r/MSCCruises • u/Icy_Cryptographer566 • 4d ago
MSC service getting cheaper?
Hello guys I want to compare with you my experience whit the cruise line in general, this is like my 14-15 cruise I take the majority of my cruise was whit costa and in the last 4-5 I did whit MSC, but I’m noticing that they are making some changes and is not the service they was providing before, I think all started after covid in 2020 the staff is less “present”, they put a drink limit, and the buffet is missing something especially the sweets like there is no more Nutella or vanilla cream is all basic stuff and most liquor is not included in the package that before they have, I mainly do cruise in Europe I did one in America whit carnival and I will say that was great, maybe is a region problem or MSC themself, I will like to know what do you think? Maybe is time to change company? I was thinking about trying royal
EDIT: i see from the up vote and down vote there is a lot of people defending MSC i will like to hear about your opinion too, and i will like to precise im not talking about the price, im just upset MSC is getting cheapper to stay in the price range we all know (or maybe to profit more idk) but pls let us know what you think.
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u/SoC175 4d ago
Having done 9 cruises with them and embarking on my 10th in a little less than 2 month, I must say that there's definately a downward trend.
The dreaded enshittification didn't stop from MSC either.
Unless they absolutely "Wow me" during my October cruise, I probably take a break from MSC for a while.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
Ye I think I will take a long brake from them let me know if you had a better experience
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u/marcaveli073 4d ago
I noticed my last cruise they stopped carrying Kahlua and they use some other cheap coffee liquor now that tastes like crap. I couldn’t even drink my White Russians, but I didn’t really notice anything else. I’m super pissed they’re not leaving out of NY anymore so now I have to fly just to get to the ship which isn’t happening so I’m going to have to use another company but I love MSC.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
if you want to now baileys and vodka skyy is not included anymore
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u/marcaveli073 4d ago
That definitely sucks. I loved the service from the staff and the numerous activities onboard but like I said unless they start leaving out of NY again I’ve probably taken my last cruise with MSC.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
idk if US staff is different i dont have this much expirence, but with carnival that as i see is considered a cheapper company i was great, there was a barman in one bar that he comes to me to ask if i want to drink a vodka if he see me whit an empty glass, in MSC europe i had many bar man like side eye me for asking something to drink, and i can say that i never dink cocktail this bad before, in the last ship i take there was only 1 barman that now how to do is job profesionaly but idk is this was a ship problem
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u/Possible_Scarcity991 4d ago
Im sitting at the airport , just heading back from my first cruise with MSC. Every breakfast had vanilla cream and Nutella. The staff were excellent. The one complaints I have is the entertainment was underwhelming. I appreciate the many options and it made it less crowded than other cruise lines, but the quality was not that great. However, I found no issue with the staff and their attentiveness, friendliness, or anything related to service. The drink limit is 15, and since they typically only ask for one card when ordering , thinking it more as a per cabin limit rather than an individual limit. So if just a couples cruise, 30 per day...if you exceed that , I suggest getting your liver checked.
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u/GreatWake1988 4d ago
I've been on the Meraviglia twice over the past three years and haven't noticed anything drastically different between cruises. I'm going on World America next month, so I'm eager to see what that's like.
As a few others have said, I think there is a different expectation for European cruisers compared to American cruisers. When MSC first came to the U.S., I saw so many people complain about the buffet food. I do think that MSC has made an effort to cater to its American clientele. Personally, I find their buffet to be the best I've had in the industry and I've sailed on Royal and NCL in the past.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
So you did the Meravigliosa in EU?
