Questioning the adage, "You get what you pay for" when it comes to MSC

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

This post will stir up trouble, but I am curious about what people think.

 

My partner and I will take our first MSC cruise in about a month.  We've sailed other lines, but not MSC.  I want to keep an open mind and remember that being unhappy on a cruise should be tough.

 

I understand that MSC is cheap and that one should keep their expectations realistic, given the low-cost fare.  Rarely can one enjoy Kobe beef at a cheeseburger price.  However, it occurs to me that there should be some minimum standard that guests can expect.  Otherwise, it seems like gaslighting guests and justifying poor food and service.  

 

I think it is important to have reasonable expectations for the price one pays, but when I read reviews that talk about inedible food and rude crew, that seems to go beyond the pale.  

 

If MSC sells cruises even with awful food and service, what motivates them to improve?  There is none, I guess.  It seems unfair that people should be able to get reasonable service at a fair price.  Like, even the cheeseburger should be edible. 

 

What if a family can't afford other lines?  Shouldn't they get a quality experience, too?  Or should they not cruise at all or put up with this standard of food and service?

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so please play nice.  I am interested in what others think.

[Mark_T]

Go read one or two of the excellent 'Live' threads from @JamieLogical then set your expectations accordingly.

 

You don't have to pay for Yacht Club to get a good cruise on MSC.

[JamieLogical]

26 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Go read one or two of the excellent 'Live' threads from @JamieLogical then set your expectations accordingly.

 

You don't have to pay for Yacht Club to get a good cruise on MSC.

 

Here are the links to my MSC LiveBlogs in order from most recent (2/2024) to oldest (4/2023):

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I have been overall very pleased with the value proposition of MSC. I have another sailing booked in October and then another in January. I have sailed NCL, Celebrity, and Princess and so far, I definitely feel that MSC is the best value. I love that you still get twice daily room cleanings, free room service breakfast (with Fantastica and above), and the buffet is nearly always open, unlike the other three big cruise lines that have cut all of those. I also love their pizza and feel like the included drinks and wifi are a fantastic deal compared to the "included" drinks and wifi on some other lines.

 

Edited April 11 by JamieLogical

[Anastas617]

For me, "you get what you pay for" boils down to no complimentary dining outside the MDR/Buffet and maybe a little less in the way of options at the buffet.

 

I've only been on MSC, Princess and HAL. HAL was far and away better for food in the MDR/Buffet based on my one cruise with them, but I don't really think I'd say there was much of a difference between Princess and MSC in the MDR. In fact, while some items are hit or miss, Princess is the only cruise where I actually hated something I ordered (2x).

 

I thoroughly enjoy the paid Carousel shows ($12 pre-cruise) and am very happy with Hola! as a paid restaurant ($18 or less depending on how you eat) and when I consider the usual cruise price, I find these add-ons perfectly reasonable. I don't pay for specialty dining otherwise.

 

I have never noticed a difference with cleanliness of my room or pleasantness of staff*. Then again, I always try to be pleasant myself and do not have demands or expectations that I would consider unreasonable. Based on the way some of these reviews or complaints come across, they lead me to assume that some of these folks are just difficult or unpleasant people. I could be wrong, but that is the impression I get based on the walls of complaints.

 

*just adding that I did find that staff in general seemed a bit less personable on my MSC Mediterranean cruise, but I chalk that up to perhaps cultural and, from what my international friends say, probably preferred.

[cruisebeachgirl703]

29 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Here are the links to my MSC LiveBlogs in order from most recent (2/2024) to oldest (4/2023):

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I have been overall very pleased with the value proposition of MSC. I have another sailing booked in October and then another in January. I have sailed NCL, Celebrity, and Princess and so far, I definitely feel that MSC is the best value. I love that you still get twice daily room cleanings, free room service breakfast (with Fantastica and above), and the buffet is nearly always open, unlike the other three big cruise lines that have cut all of those. I also love their pizza and feel like the included drinks and wifi are a fantastic deal compared to the "included" drinks and wifi on some other lines.

 

I agree MSC is a great value.

[JamieLogical]

I should have mentioned that I don't recall having had any issues with rude crew. Some are more personable than others, obviously, but none have been rude. I have had great luck with room stewards who are always friendly and hard-working. I always leave a $20 with my note for any special requests (extra hangers, extra towel, empty mini-fridge) on the first day and receive outstanding service throughout the cruise. Some bartenders are less friendly than others, but I always seem to find the best ones! I have also had good luck with MDR dining staff at my assigned tables for dinner.... service at breakfast and lunch has definitely been very hit and miss.

