MSC Cruises Reviews 

A Very Disappointing Cruise Experience – 1/5 Stars
The air inside the cabins was extremely dry, and the air conditioning was far below an acceptable standard. On the last day, many passengers were coughing or suffering from throat irritation, including myself. I was particularly badly affected because cold, dry air was constantly blowing into our cabin at night, even though I had turned up the air conditioning temperature.
Another major issue was the poor organization and lack of planning. Our flight back to Germany was at 1:00 PM. We had been told that we would leave the ship at 10:10 AM, but we were still on board until 11:30 AM. This caused us enormous stress, and we barely made it to our flight.
Unfortunately, the destinations on this cruise were also disappointing and not particularly beautiful or interesting from a tourist's perspective.
Considering how much money we paid for this trip, the overall experience was unacceptable. What should have been a relaxing holiday turned into a stressful and disappointing experience for both my husband and me.
In my opinion, this cruise was a huge waste of money and a major disappointment. I would not recommend it to others.

Extremely Disappointing Customer Service and Unresolved Refund After Nearly Seven Months

I am extremely disappointed with MSC Cruises and the way its Resolution Team has handled my refund situation. What should have been a straightforward process has turned into nearly seven months of frustration, inconsistent explanations, and unanswered questions.

My original payment was made in March 2026, and despite numerous communications with MSC Cruises, my refund issue remains unresolved as of October 16, 2026.

When I initially contacted Lani from the Resolution Team, I was informed that the process would take approximately 14 days. That estimate later changed to 120 days, and I have now received another response from a different representative stating that the process could take up to 120 business days.

How can a customer have confidence in a company when the information provided continues to change so dramatically?

Throughout this experience, I have tried to remain patient, cooperative, and understanding. However, after months of communication, I still have not received a confirmed refund date or a clear explanation for the continued delay.

My frustration is not simply about the money. It is about the lack of transparency, accountability, and consistency in how MSC Cruises communicates with its customers.

I recently escalated my concerns again and formally requested written confirmation of the refund status and a specific payment date. Although another representative has contacted the Accounting Team, I am still waiting for a definitive resolution.

As a customer, I should not have to spend months following up, receiving different explanations, and repeatedly asking for basic information about a pending refund.

This experience has seriously damaged my trust in MSC Cruises. A company of this size should be capable of providing accurate information, reasonable timelines, and clear communication when handling customer financial concerns.

I am sharing my experience so that other potential customers understand the difficulties I have encountered when attempting to resolve a financial dispute with MSC Cruises.

I sincerely hope the company takes responsibility, provides a definitive response, and resolves this matter without further delays.

As of October 16, 2026, my refund issue remains unresolved.

Save your money and cruise with a company that actually delivers service and substance, not just marketing sparkle.

25 years of cruising, this was our worst experience on a cruise ship . The food was poor throughout, and at different points in the two‑week trip all four of us became sick for 24 hours after eating in the restaurants. We booked Aurea (their “Premium” tier), but there is nothing premium about it — our family had food‑related illness twice after dining there which we raised on board.

The ship was overcrowded, chaotic, and dirty, with children playing in lift lobbies and uncleared plates left on tables and even the floor.

Customer service was almost impossible to access. The setup on board feels designed to avoid recording issues on board, with complaints filtered before you ever reach Guest Services. Several concerns we raised were never logged.

Once ashore, we shared our experience with MSC head office, via our agent (iglu) including photos, timelines, and clear evidence. MSC Customer Experience team replied with generic, messages that ignored our experience on board . Nothing we raised was sincerely acknowledged, addressed, or treated as a learning point.Avoid MSC and book elsewhere if you want a relaxing cruise.

If I can give 0 stars I would.

MSC grandfathered us into its loyalty program from Carnival Cruise Line and awarded us Diamond status. We booked our Oct 4 cruise through AARP and received $50 in onboard credit (OBC).

Before sailing, we submitted disability and allergy paperwork five times. My husband has a shellfish allergy and uses a CPAP machine. I require a CPAP machine, heating pad, and leg pumps. We also informed MSC this was our anniversary cruise.

