Starting from the embarkation the experience was terrible. Complete caos, disorganized, very lazy and uncomfortable... get ready for at least 3 hours of waiting. Arriving at the ship we found all the infrastructure very nice, the house keeping was looking good and the positive impression was carried to inside the cabin... clean, organized and just as we asked. But the good thing stop there. Imagine a ship full of people where a sizeble quantity of them were with their boomboxes playing their favorite songs very loud, others were playing their on music with their instruments in the lobby, on top of this the ship was disputing the fight of who would play the louder music... and only to make everything MUCH better, every 5 minutes (literally) the crew members were making very loud announcements or calls of guests through the audio sistem of the whole ship... even the speakers from inside your cabin was in the game. And this is not only in day one, it was like that EVERY SINGLE DAY, and anywhere you go. I know some people can be thinking that it’s not MSC fault that people doesn’t know how to behave... And I didn’t expect MSC to re-educate them all. I just wanted them not to be permissive of all that. Look, get a large speaker, put your favorite music on and go to shopping mall, to a restaurant or enter an airplane and see what happens... you can be sure security will approach you and ask you to leave of turn it off. MSC is not only omissive on their task of making sure all passengers were enjoying their daylight experience, but also on making sure the quality of your sleep would not be affected by others. Due to a raining night they moved a overnight party into the atrium where many cabin aisles entrees were located, which resulted in a whole night of running and screaming in front of my cabin door (until 6 AM). And in the morning we found stickers at the doors with sayings that are not very easy to explain the meaning to your kids. Now... about the food. It’s not a very repetitive menu, as we heard some people mention... it’s actually the exact same menu day after day. Nothing is nicely prepared or will bring you that delicious flavor they promise in their ads. The restaurants with the French style limits you a lot, you cannot even ask for a salad without a dressing... it all comes as described in the menu, and again nothing is tasty at all. Even fruits from the dessert were not ripe enough. Last but not least, the service... bartender were not trained at all, and were VERY lazy. Think about it, lazy bartenders, plus lots of drunks trying to get their drinks. Well, the simple act of walking to a bar to get a bottle of water and a beer would still some 20 to 30 minutes of your day, and a lot of the little joy you were trying to find in that terrible trip. I’m only giving two stars instead of one considering the infrastructure of the ship that was very nice, specially at the kids pool. If not for this part, it would not deserve even a single star. I think I never regretted spending money on something like I did this time with MSC. Read Less

sorry for my English ! I’m from Brazil . the cabin was the best thing! it looked like a hotel room. the food at the buffet was better than at the social restaurant. everything is paid, there are no activities for 5000 people, the cleanliness of my room was horrible. I bought a wifi package on the last day they already canceled before the trip ended. It is my sixth cruiser (msc, costa, pullmantur) but the service of this ship was horrible.I do not recommend and I will not go on a “famous” ship anymore BR - Eu não recomendo esse navio a ninguém , de todos que eu fiz esse foi o mais desorganizado! Fiquei a viagem toda no tédio ! A equipe de animação péssima sempre as mesmas coisas: alongamento, aula de língua e dança ! 7 dias foi o suficiente para querer sair do navio ! Tudo era pago , a pista de boliche era só 2 para 5 mil pessoas ! Sempre lotada e fechada durante o dia ! A limpeza da minha cabine meu deus , foi a pior das viagens , tive que buscar toalha de piscina para tomar banho pois o camareiro não ia. Fora o wifi que comprei e me roubaram um dia a menos (pois o pacote era até o final da viagem ). Enfim eu paguei 10 mil reais , meu dinheiro não dá em árvore e não volto mais a esse tipo de navio! O buffet estava bom e tinha variedades ! A cabine por ser nova também era boa , as lojas também eram .... Enfim achei ruim pelo valor que paguei fora que os elevadores sempre estavam lotados... imagina todo mundo querendo se mover ?! Esse navio não tem estrutura para o número de passageiros para prestar o serviço com qualidade Read Less

Told 4 crew about the ordeal including reception who told us "Management has been informed". But nobody ever came to see us or even check if we were ok. Sent an email to customer service department highlighting that this was totally appalling, but they didn't see it that way - "I’m sorry to hear that you felt a lack of support from staff on board. Unfortunately, after the local police have been informed of an incident there is not much that can be done from the ship’s side, as the issue is with the local policing authorities." Wow! Not much that can be done? Not sure if that lives up to any basic duty of care standards. Needless to say we have now cancelled our cruise we had booked on the Meraviglia which was to be our honeymoon, having now had some insight into how little MSC actually care about their passengers. Putting that major concern aside - observations below. previous cruises include NCL, Cunard, P&O and MSC Seaside. Cruise was Genoa, Italy to Santos, Brasil - 19 days. Ship itself is nice as we expected having done a 7 night Caribbean on the Seaside previous which we had loved. Ship developed an operational problem early on which meant it would run slower - as a result Malaga was cancelled. 100 Euro ship credit per cabin was offered. This had knock on effects for us however as the port times were also changed for the remaining European stops. We had to cancel most of our excursions (we had organised independently) because of this. Embarkation was extremely smooth (multiple options for joining ports for the cruise helped), but there were a number of times on the trip with big delays getting off at port stops after docking (up to 3 hours). Unsure the background why. Dining was a major letdown compared to previous cruises (even MSC Seaside). Although I actually think the buffet is excellent, and the additional buffet on Deck 16 has themed dinners for a bit of variety. Noticed a huge difference in table accessibility in the buffet though early on in the cruise with less favourable European weather compared to the South America leg. These ships are really designed for good weather and the usable space decreases dramatically if everyone is forced inside. A few times we gave up and just took our plates back to the room. But the biggest food disappointment was the main dining room. Actually stopped eating here half way through the cruise. Just terrible. Twice I had to send my tomato basil penne back (btw not a single hint of basil anywhere?) as it was still crunchy. Likewise even simple things like steamed fish were often under-cooked. Did do the Roy Yamaguchi experience package (prebooked before we sailed) which gave you 3 different nights, Sushi, Teppanyaki and Fusion. Sushi and Fusion were great, Teppanyaki absolutely everything was covered in butter which tasted almost tainted and it went right through the food. Note that even if you have a drinks package (we did) it does not cover any orders in the specialty restaurants - so you will be paying for water and anything else you order. Talking with the wait staff it seems none of the specialty restaurants were getting many bookings, so half their job involved wandering around the ship selling packages (usually when people were trying to eat their food in the buffets etc). Wore a bit thin getting bothered 50 times a day after 2+ weeks of cruising! Prebooked a spa package that included a couple of massages and a day pass to the Thermal Suite area. Massages were fine, awkward after each though with the (almost begging) hard sell to book again on the spot. Thermal suite we really enjoyed. Snow room, a couple of wooden sauna rooms, scented steam rooms with funky lighting, a relax on lounger salt room, a big spa pool, and stone heated loungers (but only 2 of these so you have to be lucky). Also scented showers - the cool temp one particularly refreshing. There was one other room that you were supposed to walk around while jets of water come up from the ground but it was a waste of space. Another bonus is there is an outside deck are you can only access through the thermal suite, with deck loungers and a spa pool looking straight out to sea. Entertainment was a mixed bag. Generally the guest acts were average, and the actual MSC Seaview singer/dancer/acrobat crew were excellent. Only exception to this was a rather lackluster show staged as a Tina Turner tribute. Shows are scheduled 3 times a night and you have to book for the one you want through the app or touch screens around the ship. Pays to check when they open up (sometimes the day before, sometimes 2 days) as slots often booked out. They scan your card when you enter the theatre to make sure you have booked. You can try your luck without a booking however - as they let people in 5-10 mins before the show starts if there are spare seats. Haven lounge (which was our favourite on Seaside) was hurt by having rotating sets of Duos, who while all talented in their own right, were very much similar so became quite boring after the first week. Still we spent a fair amount of time there after establishing that's where the best barista did most of his shifts. Coincidentally the best coffee on the Seaside also was from the same lounge. Another note on the drinks package - you can no longer use it in the Venchi cafe for coffees or hot chocolates (we could on the earlier Seaside cruise). Service itself was patchy. Room steward was quite shy but lovely, the haven lounge staff fantastic and they got to know us. Elsewhere it would depend on the day as to whether you had to go searching for drinks and whether you'd get a smile or a scowl. Port stops we mostly ended up just looking around adhoc due to the schedule changes. Used to onboard credit for the basic shuttle a few times - they were typically 15-19 euros. Tenerife went to La Laguna which was quite good (although devastated we had to cancel our rental car, chairlift and hiking permit for Mt Teide). Note it is very easy to get to La Laguna on public transport taking a tram or bud to the main depot (or 15 mins walk) and then a direct express bus there (40 mins). It cost use less than 5 Euro each vs the ship shuttle at 52 Euro. Ilheus is a nothing stop, Rio had been before and Salvador is where we had the incident so no fond memories there. In short it is sad it worked out like it did. There are a lot of mixed reviews for MSC out there but we did have a good time ourselves on the Seaside and had high hopes we had found a good match in cruise line, liking the design innovation and generally upbeat vibe. It took me a while to write to MSC as it kind of involved reliving some unpleasantness, but then I was as amazed by the response maybe as much as the lack of concern on the ship at the time. They make a big effort positioning themselves in their advertising as the "biggest privately owned" cruise line in the world. I can see now that is just meaningless drivel, because if it is implying that means they somehow care more about their passengers.... they don't. Read Less

