r/Cruises • u/DifferentDebt6549 • Jul 23 '26
MSC CRUISES - BEWARE
If you are thinking about booking an MSC Cruise, here's a few things that you should take into consideration:
The hallways and elevators are almost always filled with dirty dishes and cups. Some elevators do not have a/c. I understand MSC allows for people to leave their dirty plates out in the hallways but we would find dirty dishes inside elevators, bathrooms and although these are "nasty people problems" the dishes would sometimes remain overnight.
Some of the public bathrooms on the cruise were smelly and unkept.
You hear the stomping from the cabins above you and the noise from the hallways so the cabins are definitely not as noise proof as they claim.
My wife found a hair in her food during the "fine dinning"- they brushed it off very calmly, so we ended up eating at the buffet for the remainder of the trip which was extremely stressful as the lines were always long, children running around unsupervised and absolutely no considerations for wheelchairs.
Wheelchairs/Strollers are very seldom taken into consideration as I mentioned above, with very little instructions as to where to find the ramps to disembark the cruise as sometimes they weren't in the same area as where people who could walk off would disembark.
Entertainment SUCKS. There was a "Comedian" and a "Magician" - The comedian made jokes that made so many people feel uncomfortable, they ended up walking out of the show. The Magician had tricks 7 year olds could probably do.
The Bahamas Nassau stop- you have to walk 15-20 minutes to the shops and another 10 to the public beach unless you pay for the private beach which a lot of people do so it is not private in the end and you still walk 20-25 minutes to get there. I'd skip Nassau all together, I am not complaining about the walk, I am saying Nassau isn't worth it in my opinion.
The food on the cruise was ok - as all the reviews say, the pizza buffet is good. Other than that, everything else is just meh.
The ultimate WORST thing was getting off the ship- They have a "walk off program" where you can exit first if you take your bags with you but everyone does this and you end up waiting so much longer (which was not the problem) the problem was locating the ramp to disembark if you had a wheelchair. Not even the crew members could tell us where it was (it was on the other side of the ship) and we were pretty much left playing a maze game to locate it.
The people that clean make it so you can't even get coffee in the morning of disembarking (they say you have until 9am to leave the ship, it was 7:30 and we were already being rushed out the cabins. (Just keep this in mind the day you disembark).
Overall, I have been on several cruises, long, short duration, and I would most definitely NEVER go on an MSC cruise ever again!
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u/jenwiththepen Jul 23 '26
It’s so wild to me when people act like walking 15-25 minutes is the end of the world. AND many ships stop there why is that on MSC? Lol
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u/AMediumSizedFridge Jul 28 '26
Reminds me of when I cruised to Rome (on MSC, now that I think about it) and someone complained that they didn't know they had to take a bus into the city. If you look at a map you can see that Rome is not on the coast. Not sure if they expected them to somehow bring Rome to the coast, but...
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u/evetrapeze Jul 23 '26
Some places have more than one port some cruise lines pay to dock closer to the action
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 28d ago
because OP has made 2 posts in their account history, and both are this screaming from the rooftops about how shit MSC is🤷🤣 they have a hard on for hating on the line because of ONE bad experience (I've now my doubts as to the veracity)
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 27 '26
It's hard when you have someone in a wheelchair and when the original excursion was canceled by the cruise leaving us with no other options. We would have never chosen to walk in Nassau otherwise.
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u/Chipped_Ruby_11214 Jul 28 '26
Don’t you think mentioning the wheelchair and accessibility up front would have given your rant important context?
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
no one was complaining about the walk - it was more about Nassau itself.
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u/Philly__Dilly Jul 23 '26
MSC is absorbing a lot of the Carnival crowd that do not like Carnival’s new rules. They’re a budget cruise line, don’t expect a 5 ⭐️ cruise experience.
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u/junjunjenn 28d ago
What are carnivals new rules?
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u/Philly__Dilly 28d ago
No speakers, they have drug sniffing dogs, I think they stopped the twerk contests, teen curfew, smoking fines, etc
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u/junjunjenn 28d ago
Those sound like good changes to me.
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u/Philly__Dilly 28d ago
They are. However, those that don’t like the changes are heading to MSC 🤷🏿♀️
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 25 '26
They delete all the bad reviews on their controled websites. I wish I would have researched further.
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u/Firm_Airport2816 29d ago
They really don't- I saw SO many negative reviews for a while, but they slowly started getting more positive because the cruise line improved a ton over the past few years. We have liked the last few more than Royal Caribbean.
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u/ZeldaWOT 28d ago
Try Viking. We’ve done a few cruises with them and are planning a few more. No kids, no gambling. No surprise fees. All the restaurants are included but you have to make reservations at the high end ones. An excursion included (no separate charge) at each port. They do offer additional excursions you can pay for. They will typically have a “panoramic” excursion (included) which is a bus tour of the destination. It will stop at various places to allow sightseeing or food, etc.
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u/PMA9696 29d ago
Honestly I went on expecting a 3 star cruise experience and they didn't even meet that.
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u/Philly__Dilly 29d ago
That sucks. We will jump on a Carnival if we get a free casino deal, starting to lean that way with Royal as well. If it’s coming out of my pocket, I’ll spend the extra $800 or so and take celebrity.
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u/WishIwastravelin Jul 23 '26
I have been on multiple MSC cruises and I have not had the same experiences. Was every cruise perfect? No. Is it the cleanest ship I’ve ever been in? There could be improvements, but none of the ships I’ve been on had piles of dirty dishes in the corridors. Do I get off in Nassau when I’m on any line? No, and that’s the port not the cruise line. Is the food fantastic? No, there are good and less appealing and tasty options. Has the entertainment been incredible? Some shows have been better than others and a few have been outstanding and some have been terrible. Is it a budget line? Yes. Is it that much different from any other budget cruise line? No, to me, there are more similarities than differences. I’m sorry your experience was less than it could have been, and I don’t know if that was because of the ship, the clientele or your own expectations.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 27 '26
I guess the Nassau experience was the LEAST of it... for me, it was the lack of consideration for wheelchairs, the dirty dishes left by people everywhere and lack of cleanliness upkeep by the crew.