Day 1: Our CPAP accommodations were not properly arranged, our OBC was missing, and specialty dining reservations were changed, including separating my husband and me at 2 restaurants. I spent over an hour at Guest Services resolving problems.

Day 2: An excursion employee questioned my husband's shellfish allergy due to our Cozumel excursion despite repeated documentation. Guest Services Supervisor Maria Estelle promised to address our concerns.

Day 3: My husband found a small piece of aluminum foil in his food at Ocean Cay Restaurant. The manager verified the object, but we had not received a refund.

Day 4: Our Cozumel excursion was canceled despite tickets being delivered to our room. Maria promised to follow up but never returned.

Days 5–7: I requested a cruise refund. Management offered a $200 OBC and assured us we could still use our refunded specialty dining reservations.

Day 8: Professional photographs were unavailable on last day. Butcher's Cut refused to serve us without additional payment despite management's assurances. We had to find another dining room & missed scheduled entertainment.

Day 9: Maria apologized since we were suppose to eat, but directed us to contact customer service after departure. I spent our vacation resolving MSC's problems.

After contact, MSC initially offered $50 OBC valid for 24 months, but now offers $100 valid for 12 months. How does this fairly compensate us?

I request a thorough review and meaningful compensation that does not require another MSC cruise.

$500 LARCENY FROM THE SAFE BOX AT THE CABIN OUT OF A $1000. INSIDE JOB ...... SECURITY SUCKS. MSC -WORLD AMERICA.

We gave it a last chance. Prices are getting out of hand and they will now do anything to get all the money out of your pocket, even without your approval.
It was the last time.

I wanted to love this cruise since is was for my birthday, but I couldn't wait to leave. They catered to only Hispanic ethnic groups during the entire trip. No matter where you went all you heard was Spanish, music, entertainment, party, that was it! If this is your target audience, please advertise it as so.Do not leave the rest of the world to suffer through it.
The rooms need to be badly updated. I was afraid to sit on the couch in my room because it was old and dated and the bed looked like it wasn't properly tucked. I enjoyed the Silent Party, but please get some professional dancers for the events. It seemed they hired anyone to dance. The staff was friendly, but overall I was bored and would never recommend or take MSC again. Its worth checking out other cruise lines unless you just want to sleep.

Absolute worst cruise line I have ever been. They never brought me or anyone in our 3 rooms with 11 people ice. They never turned down our rooms or gave us chocolates or folded our towels. Something I would have expected since cheaper cruise lines can manage. The buffet food was not the best. Lots of items would run out. Getting anything late at night was an absolute nightmare. I signed up for their WiFi and right after I connected to their WiFi my phone got a virus and was having all types of issues which they continued to tell me wasn’t because of their service and telling me it was one thing but as soon as I could disprove their excuse they would give me another one. They state you will receive free items which I never received. I also did not ever receive my champagne and macarons that my travel agent even confirmed she purchased for me and once again all they did was give me excuses instead of resolve the issue. My photos are all blank because I had no phone so I had no camera for my trip. They didn’t even offer me a disposable camera so I could have some photos from my 8 day cruise. Worst service ever. I wish I could give zero stars because they don’t even deserve the one.

We have been on all major cruise lines. While their food is perhaps not as good as Royal or Virgin, the food was decent and everyone in our party was able to find something to eat. The biggest complaint and concern was the rude and unprofessional treatment that we experienced from the staff. That, coupled with dirtiness of our rooms is the reason that we cannot recommend this line. I will say that once reported, efforts were made to improve the situation. We booked 4 cruises on MSC before this cruise and we are going to cancel 3 of the 4. Unfortunately, it is too late to cancel one of them.

We sailed on MSC Magnifica from 30 Aug to 13 Sep 2026 after booking over a year in advance. We've cruised with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Aurora and Oceania, and sadly this was the least enjoyable by far.

**Communication was the biggest problem.** There were no morning port announcements, no info on when or where the gangway would open, and announcements don't play in the cabins. In Bergen we were alongside at 7:20am, but the gangway opened around 8:51am with no announcement at all. In Kristiansand, everyone queued at one exit, only to be told after 8am to go to midship instead. There's no ship map or speed display anywhere, and the app needs MSC wifi just to see your own excursions.