 

If you status match from whatever cruise line you have sailed before, you might get matched to Diamond, which includes a free specialty dinner. Use that on one of the pricier options and pay a la cart at Hola! and Kaito Sushi. They both have very reasonable a la carte prices and, if you are super hungry, you can do all-you-can-eat at Hola! for only $18.

[Anastas617]

40 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

For me, "you get what you pay for" boils down to no complimentary dining outside the MDR/Buffet and maybe a little less in the way of options at the buffet.

 

I've only been on MSC, Princess and HAL. HAL was far and away better for food in the MDR/Buffet based on my one cruise with them, but I don't really think I'd say there was much of a difference between Princess and MSC in the MDR. In fact, while some items are hit or miss, Princess is the only cruise where I actually hated something I ordered (2x).

 

I thoroughly enjoy the paid Carousel shows ($12 pre-cruise) and am very happy with Hola! as a paid restaurant ($18 or less depending on how you eat) and when I consider the usual cruise price, I find these add-ons perfectly reasonable. I don't pay for specialty dining otherwise.

 

I have never noticed a difference with cleanliness of my room or pleasantness of staff*. Then again, I always try to be pleasant myself and do not have demands or expectations that I would consider unreasonable. Based on the way some of these reviews or complaints come across, they lead me to assume that some of these folks are just difficult or unpleasant people. I could be wrong, but that is the impression I get based on the walls of complaints.

 

*just adding that I did find that staff in general seemed a bit less personable on my MSC Mediterranean cruise, but I chalk that up to perhaps cultural and, from what my international friends say, probably preferred.

Replying to myself because I guess I waited too long to edit. I wanted to add that no free movies in your cabin and very limited TV options was another trade-off for the low price. Doesn't affect me much but might be important for some folks.

[Two Wheels Only]

Knowing that MSC doesn't really try to do "typical Southern comfort food" that many cruisers want will explain some of the complaints. I read one complaint from someone who wasn't familiar with gelato and wanted ice cream. Because it was "different", the reviewer wasn't happy.

 

Staff might not be the "bubbly woo-hoo" type but I've never encountered rudeness. Some reviewers think that not getting their way equals rude staff members.

 

Plenty of people in Bella interior staterooms have great MSC cruises. Sure, Yacht Club and Aurea guests get more but that doesn't mean that Bella and Fantastica guests are mistreated or have sub-standard experiences (no pun intended).

[cruisebeachgirl703]

26 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

Replying to myself because I guess I waited too long to edit. I wanted to add that no free movies in your cabin and very limited TV options was another trade-off for the low price. Doesn't affect me much but might be important for some folks.

The television options IMO are not very good. Hope at some point it improves.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

The television options IMO are not very good. Hope at some point it improves.

 

I don't watch much (any?) TV on cruises except NFL football during the season. I was excited to learn on October cruise that MSC carries every single NFL game. A whole bunch of extra channels will show up on your cabin TV when the games are on, one for each game that is going on. This is a VAST improvement over Princess where I was onboard the Enchanted Princess for two regular season Bills games and missed them both because Princess only showed 1-2 NFL games per time slot.

 

The handful of times I have wanted some TV on in the background on MSC sailings, I have been perfectly happy with the Navigation channel or HGTV.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

This post will stir up trouble, but I am curious about what people think.

 

 

Not sure why you would book a cruise that you think will suck. 

 

We're just off a MSC Caribbean cruise and had a wonderful time.

 

The MDR food was good (definitely not awful) and we had excellent waiters. The Specialty Dining was superior to other cruise lines. 

 

Does the Buffet feature good 'ole southern cooking from NC??? No. But we found it to have a selection of foods that appeal to us and it was open late with great pizza (again, not the Dominos pizza from NC, but more authentic). The pizza was literally a midnight snack every night. 

 

The service was great. And we still enjoy that twice-a-day room service. There were no crew members that were rude or obnoxious. The crew went out of their way to make things right when we screwed stuff up. 