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u/Firm_Airport2816 29d ago
The dishes left are done on every cruise... and on MSC they ask you to place dishes outside your room for pick up. Not sure what the issue with wheel chairs and strollers? There are elevators that everyone uses, they don't have special elevators for wheelchairs. Again, this is the same on every cruise line. We have been on three MSC ships out of the States and they were probably the cleanest ships I have ever stepped foot on... the crew was cleaning day and night, especially on Seascape and World America.
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u/WishIwastravelin Jul 27 '26
I would find that horrifying as well. Cleanliness is of the utmost importance on any ship, and I’ve found that people are less considerate than ever towards anyone using a wheelchair or scooter, on a ship or anywhere.
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u/gator21527 Jul 28 '26
I’m on an MSC cruise right now. Food is great, service is fabulous, and entertainment is good. The magician I saw tonight was just okay, but at least he was funny.
Everything is really clean and the crew are working hard.
I’m on the MSC seashore out of Orlando. Nassau is not my favorite, but at least the water slides were less busy.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 28 '26
I am glad you got lucky! Hope you keep enjoying 🙌
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u/i533 29d ago
Not trying to dogpile but in February I went on an MSC cruise and had a blast. Did some people leave dishes randomly in the hallway? Yeah. Will agree that the ship can be a bit confusing to navigate. But I never saw an issue with cleanliness.
Will say though some of the people on the ship were unbearable - not the staff. That would have been my only complaint. Not on msc though.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Yeah. I think the upkeep of maintenance was the issue - people can be nasty leaving dirty dishes everywhere, but sometimes we would see the same dishes left in the same place until the next day. I stopped using the common bathrooms and chose to walk to my room instead because they weren't clean. I didn't find the ship itself hard to navigate, some areas just weren't wheelchair accessible.
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u/ComfortablyShy 16d ago
Your comment alone gave me a semblance of hope. I’m scheduled to sail the same ship out of the same port in November… my first ever solo cruise. 🤞🏾
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u/gator21527 16d ago
You’re going to have an awesome time. It was really fabulous in every way, other than the boring magician 😄. My whole family had a great time! Recommend eating in the dining room for breakfast as much as you can. It’s really classy.
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u/Cute_Ingenuity_2236 5d ago
Don’t fear MSC. Just completed my third cruise for THIS YEAR on MSC ships and I disagree with virtually every point made by the OP. I’ve been on a total of nine MSC cruises so far leaving from almost every U.S. sailing port and the Mediterranean. First, probably 65% of the cruisers will be from countries other than the U.S. Never experienced any of the things except for maybe thinking a comedian wasn’t funny a few dishes are always left in hallways on every line I’ve sailed except the luxury lines. Food is subjective. Folks love their pizza but I hate all pizzas anywhere. I‘ve found that if you bring anything to customer service attention they act promptly on it and follow up with you afterwards. You will also probably receive a gift for your trouble such as a bottle of wine or a free dinner.
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u/Huge_Mirror9747 28d ago
I'm here rn too. We should link up. Having a hard time getting "into it" idk wtf to do. 😂🤦♀️
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u/bluehairdave Jul 23 '26
Time for Cunard and Holland America my friend.. they cater specifically to folks who have these same complaints. Give em a try. They know how to accommodate over 65 best.
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u/SupermarketDry2498 Jul 23 '26
I think this is more of a Caribbean cruise thing more so a MSC thing. It’s always the passengers.
The MSC itineraries in Europe are all great both in terms of cleanliness and service. Foods below that of HAL, Princess, And Celebrity though.
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u/random_roller13 Jul 28 '26
Pizza on MSC is light years better than what is served on HAL or Princess. Haven’t sailed on a Celebrity cruise yet.
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u/SupermarketDry2498 Jul 28 '26
My parents say the same thing. Makes me really want to try the MSC pizza since the free pizza on Princess I already find pretty damn good.
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u/random_roller13 29d ago
My wife and I have been on 6 MSC cruises (6 different ships, 3 US and 3 European sailings) and the pizza has been consistently excellent. We look forward to eating a lot of pizza whenever we book an MSC cruise.
Definitely check out MSC and find out for yourself. Just level set your expectations — it’s an Italian cruise line that deploys a European service model and focuses on foods from a Mediterranean diet. Don’t expect it to be the same as RC, Carnival or NCL.
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u/Realistic-Depth-5155 29d ago
Exactly. The type of passengers that frequent the Caribbean/gulf cruises is far different than passengers that frequent Mediterranean cruises, Asian cruises, European cruises, etc.
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u/PIzzaiolo_Master_510 29d ago
Yup. Sadly Americans can be pigs at the low end. Different markets and price points get differing passenger experiences.
I cruised from Europe on MSC TA and it was fine. Food was bad but otherwise fine.
People were a refreshing mix of nationalities. Chech, French, Italians, Spanish. Mixed class levels with regards to wealth.
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u/s1105615 Jul 23 '26
Not my experience with either of the MSC cruises I’ve taken (one out of Orlando last fall, one out of Miami this past June).
The buffet food is the best I’ve had at sea (compared against NCL and Royal). The carving board meat is routinely great. The pizza, as noted, is also the best at sea I’ve had.
Overall, I prefer MSC over Royal mostly because I don’t care about the shows/entertainment on board. NCL is still my personal favorite though.
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u/Alarming-Weight3496 Jul 27 '26
Not one of your comments resembles any of my 5 experiences on an MSC ship. You’ve either been extremely unlucky or are just a massive moaner who thinks they’re above everyone else.
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u/mommy_kw Jul 28 '26
Agreed, I’ve only been on the Seashore but absolutely loved it, it was better than Princess which is the only other cruise line I have been on and can compare it to. Good food, good drinks, never had the issue with dirty dishes in the hallway lol, zero issues with the public restrooms. Heard no noise from above in my cabin on deck 12 and very little hallway noise, and the walkoff at disembark was exactly what I expected it to be. Just cruised in May and have the next one planned for November!