**Port operations were chaotic.** In Copenhagen we were over an hour late getting onto our bus, with no organisation of the crowds. The €17pp shuttle is listed in MSC's own app as going "directly to the city center", but both times it dropped us at the Little Mermaid, about 30 minutes out, so we paid for Ubers on top. When we raised it onboard, staff were dismissive.

**Food was ordinary.** The same dish came out for lunch and dinner on day one, and food was often cold, even at 6am breakfast. We watched a guest cough over the buffet and the food was left out. Smokers gather at the buffet doorways, and smoking is still allowed inside the casino.

**It feels like a ferry.** Guests join and leave at different ports, so there are constant safety briefings, muster reminders and app alerts aimed at new joiners, and no real cruise atmosphere.

**Other niggles:** refilling your own water bottle costs extra, and bingo was explained verbally in several languages with incorrect info from staff, so we missed games we'd paid for. At disembarkation, MSC only offered a private transfer to Berlin (over A$1,000) with no coach option.

**The positives:** our cabin steward was lovely every single day, and Komang at Butcher's Cut gave outstanding service. We requested him again. We wish more staff were like them.

We normally spend at least A$2,000 onboard; this time it was under €100, because there was nothing we wanted. The destinations were beautiful, but we won't sail MSC again.

We booked an 8 day cruise out of Miami. Initially booked an interior room but wanted to upgrade. So we bid on an upgrade. Never heard anything for 2 months. So we decided to call an upgrade ourselves. They helped us out and said everything was taken care of. The upgrade costs us 855 dollars. A few days later they charged up 1295 dollars for the bid on upgrade. They told us everything had been taken care of so we didn't think we had to pull our bid. Now we are out either 1295 dollars or 855 dollars. Charged us twice for one upgrade and will NOT refund any of our money!!! Worst customer service and worst cruise line I have ever seen!!!!!!

We are currently on MSC World America (day 2) and so far we are very disappointed, even though we are loyal MSC guests with Diamond and Gold status.
Embarkation: Nobody explained where we needed to go, and we were sent back and forth. Since I have been sick for several days, this was extremely exhausting.
Cabin: None of the Voyagers Club benefits we are entitled to were there, not even the bathrobes. Our cabin steward told us he had not been informed about our Diamond status, although it is clearly shown on our booking. In addition, the USB-C outlets in our cabin do not work.
Restaurant: Although we had requested a table for two in writing before the cruise, we were given a shared table. Only after about 30 minutes of discussion, on an empty stomach, was this corrected.
General: The ship is very crowded and loud, and we have hardly found any quiet places to relax. Every time we tried to go to Guest Services, the line was so long that we still haven't been able to raise our concerns. We find the drink prices very high, and most of the service staff have not been particularly friendly so far.
The big positive: our cabin steward Nyuman. He is incredibly friendly and helpful, brought us the bathrobes right away and is taking care of the broken outlets. He is the only reason we are giving even one star. MSC, you should truly value this employee!
Unfortunately, our complaint by email has had no effect so far. We hope MSC will respond now so that we can still enjoy the rest of our cruise.

We gave just been on the world Europa mediteranian cruis.
On boarding this huge ship we were greeted really well and staff were very helpful. We were amazed on how big this ship is and the amazing features, our cabin was lovely but there was not tea or coffee making facilities, we had to get the free coffee from the burger bar which was disgusting and take it up 6 decks to our cabin by that time it was cold and undrinkable.
The buffets were over crowded and we felt it was like a cattle heard lots of pushing and no respect from fellow passengers.
We ate in the hexagon resturant for breakfast. Which was more calm and respectful.
Until our last morning brunch which the service was awful.after asking for milk for my coffee 4 times the 5th time I finally got some i also had to have fresh coffee as the first one was cold. and that was the same for fruit juice. The food was ok.not a great experience on our last morning.
All the staff are generally very nice and helpful.
The theater shows are great.
The speciality sushi bar was great but had an extra 15% charge which we wasn't advised of. This was the only one we tried.
On a whole this ship was overcrowded the noise level was awful and the music was far too loud. Ok if you're 10 - 50 year old.
I will not be booking an msc cruise again 😟

