Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
MSC
MSC officially stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company. Those of a more cynical disposition may say it stands for Must Steer Clear and, after two cruises with them, I have to say I’m firmly in the cynics category.
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Having said that, judging by the number of fellow cruisers carrying gold cruise cards, MSC does have a loyal fan base but from talking to fellow cruisers MCS is definitely a Marmite cruise line with people either loving or hating them, very few people have a neutral opinion.
I often describe MSC as being the Ryanair of cruising …. their headline prices are relatively low but, once on board, they will screw you for every euro cent they can and the hard sell begins the moment you board your ship.
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Embarking guests are immediately assailed by smiling staff trying to get you to purchase / upgrade drinks packages, tours, speciality restaurants, spa packages, photo packages etc. etc etc.
Granted most cruise likes will try and flog similar things but this is really in your face, virtually impossible to avoid and, quite frankly irritating. Indeed, in my case, it is actually counter productive as I find the hard sell so annoying I will not spend my money even if it was something I would want to purchase.
The rip-off culture is prevalent throughout the cruise. For example, in Lisbon they sell tickets for the open top bus tour at a “special” price of €27. A quick Google search will reveal buying the exact same ticket on the bus will only cost €22.
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In Marseille, MSC provide a shuttle bus service from the cruise terminal to the city centre at €15.99 per person. What they don’t tell you is if you are happy to walk ten minutes to the edge of the cruise ship compound, the city of Marseille offer a free shuttle bus service to the city.
For me the biggest “rip off” are their speciality restaurants. Yes, all cruise lines have speciality restaurants, which carry a premium price tag. Having already paid for meals in the main restaurant proper cruise lines like P&O and Cunard will charge a nominal cover charge, usually in the £20 - £30 range to eat in a speciality restaurant, something most passengers wouldn’t quibble at.
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MSC, on the other hand, are crafty. They describe their main restaurant meals as “complementary” – that was a surprise until I saw it in blue and white on the TV screen in my cabin. That means if you eat in a speciality restaurant on am MSC ship you aren’t upgrading your dining experience and paying a supplement, you are being charged full price and more.
On MSC Bellissima we paid €125 for a three course meal in in their Butchers Cut steakhouse restaurant and that was basically going for the “cheapest” filet steak.
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MSC tend to operate on a bus stop basis, with their ships operating on a circular route with passengers boarding and disembarking at almost every stop. This does make the disembarkation process slightly more manageable, as only a percentage of passengers disembark at any given port, thus alleviating a mad rush or potentially long waits.
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On the other hand, it does mean the experience can be pot luck. For example, at Genoa both the check-in and disembarkation process is an complete and utter shambles.
At Marseille there always seem to be massive queues at check-in, which means massive queues at security for passengers already on board who have been ashore and who wish to return to the ship.
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Entertainment onboard is variable, ranging from excellent on MSC Orchestra down to the downright appalling e.g. a so called ventriloquist onboard MSC Bellissima who was almost booed off stage.
One of the most amusing things is the introductions to the shows. Having very much an international and pan-European clientele there are several official languages used on board.
The predominant language varies, based on the composition of the passengers on board. This does mean the introduction to any entertainment events can be painful as the same information is repeated in up to six languages, it’s a bit like watching the Eurovision song contest. (It is the same with the mandatory safety briefings as well).
Onboard announcements from the bridge are almost unheard of with MSC. Whereas with P&O and Cunard you get the noon announcement plus plenty of ad-hoc announcements, especially if anything changes, on MSC the silence is deafening.
On the inaugural cruise of Bellissima there were three days of bad weather which meant the stop in La Coruna was cancelled, only one general announcement was made and that wasn’t really even a general announcement as it wasn't broadcast to cabins, so many passengers were not aware. Even worse, the Captain was conspicuous by his absence in terms of any explanation or even apology.
The only time the Captain was in evidence was for the obligatory, very expensive, photo shoot.
Now photography, another interesting one. Yep, most cruise lines have their photographers attempting to get you to pose and then sell you expensive prints. MSC take this to a whole new level. They seem to have a breeding program for captive photographers …. you cannot walk more than a few yards without being assailed by an official photographer trying to get you to pose.
