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Options - Thinking about a Celebrity Cruise


Bob_KY

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Exploring beyond Royal.  Confession upfront - I am a planner.  I am attracted to the Pacific Coast Cruise that Celebrity offers, a new experience beyond the caribbean, Alaska, and Hawaii. Questions.

1.  Anyone have a review or recommendation?

2.  Why is the schedule for this cruise always seems less than a year out?  Is this the norm?

3.  Anyone else have problems "crosswalking" Royal Stateroom categories to Celebrity's? (Prefer Royal's grand suite)

4.  Hate to say this, but Royal's website seems more user friendly?  Wow.  I never thought I would say that - could be what I'm am familiar with. 

Thanks!

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I can't say anything yet about Celebrity, I am booked on 2 cruises for 2019.  I researched them to death and am quite excited about them.  I too am in a Grand Suite on Royal this May and the Grand seems much larger than the Sky Suite we have booked on Celebrity if you look at dimensions for both.  I hope I don't get spoiled being in the Grand on Royal!!

I think both websites are a bit odd though! LOL! I hope you book and enjoy!! 

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3 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

I can't say anything yet about Celebrity, I am booked on 2 cruises for 2019.  I researched them to death and am quite excited about them.  I too am in a Grand Suite on Royal this May and the Grand seems much larger than the Sky Suite we have booked on Celebrity if you look at dimensions for both.  I hope I don't get spoiled being in the Grand on Royal!!

I think both websites are a bit odd though! LOL! I hope you book and enjoy!! 

You will most definitely be spoiled by the GS.  Trust me! :12_slight_smile: There is no going back after and if there is it is painful lol.

I have researched Celebrity quite a bit too (although I have yet to book one) and I agree the Sky suites are somewhat odd.  Maybe because they are at the back and some have that pole in the middle of the room? I have a friend who stayed in one in March and she loved it.  And she has been on Royal and Celebrity.

We're trying out the Yacht Club on MSC this summer.  A TA told me it is comparable to a GS in benefits but closer to a JS in size...

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10 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

We're trying out the Yacht Club on MSC this summer.  A TA told me it is comparable to a GS in benefits but closer to a JS in size...

@Sabrinaklai, I was afraid of that! LOL Oh well, I got such a great deal on the Celebrity for Jan and April 2019 (both under $5K with premium drink package, Internet for 2, Pre-paid gratuities and $300 OBC with the additional on a Butler!! LOL  My husband and I are so NOT like the Butler thing but figured what the heck I work HARD! As you are too still teaching!! Can't wait to hear about the Yacht Club too!  Where are you heading?  

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1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

@Sabrinaklai, I was afraid of that! LOL Oh well, I got such a great deal on the Celebrity for Jan and April 2019 (both under $5K with premium drink package, Internet for 2, Pre-paid gratuities and $300 OBC with the additional on a Butler!! LOL  My husband and I are so NOT like the Butler thing but figured what the heck I work HARD! As you are too still teaching!! Can't wait to hear about the Yacht Club too!  Where are you heading?  

That is exactly how the Yacht Club thing happened.  We got our suite for about $3600 (they give teacher discounts) for 2 people and it includes the entire Yacht Club exclusive experience plus the butler (which we feel a bit awkward about too).  Sometimes you can't even get a JS for that amount!  And the Seaside is a brand new ship so we figure it is worth a try. Going in July 2018.  Headed to the Eastern Caribbean for now.  I do feel weird about not cruising Royal though :2_grimacing:

My friend got similar deal as you on Celebrity when she had the Sky Suite and she ended up loving the butler!  Same thing, she said you cannot go back after that...

I will definitely try Celebrity one of these days.  I might wait till I reach Diamond in C&A first which will happen very soon and after I try Symphony.

 

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13 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

My friend got similar deal as you on Celebrity when she had the Sky Suite and she ended up loving the butler!  Same thing, she said you cannot go back after that...