We feel this ship is not geared up for the older traveller, it was overcrowded everywhere, the music far too loud as were many of the guests.
We could not get a sun lounger for our how cruise so didnt get into any of the pools.
We didnt buy a drink package as we are not drinkers and the package was too expensive.
The resturant we were allocated was ok but there was no complimentary drink such as a glass of house wine or soft drink, only water.
No tea or coffee after your meal.

This is the worst cruise ship and company I have ever been on. It is far too many people, very noisy and the restaurants and buffet areas are at times like a war zone. People push to get food, the shouting at all times in various languages is unacceptable. It is not a good experience and I can't wait to get off the ship.
Good points are the amazing staff who put up with so much. They have more manners than the customers. MSC need serious help as their reputation is as bad as the ratings here. AWFUL.
HAPPY TO GIVE MSC FURTHER INFORMATION

Cruise 6 September to 13 September. Boarding and disembarking great, theatre shows very good, staff mainly very good, cabins clean and functional but had no kettle or access to a cloths iron. Splendida is a stunning looking ship internally, and that is the good points.
Food was was grim, lacked variety, bland, tasteless and processed to death. Evening meal, Chicken fillet is a processed chicken burger with the consistency of a digestives biscuit. Lunchtime Ham and egg salad is a baguette with mayonnaise spread and some rocket. Buffet is overcrowded noisy repetitive and disorganised, and queuing to get a table happens too often.
Sundeck loungers were packed in side by side and in short supply, there was always a smell of cigarette smoke in the air here.
The deck lifts were completely not fit for purpose, long waits and overcrowding on floors led to angry customers. If you are a wheel chair user your wait was even greater, unacceptable.
I've been on many cruises with various companies this was my first with MSC, it was also my last.
Personally give this one a miss there are much better out there.

MSC Seascape: shows are amazing, service was great. Suggestions: 1) ten new ships being built consider adding outlets and USB ports at each side of the bed, this is 2026 and everyone has at least one device they want plugged into next to where they sleep (hotels should be able to figure this out as well) I’ve resorted to bringing my own power strip! 2) who the hell thought it was a good idea for the small square drink holders in the Chora theater??? Design should meet function

My friend and I just sailed MSC Seaside. I’m a travel agent and I wanted to experience this cruise line to see if it would be a great line to recommend for clients. As for this ship, one star review is far too kind. Dirty, there was black mold on the shower, nasty toilet bowl brush in plain sight, remote hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. 99% of the staff seemed absolutely miserable. It was rare to see any staff member smiling. When we just disembarked off of the ship, there was only one crew member that smiled and said thank you or come back soon or anything like that. All the other staff members were just pointing and screaming “hurry up, hurry up, move faster don’t pull anything out of your bag. Keep going keep going”. Very rude overall. Carpet was disgusting. It absolutely needs to be removed. This ship could absolutely use a major renovation. And the food 🤮 On my goodness where do I start. You can tell that the food being served were leftovers from the cruise prior to the trip I was on. I tried to eat a piece of garlic bread and it was so hard I could not chew it in half. When I tried to mention this to a crew member he either didn’t understand me or he didn’t care insisting it was good. Each buffet served the same food. No variety whatsoever from one restaurant to the other. Also, nothing was warm. Food was dry and orange juice was like tang. I will say the grilled chicken was not bad. As for entertainment options, good luck. That was not good either. So overall it was a complete fail and there is no way in good conscience recommend this cruise line to my clients.

Shame there is not any option for 0 star review!

I am extremely disappointed by the way MSC Cruises has handled our cancellation.

My wife recently underwent major ankle surgery and has been medically advised that she cannot undertake the long-haul flights required for our cruise. This was an entirely unforeseen medical situation and not a change of mind or simply a decision not to travel.

