I’m thinking about booking my first MSC Cruise and have looked into them quite a bit. The reviews are really mixed. I want to be prepared for the level of quality and service offered so I thought a good way to ask is to compare them to hotel chains. For example: Margaritaville Cruise comparable to Motel 6 (from what I’ve heard and read). What hotel chain would you compare MSC Cruises to?
We just got off a 7-day cruise on the MSC Seashore with a group of 27 people. Overall, we had a good time and made some great memories, but we probably wouldn’t spend the money to sail with MSC again.
The ship itself is beautiful and has so much potential, but the service consistently fell short and made many aspects of the trip feel more stressful and time-consuming than necessary.
Ocean Cay was absolutely gorgeous, but it didn’t seem prepared for the number of guests. The trams weren’t running frequently enough, there weren’t enough bartenders or drink stations, and there was a lot of confusion surrounding chair rentals. The “rental desk” near the front of the island had a long line, only for guests to find out that you couldn’t actually rent chairs there. We also encountered several rude employees.
The Main Dining Room was probably our biggest disappointment. Food service was very slow, and the waitstaff experience was inconsistent. Communication between servers and drink attendants seemed nonexistent, and it was often unclear who was responsible for what. We even had to speak with an assistant manager due to rude service. The kids’ menu also wasn’t particularly kid-friendly, and honestly, we thought the buffet food was much better.
Speaking of the buffet, the food was excellent. However, lines were extremely long because not all stations were open during peak meal times.
A few other issues stood out:
Smoking is allowed in the casino, and the smoke smell carried throughout much of the middle atrium.
Our midship cabins on Deck 12 also frequently smelled like smoke.
Requests made to our room steward, such as ice and an extra towel for our family of four, never arrived.
The medical center closes at 7:00 p.m., which became a concern when someone in our group needed medical attention.
For families with young children, there were some frustrations. Pirates Cove is nice but very small. There isn’t much for bigger kids under age 7 to do. Our daughter, who is one month shy of turning 7, was told she was too big for the smaller slides but wasn’t old enough for the bigger slides either. When I asked a lifeguard about it, I was scolded for “not watching her,” even though both my husband and I were standing right there and she hadn’t done anything wrong. The pools were also difficult for kids because they were extremely crowded around the edges and more than six feet deep throughout, making it hard for children to play comfortably.
Entertainment for kids was somewhat limited. Most deck parties happened late at night, making them difficult for younger children to enjoy. The snow party was cute but only lasted about 30 minutes. The Fourth of July party on the final night, however, was fantastic—we wished there had been more family-friendly events like that throughout the week.
At the end of the day, the MSC Seashore is a very nice ship with the potential to be amazing. Unfortunately, inconsistent service and operational issues kept this cruise from being a great experience for us.
Am I missing something? I was thinking about booking a cruise with msc and I saw an ad that said kids sail free. I put in my information just to see if it was true and the kids were charged for the cruise fare. It even said the "kids sail free" discount was added. My kids are 10 and 3 of that matters.
Just wondering if I can wait to book or will the price skyrocket after the July 4th sale? Anybody seen this from experience?
I tried to upgrade to YC today. although there is some availability, they won’t let me have one. I am solo and was
told the were “out of single cabins”. I offered to pay the double occupancy but no go. I’m ready to make up some name for the chance to get YC. What would be the downfall in this plan?
Apologies if someone else has posted this recently.
I think I missed the memo somewhere, but since Christmas 2025 they have removed all of the free chairs from the Ocean Cay beaches. You can now rent two loungers plus an umbrella for $39USD. I love cruising with MSC and Ocean Cay is my favorite destination, but this is a bit disappointing. I know it’s a money-making company and all, just, this feels extra greedy.
Fill me in, folks!
We are going on our second YC cruise this month. We are thinking about a YC cruise across the pond for our honeymoon next June or July.
Would it be better to book on our own online and try to stack discounts, or to book on board with the future cruise person in YC in a few weeks? We will be gold status after this cruise finishes and be a little under a year out if we book this month.
What’s the best way to go about this to stack up perks? We’d like to make the most of it since it’s our honeymoon! Thanks for any and all help!
Can anybody speak on my chances of receiving a free upgrade for my first cruise? It would be next May on the MSC SEASCAPE.
I plan on purchasing the Bella Interior but in between taking my chances of receiving the upgrade or just paying for the Fantastica so I can choose where I want to be.