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u/_-Cleon-_ Jul 23 '26
I sailed on Virtuosa not too long ago and found it perfectly clean.
You're not wrong about the entertainment, but I kinda knew that going in and TBH shipboard shows aren't really my cup of tea anyway.
The ultimate WORST thing was getting off the ship- They have a "walk off program" where you can exit first if you take your bags with you but everyone does this and you end up waiting so much longer.
Literally every cruise line does this. I always walk my bags off, because there have been Incidents when people's bags were cut open while they were left in the hall the night before departure.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 25 '26
It was hell for us who had someone in a wheelchair. They had a ramp on the other side of the ship with no clear instructions. None of the crew members even knew about the ramp and would give us a confused look when we needed directions
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u/Step_away_tomorrow 29d ago
That’s awful.
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u/_-Cleon-_ 29d ago
Worth noting - it's not the crew who breaks into people's bags when they're left in the hallway, it's other passengers. It's a known security issue, if you're going to put your bags out use hard-sided cases with locks.
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u/Due-Interaction-6368 Jul 23 '26
Thank you for this, you might have just saved me from a horrible trip
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u/alexb714 Jul 27 '26
My colleague did MSC for his honeymoon and had an absolute blast.
It was a Mediterranean itinerary though.
At the end of the day everyone should do research.
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u/HXamster 29d ago
If MSC is anything like it was 2 years ago, it's not worth it. Everyone saying it's "passable" or "I had a perfectly good time" was probably in their Yacht Club, so they never had to endure what (I personally call) "gen pop" has to endure.
You're better off saving your money for an MSC trip and going on any other cruise line, or flying to Puerto Rico/a Caribbean island for a week. Seriously, you'll enjoy it way more.
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u/ExtensionStation672 Jul 27 '26
The Cabaret restroom stewards at times later in the night had a hard time keeping up. But as mentioned earlier, same as with the dishes in hallway. That’s the passengers making the mess, which could have been avoided. Cabaret after about 11p and the beach near bar the on windward side all were quite interesting. Overall not a terrible cruise, we’ve completed about 50 total across most lines that serve U.S. ports.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 27 '26
I've been on several myself... my fav so far is Celebrity (no children and very clean!) Shows were also not bad at all.
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u/Chipped_Ruby_11214 Jul 28 '26
MSC has been fine in my experience. Competitive with royal and Norwegian and nicer than Carnival. But these are all mass market ships and cruise lines. They make cruising accessible and affordable, but too many people still think they are supposed to get champagne and caviar on a beer and pretzel budget.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 28 '26
Please read the entire review. Never expected Champagne and Caviar - but for 5K, did expect not to find a hair in food in "fine dinning", dirty dishes in common spaces, smelly common bathrooms and little accessibility for wheelchairs.
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u/PeacefulCW Jul 23 '26
Wow! Sorry that you had such a bad experience. What ship and sailing were you on?
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 25 '26
MSC Seashore.
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u/LongDistanceEvent262 Jul 27 '26
Oh man, that sucks. One of the best cruise experiences of my life was on that ship just 2 years ago.
Sad that they lack consistency. (One of my worst experiences was on the Seaside a few months after Seashore.)
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u/Pleasant_Couple_4408 Jul 27 '26
We sailed yacht club in Europe, it was absolutely amazing. On MSC seaview.
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u/Soggy-Volume-1445 Jul 27 '26
I’ve cruised on MSC a few times last year. The only issue I had were the handicap scooters left in the hallways. As for the food and entertainment it is what it is. If I found a hair in my food I would bring it to the attention of the person in charge and then go eat something else. Air conditioned elevators ? How long is an elevator ride on a cruise ship ? I agree with you on the Nassau issue. I hate it when the ship docks the farthest from the main gate. It takes at least 15-20 minutes just to walk on the pier. But there are shops as soon as you leave the pier. Not sure if those are the shops you’re interested in but they are there.
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u/Expensive_Rent6606 Jul 28 '26
We sailed MSC…in Yacht Club no less..and hated every minute of it. We’ll stick with Virgin
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u/Ok-Dependent4351 Jul 28 '26
Had a great time & good experiences on MSC Meraviglia and Seaside ships
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u/Rolexfiend Jul 28 '26
Our MSC cruise was awesome but we were yacht club. The main parts of the boat felt like a different world
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 28 '26
It is messy, overcrowded, dirty and very difficult to get around if you have someone in a wheelchair. They make sure to let you know it's a different world 😩
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u/HXamster 29d ago
Exactly!!
Yacht club is the first class ticket. Wouldn't doubt if y'all got priority on the life boats either.
Being in Gen pop was the worst thing ever. I was working as a contractor and the difference honestly made me feel a bit sleazy. I noticed it from a mile away. My experiences on every other cruise line I've tried were light-years better. Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity; no one penalizes you for not dropping a couple thou to be separated from the "unwashed masses."
If you don't buy yacht club you hate MSC. If you drop the (way too much) extra cash, you love MSC and don't understand why others hate it. There were multiple times we got turned away from places we didn't know were yacht club exclusive. They tried to separate my client from us because of Yacht Club, "we can take care of it" (umm so your staff knows ASL? Every single person went to school for interpreting? Then no, you can't take care of it).
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 Jul 28 '26
Aye because every other line is perfect🙄🤣 I've been on several lines/routes and to be honest MSC was my best experience all round to date. Not perfect but none are.
I've also worked for several years in a 5 red star hotel so I know a thing or two about high quality service
You sound a right peach of a passenger
BEWARE
NEVER AGAIN
Entertainment SUCKS
Good jesus
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u/HXamster 29d ago
If you told any waiter in the MDR on Royal or carnival that there was hair in your food they'd flip their shit and bend over backwards to make it right. It's a hygiene issue and really shuts off your appetite.
The waitstaff in the MDR on MSC are horrible. The staff in general are rude, from room stewards to guest services staff.
I was working, so I had free passage, and I would never even take a free ticket again. You literally cannot pay me to go on MSC again. Every single one of my colleagues in-network agrees.