Well after 73 cruises I can finally say never again on MSC. My pros were : Embarkation in Barcelona and disembarkation in Barcelona Our wait staff in main dining room (I use the term dining room loosely) Our cabin steward was good. Ship was beautiful. Our cabin was ok too, although closet placement was a poor design. Cons: Generally unfriendly staff on board (language problem?) Lifts (Elevators) slow and very crowded. Daily embark and debarkation, kind of like a local bus. We booked early dining but were assigned late dining, got it changed and was put into a , for lack of better words a SUB dining room. More like a warehouse, no décor at all. Daily activities were abysmal probably due to daily ports. NOW the food, I had read in previous reviews that the food was not good to just plain bad. I found them to be true, again after 73 cruises I feel somewhat qualified to judge the food. Also this is the only cruise my wife and I lost weight on. Main dining was usually cold or luke warm at its best. The buffet was only slightly better, but there you had to survive the rudeness of most of the southern European passengers. We have traveled in Europe for years and have never been faced with the rudeness we saw on this ship. As a travel advisor I will not recommend this line to my American or Canadian clients as I know the disappointment they will have. Read Less

My husband and I had a good time on the cruise. We went to 4 theater shows, all very good. The performers were all quite professional. We also went dancing, learnt a bit of waltz and rumba, it was fun. The only problem was the dance classes did not follow the printed schedule, so we had to wait for over 30 minutes for one of the classes. We ate at the main dining room, food was ok. Staff were all pleasant and helpful. Our room was roomy and clean. Nice view from the balcony. We had 2 excursions from the cruise. On the first excursion, we were put on the Spanish/French bus by mistake - if you join excursions from the cruise, make sure you check the sign on the front of the bus which tells you what languages they will use. For the second excursion, it was difficult to hear the tour guide - a bus load of people following one guide. The guide did have a microphone with an amplifier, but it would be much better if we each have a headset. Read Less

The ship is beautiful but foods, both in restaurant and buffet, are terrible. Food in restaurant is far from enough and I had to eat again in buffet. Food quality, both in restaurant and buffet are far from tasty. We were originally arranged sitting in Silver Dolphin restaurant same table with strangers while many tables are still not occupied. Excursions are professional organized. We were charged twice for a shore excursion and had to deal with the excursion staff in last minute before disembarkation. One of itinerary destinations cancelled due to poor weather but we didn't get any compensation. All passengers attended the shore excursion in Florence got badly wet due to pouring rain and I got cold second day. Cabin service is bad. Bed sheets and towels in our cabin never got changed for 7 nights. We couldn't have a good sleep for all nights because vibrating from beds and noise from balcony door. Read Less