 

I can't think about anything that I would consider "horrible" or "sucky". And I am not one to try and do a side-by-side against other cruise lines because everyone loses there.  We have sailed on MSC, Royal Caribbean and NCL this year,,, so far. And I would not say that MSC was any worse than the other two lines. 

 

And we are currently in the process of booking our next MSC cruise. 

 

So,,, don't believe everything you read on the internet. It is mostly fake news from those who want to complain about non-issues. 

Edited April 11 by BirdTravels

[perakcruiser]

7 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

I understand that MSC is cheap and that one should keep their expectations realistic, given the low-cost fare.

Your perspective is wrong. MSC is not a low-cost line, that maybe is your US centric view, because some US lines like Disney are ridiculous expensive. MSC is Italian, even some guys at MSC USA seem to dilute the experience because they think this is needed to conquer the market. I guess many people cannot manage a holiday in Italy, so they also have problem with a MSC cruise. That is where the *sorry* dumb reviews with the "inedible food and rude crew" come from.

 

MSC is the untouched number one on the European market, everywhere, even the markets in Italy, Germany or UK are so different. That is because they provide a quality experience. Certainly not matching the lines with double prices.

[cublet]

2 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Your perspective is wrong. MSC is not a low-cost line, that maybe is your US centric view, because some US lines like Disney are ridiculous expensive. MSC is Italian, even some guys at MSC USA seem to dilute the experience because they think this is needed to conquer the market. I guess many people cannot manage a holiday in Italy, so they also have problem with a MSC cruise. That is where the *sorry* dumb reviews with the "inedible food and rude crew" come from.

 

MSC is the untouched number one on the European market, everywhere, even the markets in Italy, Germany or UK are so different. That is because they provide a quality experience. Certainly not matching the lines with double prices.

Hello,

 

This is the best general review of MSC (after my own of course and that of JamieLogical). My own views are posted elsewhere if anyone is prepared to look.

 

I don't know how many MSC cruises I've done but I have a further six booked including one departing today.so this note is only brief. MSC is, to my mind, on a par with Royal, Celebrity and Cunard. If I had to change just one thing about MSC it would be to replace the cafeteria type serving lines in the buffet with 'island' type sections as on Royal. And that's it.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[MsTabbyKats]

Just my 2 cents...

We are currently on the Mera...2nd time in yacht club, third time on the ship.

 

Anyway...yesterday was a port day and we missed our YC poolside buffet due to an excursion.  We went to the main buffet.... besides the pizza we both had absolutely delicious quinoa and chicken.

 

As far as quality of food....MSC is a great value.  (Not to get into a debate...but the chicken/quinoa tasted much better than the YC dining room food...to both of us.)

[MyriamS]

I would definitely not call MSC a low-cost line in Europe. I've been checking out their cruises, but both time another line offered cheaper prices and/or a better itinerary for the dates we wanted (P&O for Norway and Costa in the Med). Not that this means MSC is bad, price and itinerary do vary, I just wanted to make the point that their prices (and I would expect, their services) are in line with other European cruise lines. 

[Homosassa]

Unfortunately, many confuse the well thought out price structure of MSC with its attendant  control of the fare games so dear to so many passengers hearts with being "cheap" or "budget."

 

Many also do not realize that it is not their favorite low  end US cruise line and instead is an Italian line that serves an international clientele that expects a consistent on board experience no matter where the embarkation port.

 

The bad reviews come from those who can not appreciate the quality of the food being served because of lack of exposure to Italian cuisine or other international menu offerings for the passenger groups on board or are unuse to receiving professional and courteous guest service in line with travel outside the US.

 

A good indication of whether one will be happy on MSC is to judge one's travel sophistication as to being aware that standards often higher, but different than the lower tier US mass market lines (Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean) are being offered and the one's ability to learn from the experience.

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

 

Does the Buffet feature good 'ole southern cooking from NC??? No.

 

So,,, don't believe everything you read on the internet. It is mostly fake news from those who want to complain about non-issues. 

 

I hope not.  We are from New England.  lol  I try not to be ethnocentric and I am excited to try an Italian cruise line for the differences.

 

And I agree that some people are curmudgeons and just want to find something to be upset about.  

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

9 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Your perspective is wrong. MSC is not a low-cost line, that maybe is your US centric view, because some US lines like Disney are ridiculous expensive. MSC is Italian, even some guys at MSC USA seem to dilute the experience because they think this is needed to conquer the market. I guess many people cannot manage a holiday in Italy, so they also have problem with a MSC cruise. That is where the *sorry* dumb reviews with the "inedible food and rude crew" come from.

