Is MSC Right for Me

[New2Cruise76]

I know this is probably a question that's posed all the time, but I'd love to hear pros and cons from similar people.

 

A bit of background on me and my family. My wife and I (early to mid 40s) have three kids age 10, 11, and 14. Our entire family is neurodivergent to one extent or another (quick joke, how do tou tell if someone is on the spectrum? Don't worry, they'll tell you! 😉), primarily Autism, with a sprinkling of ADHD for excitement. The point of this is that most of my family have sensory issues, which I'd guess could be exacerbated by being on a ship.

 

We typically do one big week+ long vacation a year, with the occasional shorter trips wher vacation time allows. Since we own a pop-up camper, a lot of our trips are to state parks, but if our big trip is a camping trip, we'll go to a Yogi Bear, or other camping resort to use as a base to explore the area we're staying at. Other trips we've done were renting a Class C motorhome and "camping" at Cedar Point for a week, as well as renting a houseboat for a week.

 

About two months ago, I saw a reddit post about the Meraviglia, and just for giggles, I started pricing things out.  I've always been fascinated by Cruises, but thought the price would be exorbitant, or that it would be targeted more to "geezers" and not families. 

 

Anyway, that post got my curiosity up, and i priced out sample itineraries, and was shocked that a basic cruise on MSC would actually be over a thousand less than the housboat rental on the Erie canal that we were planning on doing next year.

 

So I brought up the possibility of doing a cruise for the vacation, and the kids nearly lost it in excitement. At first, i was leaning towards MSC, but i researched and saw all the bad reviews about food, rowdy behavior amoung the steerage class, and YC interlopers. So i looked at Carnival, RC and NCL, and was strongly leaning towards an Oasis class ship, but the pricing for two balconies was 8k without drink packages or wifi 

 

The kids were insistent that they get the ship with the roller coaster, go karts, or be one of the biggest ships. Obviously, Meraviglia doesn't fall under any of those categories. 

 

I'm back in the MSC camp because, the prices are still the best with drinks and wifi, and I'm personally really intrigued by the more European feel described in the lives I've read as well as reviews. I also think my kids would be overwhelmed by the size of the larger ships.

 

So here are some of my concerns (focused on Meraviglia):

 

1) Is there enough activities to kids to keep them occupied? Kids clubs, and other activities. They like to do active stuff, but also like gaming and tech.

 

2) is steerage, gen pop, the plebs, whatever really that raucous? I obviously don't want the kuds to have a ton of stress, but these are also kuds that live to go to big theme parks, so how does the ship compare to that.

 

3) Any recent experiences with room swapping, we're looking at two balconies side by side, and there's no way to have the kids in one and the parents in the other. Is the wristbrand talked about an option to allow my wife to stay in the same room. If not, with a shared balcony, there's definitely work arounds.

 

We're looking at the 6/2 or 6/14 Bahamas cruise out of New York. I don't see any available connecting cabins, but I'm assuming that if we get side by side balconies, we can join the balconies and have a super sized balcony.

 

I'll probably put down a deposit on Black Friday and maybe score a deal.

 

Thanks for reading, and i welcome any tips or recommendations from all you experienced cruisers!

[Two Wheels Only]

2 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

1) Is there enough activities to kids to keep them occupied? Kids clubs, and other activities. They like to do active stuff, but also like gaming and tech

 

Yes, to all of the above.

 

2 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

2) is steerage, gen pop, the plebs, whatever really that raucous? I obviously don't want the kuds to have a ton of stress, but these are also kuds that live to go to big theme parks, so how does the ship compare to that.

 

There can be but that is true for all of the lines (Carnival, NCL, RCCL, MSC) that you are considering.

 

I find that there are also isolated and quiet(er) areas on the ships that we have been on. The trick is to find them and not to get wrapped up in the crowds.