Ship! 10/10 Stunning, huge, completed 2018, identical to MSC Seaside LED lights, mirrors, chrome, glass walkways, crystal staircases, ultra glamorous, a real assault on the senses! Cabin, 9/10! Balcony, deck 10, nice modern neutral decor, comfy bed, large comfy sofa that doubes up into bunkbed if required. Fridge with minibar, Large mirrors, nice paintings/art. Double glazing, multiple lamps Tiny shower, also likely to bump your head when on the toilet, as the sink is very close! Handy button to press when you want your room cleaned/do not disturb (as opposed to the sign you hang on the outside of the door) No obstructions on balcony, one of the very few ships anywhere that offers unobstructed views, as the lifeboats are hidden under deck 8 walkways Food 9/10 2 buffets, large one on deck 8, with outdoor seating, smaller on one deck 16, also with stunning views Always a choice for everyone, although breakfast is slightly repetitive, but does the job, usually only warm as opposed to hot Coffee from dispenser is warm, so better off pressing the handy button on the tables, and someone will be over to serve you something 'better' from the menu (Chargeable, or covered in drinks packages) Main Dining Room (MDR) was ok, decor and service excellent, extensive wine list Specialty dining was superb, we *Myself and 'her') bought all 3 , butchers cut, Ocean Cay, and Asian Fusion, for £75 pp, for all 3, as opposed to £49pp for one restaurant only The fillet mignon steak was to die for! Special thanks to Roman, and a Zimbabwean gent whose name i wish i could remember, for making Butchers Cut a true 5* fine ding experience! Superb views from deck 16 too, all 3 of these specialty restaurants were on 16! Drinks, 9/10 We bought premium drinks package, from travel agent beforehand, aprrox £252 pp for 7 days, and believe me, we got good value from this. Not just booze, but bottled water and specialty coffees included (Seaside lounge was best for these!) If you like a drink, don't bother with 'easy package', upgrade to premium, easy only covers drinks up to 6 euro per glass, and doesn't cover bottled water, which is only 3 euros per litre, go figure!) Easy package will get you VERY basic drinks, like heineken beer, rum and coke, 1 or 2 white, rose or red wine! Staff will try and sell you drinks and dining packages the moment you set foot on the ship, so far easier to say you already have them, as opposed to trying to convince them you don't need them! Packages are cheaper to buy online before you cruise, as on board they will add 15% 'gratuity' The speciality coffees in the seaside lounge, the 'melon killer' in the sports bar, and literally any drink in the seaview bar, were all to die for! TECH 8/10 Download the 'MSC for me' app, for your phone, its very useful, and you can stay in contact/message your friends /family, whilst on board, for no charge, even when out at sea You can buy MSC wristbands for 5 euro, that act as your MSC card, but we didn't bother, the SeaCards were fine. Use them to pay/swipe, and open your cabin door Don't bother with Wifi, because paying 100 euro so that MSC can give you a password to a slow Wifi service, really isn't on! Useful 'clean/do not disturb' button inside cabin, a light will show on the outside, so the cabin steward knows what to do! Multiple interactive ship touchscreens, similar to the MSC for me app, to plan your day/week, and to register debit/credit cards, if you intend to buy stuff/excursions! EXCURSIONS N/A For us, the ship itself was the destination, the ports of call were all bonuses MSC will rip you off, as you may expect, if you book excursions through them. If you want to visit any of the ports, better off booking independently , and do your research! If you are late back, the ship is not obliged to wait for you, if you haven't booked through MSC! The port of Cannes was a 'tender boat' port, the ship anchors a mile out to sea, and uses its own smaller boats to take people to shore. Fabulous opportunity to take unhindered shots of the ship, from water level! We had no real interest in anyone giving us the accepted version of history of places like rome, the vatican etc. More for the views from the ship, than anything else! ENTERTAINMENT Multiple pools, waterslides, including an indoor one (jungle pool) with retractable roof Lego play area, plenty for kids to do, but i would avoid school holidays like the plague! Went to 2 theatre shows, suprisingly good! A Tina Turner tribute, and another with a heavy 'Greatest showman' influence, which was excellent! If you can live with lots of italians, smoking, wearing tracksuits, not queueing, not washing their hands, etc, then you will love the itinerary. La Spezia, Genoa, Civitavecchia, a very italian intensive itinerary. Though the sailaway from Barcelona was epic, and the views of Palma, Majorca, and La Spezia, were truly memorable! Always book through a Travel agent (TA), if you pay around £800pp for balcony cabin, with flights, transfers, and hold luggage included, you will have done well! Would go again for the ship alone, but maybe earlier in the year, when its slightly warmer MSC tend to shut the outdoor areas and rear panoramic lifts, with only the slightest bit of wind, which was annoying There was a delay getting off in the tenderboats in Cannes, MSC said this was 'done to bad weather', which was a pathetic lie, the weather was perfect. Shame on you MSC, we could all see the weather was fine, cut out the bullshit! Organise things better! Read Less

First things first the food is disgusting,the service is really bad, the workers disturb you 24/7 with food/drink packages even in a middle of your dinner... The cruise itself is cheap but everything else is expensive Me and my wife got a reserved table (which cannot be changed) near 6 other strangers we don’t know You have to wait for about 10 minutes for the lift to arrive We got a cancellation to one of our stops due to weather (I'm not blaming the crew) and didn’t get any compensation at all, crusing in the middle of the sea so we decided to buy an internet package for 34 euros FOR 24H!!! and the fun part its only suitable for 1 device!!!! We accidently bought it for our cellphone so we had to go to the reception to change it to our laptop, WE HAD TO ARGUE TO GET IT SWITCHED TO OUR LAPTOP! After 15 minutes arguing we got it to our laptop with no charge... And at the end we got a mandatory 140 euro “service charge” bill for 4 days This is the last time im cruising with msc Read Less

The ship is a wonderful modern ship with fantastic features, but the staff let it down with their priorities being maintaining the areas where they work forgetting the customers. The food quality is not what I expect from a ship of this size and quality/cost of cruise. The speciality restaurants are extremely expensive. We have been cruising for over 16 years with various cruise lines (some budget ones) and this was the worst we have experienced. The ship is extremely noisy everywhere in the entertainment bars and on deck during the day. If you have an issue and go to Guest Services your concerns will not be addressed or an apology give, or it was not in my or my sons cases. The shows on an evening lasts only 35 minutes and no drinks are served. Beware of the compulsory tips! they are extortionate! but you can ask for them not to be added, I think that because the tips are added the staff don’t really care if they give good service, sorry MSC but we will not be cruising with MSC again. Read Less

This was my 10th MSC Cruise and our second time on MSC Seaview. We decided to upgrade to Yacht Club again as this provides many benefits that we enjoy. We are big fans of MSC and l would like to provide a balanced review. With Yacht Club you get priority boarding, so this was a very smooth and quick process. Our balcony room was great and well maintained by Richard and Michelle. We dined at the restaurant and we also went to the speciality restaurants Butcher’s Cut and Ocean Cay. The food and the service was excellent. There was a couple of things that could have been better, and also they used to be better. One of the benefits of MSC Seaview over the Divina class last year was the pads/cushions on the sun loungers and chairs outside. When we asked where they were we were told they had been sent for cleaning, which didn’t seem to be a satisfactory answer. The sun loungers are very uncomfortable to lie on and this was a disappointment to us. Also, in the past there was a section on the menu that was always available, this was good for me as I can be a fussy eater. When we asked they did provide this menu, however, I would have preferred this to be part of the usual menu, so as not to feel different. Other than those couple of details the cleanliness of the ship, the friendliness of the staff are second to none. Read Less

We were on board from Rome to La Spezia (got off early to meet up with friends and family in Tuscany). The good: - Check in was quick and painless - The cabin (0913) was fantastic, we had a 'restricted view' balcony but honestly didn't spend much, if any, time on the balcony - Entertainment was great - the theatre shows were just the right amount of time - The €10 drinks package was great - the only thing that wasn't included was the high end champagnes/spirits - Despite being a massive ship, we never felt overly crowded, nor did we ever have a problem finding seats or getting service They could work on: - The seated restaurant. We used it twice, and the buffet every other night. The service was slow, the meals not very interesting, and they never had the wine we wanted - On the €10 drinks package, on more than one occasion a bartender would say they had run out of the €9 drinks, and then try and sell us the €12 option, not covered in our package. Each and every time, we pointed out the bottle of wine or beer we were after - so this was very deceptive and needs to be addressed. - Compulsory charges for transfers off/onto the boat at ports. I reckon this should be included in the cost. Read Less