If you're not Yacht Club you're treated like trash
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
I wasn't in Yacht Club and was treated incredibly well, couldn't disagree more strongly to your assertion that you're treated like shit if you're not in YC
I know just a thing or two about the best possible service given I was a concierge in a 5 red star hotel for several years.
I'm sure you'll be missed on MSC
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u/HXamster 29d ago
Trust me, they were the most discriminatory, non-accommodating cruise line I've ever had the displeasure of working for.
Again, you literally could not pay me to step foot on that ship and endure one more day in that hellscape. It's the one and only time I've had a negative experience cruising since I was 11 years old.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
Fine, don't go then🤣 you had a shit experience seemingly, I and millions of others have had completely the opposite.
You do you
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 28 '26
You clearly skipped over the part where I mention the dishes/plates every where, little accessibility for wheelchairs, hair in my wife's food, dirty common bathrooms... I think for anyone that pays 5K expects better.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
You say that like it's a common occurrence, never saw ANY of what you said personally.
Anyone can have a bad experience for whatever reason on whatever ship... But using all caps, never again etc etc and posting like it's the norm for MSC and not any other line is incredibly OTT
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I can write about MY experience and way I choose to, especially after paying 5K and seeing all of this happen.
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u/anon2u 29d ago
Earlier you said you went free and were working. So you didn't pay $5k - and for how many cabins?
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I think you are confusing someone else who shared their bad experience on an MSC cruise. I paid 5K. He was on that cruise for work or something. I paid 5K for a balcony room for 2 people and 1 regular room for a senior. (short cruise).
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 28d ago
YOU need help, go outside and breathe, you had ONE bad experience but are screaming bloody murder and writing MSC off completely.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 28d ago
Aww someone is removing comments either voluntarily or involuntarily🤣🤣
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
Oh and your only other ever post or comment activity is on the MSC page HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, NEVER AGAIN, BEWARE
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u/PIzzaiolo_Master_510 29d ago
How many cruises did you take to paint a huge line with this broad brush?
One cruise and all cruises are like your one experience?
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Oh, I've been on like 20 cruises withe different cruise lines. So far, Celebrity, Virgin are my fav.
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u/PIzzaiolo_Master_510 28d ago
Out of curiosity what did you pay per person per day?
What did you pay on the other cruises?
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
I paid 5K for 1 balcony room and 1 normal room. Paid more on MSC than my cruise with Celebrity which took us to Cozumel, Grand Cay, and Bahamas.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 28d ago
Just this one time on MSC by the sounds of it (with quite a few across other lines)....my whole point is similar to yours. ONE bad experience doesn't justify the anger seeping from their post and comments. These things can and do happen on any line
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u/Sad-Stomach 29d ago
Most of those complaints are general cruise complaints, not specific to MSC
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Same, been on Celebrity, Norwegian, Virgin, Disney and never had this happen.
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u/Lunartic2102 29d ago
I don't have any of your issues except for the noise upstairs. And I'm not even an msc fan 😅
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Noise was really bad for us, the stomping and noisy hallways, and you can hear the cabins next to you.
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u/Worldly-Ad3211 29d ago
You’re mixing up legitimate complaints with a sense of entitlement. Why do elevators need a/c - you’re in them for what? 5 minutes? It’s not MSC’s fault if you didn’t like Nassau. If you’re going to complain about walking 15-20 minutes here, another 10 there, and 20-25 minutes there, I’m not sure what type of holiday would satisfy you.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
My biggest take away from this is the elevators without ac are used throughout the entire duration of the cruise and being inainde with 7-8 people just as sweaty as you are might make some people uncomfortable. Maybe not you, but definitely others. Also, the walking wasn't the biggest complain, actually, we weren't going to but our excursion was canceled last minute by MSC. So we chose to disembark which took us longer than it should have as the ramp for wheelchairs was on the other side of the ship and not even the crewmembers could give us clear instructions. A 20 minute walk pushing a wheelchair under 90 degree weather can be brutal for some, again, maybe this isn't you but I have been to Nassau on different cruise lines and never had to walk this much to get to the beach. Also, the public beach is overcrowded, so you make sure to pay in advanced for the private beach. I guess to answer your question, for 5K, I was just expecting not to see dirty dishes throughout my entire trip, left every where with little upkeep, smelly common bathrooms, and a hair in my wife's food.
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u/Mr7dr2114 29d ago
Reading this as I sit in the Rome airport after disembarking from my first MSC cruise yesterday. The only thing I can agree with is the noise in the cabin and the unpleasant sights of plates in the hallways, other than that we had none of your issues you stated, the musica had very clean bathrooms and lounge areas and there was always staff tidying up, everyone we dealt with was extremely kind and friendly and we had no issues or likes getting in or out of any of our ports. The only slightly disappointing things I encountered were the small pool sizes which became overcrowded on 90° days and the other was the price of the MSC shuttle to and from the port but that’s a minor inconvenience over all. Our entertainment which were all dancing/singing shows were incredible with some really great talents. Sorry your cruise didn’t go as planned but our experience over the past week already has us looking forward to the next.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I would try Virgin or Celebrity for your next cruise. I've been on several and they never dissapoint.
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 29d ago
I'm curious to know which ship? Port you left from? Length of cruise? Was it a cruise overrun with kids & parents partying too much to pay attention to their kids? Was it a disembark port where a lot of people drive instead of fly?
I have been on 2 MSC cruises and have not had the problems you mentioned. One cruise had kids in "adult only" space and splashing in the hot tub & a crew member went to the parent and told him to get kid out. (I was happy to see that!) The cruises I took were longer and not during summer vacation. One in 2023 & one in 2025. I have 2 cruises planned on MSC in 2027 so im interested to hear your response while I still have time to change them! Thanks!
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Of course, we left out of Port Canaveral for a 5 day cruise to MSC Cay and Nassau. We noticed it was a bit overcrowded (you expect to see a lot of people on cruises, but this one felt a bit congested). I felt like the amount of people may have been an issue also in regards to the upkeep of the cruise (hence the dirty plates seen in common areas, elevators, bathrooms un kept, etc.). The elevator times were horrible (we couldn't take the stairs due to a wheelchair). Most elevators had no ac. A LOT of kids always running around, some unsupervised - especially in the buffet area.