Thanks
I am currently on a cruise first day was a full day at sea we come back from breakfast housekeeping was in our room and were letting us know there was a smell in the cabin they have to work on. We had briefly noticed it the afternoon and evening before which is when we first boarded, but it had gotten stronger over the night so much so that housekeeping told us they’re gonna be looking and working in our room for the majority of that first full day at sea. So we were just hanging out in lounges that day. We’re not pool people so we hadn’t even brought our bathing suits. We had planned to spend that day napping recovering from jet lag, and hanging out on our balcony neither of which we could do. Every day since we’ve been at ports, they’ve been coming in attempting to deodorize and do it again, but it persists, even though it has slightly slightly improved, but we know and they’ve admitted they’re basically just masking it at this point. Last night they called us into some office and said they are offering a rebate of approximately a third of our booking costs. We haven’t signed anything yet they want us to come back today and do that. I just don’t know. Is that reasonable? They did offer each of us which is three passengers a free massage also and they gave us another small cabin to sleep in. It’s a couple floors below no balcony bunkbeds certainly nothing luxurious. Wondering if on top of that then saying that we get a third back is reasonable. I have no idea I’m new to cruising or a disaster like this on any kind of trip like a hotel or anything. They have no other rooms available on the ship to move us to.
We’re considering taking an MSC Northern Europe cruise in April 2027 for my mom’s 60th birthday. She really wants to do a European cruise, and this would be our first time cruising in Europe as Americans. It will be my 1st time doing MSC as well.
The route we’re looking at is from Southampton to
Hamburg -> Zeebrugge/Bruges → Rotterdam → Le Harve -> Southampton.
A few things I’d love advice on:
1. What was your experience like cruising this region in April? Was it too cold, rainy, rough seas or still enjoyable for sightseeing?
2. For Americans who have sailed MSC in Europe, how was the overall experience? Anything that felt different compared to U.S./Caribbean cruises?
3. What should we be mindful of with ports, transportation, immigration, embarkation/disembarkation, language, currency, excursions, etc.?
4. Traveling with a toddler. We’ll have a 4-year-old with us. Any tips for doing Northern Europe ports with a young child? Are the port days manageable, or do they feel rushed?
5. Is Aurea worth it? We’re debating whether to upgrade to the MSC Aurea experience. Would it be worth it for priority boarding, more flexible dining, spa access, and potentially easier embarkation with a toddler? Does Aurea help at all with UK/Europe immigration or just cruise boarding?
6. Would you recommend this cruise? Since this is for a milestone birthday, I want it to feel special but not overly stressful. For those who have done a similar MSC Northern Europe itinerary in April, would you do it again?
We've done YC on the Seashore, the Seaside and the Grandiosa. But we've never sailed the WA before and just booked a two week YC B2B on her in 10 Days (21st deck). How does the YC experience differ from the Sea class ships? We had one YC passenger who really didn’t like the YC experience on the WA, so we are curious how others have compared it.
Thanks for any advice or feedback.
For context I am a first timer on MSC Seascape and am excited to go (59 more days) but I want to know in everyone’s opinion what makes MSC so great. Is it the food, the entertainment, the alcohol, the ship itself, the crew?
What do you think makes MSC the cruise line to cruise?
This is my most recent experience on the MSC Seascape from June 14 - June 21. I may have missed somethings but please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you
Cost
• Paid around $1,300 for 2 people.
• At the time of booking, internet plus drinks was $900 per person, compared to $650 per person without it.
• The alcoholic drink package was about $595 for 7 days.
• The minors’ drink package was about $154.
• Got two ship bracelets for $20.
• Charms were $10 for 5 charms.
• Added $34 for Butcher’s Steakhouse (lobster and wine).
• Added $40 for Teppanyaki (wagyu).
• Added $20 for the seafood restaurant (seafood tower).
Boarding
I selected the arrival time of 1:00–1:30 p.m. We got there at 1:00 and were completely finished (standing in line, putting bags on the conveyor belt, and dropping off bags with the concierge) by 1:30. They had a system, and they stuck to it. I will point out that I never had a bad experience with boarding.
Safety Video
You go to your muster station to check in, but you watch the safety video on your own anywhere, as long as you are connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi.
Internet
You do not need to get the internet package. The internet package has two options: 1) social media and web browsing, or 2) full internet access. If you have an iPhone, iMessage works free of charge as long as you are connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi.
Elevators
The elevators were mostly crowded unless it was early in the morning. I was on the 14th floor, so the dining hall was only two flights of stairs away, and we walked it frequently.
One hack we found was going down a floor or two and pressing the same floor, which would sometimes get us a faster elevator. The elevator system tells you how long it will take for your elevator to arrive. Sometimes the timer gets stuck for whatever reason.
I had two instances where I just took the stairs because I didn’t feel like waiting for the elevator. I only waited for the elevator when I was going to grab drinks from the 7th floor. I would walk down but not back up.
Food
Food was 10/10.
Buffet
I tell everyone 9/10 because I gained a lot of weight. I am sensitive to salt, and everything was perfectly seasoned. There was so much variety. I never had a buffet meal where I didn’t eat or finish my food.
They served hamburgers, fries, and pizza from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., I believe. MSC is known for its pizza, and that reputation is well deserved.