My husband and I went on this cruise ship with another couple for a "babymoon" vacation. Last hurrah before a baby. A little background on us, I am 26 years old, my husband 28 and we have been on a princess cruise and celebrity cruise both of which were an incredible experience. This was our first cruise of Europe and we were excited to experience it on a European Cruise Line. We picked this boat based on friends recommendations and the itinerary. Our friends went on the ship right after the grand opening and upgraded their package which we did not. Both of which could have contributed to the HUGE differences in our experiences. The worst of the worst: FOOD -On sign up online it offered us anytime dinning but when we arrived they said it shouldn't have and that is only available for the upgraded package so we were automatically put at the earliest dinning time option. After many conversations they were able to get us a later time for dinner. -which was nice but still a hassle to figure out SIT DOWN DINNING -BUG IN MEAL. At the sit down dinning my husband had some sort of worm in his meal (see picture) After pointing it out, the floor manager in the restaurant told us that these things happen and what can you do. He then offered another food option but at that point we had lost our appetite. My husband requested the wine we ordered with dinner be on the house and the manger said these things do not equal the same thing. Needless to say we went to the customer service desk after that. - ONLY BOTTLED H20. When asked for tap water we were told they only serve bottled water (cruise lines have safe, clean tap water) we had to go to the 5th floor buffet and bring tap water to dinner. It was sad to see all that plastic being used needlessly. They also still used straws which the other two cruise lines we had been on had already made the switch from. The other cruise lines would give the straw or bottled water based on request. -BUFFET. Majority of the buffet was cold, the hot dogs were a grey purple colour and the lettuce frequently had sand in it. For a 5 month pregnant lady it was next to impossible to find anything safe to eat. Only had one station to make omelets or eggs and no fresh pasta station nightly. SECURITY The metal detector you have to walk through once on the boat had a clearly labeled do NOT go through pregnant sign on it. I was harassed by security for not walking through it numerous times even after explaining the sign says no and I am pregnant. The one time I was harassed so bad the next few passengers through congratulated me for refusing to walk through and told me it was wrong how they treated me. The experience was embarrassing and made me feel so uncomfortable I left in tears. My husband went to customer service after. We did not understand how there was not a policy for security with pregnant women or those with pacemakers. I surely was not the first pregnant women on this boat so why did they not have a procedure in place instead of arguing with me and trying to make me walk through it. After talking to customer service they reported they did have a procedure and they would refresh the security officers on it. I did not experience an issue after that just waited to be patted down instead. The security off the boat at the ports were amazing and I was never harassed. ROOMS We had discovered our door not fully closed a few times allowing anyone access to the room. Our cleaner seemed very young and new so we gave him the benefit of the doubt but another cherry on top of our horrible experience. LAYOUT The indoor jungle pool did not have access to the other pools unless you went inside (wet) and walked up the stairs or elevator. Which is an unusual layout for such a new ship HOT TUB They had pool guards on deck monitoring people running, jumping, eating, drinking, and being in the hot tubs. Sounds good right? But this was extremely uncomfortable as they literally timed when you got in the hot tub and would rotate you out in 15 minutes. Most people would leave early because it was so uncomfortable watching them watch you and their watches. It was not relaxing at all. Yet when they did maintenance on a hot tub and put chemicals in it they did not had a stationed guard there or sign telling people not to go in. So people would keep going in it and eventually a guard would round and tell them to get out and shower off because it was being treated with chemicals (still no signs went up) POOL CHAIRS At 5pm daily the staff would come and start collecting chairs and relocate items to different chairs so they could clear their space. Even when you told them that you were using them and you were just going in the pool or hot tub. DRINKS do to the lack of bar service staff you wait 15- 30 minutes min. for a drink EXCURSIONS I found when doing research that the excursions they offered were boring compared to the other cruise line excursions. We planned most of our stuff outside of the cruise line because of this reason. But we did book a biking excursion and that port happened to get cancelled and they took us to an alternative destination. We tried to book another bike trip at this location and we were told the guests who had a bike excursion booked would have that option first. We were like... we did have a bike excursion booked. They said they would get back to us if they could book us in and they never did. We went back to check later and the one lady told us that the bike excursion was full but we should book something else because its a boring stop and most things are closed on the weekend. However, there was nothing else that interested us. When we arrived at the port it did have lots of shops open and even a large market in the street. Later we were notified that there was a bike excursion available after all. Very unorganized.- but we were happy the bike excursion never happened at the new destination ONLY GOOD THING The entertainment was amazing! The shows at night were incredible but you did have to pre-book seats. The entertainment staff were also great and engaging. If you can get past the food, avoid the buffet, be patient for drinks and not care that the pool is being guarded like a hawk, then the entertainment might make it all worth it for you. But as much as I love a good show and love to dance I will not go MSC again. I have never written a review before but based on this experience I needed to share. Read Less

After reading some of the reviews, we were so pleasantly surprised to find all the staff were really very good! If you take the time to exchange pleasantries, they certainly remember you and are happy to engage with you. We were amazed at the different nationalities of all the staff and the fact they could easily interact with guests in several languages! Impressive, compared to our uni-lingual English capability!!! We endeavored to learn how to say 'thank you' in their native tongue, out of respect and a chance to get to know the staff better. It was very rewarding! Anwar was particularly helpful organizing many things for us and any time he saw us on the ship (which was quite often), he would always ask how things were going and if he could help with anything. That's pretty amazing! Excursions were very good, especially the bike tours - see Maria! The prices are cheaper on the ship than I could find looking separately but they sell out fast. Even if they are sold out before you board, you can still see if there is room. We were lucky enough to be able to book the Cinque Terre tour for a very reasonable price. We didn't really eat in the buffets, the Golden Sands provided very good breakfasts and really decent meals that were varied. We mostly ate in the specialty restaurants where the food was very good. We highly recommend the Steak House - hopefully you will have Roman and Tapewa (sp?) as your wait staff, they are fantastic. The Asian was very good as well! We upgraded our current (Aurea) drinks package to the Premium one for $9EU/day - well worth it as you could have all the cappuccinos you wanted, as well as fresh juices, upgraded wine and drinks selection. The bartenders all remembered us, if not exactly what we drank, as we often tried new drinks. I can't remember all of their names but they were almost all great! We didn't make it to the shows at night. It is a big ship, there is no two ways about it, and it is quite modern in styling, however, we didn't find the line ups to go ashore or for excursions were onerous. Some were to be expected. The ship didn't seem crowded, there was always room at the bars and restaurants (make reservations at the specialty restaurants). We had a balcony cabin and really enjoyed being on the balcony when entering and leaving ports. It was much warmer than we were expecting and the pools were definitely in use and a bit crowded. Read Less

This was our first cruise and having read lots of reviews before travelling, I have to say we were more than a little worried. Luckily, with a few exceptions we were had a really nice time and largely enjoyed our time on Seaview. We were warned by friends and family who had cruised before, that we would have to be patient when getting on and off the ship but we found the process smooth and stress free, even on the day we docked at Cannes where we had to use tenders to get to shore. The best and easiest way for us to review this cruise is to bullet point the good and not so good points. GOOD: 1) The food in our opinion was very good. If anybody could not find something to eat which suited, I would be extremely surprised. Whatever time we ate in both the restaurant and buffet, the food was fresh and plentiful. 2) The staff were pleasant, helpful and friendly and we had no problems despite occasionally having drink orders misinterpreted because of the language differences. This was mostly amusing rather than annoying. One exception was a member of staff who we heard being extremely rude to a fellow passenger. We tackled her on this and she (eventually and reluctantly) apologised. 3) The ship - WOW. Fabulous. 4) The cabin (indoor), we felt was plenty roomy enough. It was very clean and attended by housekeeping more than once a day. 5) We felt the entertainment was very good. The shows were approx. 35-40 mins long which we felt was pitched just right and they were repeated 3 times each night. Plenty of different types of live music in the various bars. 6) We had booked 2 excursions. One was cancelled due to lack of interest but the one we did which was Cannes and St Raphael was very enjoyable. BAD: 1) The most off putting thing for us was we just couldn't get away from smokers. People even smoking around the pools which they shouldn't have been but weren't told by staff to use the correct areas. Passengers were even allowed to smoke inside the casino which being close to the atrium permeated to the bars and shops around the area. We felt this contravened the safety briefing which told people not to throw cigarette butts over the side incase of fire, yet they could smoke inside?? 2) Everywhere we went outside there were overflowing ashtrays and unclean tables. I think the staff tried very hard to keep on top of things but maybe there weren't enough of them. 3) If you want to use the zip wire, 5D cinema, F1 simulator etc, be aware you will be paying extra for them which we thought was a bit of a cheek. 4) Gratuities. We had 70 euros each added to our room bill as a service charge even though gratuities were included in our cruise fare. It was removed when we spoke to Customer Services but again a faff, having to queue up to speak to someone when we could have been relaxing by the pool. 5) Finally. We often found that bars / lounges were closed off for private events which was frustrating. Would we do another cruise? Probably not but we did have a nice time on the whole. Read Less