 

2 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

3) Any recent experiences with room swapping, we're looking at two balconies side by side, and there's no way to have the kids in one and the parents in the other. Is the wristbrand talked about an option to allow my wife to stay in the same room. If not, with a shared balcony, there's definitely work arounds

 

Nobody really cares where families actually sleep. It would be best to get connecting but adjacent or opposing staterooms can work. The adults would need to be booked apart but can sleep in one with the kids in the other if you are confident that they are responsible enough. Getting extra wristbands is an inexpensive option.

 

2 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

I don't see any available connecting cabins, but I'm assuming that if we get side by side balconies, we can join the balconies and have a super sized balcony.

 

Opening balcony dividers can depend on the cruise line and in some cases, the stateroom. You may or may not be able to open the divider.

 

Depending on time of year and luck, it's possible that Yacht Club for 5 can be done for about the price of 2 balconies on the Oasis Class. Actually, it could be less depending on ship (don't even think about getting a good price on the ICON Class) so that's something to consider.

 

[JamieLogical]

There definitely seem to be plenty of activities for kids on the Meraviglia between the kids clubs, water slides, pools, ropes course, arcade, and sportsplex. The arcade and sportplex can cost extra but there are fun passes available that bring down the cost.

 

I have sailed the Meraviglia four times now and have yet to see "rowdy people." I have sailed on MSC, NCL, Celebrity, and Princess and haven't noticed the MSC "steerage" passengers being any more rowdy than any of the other lines.

[misand]

17 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

There definitely seem to be plenty of activities for kids on the Meraviglia between the kids clubs, water slides, pools, ropes course, arcade, and sportsplex. The arcade and sportplex can cost extra but there are fun passes available that bring down the cost.

 

I have sailed the Meraviglia four times now and have yet to see "rowdy people." I have sailed on MSC, NCL, Celebrity, and Princess and haven't noticed the MSC "steerage" passengers being any more rowdy than any of the other lines.

I completely agree!  We love the Meraviglia and have sailed on all the major lines!

[gizfish]

We found the food on Meraviglia to be better than the reviews.  And, I am betting the kids would really enjoy the almost 24 hour a day pizza.  The ship is beautiful, but less visually stimulating than the other ships you are considering, which I think would be a plus.  There are some times where crowds can be an issue, specifically in the evenings when they have shows and dancers under the dome thing.  However, I found that to be less frustrating than trying to get around Cindy's castle at Disney during a parade (no lie, I was almost in tears dealing with that once.)  On our cruise there were no issues at all with rowdy people or anything like that.  

 

You should be able to get key cards for both rooms so you have access to the kids room, and no one cares who sleeps where.  I have a feeling that you will not be able to have the door between the balconies opened since MSC seems to be quite rigid in following rules, and most cruise lines now prohibit it due to safety concerns.  

[blueslily]

4 hours ago, gizfish said:

 

You should be able to get key cards for both rooms so you have access to the kids room, and no one cares who sleeps where.  I have a feeling that you will not be able to have the door between the balconies opened since MSC seems to be quite rigid in following rules, and most cruise lines now prohibit it due to safety concerns.  

 

I have no experience with this myself yet, but I have researched this topic a bit in preparation for my upcoming MSC Seascape cruise. From what I've read on here, MSC is a stickler about not giving out extra keycards for rooms. So the solution advised and shared from others with the experience of needing room access, for basically swapping rooms, was to get the wristbands for rooms they needed access to. So that's our plan for our upcoming cruise.

 

Will someone with experience please verify this information for the OP as well as myself.

 

Thank you

[New2Cruise76]

@Two Wheels Only Thanks for the reassurances. I've been pouring over reviews and YT vids and I figured there'd be enough to keep them entertained, but it's always a concern being in a confined area and finding out there's not enough for the kids. It's really a balancing act with them, they want to go, go, go, but then at the drop of a hat, their social battery goes to E and the behavior struggles start. That's why I'm looking at two balconies there should be enough room for them (Or me, lol) to head back to the cabin and decompress when things get overwhelming.

