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MSC Cruises Review

MSC Cruises to the Eastern Mediteranean

Why Cruise with MSC?

I have to admit that I was more than a little hesitant to cruise with MSC. I have cruised twice with Princess cruises and loved the experience. The reviews from Cruise Critics did not reassure me that this will be a pleasant experience. It is not until I visited the Cruise Critics forums that I understood the MSC story. I realized that the issue with MSC is similar to all the annoying little things about traveling to Italy. I hate the fact that every time you sit down, you have to pay for a "cover charge" per person in Italy. One time when we were in Portofino, we had to pay 10 Euros for the sitting fee that included a few bread sticks. And God forbid if you ever sit down for gelato! Once we paid almost $10 for our gelato because we sat down for ice cream in Florence! The other thing is that we have to pay for water. I just want regular tap water like I always do in America but I can never order that because it's not an Italian thing to do! Another annoying thing is smoking. I mean the list can go on and on! See this Italian vs. Europeans to get a taste of how Italians behave.

I would assume that MSC is an Italian company and caters mostly to Italians will have the same baggages. I really don't mind as long as I know what to expect and the price performance ratio is fair. When in Rome, do what Romans do (of course, barbaric behaviours like cutting in line is not allowed! It has been shown that in desperate situations, the Brits beat us Americans hands down: Polite Britons Died on Titanic) The whole point of traveling is to experience cultures. Exposures to all these annoying differences can be healthy for kids and adults. As with anything, reading reviews and doing research before hand will help ensuring that you get what you pay for. Below is a "features" list of an MSC cruise experience in Mediterranean:

General Policies/Guidelines

Please note that most of these are stated on the MSC website, under "Cruise Guide".

• Kids (17 and under) sail free! Kids menu and programs available.
• New Smoking Policy on Board: 90% smoke-free ship, NO SMOKING allowed in cabins, balcony, or indoors except in Casinos, Cigar Room, and 1 dedicated lounge! Most cruisers said they were not bothered by smoking. But I can imagine if you step outside or walk around you will encounter some smoking.
• Service Charges: 7 Euro per adults per day for Europe; $12 for other destinations; 50% less for kids. This will be automatically charged to your account. MSC does NOT recommend tipping individually. 15% Service Charge is AUTOMATICALLY charged for beverages!
• 1 Euro per person is automatically charged to your account for UNICEF. Supposedly, you can opt out of this by signing the notice sent to you during the cruise. And for sure, you can ask the front desk to take if off your account. This is all spelled out on the MSC website so there is no surprise.
• Outside Food & Beverage are NOT allowed on board. This is spelled out on the MSC USA website: Food/drinks purchased at ports will be confiscated and returned at end of cruise! I saw a few reviews mentioning that drinks will be confiscated even in Mediterranean cruises. But some were able to smuggle water in from the ports.
  
• Italian culture: pushing, loud, smoking, not getting in line. These are mentioned quite a few times by cruisers. I have actually seen old ladies just cut in front of me at a bus station, especially when it's the last bus of the day! Please check out this hilarious clip about Cutting in line in front of Italians.
  

"Nickel-and-Dime"

• Expect to pay for water, coffee, tea, pizza, snacks, etc. Tea and coffee are available for free at Breakfast and Tea Time.
  
• Please read this guide on dining out in restaurants in Italy. It will save you a lot of frustrations! Paying for water is normal when dinning out. I remember France was similar. And there's no refills either.
• Saving tips:
  
  1. Purchase water voucher ahead of time or on embarkation day: 20 Euros for 14 1L bottles. Some cruisers mentioned that pre-purchasing it at home is cheaper than on board. This may be due to fluctuations of exchange rate. Check with your TA.
     
  2. Bring empty water bottles on board and fill it with tap water. Tap water is potable on the ship. There is ice in the cabin too. I would assume that ice is made using tap water so drinking tap water makes sense.
     
  3. Not sure if this will work on all ships: purchase water at ports of call and bring back to the ship. The rule on the website says you cannot but some cruisers have done it and it was ok. Again, this is ship and crew dependent.
  4. Some cruisers also mentioned bringing your own portable coffee maker. They refer to this website: http://www.coffeemaker.org/.
     