We were apprehensive after reading so many negative reviews, especially about the food. I honestly don't know what these people were talking about. We had the Aurea experience, loved the Aurea deck, loved the My Choice dining, loved the Specialty Restaurants, loved the buffet,and the gym was one of he best I've ever been in. The only problem I had was when one of the "cruise directors" or Dancers or whatever you called him tried to snatch my wife away from me and pull her to the dance floor. When I insisted that he move along, he seemed to want to press the issue. Not something we tolerate where I'm from, but i didn't want to start an International incident. Not cool. The rest of the crew was awesome, If I could change one thing, I would have loved one day at sea.. We stopped at a port every day, so there really wasn't a "relaxation " day. Read Less

We chose this cruise as we saw a documentary on MSC. It is a great new ship with great rooms and great staff. There are no sea days so there is never really any overcrowded areas. We booked the Aurea Experience and upgraded to the Premium Plus drinks package, (Well worth it). We suffered a bit of jet lag so didn't get the full benefit of the upgrade but still went pretty close. With Aurea you get a free massage which is good but beware this is purely a sales tactic to up sell product and more services, the masseuse literally stopped 3/4 of the way through a massage to try and sell me a $50.00 tub of sea salt and oil...... Uumm were in the Med, don't need to buy salt, I'll just go to the beach when in port. The restaurants, buffets and bars are all fantastic with huge selections that change daily. In the buffet they have a buzzer on the tables for drink service which is fantastic. Please bare in mind that these cruises are different to all of the others, the guests that grace these boats are mostly from Europe and Russia and therefore DO NOT Queue or wait for anything and think it is their god given right to push and shove their way through any situation (Especially when disembarking and not waiting for people to exit lifts). You just get used to it, we didn't let it bother us as we were friendly to the staff we got preferential treatment all of the time, a great benefit of not being rude...... Our Balcony Cabin 15035 was in a perfect spot on the ship for us and we loved being on the balcony for entering and leaving port and when there was a storm. The beds are super comfy as well. All in all if you are thinking of booking one of these DO IT they are well worth it. Just don't expect the staff to grovel and fall all over you like they do on American cruise lines, its a different culture and if you want something you need to ask for it (Politely of course). Sugar gets you a long way on this ship. There are a lot of hot tubs on the ship too so you don't have to worry about them being full of kids all of the time and warm urine tubs... they seem to keep them really clean. Just beware in the pool areas that there is literally no body shame and you will see the biggest of bodies in the smallest of swimwear outfits (Again mainly the Russians). AS all cruise lines, their transfers and excursions are grossly over priced so do some pre cruise research and you'll be right. Barcelona - Just Walk Cannes - the 12 Euro Mini Train Genoa - Sightseeing bus and walk _ Best PORT of all of them. La Spezia - Train to Pisa Ajaccio (Corsica) Walk - BORING town. Palm De Mallorca - Just cab it into town and walk around. Cabs arounds afternoon peak hour are hard to get though. Rome - Civitvecchia - we boarded there so its just over an hour on the train into ROme - go First class for 15 euro well worth it ..... Read Less

Embarkation was an experience departing from Cannes, nearest airport Nice cost 60e taxi to get to the port. Then you are put through security checks lots of times off the ship, no seating (I am registered disabled), no shelter from the sun, the temp was 33c the day we travelled. Then unceremoniously put onto a tender to embark. The ship looked really great. We have sailed with MSC 7 times before and have never been disappointed Yes I have sailed before: RCI, Cunard, NCL etc...So I can say that I am more excited by the design and styling of the MSC fleet. Than any other cruise line we have sailed. Every direction you look, you will see vibrant colour and sweeping curves with very intelligently use of coloured lighting to enhance your visual pleasures. The staircases are bejewelled with glass crystals to all the treads. The design of the performance stages in the concierge areas, are servicing the evening with live soothing music from a pianist or a full band. We arrived in our room (invalid) and as expected it was sumptuous, I was well pleased. It had a well fitted bathroom to service my needs. The food as always is superb with loads of variety of all different cultures. I did not use any speciality restaurants, but we did frequent the main dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we did do 'tiffin' in mid afternoon for coffee and cake in the buffet! We were never disappointed by the super service we received, we had coffee delivered every morning to the room 0715hrs, they also gave us a warm croissant with it. We never go on the excursions as we have to travel differently so we generally go independently. All the ports in the med are super to visit, there is always something for everyone! Barcelona, Rome, Genoa Cannes....does it come any better? Read Less

This was our first cruise, and whilst we booked it when we were a little tipsy, so glad we did. This was a holiday to celebrate my 40th... This was a Barcelona round trip. We stayed in the city the night before and had an extra night once we left the ship. Barcelona is a great city I've been to several times before so would recommend that. Embarkation was a breeze. As we had Aurea experience, we got priority boarding so sailed straight through checking and embarkation. It was really easy to follow, especially for people who had never done this before. We boarded the ship around midday, and whilst rooms weren't ready until about 1.30pm, we went to see if we could drop our carry on's off, and we could, which was really handy. Advice: carry on a little as possible... most people need less than they think. Our experience came with a drinks package, can't remember what it was, but it was the one before they changes to Easy etc. However, pre-boarding, we upgraded over the phone to the Premium Plus. Found the food in the restaurant and buffet to be really good with lots of variety. I hate over attentive staff so they standard European service was perfect for me. We did speciality restaurant in the Asian Fusion and Tappanyaki, both were really good. As we'd upgraded our drinks package, we were also able to spend lots of time at the champagne bar without fear of the final bill. Bar service was always pretty fast. Morning coffee from the atrium bar before disembarking, there was a bar just for Aurea experience, and that was good. Ship never felt too full or crazy. The theatre shows were OK. With it being a multilingual ship, not so easy having the spoken word on stage so much, though i would say they need to drop the Tina Turner show. The internationalism of MSC was one of the things that drew me to it. Didn't do any ship organised excursions; it was Europe do never really difficult to get around. Being from the UK, I've been to the mainland lots. First port was cancelled due to operational reasons (didn't find out what they were), and went to Toulon. Found this out once we embarked so didn't have much time to do research. Did the casino, and had fun. Limited myself to 30 Euro and it lasted quite a long time. The MSC for Me app was really useful; highly recommend people download it. You can use it on the ship ships WiFi without having a WiFi package. The screens around the ship were also very good. As we were Aurea, we also got the wristbands, which were really handy for everything. Just couldn't leave the ship without the card. Disembarking was easy. Whilst we needed to be out of our cabin early, we were able to stay on board for a few hours before going to check in to our hotel. We got a WiFi package and didn't use all the date. We also got one of the laundry packages and that was great too. Loved this so much, we're booked on the MSC Meraviglia for November from Miami. I expect service will be a little different. Looking forward to it. Read Less