That is a fantastic deal!! You must be so excited!!  I can't wait to hear about it!  I feel a bit weird too not on Royal, but got some cheap suites on Carnival for July so going on that!! It can't be that bad, and it's more my husbands cup of tea! I wanted to try Edge but she's going to Europe that's not going to happen with 2 Doggies still here, can't be away that long, was looking at Symphony but boy she's expensive. 

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24 minutes ago, DocLC said:

My first and only cruise with Celebrity was a Pacific Coastal and it was one of my favorites even though I live in California. There were some differences from Royal, particular in terms of food quality, but if say they were more alike than different.

This is the same as what I have heard from friends who have done both and also from the things I have read on other reviews and blogs.

1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

 but got some cheap suites on Carnival for July so going on that!! It can't be that bad

Been there. Done that. Never again. No other comment. :2_grimacing:

1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

 I wanted to try Edge but she's going to Europe that's not going to happen with 2 Doggies still here, can't be away that long, was looking at Symphony but boy she's expensive. 

I was thinking of Edge and Symphony but similar reasons, both are in Europe and with 2 kiddies left behind that's not going to happen yet.  So it's Seaside for us.  Unless the reviews start coming out in December/January/Feb and it's bad......

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2 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

I was thinking of Edge and Symphony for summer 2018 but similar reasons, both are in Europe and with 2 kiddies left behind that's not going to happen yet.  So it's Seaside for us.  Unless the reviews start coming out in December/January/Feb and it's bad......

@Sabrinaklai, I seem to recall that @DocLC is sailing the MSC Seaside just a few weeks after she makes her launch. He's promised to provide a review of her here, so you'll definitely have a review you can trust. :14_relaxed:

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Just now, JLMoran said:

@Sabrinaklai, I seem to recall that @DocLC is sailing the MSC Seaside just a few weeks after she makes her launch. He's promised to provide a review of her here, so you'll definitely have a review you can trust. :14_relaxed:

Perfect! @DocLC if that is correct please provide all the details!  It would be much appreciated!  It's good to have someone familiar with RC comparing the two lines.  I have never sailed MSC before and have heard and read very mixed reviews.  And there newest ship the Meraviglia (out in June 2017) has not been received that well either.  That is why I have two sailings reserved for July 2018 in case the Seaside is a bust (Type A again :13_upside_down:).

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@Sabrinaklai, regarding the mixed reviews -- If they're posted by American cruisers who've never sailed a European line, you have to take it with a grain of salt. My TA made that very clear to me when I asked her about MSC a while back. The most consistent critique I've seen is about the quality of the food, and the most frequent of those complaints is that it's cold by the time it's served. Quality has also been described as hit or miss, although I heard that was a lot better on the Meraviglia than earlier ships; hopefully with Seaside it will further improve, since they're learning from Meraviglia and that ship was already moving its menu a bit more Western (e.g., they now have a Teppanyaki restaurant with the other specialty dining venues).

My TA also advised me that MSC still applies a very European style of service and entertainment, and by all accounts they're still trying to figure out what the American market likes while holding to those European roots. So you get things like the shows presented on board are still very much cabaret or Cirque du Soleil style rather than Broadway (including, per some reviews I read, occasional toplessness with the women performers). Service staff can seem (but aren't always) a bit gruff or distant. And I've seen some reviews that reported apparent "classism" in terms of the service level provided for Yacht Club (suites) level guests and the regular cabins.

Overall, my TA said that cruising on MSC can be a really enjoyable trip, but you have to change your mindset about what to expect and be prepared for something that doesn't give all those American bells and whistles. Definitely looking forward to the reviews from @DocLC for both Seaside and Meraviglia (which I think he's sailing in January).

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10 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

@Sabrinaklai, regarding the mixed reviews -- If they're posted by American cruisers who've never sailed a European line, you have to take it with a grain of salt. My TA made that very clear to me when I asked her about MSC a while back. The most consistent critique I've seen is about the quality of the food, and the most frequent of those complaints is that it's cold by the time it's served. Quality has also been described as hit or miss, although I heard that was a lot better on the Meraviglia than earlier ships; hopefully with Seaside it will further improve, since they're learning from Meraviglia and that ship was already moving its menu a bit more Western (e.g., they now have a Teppanyaki restaurant with the other specialty dining venues).