 

I'm surprised to hear there might be issues with opening the dividers between balconies. For reference we're looking at the premium aft balconies on deck 13, I think they're "Family balconies" or something similar, where there are two balconies with an inside studio between the two balcony rooms and the 2 balconies are connected with the studio. I'm thinking that all three are designed to be book together to make a suite, which would lead me to believe that connecting the balconies would be something they can do. Then again, it seems like with most mainstream cruise lines, the only consistency is inconsistency, lol.

 

@JamieLogical I was hoping you'd show up! I've been loving your live reviews, especially as a defector from NCL, it's been nice to see the comparisons between the two lines. We're definitely doing the fun passes for the kids. It seems like a good value and I try to give them as many new opportunities and experiences as possible, especially on vacations.

 

@gizfish I'm glad to hear that the food is good. Half of my family is a bit on the picky side, my youngest will pretty much not eat meat, except when she does, lol. I've poured over the menus, and there's definitely stuff all of them will eat, and pizza is always a hit. 

 

I've definitely been seeing widely mixed reviews on swapping rooms with MSC. It seems like it just depends on the day, and policies are evolving with their US sailings, so for all I know things will be easy peasy when we get to embarkation day.

 

@blueslily It seems like the wristbands are hit an miss depending on ship, I thought I read somewhere here that they had stopped offering the wristbands on Meraviglia except for YC, but like I said above, who knows where things will lie next summer.

 

I'll be honest, one of the reasons I've been leaning towards MSC is because they are so polarizing. If for some reason the family doesn't like the cruise (Although, judging from everyone's excitement, that seems unlikely), I can just use the fact that they are different from the more mainstream lines as a reason to try RC, Carnival, or NCL. If they end up loving it, we can cruise on them in the future as well as check out other lines. It's a win-win, lol.

 

I'm super excited about this, I've always had a soft spot for being on the ocean, and the ability to see other countries is a big draw for me, even if it's only a sample of a country, it an east way to get an idea if it's somewhere I'd like to explore more thoroughly.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

16 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

The kids were insistent that they get the ship with the roller coaster, go karts, or be one of the biggest ships.

I'd try carnival as well. After many years I finally convinced DH to try it next year.

 

Newer NCL ships (Getaway and newer) will also have fun things for kids to do for free. Pricing is iffy lately.

 

RCI"s prices are out of control quite a bit now, but on a big ship like theirs, I'd go with an interior cabin to save money. We only sleep there on RCI ships, because there is so much fun going on. On Princess ships we prefer to have a balcony because it's much more subdued so we spend a bit more time in the cabin, and I love to read on the balcony.

 

We are trying MSC for the first time in 10 days (yay!), and from what I've gathered so far, the crowding issue is serious on their ships due to design. We never felt crowded on RCI or Princess ships even on full sailings (and they are always full when we sail), but MSC is different. Might be an issue for someone on a spectrum.

 

Booking MSC ships in advance will get you the best price and cabin choices. And yes, advance bookings will win price wise over RCI. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[davy jones]

16 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

 

 

So here are some of my concerns (focused on Meraviglia):

 

1) Is there enough activities to kids to keep them occupied? Kids clubs, and other activities. They like to do active stuff, but also like gaming and tech.

 

2) is steerage, gen pop, the plebs, whatever really that raucous? I obviously don't want the kuds to have a ton of stress, but these are also kuds that live to go to big theme parks, so how does the ship compare to that.

 

3) Any recent experiences with room swapping, we're looking at two balconies side by side, and there's no way to have the kids in one and the parents in the other. Is the wristbrand talked about an option to allow my wife to stay in the same room. If not, with a shared balcony, there's definitely work arounds.

 

We're looking at the 6/2 or 6/14 Bahamas cruise out of New York. I don't see any available connecting cabins, but I'm assuming that if we get side by side balconies, we can join the balconies and have a super sized balcony.

 

I

Just off Meraviglia (first MSC Cruise).  Here are my summarized thoughts.