MSC Seaview 31st August - 7th September 2019, return trip from Barcelona with stops at Cannes, Genoa, La Spezia, Rome, Ajaccio and Palma This was our 23rd cruise, having cruised, as a couple and as a family, with most of the mainstream cruise lines. Our trip with Seaview was our 3rd MSC cruise experience having sailed both Magnifica and Splendida previously. As before, the decision to choose MSC was driven mainly by the itinerary and the perceived value. Our experience of MSC in the past had been mixed at best, however, the draw of a port intensive cruise along the French and Italian rivieras was sufficient to overcome any concerns we may have had. Sailing MSC from a Med port is a different experience to other lines. The ship acts more like a bus, where passengers from across Europe and beyond can start and end their cruise at any of the main ports. For us, provided you arrive early in the day, embarkation was relatively straightforward (we were on within 30 mins). This is possible as only a proportion of the passenger complement is embarking/ disembarking at any given port. Once on Seaview, our initial impressions were that this ship is large, very large and slightly disorientating. You are sharing your cruise holiday with thousands of fellow guests speaking multiple languages from across Europe and Latin America. The ship is ‘busy’ - this is not a ship to choose for peace and tranquility! The design theme of the ship is ‘modern’ - plenty of glass, steel, mirrors, chrome and vinyl in a muted pallette of purples, greys and greens. Whilst we would not describe the ship as dirty, it was the least ‘kept’ ship we have ever been on. This could be to do with the thousands of people in constant movement on the ship, but one of the biggest differences we noticed is the total lack of staffing. We rarely saw anyone cleaning the public areas, and it was common-place to see unvacuumed carpets or handprints across mirrored surfaces. Hygiene did not seem to be enforced on the ship with no one being asked to wash or sanitise their hands before entering the restaurants. Whilst embarkation was straight forward and quick, the rest of our ‘cruise prep’ was nothing short of a mess. We had pre-purchased our drinks package and had paid extra for the ‘Fantastica’ experience to ensure we had our choice of dining time as we enjoy eating later in the evening. This was all confirmed with MSC by our TA and our tickets issued by MSC confirmed the same. Once on board we celebrated the start of our cruise with a sail-away cocktail only to be told by the barman that no drinks package was loaded to our account - at this point we noticed we had been allocated the first sitting (6.15pm) for dinner. A trip to Guest Relations was required. We felt sorry for the staff in the end. There are just too few of them employed by MSC. This means they are overworked and tired and begin to see guests as a problem. We queued for 20 mins to see the agent at Guest Relations. He could not help as his computer just said ‘no’ to finding our drinks package. His colleague was better equipped to help but never once looked us in the eye and continued to tap furiously at the computer trying to find our drinks package. After calling over a third colleague and then reissuing our whole party’s cruise cards we were all set to go. This episode had taken 1 hour. We mentioned the dining time error and were dismissed with the wave of the hand and told to report to the restaurant to request the change. We duly reported to the head waiter at the restaurant and after a further queue we were summoned forward to plead our request to change our dining time. Our request was met with a snort and we were asked if we knew how many children were on board (1500 apparently). We were informed that children like to eat late so we would have to eat early - no ifs or buts. We protested that we had paid the extra to eat at a time of our choosing. His response was, with a wry smile, to read the small print (there is no guarantee that MSC will honour the time of your choice). We continued to protest - clearly the head waiter had heard all of our arguments before - and only gave us the blank stare look. Eventually we must have hit the correct word pattern for him to take out a notepad and write down our request for a table for 5 at a later time with a promise to see why he could do ‘tomorrow’. Unfortunately this start to the cruise was an all too familiar MSC experience for us. We don’t understand why they make such hard work of such basic elements of their service. Clearly the deficiencies are all too evident to their staff but they seem so indifferent to their employers incompetence. Our inside room was well appointed, the beds comfortable and the IT (interactive tv and USB charging ports) were excellent. Whilst most continental channels were provided, English speaking guests have a diet of three news channels or PPV movies at 7 Euros a go. Our room steward made himself known. He was efficient if somewhat aggressive. MSC only allow you one pool towel that you must return to your cabin. Failure to comply will result in a 20 Euros fee. Our towel was taken by ‘persons unknown’ whilst we made use of a jacuzzi. The cabin steward took some convincing that we had not sequestrated an MSC branded towel. Whilst familiarising ourselves with MSC app we discovered the head waiter had managed to change our table reservation for a later evening slot as originally confirmed by MSC. Hooray! Not that this was communicated directly to us, we just noticed the table number had changed on the MSC app. A call to Guest Relations did indeed confirm the change. Dining with MSC can never be described as a culinary experience. There are three set dining times, with just a 15 minute window for you to enter the restaurant at your set time. With up to a third of the ship eating at any one time, it is a miracle what they do achieve. It was staggering sight to see so many people crowed outside the restaurant waiting for the ‘rope drop’ moment when the hoarding mass is let into the room to feast. We ate in the Silver Dolphin restaurant. A dull grey affair with seating that resembles 1970s office furniture. Our ‘new’ table for five was in fact a table for four with the fifth person stuck on the end. This person being just inches away from the adjoining table; they could easily join in with that party. The waiters did well, but they were clearly overworked covering a wide section of tables. We would arrive around 8.15pm and would be asked to select all courses. We would not receive our first course until well after 9pm. The rest of meal being served in quick succession to ensure we were out by 10pm for the next sitting. The food itself is fairly bland and uninspired and was served to us ‘warm’. Most dishes appeared to be a variation of fish and pork. The din in the room was so much it was very difficult for us to conduct a conversation. In a first for us, we ate more frequently in the casual dining option (Deck 16 buffet was a good option) to escape the confines, noise and mediocrity of the main restaurant. It has to be repeated - this ship is large. This wouldn’t normally have fazed us, but this time we travelled with an older family member with limited mobility. We were somewhat reliant to travel by lift when we wished to move between decks. The ships deploys an ‘intelligent’ lift system where you select the floor you wish to travel to prior to entering the designated car. Whilst this may result in a fair distribution of available lift space it can mean lengthy waits in the lobby area. This can become tedious especially at peak times as you can’t just jump in the next available passing lift. Based on our previous MSC cruise experience we knew that a drinks package of some description would be required - the only free options are water, tea and coffee in the buffet areas and ‘juice’ at breakfast. To find someone to order your drinks from is a challenge. Again MSC don’t employ sufficient staff. In the buffet a call bell system is deployed where you press a button on your table that buzzes a nearby waiter’s watch to notify him to coma and take your request. That’s the theory but it rarely worked without prompting. We noticed that several bar staff were manning at least three of these watches. Where were the staff? On the outside deck we never saw a bar service waiter. One of our party needed to make a trip to a bar to get the order. On one occasion the bar man asked a colleague to help take out our drinks to where we were sitting - this was met with a ‘do I have to’ protest. To sum up, we were aware of MSC’s deficiencies before we booked and they did nothing to change our view. The ports of call were excellent and were the focus of the holiday, and therefore we enjoyed our time. MSC seriously understaff their ships and whilst there were a couple of exceptions most staff appeared disinterested in the customer experience. The food remains average. The consequence of a large ship is lots of people, noise and queues at peak times. For us, this will be the last MSC cruise. We will focus on the quality of the experience and steer clear of the larger mega-ships. If MSC spent as much money on their staffing and food offering as they have on their latest ships the overall product would stand better scrutiny. We would rate our overall experience as 3 out of 5. Read Less

