, when the buffet closes...

[JamieLogical]

11 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I would have preferred late morning buffet. On sea days we may wake up around 9:30, when the buffet closes...

 

They have that on MSC too! Buffet stays open from breakfast straight through to lunch and they even keep one station stocked with breakfast items during lunch.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

28 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

They have that on MSC too! Buffet stays open from breakfast straight through to lunch and they even keep one station stocked with breakfast items during lunch.

Really? That would be nice. I've seen dailies for Seascape, and it shows the buffet AND MDR closing at 9:30 am.

[Essiesmom]

The buffet only closes early on debarkation day, which may be a problem for consecutive cruisers who wish to sleep in.  Below are a daily from Seaside in August, and a debarkation day on same cruise.

 

 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Really? That would be nice. I've seen dailies for Seascape, and it shows the buffet AND MDR closing at 9:30 am.

 

On MSC? That was definitely not the case on the Meraviglia in April!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

On MSC? That was definitely not the case on the Meraviglia in April!

on Seascape in particular. I read all the threads/reviews about Seascape, and some of them have the daily program scans.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

on Seascape in particular. I read all the threads/reviews about Seascape, and some of them have the daily program scans.

 

I just checked the dailies for my Meraviglia sailings in April (did a semi-B2B for a total of 18 days onboard) and they all say that breakfast in the buffet was served until 10:30 and lunch began at 11:30, but I can say with 100% certainty that was not the actual case. Maybe they started shutting down breakfast stations at 10:30 for the changeover to lunch by 11:30, but one station in the back corner of the buffet stayed as a breakfast station straight through lunch, so there was definitely food available all the way through.

[CruisingWalter]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:47 PM, Warm-Water Diver said:

 

I've tried to read as much as possible about MSC but there's still a lot I just don't know. Wondering what the major differences are between NCL and MSC.

 

In some ways very similar, on other ways very different. 

 

Food: I'd say the MDR and Buffet on the MSC Seaside (that we sailed) was better than the NCL Escape and Getaway. For Specialty dining NCL is better overall. We had two great meals at the MSC Pan Asian Kitchen and Sushi, but the Teppenyaki was definitely better on NCL. Overall NCL has a better selection of specialty dining than MSC. I actually just posted a food review of the MSC Seaside that might be of interest. https://youtu.be/8DNLLqRyCiA

 

 

Bars: NCL wins that hands down. Much more consistent and better quality overall. 

 

Coffee: MSC wins this, especially the affogado in Venchi. Ridiculously good and only $7 each when we sailed.

 

Games / Trivia, etc: NCL does a better job of this. The Trivia onboard MSC was fine, but the hosts were, shall we say, flat compared to the energy of the NCL crew. 

 

Pools: MSC pools were amazing and most of them were 6 feet deep. We especially loved the Jungle Pool with the salt water and green tint. MSC pools were much better than NCL. 

 

Service and Cabins: About the same. We had a lovely balcony cabin on deck 15 of the Seaside and remarked just how smooth that ship was over our 7 day cruise. Barely felt any movement up there even at full sail. 

 

Entertainment: Really not even close here, NCL has much better entertainment. The shows on MSC are entertaining, but not nearly to the same level as NCL. Doesn't appear MSC invests nearly as much into choreography or the talent. The leads can definitely sing, but overall the shows are not sharp and the sound quality, at least on the Seaside, was just too loud and overdriven at times. There's a line between having good loud audio and pushing it beyond what the system was designed to do. 

 

Ocean Cay: Now my favorite private island, even moreso than CocoCay. I love the natural ruggedness of it, yet it has plenty of wide concrete paths to get around the island. And if you book yourself on an overnight cruise, that is a really cool experience. I loved having the beach party at 9pm vs. under the blazing sun. MSC really had something special here with that island. And, unlike NCL, you can pretty much guarantee you're going to visit because of the pier. Barring any really rough seas or bad weather, you should be able to stop. We've done two NCL sailings and both times the private island was waved off due to waves. 

 

Overall for cruise experience across the 9 cruise lines we've sailed so far we gave MSC a 7 but for value we give it an 8.5. For what you're paying, MSC is an excellent cruise line with awesome service, great pools and some great food selections. But don't expect it to be the same as NCL. There will be some things you really like about MSC and others you won't. But accept MSC for what it is and you'll have a great time. 