My TA also advised me that MSC still applies a very European style of service and entertainment, and by all accounts they're still trying to figure out what the American market likes while holding to those European roots. So you get things like the shows presented on board are still very much cabaret or Cirque du Soleil style rather than Broadway (including, per some reviews I read, occasional toplessness with the women performers). Service staff can seem (but aren't always) a bit gruff or distant. And I've seen some reviews that reported apparent "classism" in terms of the service level provided for Yacht Club (suites) level guests and the regular cabins.

Overall, my TA said that cruising on MSC can be a really enjoyable trip, but you have to change your mindset about what to expect and be prepared for something that doesn't give all those American bells and whistles. Definitely looking forward to the reviews from @DocLC for both Seaside and Meraviglia (which I think he's sailing in January).

Yes, this is exactly what I have heard Joe.  However, in all the things I have read, MSC promises that Seaside will be very different and very much cater to the North American market.  I think this is what I am most interested in hearing from people between Dec-March.  If they are successful with that or not?  I take the reviews I read about Meraviglia with a grain of salt too because that ship does not sail in North America so it's hard to compare.  To be honest, I would be slightly nervous to sail this ship without the Yacht Club as I have read about the "classism" you read about too.  I have really good friends sailing this ship in March 2018 (when I am on Anthem) so I will be looking forward to see what they say as well.  However, they have not sailed RC and it's that comparison between the two lines that I am most interested in.  

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11 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

To be honest, I would be slightly nervous to sail this ship without the Yacht Club as I have read about the "classism" you read about too.

Well, considering that a medium to high end Yacht Club room on most MSC ships doesn't seem to cost much more than an ocean-facing balcony room on an Oasis class ship, this isn't necessarily a difficult thing. :3_grin:

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35 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

@Sabrinaklai

Overall, my TA said that cruising on MSC can be a really enjoyable trip, but you have to change your mindset about what to expect and be prepared for something that doesn't give all those American bells and whistles. Definitely looking forward to the reviews from @DocLC for both Seaside and Meraviglia (which I think he's sailing in January).

 

You are so right about the mixed reviews about MSC. Currently, only 31% of people who have reviewed the Meravigilia on Cruise Critic recommend it. I think this, in part, has to do with MSC's class/experience system where you pay based on what you want your fare to include (e.g., room service, beverages, spa amenities, etc.). It seems to me that many are disappointed in part because they didn't do their research.

We were scheduled to be on the Seaside for the 12/30 sailing. However, after seeing the issues MSC had with the early sailings of Meraviglia, we made a change. In addition, we weren't thrilled with the itinerary (Western Caribbean) especially since their private island was removed from the itinerary because of significant delays in its development. As a result, we ended up booking the Meraviglia out of Marseille, France instead as the airfare was only about $150 more per person and the cruise was $1500 less expensive for the same category of stateroom. We're also booked on the Meravigilia for July to Norway, but we'll reassess after our January cruise.

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5 minutes ago, DocLC said:

Currently, only 31% of people who have reviewed the Meravigilia on Cruise Critic recommend it. I think this, in part, has to do with MSC's class/experience system where you pay based on what you want your fare to include (e.g., room service, beverages, spa amenities, etc.). It seems to me that many are disappointed in part because they didn't do their research.

Given we all know the low-ish signal to noise ratio on CruiseCritic, I'd be curious to see what percentage of people who would recommend Meraviglia were if it was filtered to only those who did do their homework before booking, instead of just looking at the cheap price tag. If it's still that low even after factoring that in, it would not be a good sign that MSC is learning the lessons they need to know in order to successfully crack the North American market.