I am currently on this cruise with my husband, taking a break from the heat in Corsica. I wanted to write a review because I'd seen negative reviews online and I am just baffled as to how people would have any negative comments about this ship.. it is absolutely stunning to look at, the most beautiful design in all bars and public spaces, plenty of seating areas everywhere, it's spotlessly clean and while we have only eaten in the Marketplace (buffet), and will continue to do so rather than use the dining room, the food is really good. We have been on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises before so were a bit wary about trying MSC after hearing that they weren't quite up to the same standards but we both decided on day 1 of this cruise that we would never bother with RC again. We are Irish so we are European but obviously we have a very different culture from continental Europeans, and essentially, I believe lot of reviewers are finding fault with the different food and the guests (I've read a lot of complaints about people not queuing for food) yes, there is a bit of shuffling around at the buffet and yes, the food is slightly more Italian, with pizza and pasta always available but a) they are really tasty dishes that are eaten all around the world, and b) a buffet is always going to be a bit chaotic so if that's the height of your problems, consider yourself a lucky person!! Our room was ready fairly early and our luggage was there before we even got there, so it was great to shower and unpack so soon. Our room has a shower-over-bath, it's not a great shower: low water pressure and the shower head is fairly low on the wall, so anyone talk might find it very difficult to use! There are a good few families on this cruise, kids tend to be still in the main areas quite late at night but I don't find it a problem. The lifts, as many others have complained about, are a bit annoying, according to my husband who uses them more than I do, but there are lifts close to our room that operate as standard, rather than the unusual ones throughout the ship. Again, I feel that for people to be complaining about such things is just being overly picky. Embarking could have gone a bit smoother, the staff in charge of crowd control didn't do a good job and while people were given a card with a number on it, it wasn't clear that they were supposed to sit and wait for the number to be called, so some people waited longer than others to embark, which isn't a big deal, but obviously many people are tired from travelling to the port so it can be frustrating. Not a major problem though. The overall experience of this ship is phenomenal in our opinion.. lots of really beautiful bars, lots of good food, friendly staff and magnificent surroundings. Surely that's what holidays are all about! Read Less

We had sailed on Magnifica previously and really enjoyed the cruise, so we tried sea view. The positives were the Cabin and restaurant staff, really friendly and helpful. However on the Magnifica the atmosphere was different, it seemed to have a more personal touch. The entertainment team on the Magnifica were really friendly and I didn’t feel the same on the sea view, I don’t know if it is because it is a large ship, or just because of personalities but the ship just felt sterile in the entertainment department. The team weren’t as lively in that department, so it just wasn’t as much fun, however they do work really hard. I just felt the entertainment did start later, also which did make a difference, but there were more games played on Magnifica which really got everyone mingling together which was fun at an earlier hour. Some staff outside the ship didn’t even say hello, when I greeted them so ....... it was just so strange and just not what I had previously experienced at all. The ship passengers were rude also which really doesn’t help, queuing doesn’t exist in the buffet area at all, it really is just dive in. Otherwise I did find the cruise good but there were some niggles, new ship perhaps still but overall it is a good cruise at a good price. The shows are really good, with singing, dancing and acrobatics and the talent is absolutely amazing. On the Magnifica the shows weren’t as good, the singing was good but really the shows aren’t as good, however the entertainment team really covered this area and ensured we all had a great experience. The main restaurant was good and their food was superb in my opinion, nothing was to much trouble. I hope this gives an idea of positive and negatives. Read Less

I’ve cruised with lots of companies before but this is the first time with MSC. We were a large family celebrating a 70th so the price of the cruise was the main attraction - I honestly cannot fault MSC on their child prices as it really brings the cost down especially when booked early. Also, the ship was new and other members of my family have cruised with MSC before and rated them highly. In the run up to the holiday, perhaps because it was a complicated booking, I had many administration issues with MSC - they kept getting details of our booking wrong - but in all fairness with some persistence from my end MSC did sort everything out and we did get everything we had booked once on board. The systems MSC use for pre-booking activities, etc. just aren’t as slick as other companies but again for the price I could handle this. Check-in was slower than other companies but it was well organised and for the price we paid I certainly wouldn’t moan about it. The ship itself was lovely and I really couldn’t fault it. If I had any gripe it was that there seemed to be a lot of wasted space but really that was such a minor thing compared to how beautiful the ship actually was. I’ve sailed with Cunard, P&O, RCI regularly including Symphony and MSC definitely compete on the standard of their ships. We had pre-booked the all inclusive package and this was also great. Not as good as RCI’s package but then again it was nowhere near the price. The Venchi ice-cream and milkshakes included in our package were out of this world good. Word of warning, we booked early and so still received the old Classic package, which was truly wonderful. If I was to book again with the new drinks packages I honestly wouldn’t bother with the Easy package - looking at the menu it seemed a total and utter waste of money. Pre-booking seemed to be the way to go with MSC, despite the admin. hiccups, and we saved a lot of money. We pre-booked the thermal experience pass for the week and this was well worth it. The spa was lovely and with a quiet area dedicated to spa guests it was a nice place to get away from it all when the kids were off having fun. It was missing a bar if I’m honest but again a minor gripe. We also pre-booked the Trio dining experience and were glad we did. I read a lot of reviews in advance that slated the food so I hedged my bets and booked the speciality dining package, again saving a lot versus on board price. The food in the main dining room was not awful at all - neither was it the best but again for the price we paid I honestly wouldn’t grumble. The meals though did feel either rushed or took far too long - it never seemed quite right in terms of length - but the quality was OK. The buffet restaurants were some of the best I’ve had - a little repetitive but to be honest I think the quality on all of the main cruise lines is dipping now so MSC buffets were not only comparable but better. What I felt was seriously lacking was the range of free dining venues on offer. You could get everything that other lines offer in the buffet or in the MDR but I never thought about how nice it is to have a large choice of where to dine until I was left with pretty much no choice - MDR or buffet. That was why the Trio package was worth it - to add a bit of variety. We couldn’t use our all inclusive package in the speciality dining though because everything was out of the Classic price bracket. I thought this was off-side but again I could handle not drinking for a couple of hours whilst I ate and there was nothing stopping me taking a glass of wine in with me and savouring it during the meal. The cabin was nice too. We booked a Fantastica inside and what I really liked was that we could have a double bed and two bunks - I’ve never been offered that on an inside before, just 4 singles. We used the room service on Fantastica as a wake up call and just got coffee and juice delivered at the time we wanted to wake up. To be honest though, if Bella was significantly cheaper I’d just book that in future. Word of warning, if you are booking an inside for a family of 4 then pack lightly or be prepared to wedge your clothes in to any hole going as storage is limited - adequate for 2 people but not 4. Check-out was a delight. We asked for a late check-out and were able to stay in our cabins til 9am and even after that no-one was herding you off the ship. We had a night in Barcelona booked before our flight home and at 2.30pm we were still on the ship, enjoying our all inclusive and the facilities, with no-one being anything other than nice. We could have stayed on til sail away but wanted to get settled in our hotel. Last year we were literally forced off Symphony and that was at 9.30am - this was far more relaxed. The only thing I found truly shocking and can’t forgive even despite the price is the entertainment. It’s woeful and repetitive and dull and needs a thorough shake-up. There literally was nothing to do - and believe me we did give the meagre offerings a good go. I actually caught myself regretting not bringing some travel games with me, which is appalling. My family assure me that on every other MSC cruise they’ve been on the entertainment was spot on but without having experienced it myself I remain wary. In fact, had we not have pre-bought the Fun Pass I honestly am not sure what as a family we would have done for entertainment. So all in all, would I cruise with MSC again? If the price was right, maybe. If I couldn’t afford the other cruise lines then definitely. In all honesty though, I’d save up a little longer and book RCI because I just couldn’t get over how bored I was. I do feel I’m being unfair here though as, I’ll repeat, my family are adamant that the entertainment on other MSC ships is far superior. Overall, at the right price point MSC are a lovely way to experience cruising without breaking the bank but if they up their prices then I’m not sure what they offer that would tempt me away from the other companies. Read Less