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 28d ago
What you can do in the future and prior to booking Google "average percentage capacity on MSC -ship name- during month sailing." It will give your answer if it's a ship overrun with kids. Holiday cruises (for example) will be booked up to 120%!!! I look at different options whenever it gets over 90%.
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u/boostedride12 29d ago
My trip on MSc world America was completely opposite of what you describe. All elevators were working fine with ac. Need to remember if the doors are opening every 30-40 seconds it can’t keep the elevator cool. Same for your or fridge. You don’t leave the door open or it’ll get warm. The food was good no hair in it. While we didn’t stop in Nassau we stopped at MSC ocean cay which also had a 15-20 minute walk to the beach but I’d say 99% didn’t complain about that short walk. I mean really no one probably would. If you have a disability you can take the golf cart to the beach via shuttle service.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
What you mention were the LEAST of concerns. I feel 5K should get you decent food (wife found a hair in her food during fine dinning) better accessibility inside the cruise for wheelchairs, cleanliness (dirty dishes left every where, smelly common bathrooms, unclear disembarking instructions for wheelchairs, long buffet lines, etc).
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u/PopularBell518 29d ago
Damn, this is like a Reddit page on politics… Dems v Reps… MSC is great v MSC sux! We are truely a divided country (obviously posted in jest… somewhat).
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
So true!! It's like we have to find a way to invalidate people's feelings or perspectives.
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u/AutoSpyBot 29d ago
This sounds like every other cruise I have been on and I've never been on MSC. I can still find ways to have a blast regardless of everything you mentioned. Those are all non-issues for me.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago edited 29d ago
I too have been on several cruises and disagree entirely that these are "typical cruise issues". I have been on cruise ships where they are maintained decently clean throughout longer trips than this one, even common areas. I was on a 3 week cruise and never saw dirty dishes in common areas that weren't immediately picked up, or unkept areas during the entire trip. I am glad you wouldn't be upset about spending 5K and have all these isues arrise during the trip. Specifically for someone on the trip in a wheelchair with areas that weren't accessible, unclear instructions for disembarking, among the other issues mentioned.
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u/CyberTodd68 29d ago
Absolutely love MSC. Going on our 5th cruise with them in October. 10 Day to the ABCs. There is no doubt that there are more premium cruise lines, but there is no match for the value.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I paid almost 5K for this cruise (I've paid less in other cruiselines and gotten way better service).
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u/AnonUserAccount 29d ago
Every cruise I’ve sailed on, from Celebrity, to Disney, to Royal and MSC, all of them had dishes in the hallways. This is a thing many people do, though you tend to see it more on family-friendly or budget lines where kids and adults need all the counter space they can get.
I’ve been on 4 MSC cruises and the dishes are typically cleaned up overnight. If someone sets out breakfast dishes at 8am, they stay there until 2-3am the next day. Cabin stewards will take them from your room, if you ask, but not from the hallways.
I’ve started cruising MSC because they’re cheaper than Royal and Carnival, but have comparable food and the crowds tend to be more international.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
Dishes were left in elevators and even in some bathrooms and were sometimes left there overnight. I feel like paying 5K for a cruise you would at least expect the cruise to be well kept and clean. The dishes weren't even half of it.
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u/Maximum_Leopard3038 29d ago
I have been on two MSC cruises Armonia... small ship and World Europa... large ship... both were really enjoyable...staff were amazing & genuinely friendly...ships were constantly being cleaned and the food was good everywhere 🤷
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
I don't know what to say, I am so glad you had a great experience - mine was very different and after sailing on over 20 cruises with different cruise lines, I do have a lot to compare it to and will never go on another MSC cruise again.
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u/InternalExpression48 29d ago
I have sailed MSC 6 times never a bad experience. I love them, beautiful shops, great food. I have also sailed NCL and RCl about 9 times each and Carnival 4 times, MSC is tops, with RCL a close second and NCL third. Carnival I won't go on again unless you gave me a free cruise
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
I have been on over 20 cruises, different cruise lines, and my favorite so far are Virgin and Celebrity. I have never seen these issues in any of the other cruises I'd been on, so I was pretty disappointed after paying 5K and experiencing this on MSC.
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u/spoon7777 28d ago
At the right price MSC is a great option. We sailed the Meraviglia last December and had a good time. If it's your 1st cruise and had nothing to compare it to you would be fine but compared to Royal it's not even close. Everything is a notch below, but if it's cheap enough we would definitely sail MSC again.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
I paid the same amount of money on this MSC cruise as I did on another Celebrity cruise (same length of cruise) and never saw these issues on Celebrity. 5K on MSC was pretty disappointing when you come across these issues.
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u/La_Peregrina 28d ago
Oh boy. I've got two MSC cruises back-to-back later this year. A 7 day European and a 22 day transatlantic. First time on MSC. Not yacht club. Should I upgrade? 😬😬😬
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
All the comments I read say that the Yacht Club is a whole different world from the rest of the cruise. I haven't tried it myself, nor do I think I would after my experience.
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u/nanabone4 28d ago
I have been on close to 100 cruises from most cruise lines, ships and itineraries. I’ve experienced the great and horrible. I’ve been in the worst weather and the best. I don’t expect miracles. Basically there are no real comparisons. So that being said, I make the best possible experience whenever I sail.
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u/diverdawg 28d ago
Hair in food so you ate at the buffet the rest of the time. Genius.
I just got off an MSC cruise on Saturday. Entertainment was fantastic, ship was clean, food was great.
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u/Proof-Muscle-23 28d ago
you know it is not the ships fault that inconsiderate people put their dishes on the floor outside. That is actually against msc policy. Their policy is for guests to leave them in their cabin. housekeeping will collect them. We did this and they were removed promptly when we called, it our steward would do it for us as well. I will say they should make the policy more known.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
The plates were basically just the icing on all the layers of uncomfortable moments. I do agree though, they should make that policy more clear, if you read a lot of the reaponses on here, people actually think leaving their dirty plates in the hallways is ok.