Guess I'll have to put my "numbers guy" hat on again tomorrow night, when the missus is at work and the kids are tied up with homework, and see if I can work that out! :3_grin:

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On 10/22/2017 at 6:45 AM, Bob_KY said:

4.  Hate to say this, but Royal's website seems more user friendly?  Wow.  I never thought I would say that - could be what I'm am familiar with. 

Thanks!

They realigned the website to be more similar to Royal's.  Now it's just downright WORSE!  Used to be better and easy to navigate.

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3 hours ago, DocLC said:

You are so right about the mixed reviews about MSC. Currently, only 31% of people who have reviewed the Meravigilia on Cruise Critic recommend it. I think this, in part, has to do with MSC's class/experience system where you pay based on what you want your fare to include (e.g., room service, beverages, spa amenities, etc.). It seems to me that many are disappointed in part because they didn't do their research.

We were scheduled to be on the Seaside for the 12/30 sailing. However, after seeing the issues MSC had with the early sailings of Meraviglia, we made a change. In addition, we weren't thrilled with the itinerary (Western Caribbean) especially since their private island was removed from the itinerary because of significant delays in its development. As a result, we ended up booking the Meraviglia out of Marseille, France instead as the airfare was only about $150 more per person and the cruise was $1500 less expensive for the same category of stateroom. We're also booked on the Meravigilia for July to Norway, but we'll reassess after our January cruise.

I think a large majority of negative reviews are done by people who have not properly researched their vacations ahead of time.  Enjoy your sailing on the Meraviglia.  I will have to scour the net for reviews after December.  Hopefully some will be RC cruisers.

3 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Given we all know the low-ish signal to noise ratio on CruiseCritic, I'd be curious to see what percentage of people who would recommend Meraviglia were if it was filtered to only those who did do their homework before booking, instead of just looking at the cheap price tag. If it's still that low even after factoring that in, it would not be a good sign that MSC is learning the lessons they need to know in order to successfully crack the North American market.

Guess I'll have to put my "numbers guy" hat on again tomorrow night, when the missus is at work and the kids are tied up with homework, and see if I can work that out! :3_grin:

Lol!  Make sure you post your findings Joe!

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7 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Given we all know the low-ish signal to noise ratio on CruiseCritic, I'd be curious to see what percentage of people who would recommend Meraviglia were if it was filtered to only those who did do their homework before booking, instead of just looking at the cheap price tag. If it's still that low even after factoring that in, it would not be a good sign that MSC is learning the lessons they need to know in order to successfully crack the North American market.

Guess I'll have to put my "numbers guy" hat on again tomorrow night, when the missus is at work and the kids are tied up with homework, and see if I can work that out! :3_grin:

Very true. Also, many of the reviews seem to be posted by first-time cruisers as they're complaining about standard cruise-related stuff like added gratuities, extra charge restaurants, a lot of kids in the summer on a cruise line that doesn't charge for kids, etc. The only other common complaint is with the international make-up of the guests, which changes the onboard demographics a bit. Perhaps some culture clashes, but I'm actually looking forward to a multi-national passenger load.

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1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

Do tell, I'm still thinking of cancelling them and taking 9 night on Grandeur to new england!! Be honest

Ok...My apologies ahead of time if I offend anyone with this post.  

I tried Carnival in 2003 (a while ago...so maybe they are different now...but doubt it) just after I went on Adventure (which I loved).  Now this is all before I became I "cruise snob".  This is what my husband calls me now.  I prefer to think of it as we have cruised enough now that I know exactly what type of experience I want.

Back to Carnival...I found them to be "tacky" for lack of a better word.  The crowd is younger.  The atmosphere is not refined.  Lots of shouting, hooting, and hollering.  I am not exaggerating lol.  The decor was tacky (and I really can't think of another word here).  Neon lights all over the place.  I felt like I was inside a cheap Vegas casino the whole time.  Food was low quality everywhere compared to RC.  Shows and entertainment were low caliber compared to RC unless you want to party on the Lido deck the whole time.  We hated it.  And all those complaints might sound "prudish" but we are far from that.  I was only 25 at the time and my husband was 28.  But even then we hated it.