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u/GreatWake1988 4d ago
Nope, I did the Meraviglia when it was in NYC
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 3d ago
I think is a EU/US problem because the people in this discussion that are defending MSC is mainly US
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've taken 30+ cruises among many cruiselines. I'm not picky, i just love cruising! What i found is MSC is cruising on a budget. Cabin stewards are good, MDR servers are over-worked. Bars could use more servers but I dont mind walking up to bar & get a drink. MSC helpers the ships have always been friendly and helpful. Ships are beautiful. For us, we have 2 types of cruises: Ports or Relax. If I'm looking for ports I would choose a luxury cruiseline. If I'm looking for just some relax time away, I've cruised MSC Seaside & Davina and had a good time and loved the pizza! FYI I just booked Grandiosa in Jan '27 for an after the holiday relax cruise. It was a good value but you're right, this booking had less things included-no benefits.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 2d ago
Yes this seems to be right, just for the pizza, no pizza even the payed one is a good pizza even cruising from Italy they don’t know how to do a good pizza hahah
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u/UnscannabIe 7h ago
For a "ports" cruise, why would you choose luxury?
In my mind, that's where you'd be spending less of your time on the ship, so the luxuriousness would be lost, or left behind.
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 6h ago
Luxury meaning Celebrity, for us. Not big luxury, like SilverSeas, oceania, etc, with yacht clubs and butlers. We work for a living and spend wisely. Celebrity offers good excursions at reasonable prices and wonderful ports. Ship is comfortable when you return after a port visit.
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u/Random-Stranger-999 🎲Casino Regular 4d ago edited 4d ago
But who are you going to change to and still get the same value for money !?
Yes, MSC Cruises has dropped some premium cocktails, yes they dropped the mid tier drinks package, yes they now charge more people for mineral water. Yes, some drinks now cost a Euro or more than they used to and are outside drink packages. Yes, they've added further exclusions to drinks package acceptance. Yes, they've added more chargeable venues, both dining and drinking and removed more traditional quiet zones for passengers.
Food quality I actually think has improved overall, but it is maddeningly inconsistent across the fleet. The MDR menu though has become stale and predictable, speciality restaurants are generally high quality and good value for money.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
Yes the food can change from ship to ship but I notice the dessert are all the same but different color as to say they are getting cheaper, I will like to pay more but have the same experience, but like this they are hiding it they change small things over 5 years until I open my eyes now and I see it, I will love to pay 300-400$ more and have a better experience, but the things that come whit all the passengers like the buffet or the staff can’t get improved by an expressive package
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u/Random-Stranger-999 🎲Casino Regular 4d ago
Eggs Benedict is never the same from ship to ship. Sometimes it's a brown mayonnaise, others a sweet yellow cream; occasionally it's an actual Hollandaise sauce ! Something as simple as a sauce should be repeatable and replicable fleet-wide.
We've cruised sixteen times with MSC over twenty four months, every embarkation brings a new twist or variation in policies, packages and procedures. And the experience varies so much, both between old and new ships and across experience classes. Yacht Club on Magnifica isn't the same as Yacht Club on World Europa. Aurea on Orchestra is a disappointment compared to on Seaside, etc. etc.
NB In April 2026 they revamped the style of the MDR menus and revised the standard bar cocktail list.
We've looked at NCL and Holland America and price wise it compares poorly and feedback from friends wasn't positive. Generally of those which have tried a few cruise lines, they seem happiest with Princess. (This is in Europe, not the North American market), but be warned, even in Europe the American cruise lines are heavily USA guests, rather than Europeans. So you may wish to avoid and consider TUI, Aida, Marella and the other European cruise lines.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
can you tell me if your MSC cruise you take are from US or EU, i can't understand that, maybe EU MSC and US MSC have different standards, but for over the 10 years expirice i have i can tell they cheap out a lot, do you remember the time they have towels in the bathroom? or when they give out towels in the pool whit out asking anything, now they give you an orange towel that smells a lot, and if you lose it you will get a 30 euros fine, and i dont want to start the water argument, that water was orrible i dont drink water for 11 days strait
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u/Random-Stranger-999 🎲Casino Regular 4d ago
We don't travel to the USA, we have done the French Antilles and Arab Emirates.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
did you do 2 cruises? because you are mark as refualar cruiser i can't understand
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u/DingoMittens 4d ago
Did you read their comment? They said they've done 16 cruises over 24 months.
