PROS & CONS of an MSC Cruise: Great or terrible idea?

If you are new to MSC Cruises and thinking about giving them a try, there are a lot of benefits to sailing with this European cruise line. They offer some of the cheapest cruise fares in the market, making their voyages an incredible value.

MSC Cruises has become increasingly popular, especially in North America. Not only do they have some of the best budget-friendly prices, but they also often include add-ons like basic wi-fi and drink packages as part of their promotions, luring cruisers from other cruise lines. So what’s the catch?

There are many pros to sailing with MSC, but there are a few cons that cruisers should know about when booking. The European cruise line does a few things differently than some of the other mass-market cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line.

Here are my thoughts on the top benefits and drawbacks of sailing with this cruise line.

[KennethSmith-whgl]

We did our first and possibly last MSC cruise last month on Magnifica. The pizza 🍕 was the best of any cruise line and the balcony was a plus. The things that disappointed us the most were our dinners being laye to our table every night, although our server was outstanding. They didn't offer any options for breakfast for those that can't eat pork products. One of our dinner partners was a travel agent and she said that she would not recommend MSC to any of her clients.

[sparkyprep]

MSC is the only cruise line that I have found that has numerous mid-tier suites with their own, private hot tubs on the balcony. This is a big plus for us. We LOVED our cruise on Seascape last year, and we WILL book again.

[Dave]

I disagree completely on you putting "add ons" as a con for MSC. MSC as you said has multi level drink packages. With Royal you get a max alcohol drink package or none. As far as the arcades I do believe only Virgin Voyages has the arcades included. And every line has speciality dining at an extra cost, not just MSC.

[Tony_Z__]

I've done 5 MSC cruises in the past 2+ years as they were a lot cheaper than the Royal Caribbean cruises I normally do (1 cruise away from Double Diamond). They are good value for the money, but you need to have proper expectations. I view them as a budget cruise line as they definitely lack the polish/quality of RC, Carnival or Norwegian so I would rate MSC below them. If you are ok with that then I say give them a shot.

[alvalantine]

We did a 28 day transatlantic cruise on MSC Seashore. Pros 1. Very inexpensive were talking a mini suite with balcony 1, 600 per person for 28 days. 2.The drink service was real good. 3. Staff was friendly. Cons 1. Hands down the worst food I've ever had on a cruise ship. It's right in line with hospital or dorm food. 2. They will nickle and dime you up the rear. They bother you about taking photos the entire time your on there even if you say no. Holland American was so much better.

[craigweb]

You get what you pay for. I'm an early retiree, and last summer, I snapped up a bunch of cheap MSC cruises that I took starting in fall of last year and wrapping up in February this year. I was a first-time cruiser, and had nothing to compare it to until I took my first cruise on Royal Caribbean earlier this year. Check-in and muster are pretty clunky on MSC. The food is fair at best - it's basically all discount fare. And they try to nickel and dime you to death at every opportunity. And the low fares mean just about anyone can afford them, which is both good and bad. I want everyone to be able to cruise if they want, but some have no consideration of others and think nothing of causing a ruckus on their way back to their cabins in the wee hours of the morning after partying most of the night in the bars. Everything was better on my Royal Caribbean cruise. Much smoother check-in and muster, better food, better quality overall on pretty much everything (including cruisers). RC is a few bucks more, but well worth it in my book. I don't plan to sail with MSC ever again - just not worth it to me.

[teresad]

I've cruised twice with MSC, both times in Europe. Overall, a good value for your money. But it was very crowded in most venues. Their itineraries were excellent. I would cruise with them again if they ever make it to the West Coast.

[shandelljohnston]

This was soooo helpful. I'm thinking of doing an MSC cruise as my first just to get the feel for being on a cruise and then plan to upgrade to better cruises. This was so helpful to understand the differences and for what to expect from the experience.

[margueritepeel]

MSC is going to be our first time out of Port Canaveral. We have many cruises under our belt and are so looking forward to this one

[ivogard]

Im thinking to book a cruise with MSC we are a big Family and we love cruising.