A good friend of mine, the one who sailed in the Sky Suite on Celebrity is a seasoned cruiser.  She mainly cruises RC but has tried Celebrity and Carnival (once).  She found her experience to be the same and she went just a few years ago.  However, my parents have taken more Carnival cruises than I can count so....

I really think you have to look at what types of cruisers you are.  What experience do you want?  What are you willing to put up with and what are you willing to give up?  Carnival just wasn't for us.

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No offense at all.  I've been on 11 cruises all of which ended in 1989 when I went to work for Caribbean Hotel chain so I am dating myself, so it's been a really long time. My husband has never been on one. Of course back then I wasn't a cruise snob, I wanted to party, now I want to be a cruise snob. I only booked the Carnival as there are only 2 ships leaving from Baltimore, Grandeur and Pride.  We're booked on the Grandeur in May, I don't think I'll mind the older ship. I like the smaller ships (at least in my mind I do! LOL) I'm inches away from cancelling the Pride (have 2 cruises booked) and booking either Grandeur again for NE/Canada or Anthem from Cape Liberty.  I know the bells and whistles of Anthem but I feel it may be too big for what we like (like the Equinox we are on Jan ad Apr 2019), so I think what you're saying is, if you are a cruise snob which I want to be I should stick with RC-celebrity etc!!  That's been my fear since I booked Carnival.  I'm going to call my TA in a bit.  I stand to lose about $200 but may be worth it!!  BTW I was on an inaugeral of Carnival way back and it was HORRIBLE! but that was 1984!!

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Carnival isn't the line I cruise most often - that in mind I'll tell you they've changed a lot over the last few years.  Also keep in mind that with any line, the experience on an older ship on a 3 night spring break sailing to the Bahamas is going to be very different than a 10 night European sailing (for example).  They clearly do some things right, as they still see more passengers than any other cruise line and they have a high repeat cruiser rate.  At the same time, Carnival Corp also knows "different strokes for different folks" and operates Princess, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn, Costa, and others.  To this point, RCI isn't everyone's cup of tea (I actually prefer Celebrity).  It all depends on what you're looking for out of a given sailing (a party with friends, a romantic getaway, exploring new places, etc) and knowing that no two cruises on any ship, any line, any itinerary are exactly the same.  

Edit: I should add that I practice what I preach in enjoying what different lines have to offer.  In the next 3 months we'll be on RCI, HAL, and X.  We'll likely hit NCL and Carnival in the months right after that.  Really looking forward to Vista - we toured her a few months ago and she was a whole different animal.

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12 minutes ago, monorailmedic said:

Edit: I should add that I practice what I preach in enjoying what different lines have to offer.  In the next 3 months we'll be on RCI, HAL, and X.  We'll likely hit NCL and Carnival in the months right after that.  Really looking forward to Vista - we toured her a few months ago and she was a whole different animal.

Thank you @monorailmedic for your input. that's what my TA said too about them trying to get their act together. I too am looking forward to Celebrity and also my RC cruise. I'm teetering and it's making me nuts! LOL I keep checking the reviews too! You are so lucky to be living so close to so many ships too!  I will make a decision probably in the next day or two. We really want relaxing, exploring, a couple cocktails, and casino, that's about it! LOL  Maybe we're too boring to be taking a cruise! LOL

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I actually disagree about the Carnival food.  I've only been on two, so my sample is limited.  But the food was generally at least on par.  The buffet had a seafood area away from the rest that was VERY good.  The MDR was generally on par with some hits and some misses.  The famed "chocolate melting cake" I found to be mediocre.  The steakhouse specialty restaurant was one of the best experiences we've had in a specialty restaurant on any ship.  Top 5 for sure. 

I agree about the decor and the flow was just about the worst I've seen on any ship I've been on.  

