MSC Cruises Reviews 98

if i could give this company 0 stars i would. got back from a cruise today and iv never been treated so badly in my entire life. last night i went to the med centre where i was kept prisoner against my will, i was assaulted lied to and man handled because i went there because i was upset they said i had threatened to throw my self off the side which is a total lie.
They threatened to handcuff me to the bed and tie my legs together to stop me from moving i asked to speak to my family it was refused i was told that they didnt want to speak to me which is also a lie.I was then dumped at the hospital with no money and no battery power on my phone and had to get back to nottingham from southampton on my own and the trains on strike i had to hitch a ride a lone woman on her own who got locked up for crying

Just off the MSc Grandiosa in the 12th May and never again will I cruise with MSc.
Check in:
Download the app and register a credit card.
App doesn't like to accept your card the first 20 times, appears to be a common issue and you can resolve it by trying it time and time again or waiting on the phone for 15 mins.

Embarkation:
Absolute breeze. Handed over paper work, took our luggage and off we went to security. Over an hour wait with no seats no refreshments and no indication of wait time. There was only one security stand open.

Buffet:
The buffet is a war zone. People cut in everywhere, there's no space to get past, searching for seats for ages only to sit down and your food is cold. The food was decent but they don't change it so had the same breakfast and dinner for a week.
Staff:
There were 4 members of staff that were truly lovely and I could have chatted with them all day. However most barely acknowledged your presence, I dare say it was so busy for them they had lost motivation.
Bar service:
My partner was unwell for 2 days of the cruise and despite explaining water was for our cabin at night they would only give me 2 or 3 bottles at a time. This meant I had to run back an fourth waiting 20 mins at the bar, fighting through crowds or pay the extra charge for room service every time.
Alcoholic drinks are served 1 at a time and many a time others that had been waiting less time were served first ( an experience shared over 4 cabins -11 people)
Photos:
They try very hard to get you in for pictures and take them so quickly you feel flustered. We were a group of 11 and the pictures were assigned randomly across our 4 cabins meaning if 1 cabin wanted to buy pictures they didn't have all of them attached to there card/cabin number.

Kids club:
The kids ran out and thanked me for saving them!
There were English and Spanish kids in the club at the same time so over 3 hours they watched 1 film in English and another in Spanish. What a joke!

Disembarkation:
We went to our allocated area to disembark at the time stated (5 mins early, again as instructed) only to find no one else there and no staff nearby. We joined the other crowd in another area but didn't have anyone to ask if this was ok and our luggage would still be accessible. Luckily we were not in a rush to get off the ship!
The ship was so overcrowded it was nothing but a stressful experience.

If you enjoy fighting crowds save yourself the money and go shopping on Xmas Eve.

We have been with 2 other cruise lines and I will say MSC'S entertainment was the best yet but customer service and ease of access to food and water was unbelievably poor!
Never again!

Enjoyed the cruise but the aftercare is abysmal and they ripped us off.

Prepaid for two internet packages at a discounted rate but could only activate one of them due to a systems issue, leaving the other (cost £75) unusable. We had to pay an additional €125/£110 on board to buy another one. We were directly told by the MSC rep on board that it would be a simple matter to contact them and get a refund for the higher-priced replacement package after we disembarked.

I contacted them the day after, they told me to write an email. Turns out that that then gives them 28 days "to refer to our head office in Italy" as it gets treated as a "complaint" under ABTA regulations. 28 days almost exactly comes and goes and then I get told they'll only refund £75 (leaving us £35 out of pocket), with no explanation as to why. They ignored three emails over three weeks asking for an explanation and a refund of the full amount, then on calling I finally got a reply... that said that they'd need to refer to their head office in Italy again which takes up to 28 days. This is for a cruise that was two months ago now! I've lost patience with them now and am talking to my credit card company to try and get them to get some sense out of MSC as I've been out of pocket for £110 ever since.

I did have a great time on board and I'm trying to not let their appalling aftercare, or the fact that MSC seem intent on ripping us off for something that isn't our fault at all, spoil memories of what was a great holiday; but it really wants to make me avoid MSC going forward that their service is this shockingly poor.

I am still waiting a year later for my refund of €4500 when my cruise changed as a result of Russian invasion.

They have no managers or supervisors available to speak on phone. And customer service have been ignoring my emails. Operations team respond but have no answers nor do they want to get any.

I have to bring them to court now for my basic consumer rights. It’s completely unnecessary the amount of difficulty they are putting up.

I’ve had better luck getting refunds from Ryanair.

Try Costa Cruises instead.

Was really looking forward to this Cruise on the MSC World Europa as at this moment in time it's the biggest cruise ship in the world.

Lets start with the positives, the ship itself is quite impressive due to it's sheer size and has colourful lighting at the back with the biggest slide on view. Good promenade decks with plenty to look at and do, but remember and check out what's included in your package as quite a lot is not included.

The bars are great, and there is loads of them, and the quality of drinks included in the Premium package is really good. Our favourite place to go was the Gin and Masters bar with great service and really good quality drinks. The singer in the Masters bar was exceptional and really made for a great night out.