[dutchman]

I was on MSc Sea😅 shore this past February. The wifi was really horrible. The beds and pillows were hard, but the staff were friendly.

[johannesofie]

I was on a reposition cruise from Copenhagen to Barcelona in September 21 on MSC Grandiosa. I agree with the person saying that they will not go on MSC again. It was an ok starter cruise, but nothing more. I didn't get the perks everybody was talking about on YouTube with other cruise lines. One positive thing: I didn't know before this video that I couldn't bring soft drinks. I need my energy drink in the morning and they didn't have it on the ship. But I was on a Titanic tour in Southampton and after the tour, we still had so time, so I went to the nearest ALDI and bought enough for the rest of the trip. I had it in a shopping bag with some crisps, but nobody stopped me.

[Dave]

I do agree that they need more included dining options which I have heard the World class ships have addressed. The muster drill is a mess and barely a step above the old pre-Covid muster drills. I do think MSC is taking their customer feedback seriously and have taken great strides forward since the post Covid startup.

[jako]

Just did Carnival cruise nearly 2 weeks ago (first cruise ever) and thought it was great. After coming home i wanted to do another cruise and after looking at some I think MSC might be the next one i Do next year for about a week.

[dpicker]

One of your cons is actually a blessing as far as the internet being bad! People, if you will leave the darned phones and devices in the car before you board, you will actually have time to enjoy the cruise life without the distraction of having that device in your hands 24/7! Try it!!

[swvolleyball]

It’s only Oceania or Princess for us. Thanks for validating our thoughts on MSC.

[surfpuppy]

My recent voyage on the MSC Euribia fell far short of expectations. While a cruise should be a time of relaxation and exploration.
The most significant disruption was the unrelenting noise on Deck 14. A room change wasn't an option. This constant disturbance significantly detracted from the enjoyment of the entire cruise.
Adding to the frustration was the lack of responsive service when encountering problems. Situations that should have been addressed promptly were met with apathy and a sense of being brushed aside.
To make matters worse, upon reviewing my credit card statements after the cruise, I discovered unauthorized charges. Needless to say, this incident eroded any remaining trust I had in the MSC Cruises operation.
While I understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, the combination of these issues paints a disappointing picture. Based on this experience, I can confidently say that this will be my first and last cruise with MSC.

[j.r.]

MSC is like a Euro version of Carnival -- lots of emphasis on parties, dancing, and noise. Very little that's quiet or thoughtful. What used to be the library on our ship had been converted into an extension of the casino. As for low fares, they're obviously a double-edged sword. We had our own hot tub on the balcony of our MSC cabin -- fantastic! But the TVs in the suite were tiny and the programming was poor. And aggressive nickel-and-diming was a daily occurrence. Here's how cruise line cultures stack up: We enjoy the art auctions on NCL. On Viking, which we otherwise like a lot, there are no art auctions because they are deemed too "lowbrow." But on MSC, there are no art auctions because they're considered too highbrow!

[FrCharlesButler]

Very good coverage of msc. We were on two back to back on Seascape last year and one on mareviglia this year. Next year we are going to Rome from Miami and after five days in Rome, back to Miami. A total of six weeks on MSC. We decided to go for the Aurea experience for these cruises with a balcony. Maybe if we do the world cruise in 2026, we'll even splurge on Yacht Club. We are trying Carnival for the first time in August, bringing a Veterans' group on what for many are their first cruise. Should be lots of fun.

[travisbaseball]

I would love to book more cruises with MSC but the carribean itineraries are very limited. I just don’t want to go on the same cruise over and over and paying thousands of dollars to fly to Europe doesn’t sound worth it. Yacht club is weird too. I wasn’t in it but it took a lot of the ship away from us.

I did enjoy the cruise I went on though. Complimentary food was terrible so I would definitely get the biggest specialty dining because that was amazing. The entertainment is incredible- both the theatre shows and just around the ship in general. The ships are designed wonderfully.