I really enjoy Celebrity. To me it's super similar to Royal (for a reason, I'd say), but just a slight step up on classiness. 

I've been on one Princess cruise and I don't think I'll ever be on another.  There are gaps in the schedule.  What is that about???  I'm not saying I need to do something every minute of every day.  But I'd like to have options!  I've heard this has NOT changed.

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Well I looked through at least half of the reviews of Meraviglia (there are currently 65) during my lunch breaks yesterday and today, with reviews from July through this month, and it's really disappointing. I'm not going to bother being the numbers guy, because from what I could see it didn't matter if the person doing the review was an experienced cruiser or a novice, new to MSC or a longtime passenger of theirs. Almost everyone who wrote a review had the same set of general complaints, that boiled down to just two main categories:

  • Staffing of the ship – Meraviglia is coming across as seriously understaffed, at least with the booking numbers I'm seeing
    • When I see a specific number, it's generally the passenger to crew ratio of 3.8 or worse (1500 crew to about 5700 passengers, which is more than the 4500 she's rated for [I assume at double occupancy]); it was often noted that the ship was overbooked
    • Even without specific numbers, far too many of the reviews cite the visible exhaustion and strain the crew is under; I saw this comment in multiple reviews from Sept/Oct as well as June/July, so it does not appear that it's being addressed by MSC
    • I saw this observation even among the positive reviews (4 or 5 stars)
    • This is probably the most concerning and severe of the issues, simply because of all the trickle-down effects: slow service, rude staff, inattentiveness, food preparation, impacts on overall ship cleanliness, etc.
  • Food
    • Quality is consistently cited as a problem by pretty much every review I read: served cold and/or bad preparation (overcooked / undercooked) were the two most common complaints here
    • Buffet is also cited by everyone for being the same exact thing every day and night, as well as having no crowd flow management

Apart from these two categories, the only other semi-common complaint is about the other passengers. Some of this is probably a rub-off from the irritation of dealing with overworked crew, and I'd wager the rest is from "culture shock"; it's hard to say for sure, but it did seem as though most of these complaints were from American or British citizens, just going by the style of writing and level of familiarity with the English language. That said, some of those complaints absolutely had merit in my book; I mean, a mother let her toddler who wasn't potty trained into the hot tub, where he proceeded to soil his diaper (#2), and the mother just changed him right there and put him back in??

The hard thing about this is that it's only 65 online reviews. Without getting all mathy on everyone (I can certainly give my numbers if you really want them :9_innocent:), suffice to say I've confirmed that's well below 1% "participation" from all the passengers who've likely been on her.

But I compared this against Harmony (almost exactly a year older) as another very new ship: Her rating is 4.0 with just over 1,000 reviews. And the estimated "participation" for her works out to almost exactly the same percentage as Meraviglia. So I have to say that these issues with Meraviglia are real, and they can't just be dismissed as the bad apples getting all noisy in the cart while all the happy campers and at-least-OK campers stayed quiet.

@DocLC, I really hope that by the time you sail on her they'll have resolved whatever staffing issues seem to be going on, or at least gotten a grip on how (over)booked they're keeping her.

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2 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Of course back then I wasn't a cruise snob, I wanted to party, now I want to be a cruise snob. 

Phew....I'm not the only one. ?

@Boston Babe you have to ask around because even as you can see on this board there are tons of different opinions.  I think because every person expects and wants different things from a vacation.  The big thing is do your research.  Read reviews but be critical when you read them.  Look at recent pictures.  And like I said before, take a good look at what meets yours/your husbands needs.  One shoe doesn't fit all right.  