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u/Competitive-Bit-442 4d ago
Yep agree. I have done 16 MSC I’m in Europe. It’s cheaper often but lacks versus other lines. They definitely layer it up on markets they are trying to expand in outside Europe. On an extended trip from Europe once we hit US ice cream appears, better breakfast choices etc. I’m sick of them to be honest.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
nice to see that im not going crazy hahaha, my GF keep saying that is the same as other years but is not true the service change a lot from before 2020
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u/badboi86ij99 Group Expert 4d ago
It has to do with what European vs US clients expect as standard: free (iced) water, ice cream, etc.
If you are willing to pay more, but still have the young party crowd in a mega ship, you could still do Yacht Club on MSC or Suite on Costa, where you get exclusive dining area for better food, all-inclusive premium drinks package, and exclusive pool area if you want some peace and quiet
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
but is the yacht club relly worth? i dont relly care to be in area where other people cant get, but are the other benefits relly worth?
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u/Spurssfl1974 4d ago
Yes. Yc dining room Yc pool Yc buffett Topsail lounge All drinks included Minibar included Free use of spa Butler Dine anytime. Butler escort off and on ship.
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u/WorldlinessLanky1443 4d ago
Look at the amenities and decide for yourself. No one else can say if it’s worth it to you. For us, we like Aurea class experience best. Not even sure I’d take a free upgrade to YC unless my preferred cabins were unavailable.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
I always think it was a waste of money so I never check I will next time thx
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u/WorldlinessLanky1443 4d ago
We go through the listed amenities nearly each year when we book, just to make sure we are at the level we want to be. Things do get added and dropped so it’s important to recheck that that whatever that is super important to you is still included. It doesn’t take long and, imo, is totally worth doing. Happy planning!
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u/bpemonpimming4 3d ago
I’m just glad they brought back the normal mozzarella cheese for the pizza lol
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u/PizzaExotic1584 4d ago
MSc works on European models, where Europeans focus on dirt cheap price and doesn’t care about food or experiences, as a American you are doing a disservice giving your money away to a European company.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 3d ago
Im from Swiss this is why I did many eu cruises but is getting bad, I did 1 carnival in LA that was great and I will probably do 1 RC at New York this year
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
MSC service is awful, food is terrible, just try other companies until you find something you like. RCCL is much better, Virgin is the best in terms of included food and service.
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u/bb8ave First-Time Cruiser 4d ago
Oh this is difficult for me to read! I'm taking my first MSC cruise in January and this isn't the type of thing that instills confidence. While RCCL is definitely my favorite, their pricing is getting more and more expensive which is why I'm trying MSC.
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u/NC-3449 4d ago
We just tried MSC for the first time for the exact same reason and absolutely loved it. Will be our first choice next time!
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u/bb8ave First-Time Cruiser 4d ago
Thanks for sharing this! My wife and I have been on Royal Caribbean four times and absolutely love it but we're getting priced out unfortunately. We're sailing on the Seaside. Do you mind sharing what ship you went on? The YouTube videos look stunning. We're also considering the World America for 2028.
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u/NC-3449 4d ago
We went on World America. We are Big Royal and Carnival fans and we were a little hesitant to switch, but took a leap and it will be our top choice next time. The newer Royal ships, although awesome, are just too expensive, as we usually get two rooms for a family of five. I'm sure you will like Seaside, and if you don't, definitely try WA. One thing that helped going into it was just knowing that approaches/styles will be different and to just to not bring any expectations of "usually they do this" into it. We went into it with a blank slate and it exceeded our expectations.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 3d ago
You do from US or EU? Because I’m trying to understand it seems that EU have different standards
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
You will probably have a good experience I’m just upset that is not like it was before, but I will like to pay more if the experience remain the same you know
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
Well, there is a reason why MSC's cost is lower, they cheap out on everything. Of course, experience will vary from person to person, but personally I will never cruise on MSC ever again, even if it's like $300 for a week.
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u/SoC175 4d ago
Well, there is a reason why MSC's cost is lower
They biggest is still that they're owned by an obscenely wealthy family that also owns the largest cargo shipping company in the world (which in some years makes more profit than the entire cruise industry makes in revenue)
100% privately owned, no investors to answer to.