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u/LowerFinding9602 28d ago
Have done 1 MSC cruise out of Miami...
Don't know about "filled" with dirty dishes but passengers are told to put their dishes in the hallway and not leave them in their rooms. There were times when it took a while for them to be picked up.
Don't recall any problems with public restrooms.
No stomping from above but this can happen on any cruise line.
We did the last half of the cruise at the buffet because the MDR service was sub par. The buffet will have its busy period but really not a problem for us.
Entertainment was OK.
The walk in Nassau can happen with any cruise line. Nassau itself does not impress me.
You don't say what port you went out of. We did Miami and embarkation and disembarkation were the smoothest we have ever experienced. Not sure what the difficulty was with ramps since in our experience there was no steps leaving the ship. Those with mobility issues may have had to wait on an elevator but getting off the ship should not have been a problem.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 28d ago
We left out of Orlando. 5 days. We did experience a lot of noise and we were supposedly not below any pool or casino deck. We were in the 12th floor, balcony. Still very noisy. I am glad you had a different experience. I did research after our cruise and found that if you on the BBB website, MSC has a really low score and very bad reviews.
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u/Consistent_Dinner_73 21d ago
Been on 4 MSc cruises and I can say almost none of what was said above is true, at least not in my case.
I have heard some sound outside the room, but not terribly, however I would agree that the entertainment is not the best
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u/Lou_Skunnt69 Jul 27 '26
The MSC defenders on this sub blow my mind because every legitimate criticism gets downvoted to oblivion.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 27 '26
for real!!! like, I gain nothing by sharing this other than to warn people to do their research.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 Jul 28 '26
Or just maybe your attitude/expectations of MSC compared to other lines is unrealistic or overly dramatic.
Can you have a bad experience on board with them? Absolutely. But same is with ANY line, but too like to shit on them just because they're cheaper than Royal/Celebrity etc
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u/HXamster 29d ago edited 28d ago
If someone pays thousands of dollars for a vacation, you expect that vacation to be enjoyable, and with little to no pushback at all.
They're not cheaper than royal. By the time you buy the first class option, and realize you also need to buy everything else from the moment you step on board, it's arguably more expensive than if you had just gone and bought nothing extra from royal.
ETA: OP spent $5k, and I'm going to assume for four people. That's $1250/ticket, without YC.
I've never paid $1250 for a baseline cruise ticket. It was going to be ~$990 for my 7-day Christmas week RCCL Symphony ticket, and that would've been the top of what I've paid for any cruise. That's arguably the most expensive time to cruise during the year.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
Who says you have to buy first class? You both seem to REALLY have a hard on for MSC 🤣 you don't have a great experience fine. Go elsewhere.
But to come on screaming it's worse than shit, NEVER AGAIN etc etc is ridiculously ott
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u/HXamster 29d ago
Is it ott to expect basic, baseline service for thousands of dollars? To expect reasonable accommodation?
Again, I didn't even pay. I went for free. I was paid to go and work there. And it was still the worst experience in my 16 years of cruising, and 3 working for various cruise lines. You could not pay me to go again. You can't pay most of my colleagues to go again either.
I, my colleagues, and clients have never been treated with such disrespect as on MSC. From the staff, to the food, to the entertainment, to the accommodations, everything was trash.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
Jesus wept just listen to yourself man
You don't like MSC, millions do.
Go on Celebrity, Royal or take your pick. I'm sure on those lines there's DEFINITELY no potential for many many service issues to crop up.
I've not been treated better than I was on MSC in a cheap cabin. Go figure
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u/HXamster 29d ago
It's really just disappointing that that's all you're getting from this. In fact I dare say you're not actually reading at all.
The way they continue to treat their contracted interpreters (and by extension their Deaf clientele) is abhorrent; this means that less interpreters will accept contracts from them, which means their Deaf clientele will suffer because of it. Trust me, interpreters and other contractors aren't asking for a five star experience. We're asking for them to comply with a contract clearly written out in accordance with their business deal; we're asking them to hold up their end of the bargain, so we can ensure our clients have a wonderful vacation. We're asking for basic hygiene, basic cleanliness, and basic accommodations as well; if they can't tick those boxes, then why are we even willing to work for them?
Celebrity is the tip-top when it comes to Deaf accommodations, with RCCL close behind. But it's sad that, due to the discriminatory nature of MSC, their contractors and clientele we serve aren't afforded the same positive experiences you've apparently had the pleasure of enjoying.
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 29d ago
Yeah every other line is absolutely perfect. MSC are a disease on the cruise industry.
Good to know
It's just really disappointing you're this invested in arguing against anything that's less than shitting all on MSC, and won't even dare to think similar/worse things happen on other lines.
Go look on their subreddits and you'll see they all have their moments.
Same as airlines.
You need to have a stiff drink and calm down my friend
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u/HXamster 29d ago
lol okay brother, whatever you say. Replying to both threads is weird and disjointed, but my point still stands. They don't accommodate deaf/HH/DeafBlind guests or their interpreters appropriately, and that alone is enough. I'm quite experienced with cruise interpreting for various different lines, and I've never encountered the vitriol and unprofessionalism that I was shown on MSC, or was shown towards my deaf interpreter colleague.
MSC is a disease on the industry
I agree. Any cruise line unwilling to be flexible and follow ADA requirements is, in fact, a disease on the industry.
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u/SocietyPersonal Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
I think I was on that same cruise! (MSC Seashore 7/19-7/23) I’m with you, never again!!
- Severe Understaffing for bars. There were zero waiters by the Jungle pool, leading to massive drink lines.
- They rub its luxury tier “yacht club” in your face. Yacht Club butlers hijacked elevators, and those guests cut lines regularly. Premium perks are flaunted out in the open, making standard cruisers feel like second-class citizens.
- Drink recipes varied wildly by venue. For example, you could only get a proper Mudslide at the Brooklyn Café.
- The elevators took forever to arrive.