Edited September 16, 2023 by CruisingWalter

[JamieLogical]

12 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

For what you're paying, MSC is an excellent cruise line with awesome service, great pools and some great food selections. But don't expect it to be the same as NCL. There will be some things you really like about MSC and others you won't. But accept MSC for what it is and you'll have a great time. 

 

I definitely agree with this. With other cruise lines charging more for less in order to service all the debt they took on during COVID, MSC is an excellent value. It's hard to justify some of the pricing I am seeing on other lines. I loved Celebrity, but looking at cruises for May 2024, Beyond versus Seascape on similar 7-day Caribbean itineraries, a GTY balcony on the Beyond would cost us almost $1500 more than Fantastica balcony on the Seascape. Celebrity has made some cuts since the last time I sailed with them, so I can't imagine it's worth over 50% more than sailing MSC.

[CruisingWalter]

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Celebrity has made some cuts since the last time I sailed with them, so I can't imagine it's worth over 50% more than sailing MSC.

 

Honestly you're comparing two completely different categories. Celebrity is adult casual luxury while MSC is squarely a low-cost family cruise line. Really hard to compare the two, even with the Yacht Club.

 

If it was my money, I'd be booking the Beyond because the level of service and quality of the food is stonkin' amazing. Each cruise line has its place and when you simply compare dollars for dollar, MSC is going to save you money on every cruise. But for for the overall experience and if you're interested in a more adult centric experience, then Celebrity would be a better fit. And of course Virgin Voyages is absolutely amazeballs being nearly all inclusive, amazing food, amazing bars and off the charts entertainment, and not a kid to be found anywhere. 🙂 

 

Is Celebrity worth 50% more than sailing on MSC. All depends on the experience you're looking for. For me, yes Celebrity is absolutely worth 50% more than MSC when I want that luxury resort, adult-centric experience.

 

 

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

Honestly you're comparing two completely different categories. Celebrity is adult casual luxury while MSC is squarely a low-cost family cruise line. Really hard to compare the two, even with the Yacht Club.

 

If it was my money, I'd be booking the Beyond because the level of service and quality of the food is stonkin' amazing. Each cruise line has its place and when you simply compare dollars for dollar, MSC is going to save you money on every cruise. But for for the overall experience and if you're interested in a more adult centric experience, then Celebrity would be a better fit. And of course Virgin Voyages is absolutely amazeballs being nearly all inclusive, amazing food, amazing bars and off the charts entertainment, and not a kid to be found anywhere. 🙂 

 

Is Celebrity worth 50% more than sailing on MSC. All depends on the experience you're looking for. For me, yes Celebrity is absolutely worth 50% more than MSC when I want that luxury resort, adult-centric experience.

 

 

 

I agree that Celebrity is a better product and worth more, but I don't think it's worth 50%+ more. 

[Envelope21]

55 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

 

 

Entertainment: Really not even close here, NCL has much better entertainment. The shows on MSC are entertaining, but not nearly to the same level as NCL. Doesn't appear MSC invests nearly as much into choreography or the talent. The leads can definitely sing, but overall the shows are not sharp and the sound quality, at least on the Seaside, was just too loud and overdriven at times. There's a line between having good loud audio and pushing it beyond what the system was designed to do. 

 

 

OMG, yes. We've only been on one MSC ship, one of the smaller ones, but we do have a cruise on Seaside coming up soon. The production shows, while entertaining, became laughable because the dancers used almost the same choreography in every show. It was almost like seeing the same show with different costumes and songs.

[MsTabbyKats]

7 minutes ago, Envelope21 said:

OMG, yes. We've only been on one MSC ship, one of the smaller ones, but we do have a cruise on Seaside coming up soon. The production shows, while entertaining, became laughable because the dancers used almost the same choreography in every show. It was almost like seeing the same show with different costumes and songs.

But NCL's been phasing out good entertainment....imho.  Putting in magicians and comediens, audience particiapation games.  Last week on the Escape we skipped the theartre several evenings.

 

MSC concentrates on "non verbal" entertainment because of the multi-language issue.

For the record...I'm a B'way fan....once a month or so.  I have no issue with the quality of the MSC singers/dancers...or the variety.  Because we were in YC...and could just come and go into the theatre, we saw each production twice back in April

 

Entertainment is subjective....not everyone likes the same thing.  That's why (on land) there are so many choices.

[Envelope21]

1 minute ago, MsTabbyKats said:

 

 

Entertainment is subjective....not everyone likes the same thing.  That's why (on land) there are so many choices.

So true.