The buffet does not serve cocktails—only soda, juice, water, wine, and beer.
Specialty Dining
The specialty dining package was $144 per person for three restaurants. I chose the seafood restaurant, the steakhouse, and the hibachi restaurant.
The food was excellent at all three. The portions were huge, and the quality was top-tier.
Main Dining
The food was great. From what we had, it was not a repeat of what was offered at the buffet. However, some menu selections did repeat. They had a section of the menu that remained the same every night while the rest changed based on the nightly theme.
Room Service
You have to pay for everything; nothing is included.
The only time room service is included is based on the experience package you select at booking. I had the Bella Experience, so they chose the room for me, and it was very basic.
I believe the Aurea Experience is the one that includes complimentary room service.
Entertainment
The entertainment was great! There was always something to do every 30 minutes, and most of the time there were multiple activities happening at once.
The only time entertainment slowed down was on port days. There was still entertainment available, but it wasn’t as frequent or as exciting.
They had a themed party every night. There is also a sports pub where you can catch all the games. During my cruise, the FIFA Club World Cup was taking place, and they showed all the matches. They also played movies on the pool deck (Lilo & Stitch, Ninjago, Wicked, etc.).
Ship
The ship was huge it matched Carnival Jubilee. Even during those 7 days, there were areas I never got the chance to explore.
Definitely use the ship map in the app so you know where everything is located. In my opinion, some areas were hidden and easy to miss.
Drinks
The drinks were a 10/10. They had a great selection from the menu, or you could simply ask the bartender to make their version of a drink.
With the premium alcohol package, everything was included, even top-shelf liquor. The only time I paid out of pocket for drinks was at specialty dining restaurants, and that was for wine.
The cocktails averaged around $17-$18 per drink. I am not sure what it would look like for top shelf on the rocks drinks.
Misc.
There are multiple opportunities throughout the cruise to get discounts on specialty dining, excursions, jewelry, and other port purchases—just not on the drink package.
They also give away a lot of free items.
Gratuities are charged upfront as a one-time fee, and ours came to around $120 per person. I heard from others that everyone in the cabin, including children, was charged. I simply went to Guest Services and had the gratuities removed for my little sister.
Get the ship bracelet so you don’t have to carry your cruise card around. You only really need your card on port days.
The drink package price in the app dropped as low as $320 per person, making it about $500 total for my sister and me. Honestly, I would recommend waiting for deals in the app if you don’t want to bundle the drink and wifi package.
The overall vibe was very friendly, and the ship seemed geared toward family and friends’ vacations.
There was a solo travelers’ meetup, but I doubt attendance was very high because I rarely saw anyone by themselves. I was one of the solo wanderers since I spent most of my time exploring every floor of the ship.
You will need a card on file at all times. They have little kiosks for you to set up the card activation or you can simply go to guest services. They do like to do holds of certain amounts on your card. Let’s say you have a balance of $120 on your card and they didn’t charge you yet. They would settle that balance and then take out an additional $100 to cover any expenses you may incur. Since they did this, I got refunded a lot of money and the refund was back like the next day (but that may depend on your bank; I have USAA)
Final Thoughts
From the videos I watched on YouTube, I think a lot of the negativity comes from the departure port rather than the ship itself.
I really had no complaints about sailing out of Galveston. I would definitely recommend MSC Seascape and would absolutely cruise with them again!
I want to cruise in Asia on the MSC World Asia but it doesn't go there (yet). I looked up future sailings and it's mostly European destinations and nowhere in Asia. Does anyone know when the MSC World Asia will visit Asia? I am in USA
This will be my first cruise, and I’m wondering if a drinks package on MSC is really worth it or if it’s basically a must-have.
The cruise is only one week long, and I don’t plan on getting drunk on alcoholic drinks every evening. On the other hand, I’m worried that the prices onboard might be so expensive that I would actually end up spending less with a drinks package.
What has your experience been? Is the drinks package worth it for someone who only drinks moderately?
16 days to go. Were checked in. All buttons etc that say view boarding pass or print documents don’t work. Is this normal
Just got my cruise on the MSC World America comp’ed!!! Sailing September 5th for 7 days on an ocean view. So excited!!
Greetings! EDIT TO ADD: I just had hospital food. MSC can't possibly be worse than that!
I am looking at repositioning cruises for this season, likely Nov or Dec. MSC has, of course, the best prices. I'm curious if:
Anyone has sailed MSC both standard Caribbean and repositioning and noticed any significant differences beyond food and entertainment.
Is there a repositioning ship and/or itinerary that you absolutely would or would not sail again?
Do they offer dining options beyond the main dining room and the buffet?
Has anyone done this as a solo traveler?
I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions. Lol TIA!
Welcome to the monthly r/MSCCruises Roll Call Megathread!
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