We had a balcony cabin which was a good size, modern decor and furniture and quite basic, nothing to much to shout out about but was always clean and tidy. The shower cubicle is small, however the shower is very powerful and hot.

The pool areas are good, however on sea days there is not enough beds to go round and my 70 year old mother had to lie on her towel on the actual deck for a seat!! After not being able to find any pool staff and the bar staff being unable to assist we complained to reception and they did upgrade us to Top 20 area for next 3 days, but not everyone was as successful. Sea days you need to be up early to get a bed, but please don't do what a lot of people do, put your towels down and then not use for hours!

I am a total foodie and my biggest let down was the food nothing was fine dining, including the complimentary restaurants. We were on a 5* ship with 3* food and had paid a lot of money for the pleasure! There just wasn't enough choice, nothing was ever hot, felt like a school dinner hall and quite often parts of the buffet restaurant were closed, so for a ship which was at full capacity this just didn't make sense. When you say the best thing on your plate was the potatoes what does that tell you!! I heard the same complaints time and time again. I had a friend with me and this was her first time cruising and I had to keep telling her honestly other cruise liners are not like this.

The staff were lovely but I honestly felt there wasn't enough of them around the pool and pool bars, especially on the sea days to cope with the amount of people especially when a large number of them were complaining.

The ports we called out were great other than Dammam which I still can't quite fathom why MSC would choose to stop here, unless it is to save themselves some money! If doing this trip please remember you cannot drink alcohol whilst in this port and have to be at least 2 hours away from the port before you will be served an alcoholic drink, which is a bit annoying when you paid for a drinks package and are not told this at the time!!

For me I would never cruise with MSC again, I think the food issue is too important and a large part of anyone's cruising experience so my advice is to stay well clear.

The employees are quick to respond, helpful, and friendly, which is why is my 3. booked cruise through them. but watch out for their prices... you think you've got the best, but their system doesn't always calculate the club membership discount, had to change the booking option up to several times, also because I was allocated the wrong cabin - if you look at the prices elsewhere , also through their website do not match the prices you get from them by e-mail. in my price I thought I got a good discount, but it differs by DKK 713 from the website, and they will not correct the price after you have paid the deposit, and they will not regulate, so be careful and check the price thoroughly, maybe you have to compare with others . companies that sell the same trips and have a price guarantee. I hope it ends up getting the price fixed, because then I will re-evaluate this notice (44108035)

Terrible cruise company. We did a two week cruise around the med,Balcony cabin which is quite small had to put our cases under the bed when i looked under cleaner obviosly doesnt clean under it,sat in cabin one afternoon & another passenger walked in we had two keycards & obviosly they had allocated our cabin to him. Breakfast buffett was like a war zone food on floor dirty plated on tables total disgrace, if you want to eat & drink from plastic plates cruise on Virtuosa.My agent sent email on 3rd August & we got a reply 4th October customer service is about as bad as it can be. Never again will i waste 5k on another cruise with MSC.

Booked a cruise on Grandiosa may 23 £1800 internal room. then they change ship on us to Virtuosa, we then find the new listings is lot cheaper £1500 and we asked them to match the new price as it different ship or upgrade us to balcony as listing for that only £1850 with £100 on board credit. we got told head office must do allow 72 hours. 7 weeks later and still nothing. we have called loads times and now we told tough, if don't like it cancel and we not get our deposit back. we sailed loads with RC, P&O princess and NCL and never had problems like this. rude and don't care for customers. so we basically loose £300 deposit unless my credit card disputes it now as a not what purchased.

Dreadful check in process. I am that annoyed with the check in process I wish I could cancel the whole trip now. The app does not work, does not recognise names and produces error messages when you try and get e tickets. There is no customer service, zero. will not be doing this ever again. Will be going back to holidays I organise myself minus travel agents and restrictions when I get there.