We are a family of 4 (kids are 7 and 12) and this is our 3rd cruise. The previous 2 were with Royal Caribbean, albeit on smaller ships (Vision and Rhapsody of the Seas), so this is our basis for comparison. Please read the all the reviews with an open mind as most seem v critical. Everyone has a different perspective, with some things about the cruise better than others, but we found no one thing spoilt the overall experience. We picked the cruise for the ship, wanting to try a new and larger one. Not disappointed as it is stunning in most aspects. Amazing how quiet and smooth in all seas (at least from deck 10). We thought the buffets were good, better than previous RC ones. No buffets are ever a la carte standard, but good choice each night. Main dining room was poor - rushed, fairly cramped, similar standard to the buffet so we only did it once. Entertainment - shows were very professional, but are generally variations of the same act each night (heavy Greatest Showman influence). Kids clubs- not necessarily a criticism, but my 7 year old seemed less keen on msc than RC. The gps wristband was great for my 12 year old, gave her a lot of freedom and we always knew where she was. This was 15 euros for the week. Drinks - we ŵent for the premium package (one up from easy). About £120 extra for us all, roughly £700 in total -if u r doing a package it’s worth the upgrade as the difference in choice of drinks is huge. Very limited on the easy package. Plenty of drinks waiters around - miles quicker than trying to get served at the bar, which can be frustrating. Top bar overlooking the pool is a great spot for sailaways. Easy to get served and u have a great view of everything. We got off at each port but didn’t do any excursions as we have learnt from experience they are rarely value for money through the cruise operator. Most ports (other than Pisa/Florence and Rome) have shuttle buses or are easily walkable. Cannes is the nicest stop on this itinerary. Service charge/gratuities. Keep an eye on this to avoid double charging. The uk website says that they are already included in the cruise fare and mandatory, but ours were being added on on top of what we already paid. I queried this with customer services and quoted the website - they said this additional amount was not mandatory and could be removed. Overall we had a good experience with MSC. We concluded that Royal Caribbean scores better in most aspects, and if you aren't price-conscious go for that. However, when you look at the difference in price on similar itineraries, MSC arguably offers better value for money. Read Less

Timing and port selection of cities which we had not visited,Last minute booking to fit a time slot which opened up.The food was not up to previous standards and the one hour time slot did not allow time for coffee. Thje buffet food was same quality as dining room. Unlike previous cruises there was constant nickle and dining going on. The drink packages and internet charges were high .Expect an additional 150 for a week of internet. A spin class which was included on a previous cruise was an extra.There was tacky sales going on constantly for handbags and watches going on constantly. To my taste the ship was too large with line up to get shuttles back from ports.The library was a tiny room with perhaps 20 books not as advertised. The staff was very pleasant except for an arrogant cruise services representative. I picked the ports not the cruise line , next time the latter will be considered as well Read Less

I booked this cruise to be part of the Weight Watcher (WW) Mediterranean Cruise in July. My friend had never been to Europe so we thought this would be a great experience to see several different ports in Spain, France, and Italy and get to meet WW members from around the world. I have been on several different cruise lines over the past 6 years including: Norwegian, Holland America, and Oceania and the MSC cruise was a huge step down in the areas of Dining and Service. The ship is brand new, launched in 2018, and it's beautiful. It has 20 decks and holds up to 5,200 passengers. It's a floating apartment building, complete with their own app that was used to book theater showings, maps of the different decks, and a daily schedule for events. There were abundant activities for families like 3 pools, a water park, and even a zip line on top. There are several restaurants and a buffet. The theater holds almost a thousand guests per performance and there are three 30-35 minute performances each night. The dining experience was our greatest disappointment. The food that WW had specially prepared for us, was bland and boring. We decided to eat at the ship buffet and it was basic cafeteria food, with a heavy emphasis on pork and fish. The food was fresh, but not exciting at all. I was amazed at how many little extras were not included: such as ice cream and iced tea. The shows were the best part of the cruise and we went to every one of them. Nice scenery, interesting themes, colorful costumes, great singers and acrobatic acts. No stand up comedy, thank goodness. Entertainment in the lounges was fine too. Service was poor. On-boarding was confused at best. We were in a special group and they didn't really seem to know about it when we arrived. We got through the process and our luggage was delivered in a timely fashion. We NEVER met our steward. We never received ice, although we had an ice bucket, and the turn down-service didn't include the little chocolates and fun towel animals found on every other cruise line. Information desk staff were rather curt with people and seemed stressed most of the time. Long lines were found at the different service areas, such as Excursions and Front Desk Assistance. You were pretty much on your own to figure things out on the ship. If you asked a question, you were often referred to their app. Disembarkation was a terrible mess, the ship was late docking and everyone was asked to leave their rooms anyway and we were kept in lounges waiting to leave for almost two hours. We stood in line for almost an hour after we docked before we could leave the ship. By that time people were upset and getting impatient with very little staff helping to ease the situation. We booked tours for almost all of them through the ship. One of our tours was cancelled and no one let us know until the evening before. I happened to see were weren't booked on their app and went to inquire about it. I was told there wasn't enough interest so it was cancelled and thankfully found a different tour that still had space. Ports were as expected. They were ok to good. The half day tours were hurried with no time for shopping or really getting off the bus, except to take a few hasty photos. The day excursions to Florence and Rome were better. We had knowledgeable tour guides and were able to see as much as possible given the time constraints. The prices were average compared to other ships. I usually book my own excursions through Viator and you get more value for your money. I love to cruise, but I would not book with MSC again. They have a lovely ship, but the Service was not good and the Dining experience was just average. Read Less