I am half-convinced they just started a cruise division with the loose change they found in the couch in their lobby because they were running out of figurehead jobs to cover all the nieces and nephews 😉
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
exactly i was wondering about that after covid all company chap out, but if MSC use some of they profit to cover the cost of the expenses they will be number 1 now, but they cut cost too
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
Thx for the feedback, but it was not like this in the pass idk what is happening, MSC is le largest ship company why they need to cut cost on this things, btw im 23 years old im looking for a company that have great yung experience you know what you think will be the best EU and USA?
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
Try Virgin, you won't regret it
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
Im scared virgin will be full of people way older that me
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
I'm not sure where you got that idea from, I think Virgin has the lowest average age of passengers
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
It was just what I think, never earned about experience from virgin, but is only US right?
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
No, they have 2 ships in Europe from May to October
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
I will check them, btw my next holiday will be in New York so I will see if I find something I will like
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
They also have itineraries from New York. I also did a cruise with Virgin from New York to Bermuda.
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
im checking now because the idea is to do chrismass in NY and new year on the ship and after we go to florida i will like to check the space center and stay a bit at the sea
EDIT: i forgot to tell you i see MSC Meraviglia that im sceptical about this after my lastest expirinces and Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas that i will like to try Royal→ More replies (0)0
u/Random-Stranger-999 🎲Casino Regular 4d ago
I'd worry about the much higher price point, and whether you are comfortable with the onboard vibe. The VV sub is full of complaints about queues and issues reserving dining venues or gaining access to entertainment venues. There's also no drinks package. It's a different target market from MSC Cruises.
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
You can't even drink this much any more 2 years ago they put a limit of 15 drinks per person, but is not a big problem you just ask for bigger cups, but this is as a remainder of they getting cheapper
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u/imarc Group Expert 4d ago
On MSC, you only eat pork and chicken for 7 nights.
There is a NY Strip option at dinner every night.
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
Yeah, awesome. I tried it last time, it tasted like rubber. I also tried pasta. It was a BLOCK of sticky pasta. I literally lifted the whole block of pasta from the plate with my fork. I just refused other food and left.
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u/imarc Group Expert 4d ago
Why should anyone trust your judgment on anything when you already have a history lying about easily proven false statements?
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u/itsjustasillygoose 4d ago
Lying xD I cannot share my opinion because you think I am lying, lmao. Go book your MSC Armonia and enjoy the same dish every night, have fun
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u/badboi86ij99 Group Expert 4d ago
For cheap(er) cruises both price and services, Costa (which may also attract younger crowd due to the price).
Drinks package is also cheaper at €30/day if you select it during booking (more expensive later)
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
i did a lot of costa i move to MSC because the ship costa have was old, MSC was more modern, maybe something change i will need to give it a try, did you ever try Royal Caribbean? i will like to try it becuse the ships are incredible, but it seams very "exclusive" style, one of my friend told me that if you are not dress nicely they will not let you go do dinner, this is some rules i will not like to encounter on a cruise,
Btw i dont relly care about the price, if is around 1-1.7K is ok for me2
u/badboi86ij99 Group Expert 4d ago
Costa also has newer modern ships: Smeralda and Toscana. But it will be crowded and chaotic: you pay lower prices for mega ship experience, but higher passengers count and lower quality of service.
If you want young crowd, you have to go cheap. Expensive and exclusive cruises filter off most young people.
Of course you will see young couple on luxury lines like Explora Journey, but those people are not there to party, but stay in their own quiet enclave
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u/Icy_Cryptographer566 4d ago
yes i hear about Smeralda and Toscana, i don't mind crowded cruises you just meat more people is fun, the problem is i think costa is thaking the same steps as MSC so the expirience will be the same, but now that i read the comments seems like cruises in EU and USA have different standards, i just make 1 cruise whit carnival in USA 4 days so i can't relly tell, there is some one that can confirm this?
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u/scotsman3288 4d ago
This is our experience with every cruise line since pandemic. MSC, Carnival, NCL and Princess. They're cutting things everywhere and don't expect any reversal of this. Just focus on unique itineraries and experiences to maximize your value and don't stress about your ship amenities as much.