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The only area seemingly free from photographers were the toilets although I’m sure they will be offering that service soon as well.
It has to be said the staff do tend to be genuinely friendly and want to help – there are exceptions and most of them seem to be at the Customer Service desk but that’s no surprise as there always seems to be a long queue of passengers complaining about something and in 90% of cases justifiably so.
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The friendliness of the crew does surprise me, especially when you consider the appalling way they are treated. This following information has been given to me, independently, by more than a couple of dozen members of staff, so I’m happy it isn’t just one single disgruntled member of staff.
Most crew in the service areas are employed on eight month contracts. During this time they get no days off and their working day is generally a split twelve hours, where they work a few hours, get two to three hours off, then finish the rest of their shift. By any standard that is an appalling way to work and must surely be in breach of employment laws in most civilised countries and is clearly not indicative of a good employer.
This treatment does make me more inclined to pay the all pervasive "service charge" which is €10 / $10 per adult, per day. In the booking conditions and on their website is says this service is mandatory. However, the reality is the charge is not mandatory and if you visit the onboard information desk they will remove the charge from your account.
Meals in the main restaurants are variable, generally only three courses with not a huge amount of choice. Quantity tends to be on skimpy side, though if you get a good waiter you may get some extras. Quality is variable, especially with desserts.
Ordering a lemon sponge pudding, which looked beautiful, but which turned out to be chilled, was disappointing as was the bread and butter pudding, also served cold. Even desserts which are advertised as warm, like fruit crumble, arrive tepid at best.
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Dress codes seem to be optional, at best. One aspect of cruising I like are the formal nights where you dress up for dinner. With, again what I call traditional cruise lines, the code is strictly enforced. With MSC there is no enforcement whatsoever.
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On the Bellissima cruise there were three “formal” or as they call them “elegant” nights. On the first one I would say 70% made the effort, the second about 30% and by the third one only about 10% made the effort.
On one of the nights I was wearing my dinner jacket and the chap sitting next to me was wearing jeans and an open neck shirt ……. It makes you wonder why bother?
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MSC is an Italian based cruise line and a large number of passengers on board are, therefore, Italian. Whilst it is generally wrong to begin stereotyping this does have an adverse impact on the enjoyment of the cruise …… especially if eating in the buffet.
Put simply, most Italians seemingly have absolutely no concept of queuing, making the buffet a free for all.
An example, my wife and I were queuing for afternoon tea, one of the plates had only two sandwiches left and as she was about to take one of them this Italian “gentleman” literally barged in front of her and grabbed the two remaining sandwiches. Funnily enough he seemed to be deaf at any attempt to remonstrate with him.
I would like to have thought it was a one off but sadly it wasn’t and such appalling bad manners were more the rule than the exception.
In fairness it isn’t just Italians who were rude, some Brits were as well. The “typical” MSC cruiser is summed up by a two of British couples we saw frequently.
One couple, both verging on morbid obesity, would turn up in the buffet at various points throughout the day, piling their plates high. Sitting at the table, barking orders at the waiting staff as if they were their personal slaves, ordering three or four different drinks at a time.
The other was a boorish oaf, who seemed hell-bent on taking full advantage of the drinks package he had purchased in advance. One of those people incapable of quiet conversation who felt his utterances were so important everyone in earshot had to receive these words of wisdom.
Towards the end of the cruise he opined, in a very loud voice, “the ship is excellent, it’s just a shame the people are f***ing awful” …… I just smiled as the irony of his comment was obviously lost on him.
As I said at the beginning MSC seem do attract a loyal following, I can only say they are not what I would call traditional cruisers, which is fine. They seem to be happy in their own world and good luck to them.
For what I would call more traditional cruisers, used to the service, standards and refinements of lines like P&O and Cunard, I can only say MSC will be a culture shock and not a pleasant one.
I did vow, after my first MSC cruise, I would never sail with them again. Then thought I would give them as second chance, just in case my first experience was a “one off”
The second cruise, on their so called flagship vessel, has only served to reinforce my impressions from the first cruise.
I can now say with 100% certainty I have no intention of ever setting foot on an MSC ship again.
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