 

1.  MSC, NCL, RCI, and Carnival are similar in concept, but different in execution.  The differences may be more important for you than us.  We are a semi retired couple who look to relax and go to the shows.  We also use the onboard gym for exercise.

 

2.  It was overall a very good cruise.  No line is perfect, so we adjust to the differences between lines and will retreat to our balcony at times for quiet sea viewing.

 

3.  I saw very little, if any, of what is mentioned in the bad reviews.  The ship was no more crowded than the previously mentioned lines, perhaps less.  Service, including bar service, was good and IMO, the MDR food quality is better than the above three.

 

Now to your questions.

 

1.  There are kids clubs, but I can't speak about them   In addition, off season cruises do not attract very many school aged children.  The kids pools, water areas, ropes courses, etc. are better on the other three lines. The water slides and ropes course seemed a bit smallish and less elaborate than other lines.   Also, there is no mini golf on Meraviglia, which is good for kids and adults alike.

 

2.  Meraviglia seemed about the same as the other lines out of NYC for the time period during which we sailed.  That said, all ships out of NYC are much more crowded and have a younger crowd than the sailings that we typically sail while school is in session.

 

3.  I doubt that they will issue "extra" keys, but you could go to guest services after boarding and they will switch room keys for your family members to meet your desired arrangements.  You could also just book the rooms with the passenger arrangement that you desire.

 

Good luck.

[New2Cruise76]

1 minute ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

We are trying MSC for the first time in 10 days (yay!), and from what I've gathered so far, the crowding issue is serious on their ships due to design. We never felt crowded on RCI or Princess ships even on full sailings (and they are always full when we sail), but MSC is different. Might be an issue for someone on a spectrum

 

Yeah, this is my big concern as well. My middle child doesn't have much of an issue with crowds and my wife is the same way, whereas my youngest, oldest, and myself all get overwhelmed by crowds. It's definitely another good reason to go with the balcony rooms, I'd honestly prefer to do YC for that low passenger volume enclave to hide out in, but at this point, it's outside the budget.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 minutes ago, davy jones said:

Just off Meraviglia (first MSC Cruise).  The ship was no more crowded than the previously mentioned lines, perhaps less. 

so, you didn't sail during a school break, I take it?

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 minutes ago, New2Cruise76 said:

 

Yeah, this is my big concern as well. My middle child doesn't have much of an issue with crowds and my wife is the same way, whereas my youngest, oldest, and myself all get overwhelmed by crowds. It's definitely another good reason to go with the balcony rooms, I'd honestly prefer to do YC for that low passenger volume enclave to hide out in, but at this point, it's outside the budget.

we are sailing in 10 days (during a school break, no less, the horror!) and I will provide a thorough review, although it will be for a different ship (Seascape). Seascape has had more negative reviews lately than other MSC ships, so Mera should be a better choice for you.

 

Thankfully, you can book an MSC ship to get a great price and then cancel without penalty before 90 days (unless it's YC).

Edited November 8, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[dexddd]

OP, why don't you and DW try a short trip by yourselves to see?  You can probably snag a trip for two around$1,000.

 

We just got off Mera and have been four times.  No rowdy crowds.  I will say from a lights and glass perspective, it is similar to being in Las Vegas.

 

There is a sport court, race cars, bowling, other games.

[New2Cruise76]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

OP, why don't you and DW try a short trip by yourselves to see?  You can probably snag a trip for two around$1,000.

 

We just got off Mera and have been four times.  No rowdy crowds.  I will say from a lights and glass perspective, it is similar to being in Las Vegas.

 

There is a sport court, race cars, bowling, other games.

 

Funny, we actually talked about that, but PTO is hard to come by where I work. There would also be challenges with child care. But those could be worked around. So we decided to just do a family vacation.

 

Honestly, I'm an overplanner and worry far more than I should. In the grand scheme of things, we're going to have fun and make a ton of new memories, and it won't matter one bit which cruise line we go with. It'll still be fun.