General Services:

• Embarkation and debarkation procedures rate from average to excellent.
• Muster Drils will be done in multiple languages.Tips: on the first day, check the time and the location of your Muster drill and make sure you are in your cabin about 5 minutes before the drill (you can still use the elevators before the drill alarm). The Muster Station number is on your cruise card, and the map on the back of the cabin door shows how to get there. Lifejackets are in the wardrobe. Tips: If you are on wheel chairs, please inquire how you can get assistance during the drill. Tips: If you have kids, they will require smaller size jackets, which need to be picked up somewhere else.
• Waiters/crews DONOT appear to be your best buddies! Some may not speak English. However from most reviews, waiters/cabin attendants provide decent services.
• Elevators may be crowded during peak hours. Personally, we don't use elevators. Using the stairs is our way of getting ready for the next meal.
• Accounting and Shore Excursion desks may have limited hours.
• Room Service is NOT free except during the breakfast hours.
• So far my experience with MSC website is that it is not user-friendly like the Princess Website, where I can go on to pick my preferences. I did the registration for express check-in and that was it. I wish I can book excursions online.
  
• Laundry: there IS NO self-service available. There are laundry and dry clean services available for extra charges. Saving tips: there may be a laundry special 20 Euros for 10 pieces of clothing toward the end of the cruise.
• Pools and jacuzzi close at 7pm.
• Staff are Italian trained. Translation: "Don't expect them to tell jokes and be your best buddies". Some have commented that MSC is expanding fast and the staffing may not be up to par due to "growing pains". This is understandable for a young company. I remember on the Princess, the waiters have been with the company for awhile. They know all the ropes and understand Americans and British etiquettes.

Entertainment:

• There will be prerecorded announcements in 5 languages at the beginning and end of the shows.
  
• Shows maybe simple acrobats and Cirque de Soleil types.
  
• Shows are rated fun to enjoyable.
• Games MAY require participants to be fluent in Italians. There might be instances that the crews will conduct the game in multiple languages. But this cannot be counted on to happen 100% of the time. Here's some youtube clips to help you brush up your Italian before you go: Italian Expressions and Italian Hand Gestures. Here's what happens when an American speaks Italian.
  
• Fitness center may not be fancy or have enough equipment to accommodate all cruisers.

Food Services:

• According to most reviews, food is NOT the highlight of MSC cruises. If you are a carnivore, expect 50% of the time to be served overcooked/dry meat, especially steak. Lamb is good (hard to believe you can make lamb dry). If you are vegetarian, expect a decent meal. Italian pasta seems to be decent to good. To be honest, I don't expect Italians to be good at cooking fancy steaks so I'll just stick to their expertise, which is pastas and pizza (you have to pay extra for pizza). MSC serves food from different regions of Italy daily so I expect since they are Italians, it should be at least edible. Italian cuisine is not that difficult to cook so that it'll taste decent. Of course to have the best Italian food, I highly recommend Tuscany.
  
• Alternatives restaurants are recommended for a better dining experience. I will definite try some alternative restaurants with the money that I saved on the Magnifica.
• It seems like dress code is formal at dining room. But like most cruises, not strictly enforced UNLESS you go barefoot and no shirt.
  
• Dining Arrangements: Beware that there is no "free choice" or Freestyle dining on MSC Mediterranean cruises! If you miss your seating, don't expect to go to the buffet. There is no dinner buffet. Your choice would be the alternative dining or pizza, both of which are not free.
  

• Breakfast buffets (or lunch for that matter) donot have too much variety: the usuals of cereal, croissants, yogurt, fruits, juice, eggs, cold cuts, cheese, etc. This is probably not unusual for Europeans. Most eat continental breakfasts. Even on the Princess cruises, after a few days, the fancy breakfast gets to be old and we all converted back to eating simple things. If you have a lot of time, you can eat at the formal breakfast room for a cook to order breakfast.
• Fresh fruits in cabin daily.
• Ice in cabin (this is 50 / 50 chance. Some cruisers complain and others had no problem. It must be dependent on the mercy of the cabin steward.
  

Top 10 Complaints

1. Water at dining room is not free of charge!
2. Tea/coffee are not free of charge except at breakfast!
3. Mediocre food except for the pasta.
4. Crew to cruisers ratio is small so the service is poor; rude staff.
5. Drinks (ie alcoholic beverages) were expensive.
6. Not enough information on board about ports of call
7. Italians pushing to get ahead in elevators/buffet lines
8. Variety of food choices at breakfast and lunch buffet
9. No Freestyle dining (ie. buffet is not available during dinner)
10. UNICEF donation

Top 10 Praises

1. Kids cruise free program.
2. Top notched rooms. Some even rank 5* hotel experience.
3. Ship is new and clean.
4. An Italian experience! Including good Italian food like pasta, Italian Ham (Proscuitto and Capacolla), etc... Add salt and pepper to food if it's too bland.
5. Escort to cabin on embarkation day
6. Debarkation at any port if asked for permission in advance.
7. Good deal
8. Good Itinerary
9. Good Alternative Restaurants
10. Beautiful ship.

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MSC Magnifica

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Ports of Call

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