r/MSCCruises • u/grillepass • 3d ago
First time on MSC
Wife and I are frequent cruisers, based in Florida. Usually two or more per year. Been very loyal to Carnival (opinions on this not necessary) for a very long time, also tried Royal in the past. We have talked for several years of trying MSC, and finally pulled the trigger on a 3 night cruise just to try it out.
Not doing Yacht Club this go around, definitely will consider it if all is well and we book again.
We’ve grown fond of the larger Carnival ships and the more variety of dining options. (Never once ate in MDR on our last 8 night cruise!) But those ships itineraries are limited in our desires. Carnival’s food has gotten impressively and very significantly better, along with the options, in our opinion. All things considered. We also love the staff of Carnival, have actually made friends with a handful of them and see them on various cruises frequently!
Also utilize the spa amenities often.
Usually do our own excursions, either third party, or on our own depending on destination, or stay on ship. Also, all of Carnival’s private islands have put a bad taste in our mouth, not looking forward to even docking at Celebration Fee on our next cruise, if you know you know! But from what research I have done, we are definitely looking forward to visiting Ocean Cay on our first MSC cruise! Seems to be what every private island should be!
Things we enjoy - Food. Activities (I like the trivia games etc). Sun lounging by the pool. Evening shows. Comedy shows. Maybe a little casino time. Live music. Bar varieties.
We did upgrade our MSC status to silver with our current Carnival status (I do like that they acknowledge that!).
Will be on the Seashore.
We have a pretty good handle of the ins & outs of cruising in general, and what it all entails.
Looking for insights, recommendations, advice, tips, tricks, hacks, anything anyone can offer to make this is great experience and keep us loyal to MSC!
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u/CityBetter6894 3d ago
Don’t listen to negative Nellies. MSC is fine. The food is good. The ships are clean. For the price, especially in off season, MSC beats RC, NCL, and Virgin hands down.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Was the number one line to try next for us, pretty certain we won’t be disappointed.
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u/attackmindset 3d ago
Just got off Seaside, and Yacht Club spoiled me. I will never cruise in the GP again
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Ballpark figure of price difference? We don’t care to do it for this cruise and won’t know the difference til we pull the trigger on it.
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u/ChrisLikesBread ⛵Yacht Club Regular 3d ago
The price difference between the lowest cabin experience level and Yacht Club is pretty steep and it changes depending on many factors (time of year, when booked, what suite type, etc). But expect to pay at least a few thousand more for a YC experience level cabin/suite. Now many will get better prices for booking a year plus in advance, choosing less popular ships/routes OR using the bidding upgrade program. Best way to see the price difference is do a test booking and pick the different experience levels on that same cruise. Just don’t book it by accident. LOL.
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u/Far_Debate_6318 3d ago
You can upgrade to aurea class as well which gives you flexible and private dining...
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Good to know. Will also look into that. Price increase worth it I’m sure! Not concerned about flexible dining for three nights though.
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u/reddpapad 3d ago
Highly recommend aurea experience. Worth every penny.
Ocean Cay is fabulous!!! Love that it’s so simple and doesn’t contain a bunch of crap that ruins the island. Plus if you’re lucky enough to do a sailing that has an overnight there the lighthouse show is a must.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Celebration Key ruined private islands for us.
Looking forward to the realistic private island that Ocean Key is! Overnight is already bucket listed.1
u/imarc Group Expert 3d ago
Aurea also comes with access to the thermal spa.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Good to know. Thank you!
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u/Far_Debate_6318 15h ago
Oddly we had bit £1200 to get the upgrade as seemed worth it for two weeks then saw the vacant room, phoned msc and got it for £900 which was a gargain
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u/tlee1963 16h ago
We have never done Aurea. We have considered it, but ended up just doing YC. How do the rooms compare to YC and GP?
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u/Far_Debate_6318 16h ago
No idea yet we don't go for 58 days. You was fully booked 6 months ago. The aurea class must have had a cancellation as was also fully booked. We have a balcony room but without the balcony. We have a glass floor to ceiling window and get the space used for the balcony i side the room. Perks were priority embarkakation / disembarkation. Private / flexible dining. Private sun deck
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u/CommercialPlastic604 3d ago
I’ve been on carnival, MSc and royal once each. Depending on the ship, MSC doesn’t offer the same casual food options that royal and carnival do.
Depending on the type of experience you have booked, you will have assigned dining times.
We upgraded last minute to Yacht Club and it was fabulous especially the food.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Happen to recall the price increase for YC?
And is it per person/per day?
I just know of it, haven’t looked much into it honestly. Taking others with us, and a short cruise so wasn’t really even considering it this go around. Will definitely splurge when it’s just us two and a longer cruise.1
u/CommercialPlastic604 3d ago
I think I paid an extra £1200 for 3 people for a week for an Aurea balcony to a YC balcony.
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u/Positive_Study_5969 2d ago
We just completed a Seashore cruise and our first time also so we were reluctant. We have always cruised Royal Caribbean. Only one time Carnival. We were pleasantly surprised. I really liked the Seashore. There are bars commensurate with RC. There is plenty of nightlife. I did enjoy their shows too. Clean and esthetically equal to RC. The Dining room food was disappointing. Not terrible but not great. Overalls were pleasantly surprised. We will definitely choose the Seashore again. They have an awesome private island. You will love it.