 

I love the different perspective.  Thank you.  

 

We have actually been to a few countries in Europe, including Italy, and we had a wonderful time.  Yes, it was different from the "American Experience", but that made it awesome.   

[deliver42]

We've been on 3 MSC cruise (U.S.) with a 4th one booked. Never had inedible food. Every line has food you might not like, MSC included, but we've never starved. We also never ran into rude crew members. Some were standoffish, but most were very friendly. The only problem i found with MSC is their land based customer service, which to put it mildly, stinks. If you call about any change, i guaranty your booking will get messed up.

[JamieLogical]

30 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

We've been on 3 MSC cruise (U.S.) with a 4th one booked. Never had inedible food. Every line has food you might not like, MSC included, but we've never starved. We also never ran into rude crew members. Some were standoffish, but most were very friendly. The only problem i found with MSC is their land based customer service, which to put it mildly, stinks. If you call about any change, i guaranty your booking will get messed up.

 

I highly recommend that when you call about a change to your booking, you have your current booking right in front of you and then after the call, when they send the new confirmation, compare them side-by-side, line-by-line.

[wolft927]

We are trying MSC for the 1st time in September. We have sailed NCL, RCCL, Carnival, Princess and a few other lines that arent even around anymore. Now, last 4 cruises have been in the Haven with NCL and we are trying out the Yacht club on the Seascape. My wife and I have never had a bad cruise so we expect to have another with MSC, but we also know that there are subtle differences between each line. 

MSC prices for YC balcony suites are a bit less expensive then the haven (usually about $1,500 to $2k.) But, MSC has inside YC suites which are substantially less expensive to the entry level Haven Prices ( same week comparable ship for NCL was almost $7k, YC inside we got for $3200.)

All the research we have done, shows the YC pool on MSC Seascape is larger and nicer then any Haven pool on the BReakaway and Breakaway+ ships. Also YC includes in room mini bar, unlimited wireless which NCL does not. 

 

MSC i feel sooner then later prices will be comparable to the top 3 lines, but for now yes they are less expensive but does not mean they are the bargain basement of Cruises  

[hapytobehr]

We have sailed MSC twice, all were comped cruises from urcomped.  Once in the yacht club and once in a Bella cabin.

 

The yacht club experience on the Seaside was fabulous but I was not a fan of the food.  However, food is subjective and someone else may have a different opinion.  The service was beyond what I expected.

 

The Bella experience on the Divina was okay but again, I was not thrilled with the food.

 

We are booked in an Aurea Suite on the Seashore for Halloween and am looking forward to trying that.  

 

We are hoping the food has improved, but that will not make or break the cruise as we can always find something to eat.

 

I have never experienced poor service from cabin attendants or servers.  We did however, have a poor expereince ( on the Divina) with one of the matr'e d's in the MDR one night and I was sure to tell him (and his superior) he was in the wrong position as he did not have any customer service skills.

 

I will say, their ships are beautiful.

 

We have sailed many different lines. As you can see in my signature, we are Carnival loyalists (not cheerleaders) but are willing to try other lines for a change of pace.

 

Happy cruising!

[Homosassa]

4 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

 

I hope not.  We are from New England.  lol  I try not to be ethnocentric and I am excited to try an Italian cruise line for the differences.

 

 

Try and find the British breakfast section in the buffet.

 

There will be excellent corned beef hash that matches that available at home in New England.

[Homosassa]

4 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

 

 

 

We have actually been to a few countries in Europe, including Italy, and we had a wonderful time.  Yes, it was different from the "American Experience", but that made it awesome.   

In the "You can't make this stuff up" category:

 

I have a cousin from Kansas that spent two weeks touring various regions of Italy. Her main complaint was that she could find any good Italian food, especially pizza, that matched what she eats in Kansas (Lol - DeFazio's and Pizza Hut are her standards for excellence).

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

41 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Try and find the British breakfast section in the buffet.

 

There will be excellent corned beef hash that matches that available at home in New England.

 

 

OMG!  I LOVE IT!!  I have been trying forever to find New England Gray Corned Beef, and there is no such thing here in North Carolina!  Thank you!

Edited April 12 by Momto3girlsintheCarolinas