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7 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Well I looked through at least half of the reviews of Meraviglia (there are currently 65) during my lunch breaks yesterday and today, with reviews from July through this month, and it's really disappointing. I'm not going to bother being the numbers guy, because from what I could see it didn't matter if the person doing the review was an experienced cruiser or a novice, new to MSC or a longtime passenger of theirs. Almost everyone who wrote a review had the same set of general complaints, that boiled down to just two main categories:

  • Staffing of the ship – Meraviglia is coming across as seriously understaffed, at least with the booking numbers I'm seeing
    • When I see a specific number, it's generally the passenger to crew ratio of 3.8 or worse (1500 crew to about 5700 passengers, which is more than the 4500 she's rated for [I assume at double occupancy]); it was often noted that the ship was overbooked
    • Even without specific numbers, far too many of the reviews cite the visible exhaustion and strain the crew is under; I saw this comment in multiple reviews from Sept/Oct as well as June/July, so it does not appear that it's being addressed by MSC
    • I saw this observation even among the positive reviews (4 or 5 stars)
    • This is probably the most concerning and severe of the issues, simply because of all the trickle-down effects: slow service, rude staff, inattentiveness, food preparation, impacts on overall ship cleanliness, etc.
  • Food
    • Quality is consistently cited as a problem by pretty much every review I read: served cold and/or bad preparation (overcooked / undercooked) were the two most common complaints here
    • Buffet is also cited by everyone for being the same exact thing every day and night, as well as having no crowd flow management

Apart from these two categories, the only other semi-common complaint is about the other passengers. Some of this is probably a rub-off from the irritation of dealing with overworked crew, and I'd wager the rest is from "culture shock"; it's hard to say for sure, but it did seem as though most of these complaints were from American or British citizens, just going by the style of writing and level of familiarity with the English language. That said, some of those complaints absolutely had merit in my book; I mean, a mother let her toddler who wasn't potty trained into the hot tub, where he proceeded to soil his diaper (#2), and the mother just changed him right there and put him back in??

The hard thing about this is that it's only 65 online reviews. Without getting all mathy on everyone (I can certainly give my numbers if you really want them :9_innocent:), suffice to say I've confirmed that's well below 1% "participation" from all the passengers who've likely been on her.

But I compared this against Harmony (almost exactly a year older) as another very new ship: Her rating is 4.0 with just over 1,000 reviews. And the estimated "participation" for her works out to almost exactly the same percentage as Meraviglia. So I have to say that these issues with Meraviglia are real, and they can't just be dismissed as the bad apples getting all noisy in the cart while all the happy campers and at-least-OK campers stayed quiet.

@DocLC, I really hope that by the time you sail on her they'll have resolved whatever staffing issues seem to be going on, or at least gotten a grip on how (over)booked they're keeping her.

@JLMoran thanks for putting that together.  And all of that is pretty consistent with the reviews from Divina too.  Same type of complaints (cold/low quality food), culture shock for some people, and "rude" staff.  Will be interesting when Seaside comes out in a month....

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@JLMoran It will be an interesting experiment. Party of the reason for cruising her this winter is to check her out as we have a much longer cruise booked on her to the Arctic Circle this summer. Obviously, if this trip doesn't satisfy, we'll probably go with Princess on her Japan route, which we already had booked as an alternative. 

Nice analysis by the way. What's interesting if that if you read the reviews posted directly to the message board for MSC, they are much more positive than those posted to the reviews section especially with regards to food. 

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@DocLC and @JLMoran I got curious last night and took a look at Cruiseline.com (I use their Shipmate app) and the reviews they had on the Meraviglia. There were not very many actually. Only 24 since June?!  Anyway, same type of complaints as CC but I did notice that people either hated it or loved it. There was no real in between. Which makes me wonder if MSC perhaps "fits" only a certain type of cruiser? 

I feel bad we have totally hijacked this thread and gone off-topic. My apologies...

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4 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

@DocLC and @JLMoran I got curious last night and took a look at Cruiseline.com (I use their Shipmate app) and the reviews they had on the Meraviglia. There were not very many actually. Only 24 since June?!  Anyway, same type of complaints as CC but I did notice that people either hated it or loved it. There was no real in between. Which makes me wonder if MSC perhaps "fits" only a certain type of cruiser? 

I feel bad we have totally hijacked this thread and gone off-topic. My apologies...