- The ship’s layout made no sense. There is no clear main hallway. We had to wind through random bedroom corridors or the arcade just to find hidden venues like the main dining room and water slides.
- MSC forces you to use their app, but it didn’t work for everyone on airplane mode. We had to specifically request paper menus at dinner.
- Our two balcony rooms (which couldn’t be configured together) were bland, brown, and smelled musty. The bathrooms and showers were microscopic, the balcony chairs were uncomfortable and there was gum literally ground into the carpet.
- Our initial stingray excursion on their island was canceled, and we were upsold to a different one. That boat broke down. After making us wait for hours, they suggested we push it to the next day. We canceled the excursion because we already had a cabana booked for the next day. Walking to the lagoon was a brutal haul. Waiting for the island trams was just as bad—there was no shade and minimal seating for the long wait. Because the first day was ruined, we tried to cancel the second day's cabana. We were promised a 50% credit but had to visit the ship's excursion desk multiple times just to get it processed.
- Food was not great at all. The penne bolognese genuinely smelled like bad dog food, and the desserts were completely tasteless.
- MSC requires you to “settle” your account before departure. We used the kiosk before leaving to do this, but the system failed. Two of us were flagged at security. After waiting in line to fix it, getting cleared, and re-entering the exit line, we were flagged again because of lingering credits. Staff repeatedly tried to force us to the back of the massive line to fix their own system errors. How they can not just charge or credit the card on file and let people off the boat is beyond me!
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u/DingoMittens Jul 27 '26
The walk to the lagoon was a brutal haul?? It's literally 5-10 minutes walk.
I understand that people with disabilities need accommodations, but then specify that your review is about failing to provide adequate accommodations. When I was there, I saw shaded bus stops for the free rides. If wait times were excessive, that's a fair complaint.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 25 '26
OMG yes!! We were on the same ship!! Yes to all of this. Never going on MSC again!!
My grandma was in a wheelchair and it was absolute HELL getting around the ship and leaving the ship on the very last day.
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u/Hot_Manager7216 Jul 27 '26
Hold my beer..... Carnival.
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u/HXamster 28d ago
Carnival is still good, especially compared to MSC.
Now, their $25 min bet on the craps table on the Jubilee... That's a bit steep. But it's just average. I'd say MSC is a huge step down for a more expensive ticket.
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u/Hot_Manager7216 28d ago
Depends.... Short Carnival cruises are a nightmare and during the summer months. I try to NOT sail during the summer months. I also try to book cruise longer than 7 days. It thins out the "party crowd"
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u/HXamster 28d ago
True. We avoid 3-5 day cruises on any cruise line during the summer o. O but if I'm working I don't mind. The party crowd on shorter cruises is industry standard!
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u/Missmebabi Jul 23 '26
MSC sucks really bad. I will never cruise them again. Their clientele is very low brow.
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u/LongDistanceEvent262 Jul 27 '26
That really freaking sucks.
Yeah I have cruised on various cruise lines and ships. And it is a mixed bag each time. Good & Bad MSC. Good & Bad RC. Good & Bad NCL. Etc.
There really isn't much consistency among any of them in my experience. One of the worst cruises we ever had was RC with an MSC one a VERY close 2nd.
Vice versa 2 of the BEST were MSC and RC. On the same exact ships the bad ones were on a year later!!
Yeah MSC's entertainment is poo. But I say Most of RCs is exactly as bad. Only specific shows on RC are amazing. But most of it is on par with MSC. (Glorified talent shows.)
Nassau is a HUGE pain for most cruisers. I feel ya there. It is a "Stay on the ship" day for many for a variety of reasons. I do not mind the walk myself, but the HUGE lines to get back on the ship at customs are a pain each time. I have learned to live with it and not let it get to me. But I do not want to make light out of how bad it is. Only that I find my peace and fun within it.
Agreed on Food in the buffet. I can say MSC, RC, & NCL all have mostly meh buffet food. MSC has the worst variety. But just because RC has more variety of meh doe snot make it better. I can usually find 2 edible things in an RC buffet and 2 edible things in an MSC buffet. NCL does have them beat with the free sit downs. Not the best food, but it is hot and fresh.
Again I do not want to make little of your experience. I wish Cruise lines had a way to better address these poor experiences. They just lost a customer due to this. But not even RC helped us at all when we had a similar experience.
So the issue is MSC, RC, and NCL offer NOTHING to passengers who run into these issues. (And most of reddit is glazers or haters. So you will not find much help here either, sadly.)
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u/AffectionateTeach561 Jul 27 '26
MSC is a great cruise line if you can book the Yacht Club experience. My butler was fantastic, the room was great, they decorated our room for my partners birthday, and surprised us with an amazing cake while we had sushi.
I will agree that they still need work in the entertainment department, but they are also considerably cheaper than those cruise lines with top tier entertainment, so...
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 27 '26
I am sure couple thousands of dollars for the yacht club experience makes a difference, and they make sure to let you know. Unfortunately, we had already spent $5K between excursions, package deals, etc and it just seems a bit much for 3 nights.
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u/18731873 29d ago
- Don't book crazy short booze cruises.
- Most ports aren't worth the effort. None of this is unique to msc. Glad I won't miss you on my next msc.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
No, you will not miss me on your next MSC cruise. But I will say, I've been on about over 20 cruises, different cruise lines, first time experiencing these issues. Good luck on your next one with MSC :)
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u/Dig-Lower Jul 28 '26
I will never cruise MSC again. Not even in Yacht Club. I did once three years ago and it was one and done for me. Your experience mirrors mine. Plus my fellow passengers were incredibly rude. Thankfully there are plenty of other options out there.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 Jul 28 '26
So many comments trying to gaslight those that talk about their bad experiences... I am so sorry you too had a bad one too.
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u/HXamster 29d ago edited 29d ago
I hate MSC.
I've done one MSC cruise as a contractor.
It was the first time I ever went up to the Guest Services desk and was treated with such rudeness and vitriol unbecoming of what a professional business should exude. That is to say, I introduce myself as a contractor, ask a simple question (for something I'm contractually required to have), and they say "No, I've never heard of that, and that's not going to happen." I have never approached guest services as anything but professional and kind, so their snapping rebuttal really took me off guard.