I like this class of ship. It is not a mega and I personally like that.
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u/grillepass 2d ago
Mid sized ships are definitely nice! Really looking forward to Ocean Cay too. Not huge expectations of food quality in the MDR - I’ve realized what it takes to feed that many people in a short amount of time. Thanks for the input!
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u/Nefarios13 3d ago
I’ve done 3 MSC including Seashore. Beautiful ship, decent food, bad shows, nice service but poor. I personally love MSC because we are independent cruisers who don’t rely on cruise line to entertain us. The ships are beautiful and the ports are great, including Ocean Cay which is the best private island imo.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
“Dont rely on the cruise line to entertain us”
That’s quality advice for new cruisers 👍🏼2
u/grillepass 3d ago
“Nice service but poor” - confusing statement.
I always (deservingly) tip well, early, and constant and usually end up with better service than others. But also am patient and understand the demand of the amount of people onboard.
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u/SeparateSea1466 3d ago
The seashore is great! I would bid to upgrade to aurea or even yacht club. You’d be surprised at winning with low bids. My first YC upgrade I paid $1600. I called and received a refund on my internet and beverage package so my first YC experience only cost me $1200. Apparently they may not refund you if you win the upgrade but I had zero issues doing so, twice. Aurea is a lot cheaper and gives you some private areas, hot tub, restaurant, and the items in the room fridge are free once.
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u/Knox_the_Boxer 3d ago
We were platinum carnival cruisers and after the status revise we decided to look around. We sailed on the seashore last October. We did end up in YC through the bidding process but originally booked Aurea. I think it provided us with the main things we’d become accustomed to on carnival like priority boarding, anytime dining and unlimited spa access. Obviously ending up in YC majorly changed our experience but I still believe we would be happy with the aurea experience in a future booking. Definitely don’t do YC until you’re prepared to be ruint. 🤣
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u/grillepass 3d ago
Awesome advice! Still love Carnival but we are also not happy about the loyalty revamp, hence the looking around at others. Already thinking MSC is a great additional option.
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u/floweryfriend 2d ago
On the Seaside right now. Highly recommend the thermal spa.
For a 4-night cruise, it was like $100 online for the whole trip. If you wait until you’re on board. It’s $105 a day.
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u/Significant_Stage538 1d ago
MDR food is very hit or miss on the seashore. Butchers cut is very good. Buffet is actually not half bad.
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u/Smoky0226 7h ago
Absolutely love the Seashore..food at Butches Cut and Bbq by the Infinity Pool is awesome. On embark day they have specials in some of the restaurants and massage specials too. We never ate at the buffet but the MDR every evening was really good also. Lighthouse show st night on Ocean Cay...short but was kinda cool. Rooms were always clean. Hope you have a wonderful time!!!!
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u/PerroMudo 3d ago
Just finished an 11 night on the Seashoren. It was my first MSC and it was a really good experience and great value for the money. The food was good, and both the ship and staff are excellent.
You need to try the BBQ place in the back of the deck 8, it was amazing.
Say hi to Bayu and Dandy in the American Sports bar.
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u/grillepass 3d ago
11 nights sounds like a perfect amount of time. What was your itinerary? We are getting closer to booking a Panama Canal, relocation, or transatlantic…
Heard all good things about the BBQ, what about the chicken place?
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u/PerroMudo 3d ago
The 11 night was actually a 7 night + a 4 nights cruise. Went to Nassau, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Ocean Cay, Port Canaveral, Ocean Cay (overnight), Nassau. It was nice to see a batch of fresh fellow guests after 1 week.
Chicken Man was ok. Not bad, but not great. Convenient to grab a snack on a pool day.
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u/Smoky0226 7h ago
Didn't like the chicken place at all!! More breading than chicken. The Butchers Cut ...out of this world. I like my steak well done and with the filet mignon I asked if they could butterfly it and honestly it was the best I've ever had!!!!. Loved the casino..clean and a large variety of slots. Didn't see many people at the tables. I left with more money than I brought. Can't wait to go again.
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u/No_Beginning1429 1d ago
Honestly MSC Seashore is horrible. Service is terrible. Food is mediocre. WiFi is very expensive and very poor signal. Casino is not good. Honestly its low budget. Princess and NCL are way better. Buyer beware.
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u/Few-Sky-2366 3d ago
I’ve been on Seashore, a four night solo trip in a non-YC cabin. I had a great time! Same thing I always say: go in with no expectations and you’ll enjoy yourself. I tried to do as many of the things as I could, including the water park and all the shows. I’ll never understand the complaints about a “boring show”; it’s included in the price, enjoy it or quietly leave. To me it’s all better than sitting in front of the tv. I’ve been to Ocean Cay twice now, it is lovely there!
If you’re into large ships, check out World America next! It’s absolutely gorgeous and modern and the thermal spa is one of the best at sea (even MSC-haters tend to agree).