MSC Cruises. MSC Virtuosa 7 nights from Southampton to Norwegian Fjords.
Weather superb - wall to wall sunshine. Haugesund, Flaam,Olden and Moloy. Spectacular scenery, welcoming people.
Starting with their online website and app. Dreadful!!! Logging onto your profile often failed; information was often contradictory and out of date. Personal information got lost and had to be reinstated, this by ringing their Customer Service lines which was slow and painful.
Supposed to do most of check in online but you couldn’t enter your payment details in advance and had to wait until on board. They also asked you to download a current photo but then took your picture at the check in desk 🤷‍♀️ Also, wrong level Yatch Club cards issued which needed to be sorted in board. At least they had a dedicated queue for our level (gold).
There were three of us in our mini suite, which was a good size. However, the message hadn’t been relayed to housekeeping so it was only set up for 2, including the balcony furniture which they couldn’t increase 😡. Once made aware, our Steward did a great job of looking after us.
The deal we got placed us as Aurea guests which meant we had a dedicated restaurant and sunbathing area with Jacuzzi . Our waiting staff were brilliant and the food was ok. Nothing special. The venue, however, was very cramped with tables close together and wonderful views of the lifeboats. The sun area was really nice, could just do with a bit more wind protection.
We paid extra for a package that covered drinks, tips and WiFi, and another that gave us 2 speciality restaurants and one of the special shows plus drink. We also went to see the other special show.
Drinks were up to a value of £13 which covered all we wanted, as well as Lanson champagne by the glass in the Champagne Bar. Lovely.
The two special shows were amazing. Very Cirque du Soleil in their style and brilliantly executed. Highly recommend!! We ate in the Butchers cut and Vietnamese/French fusion restaurants. Excellent food and service.
The theatre cast were also excellent and we very much enjoyed their shows.
Pools were good, both inside and out With great flumes for kids and a ‘go ape’ style walkway. Also lots of kids entertainment area, most however at extra cost.
The ship is big and beautiful but we found that there are too few indoor seating areas, where you could go and chill, read a book, have a drink. Need these when sailing in cooler waters and you don’t want to be in your cabin.
Getting on and off the ship would have been so much quicker if their systems were up to the job. We’ve been on many ships and this was the slowest by far to clock in and out. Needs sorting!
Disembarkation was a nightmare!! We were late back to Southampton and didn’t dock until gone 8am. Instead of sticking to their system of a limited number who can offload themselves, then wait for your group to collect luggage, they allowed everyone who wanted to take their cases off go first. Consequently instead of being off the ship at 8 ish, we couldn’t get off until 10. It then Took us 1 1/2 hours ( I timed it) to get out of the car park. Worst we’ve ever experienced and we’ve sailed from there quite a few times.
So, the itinerary was great, Norway always delivers in all weathers. MSC like to pride themselves in their attention to detail. They’re getting most of the big things right, but the little details that make a company stand out from the others like getting things right first time?? Sorry but they’ve got a long way to go.

I and 2 friends (all in 70's) took MSC Virtuosa to Lisbon. Maderia.Las Palmas. Tenerife.Lanzarote 13 - 25 August 2022. Aurea Class at a reduced fare to include a drinks & tips package.Single cabins + balcony. SUPER service by friendly, helpful, professional staff. EXCELLENT fine dining lots of choice food. Only complaint, no events, talks classes etc for "mature" customers. Although in fairness it was advertised as a "Family/Fun" ship. Although pre-voyage Covid tests extensive, I came off the ship with COVID. May be from one of the free 1,600 kids (not tested) on board. SHIP facilities & cleanliness marvelous. I would recommend this ship/trip to a family or under 60's.

Good value cruise on MSC Virtuosa.
Southampton, La Rochelle, Bilbao, La Coruna, Le Harve, back to Southampton. End June/early July 2022.

The restaurant food was always delicious. The roasts (when offered) were very generous portions.

The buffet food isn't great quality.
Stick to the (inclusive) restaurant.
Be advised though that the choices are limited. It's a set menu every lunch and dinner. If (like me) you can't eat fish/seafood; choices are limited. I'm not vegan or vegetarian but it seems like they'd struggle.

Shows are short. Only 30 - 45 minutes. No West End shows.
During the day the pools and hot tubs get busy.
Lounges/bars get crowded in the evening and nowhere to sit.

But....

The cocktails are very nice.
(I went for the drinks package).
Although limited choices; the set lunches and dinners were delicious.
Nice lounges and sea views. IF you can find a seat.

I highly recommend "Adjeerez" (am I spelling that right?). This is a £15 show and you get a free drink. (note some shows are free, others you pay for). Adjeerez has a plot but tbh I feel it's more about the visual experience. Think a bizarre mix of....
Commedia Del Arte style costumes, chess, opera, ballet, dance and the circus. Throw in some hoops, diabolos, ropes, wires, led screens and you've got a show. The choreography was impressive and the performers are highly skilled.

VERDICT: It took me a little time to settle in, but.... This wasn't terrible. Room for improvement but still a good value break. Got better as it went on. Staff were fantastic.

Awful experience. Stay away

It’s likely you’ll be left stranded on a desert island. It’s temporary lads. Don’t bother!

Temporary
Temporary
Temporary withdrawal

When all is well, I'm sure MSC offers some good cruises, but honesty and transparency is not speicelly high with the company.

On their website - and in the information you get by - you are allowed to go ashore if you follow the country's rules.

At the very bottom of a FAQ, however, it was stated that children are not allowed to go ashore - completely regardless of the fact that all countries on the route precisely and explicitly accept children. Willingness to answer questions the problem was not present at all. Emails were ignored and it was not possible to talk to someone other than a poor employee in customer service who of course could say neither one nor the other. Refund was of course not possible.

Now we must look forward to seven days on a ship we are not allowed to leave. Wow.

By the way, segregating by age is discrimination, no doubt.

msc doesnt answer me after a pretty significant problem in my trip

i sent 5 messages to 6 email addresses once every week.

My wife and I will always have happy memories of our first cruise in 2017.

We booked on the MSC Sinfonia from Cape Town to Venice May 5 2017. I only haven praise for the staff and crew and the entire entertainment crew.

They were simply the best. The food was a delight and so were the guests at our table.

We booked another cruise later this year or early next year.
Thank MSC you made our trip memorable.