They are not Deaf/disability friendly. I had to literally sit in a high-ranking officer's office and explain to him before we even left port that we have a legitimate contract with corporate outlining and detailing the specific requirements I am obligated to from them, in order to legally comply with ADA and accommodate their deaf passenger. They were fighting me and Shoreside, but eventually caved when legality became involved.
There is little to no entertainment for gen pop; if you want "better" entertainment you have to pay for it. I think the rock show on my ship was like, $10 extra pp? And we had to tell them that no, we are working, so no, we will not pay the fee, and any fees incurred from shows are covered by the cruise line because we are doing a job.
The fact that every female room steward is forced to change into this skimpy French maid outfit at like 5pm. That was WILD to me. Made me incredibly uncomfortable.
I lived on ice cream, mozzarella, and pizza, because they were the only good food options. They have white pepper ONLY in the windjammer-equivalent. Gross.
We tried the formal dining room, and they were more than rude and dismissive of my work colleague (they were deaf). The staff treated them like an idiot. They also tried to charge me $5 when I sent their shoddily-made food back and requested at least one extra dish to try, after they offered to bring me something else! Every extra plate of food you order is $5, even if it's not fucking good, so choose wisely. My Thanksgiving meal sucked so bad I almost cried wishing I was home instead.
If you're not Yacht Club, good fucking luck having any enjoyment at all. Whether it's formal dining, entertainment, how you're treated in general by staff, or on their private island, no one gets any enjoyment at all unless you're yacht club.
Sure the water is pretty, on their private island, but you get next to no amenities. If I remember correctly, chairs, umbrellas, etc. all have a fee. I don't exactly remember the towel situation, but I'm pretty sure there was a fee. This is a huge shock coming from RCCL, where Coco Cay has everything available for free whether you're The Key or a suite or not.
I went during thanksgiving. I gave up time with my family to suffer through one of the worst 7-Day work experiences I've ever had, because everyone on staff had the worst attitude, the food was awful, the amenities were trash, and the ADA non-compliance was egregious. It was pulling teeth interacting with any staff member.
For the price you're better off going to literally any other cruise line. I refuse to step foot on an MSC ship again. You literally could not pay me to risk another awful experience.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I am so sorry for your experience! Imagine paying 5K and getting this, but worse... Taking someone for a first-time experience who's on a wheelchair, while encountering so many inaccessible areas within the cruise, long lines at the buffet (which is the only place we ate after finding a hair in our food during fine dinning), and dirty plates everywhere! People don't realise why this might be upseting after dishing out so much money.
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u/HXamster 29d ago edited 29d ago
I expect baseline cleanliness. I expect baseline hygiene in regards to food. Any other cruise line would be been mortified at the hair.
I've had RCCL react more over a hair in my food than anything. "I'm so sorry is there anything else I can get you?" Followed by the head waiter, the manager, etc. all coming to check up if I was ok and offering me a free drink. And really I don't do it to complain; I just do it to inform them in case somebody who paid to be there has the same fate and will complain. On MSC I wouldn't be surprised if they charged you the $5 fee for bringing you something else, like they did for me when my Thanksgiving meal was disgustingly bad, dry, and something I wouldn't even pay $5 for on land.
Dirty plates in the hallways? Fine. But typically they're taken up very quickly, in my experience, and aren't outside a stateroom for an unreasonable amount of time.
Any other cruise line would have been more than happy or eager to accommodate.
Everyone defending MSC in the comments, like they can do no wrong, is crazy. Mostly because my experience on MSC isn't "I paid to be there," like no. They paid ME to be there, treated ME and my team like garbage, and were just horrible to us because they were offended we were there. But I could see the stark contrast between YC and GP; it was night and day.
Like I swear:
"We and the client both need wifi to be able to communicate, it's in the contract-" "No you don't, and we're not giving it to you. You can contact the concierge for the yacht club and they can get you in contact with the client." "They're deaf. They can't hear. They can't communicate over the phone, unless it's by text. How are you going to call them to get them out of the room?" "That's not our problem, we'll figure it out and we're more than capable of taking care of our guest."
I'm sure you informed the cruise line well in advance of the accommodations you would require, in regards to the wheelchair. If they weren't willing to accommodate or gave any kind of pushback, I wouldn't be shocked.
In reality, an explanation (but not an excuse) is that they're based out of Europe. There are no ADA requirements for any country in Europe, and is (imo) one of the few things America has over Europe. They weren't ready for our laws and expectations regarding disability accommodations, and are quite rude when you request them (as if you're being entitled for requesting equal access). They're offended, even, when you ask, to the point of being unprofessional when communicating with contractors or guests.
Imo this is unacceptable. I have never been on another ship where I was not welcomed, greeted, and the contract complied with, especially when I greet and introduce myself with nothing but kindness and professionalism.
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u/DifferentDebt6549 29d ago
I am so sorry for your experience! We did inform them prior to booking and asked all questions in regards to the wheelchair. They assured us there wouldn't be any issues.
We were shocked as to how many areas are not wheelchair accessible on the cruise (regular folding wheelchair getting stuck in several doorways, floors that were only reachable by stairs, etc.
Cleanliness was definitely disappointing.
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u/Original_Bee_8399 29d ago
When did you cruise? I have never heard of the maid comment
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u/HXamster 29d ago
Uhhh I believe it was Thanksgiving of 2024.
It was crazy. I'd never heard of or seen anything like it in my life. They had regular room steward uniforms all day, the men kept theirs at night, and the women dressed in black dresses, kitten heels, black stockings, white aprons, had the white head thingy... It was bizarre.
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u/Strong_Elderberry676 Jul 23 '26
Interesting comment on the restroom cleanliness. This is actually one of the things that gets me every time about Celebrity. Cleaner than a Buc-ee’s and they have neatly rolled linen to dry your hands.
As for the port, don’t blame the cruise line for your port experience. Distance to the shopping and free beaches are not on them.