I still feel Royal provides the best overall fit for my family. Unfortunately, they're not doing the itineraries we want to do. 

With regards to MSC, I think people are confused about what they offer because they market themselves as a traditional cruise line, which they aren't. In addition, the international mix of passengers seems to be off putting for some. There are repeated complaints shot Italian passengers, which could simply be culture shock. 

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1 hour ago, DocLC said:

I still feel Royal provides the best overall fit for my family. Unfortunately, they're not doing the itineraries we want to do. 

With regards to MSC, I think people are confused about what they offer because they market themselves as a traditional cruise line, which they aren't. In addition, the international mix of passengers seems to be off putting for some. There are repeated complaints shot Italian passengers, which could simply be culture shock. 

I agree.  I could be wrong but I think from what I have read that they are predominantly a European cruise line and the customs that comes with that.  And then North Americans go to book them not knowing that and expect what they have experienced from one of our NA cruise lines.  Even before Meraviglia came out I expected it to be similar in customs to their other ships.  The twist here is with Seaside and what they have promised with it...to cater to the NA market.  This is suppose to be their ship to finally compete with all the lines we have here.  They already tried it with Divina and failed miserably and even the company admitted that.  So hopefully they have learned from their mistakes and changed things.  Time will tell.   @DocLC you must share how your experience goes.

 

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2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Interesting comment, Kris.  What kind of cruise line are they then ?  Seriously interested in your thoughts.  This never occurred to me.

I'm still trying to figure that out. They're an Italian cruise line that mostly caters to European guests, especially from Spain and Italy. They also attached families because of the kids sail free and budget conscious cruisers with the Bella experience cabins, which don't include room service, choice of dining, etc. They also don't serve complimentary beverages, not even water, in the MDR unless you're on a beverage package, which are complicated, it you signed up for the free bottled water service offered to North American cruisers. Some of this doesn't seem to apply to ships sailing from Miami, but it does everywhere else. Those that seem to complain most are those that booked the Bella (no frills) experience. Unlike Royal, what you get is based on the experience you book and there are five of those, some of which are only available in the highest category cabins. 

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@Sabrinaklai Keep in mind that MSC made the same claims when they introduced the Davina and she still gets mixed reviews, so they're still tweaking this quite a bit. In addition, the Meriviglia is headed to Florida in 2019, so they have a lot to do by then especially with Carnival, Celebrity, and Royal introducing more big ships by then. 

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5 minutes ago, DocLC said:

I'm still trying to figure that out. They're an Italian cruise line that mostly caters to European guests, especially from Spain and Italy. They also attached families because of the kids sail free and budget conscious cruisers with the Bella experience cabins, which don't include room service, choice of dining, etc. They also don't serve complimentary beverages, not even water, in the MDR unless you're on a beverage package, which are complicated, it you signed up for the free bottled water service offered to North American cruisers. Some of this doesn't seem to apply to ships sailing from Miami, but it does everywhere else. Those that seem to complain most are those that booked the Bella (no frills) experience. Unlike Royal, what you get is based on the experience you book and there are five of those, some of which are only available in the highest category cabins. 

Yikes...I better look into this more for the Seaside for my parents.  They are booked to sail this March but with the Bella experience....

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21 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Yikes...I better look into this more for the Seaside for my parents.  They are booked to sail this March but with the Bella experience....

Send to me that Fantastica is the experience most want to begin with. However, if they don't care when they done, don't want room service included, or drink vouchers, they may be fine with Bella. Also, the experience is different in the Caribbean, especially in the MDR where water, coffee, and trees are served unlike with the European sailings. 

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13 minutes ago, DocLC said:

Also, the experience is different in the Caribbean, especially in the MDR where water, coffee, and trees are served unlike with the European sailings. 

I hope none of those trees are hemlock! :4_joy:

I really do get a kick of what autocorrect does with your posts. I always get the intended meaning, but those auto-changes are right up there with "Let's eat Grandma!" vs. "Let's eat, Grandma!"

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