We contacted MSC approximately seven months before the cruise and asked for the £200 deposit to be refunded on compassionate medical grounds. We offered to provide medical evidence from her surgeon.

MSC refused.

I explained the circumstances again and asked them to exercise some discretion. Their response was essentially that we should have travel insurance and that the matter should be claimed through insurance.

Their final response was:

“These matters must be claimed for through insurance.”

They then cancelled our booking and retained the £200 deposit.

Of course we understand what travel insurance is for. But using insurance as the answer to every difficult situation does not explain why MSC itself could not show a little compassion and discretion in exceptional circumstances.

The cruise was still around seven months away, the cabin will be resold, and we were asking for the return of just £200 following a serious and unforeseen medical situation.

Once upon a time, I believe a good company would have looked at the circumstances, considered the customer relationship and simply done the decent thing rather than hiding behind its terms and conditions.

For me, this is no longer about £200. It is about how a company treats its customers when something genuinely unexpected and serious happens.

What is particularly concerning is that, after our experience, I looked at MSC's Trustpilot reviews and was genuinely shocked by the volume of negative customer experiences reported there. Seeing thousands of unhappy reviews certainly made me question whether our experience is an isolated case or part of a much wider problem with how MSC deals with its customers when things go wrong.

MSC has now lost any goodwill I had towards the company. When we next book a cruise, MSC will be at the very bottom of our list of choices. Never again!

I am posting this review so that other potential customers can see how our situation was handled and can make their own informed decision.

MSC may have retained our £200, but in doing so they have potentially lost a future customer worth considerably more than that.

Anyone thinking of doing a cruise, please look elswhere as this company is based on corporate greed and they have zero compassion for customers suffering serious medical emergencies, shame on you MSC!

⭐ 1-Star Review — MSC Cruises Ruined What Should Have Been a Special Vacation

My experience with MSC Cruises was extremely disappointing. From the room accommodations to guest services and my proposal photography, this cruise left me feeling disrespected and robbed of what should have been beautiful memories.

Room Issues
My room smelled strongly of smoke from nearby guests, and the sofa bed mattress had holes and a tear. I was offered a room change or complimentary bottle, but neither was delivered.

Payment Dispute & Guest Services
I paid my onboard balance, and the funds were withdrawn from my Capital One account. Despite showing proof of payment, guest services claimed the transaction was not showing in their system.

Vishal was extremely rude and disrespectful, accusing me of not having money in my account to pay my fees, despite me showing my personal balance and proof of payment. Who is he to judge my finances or speak to me that way?

The hostility became so strong that his coworker had to remove him. I requested security or another representative who could genuinely help me.

Proposal Photography — $1,500 Surprise
This was one of the most upsetting parts of my cruise.

I approached the photography team and specifically explained which photographers I wanted to work with for my proposal. When I asked about pricing, the photographer explained that photographers would be on the island and that photos could be taken for free or purchased individually.

Based on that explanation, I believed I understood the options and trusted her to be transparent with me. Instead, I was scheduled for a photo shoot without clear pricing and later hit with a shocking $1,500 charge.

I feel I was deceived about the pricing and services I was agreeing to. This was my proposal—one of the most important moments of my life—and the experience robbed me of the joy and excitement I should have been feeling.

This was not just about money. You robbed me of a moment I can never get back.

MSC needs to investigate the photographer’s pricing, Vishal’s conduct, the room issues, and the payment dispute.

I paid for my cruise and deserved professionalism, honesty, and respect. This experience fell far short of that.

Very disappointing. I expected much more from MSC Cruises.

1 Star – Extremely disappointing experience with MSC

MSC cancelled my confirmed cruise booking because the final payment was not made on time. I understand the payment deadline — the issue is that I never received any payment reminder, warning, or cancellation notice.

I only discovered the cancellation when I contacted the travel agency myself. By then, the original cabins were gone, and I had to pay almost $3,000 more for a significantly worse booking.

Deposits were paid directly to MSC, yet MSC repeatedly refused to address the refund and simply sent me back to the travel agency.

After multiple complaints, I still have no real answer or resolution.

Very disappointing customer service. I expected much more from a company like MSC.