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MSC Cruises

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MSC Cruises - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

MSC Cruises from Fort Lauderdale

MSC Cruises have unique style, from famous authentic Italian cuisine to the personal attention and friendliness of an Italian crew. It blends maritime traditions, culture and famous Mediterranean cuisine to deliver a different cruise experience. MSC offers cruises from Florida at Miami and Port Canaveral.

MSC Cruises , the only all-Italian cruise company, takes the best of Italy with it on all its voyages. The Italian way of doing things is reflected in the staff who are at your service 24 hours a day. The Italian sense of style is evident in the way the cabins and communal spaces are furnished and in the cuisine. Wines from Tuscany, oil from Puglia, and sweets from Sicily blend together to take you on a sort of gastronomic cruising tour.

• MSC Cruises

3/18-3/22, 2024 MSC Magnifica Review

By Flnative9206 , March 22 in MSC Cruises

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Just got off the beautiful MSC Magnifica! I will admit I was skeptical to sail with MSC based on the reviews I had read from others… but I was very pleased to say the least. 

Embarkation Process- 10/10

First Initial Impression- 10/10

Cleanliness- 10/10

Cabin #9006 (Junior Balc)- 8/10

Staff to Guest Ratio: 10/10

Customer Service: 10/10

Entertainment: 8/10

Disembarkation Process: 10/10

Embarkation Process: 

I have only been on about 7 cruises or so, but MSC’s embarkation process was super quick  and simple. I have no idea if it is because I showed up super early (I expected to wait for awhile)… but the time it took for me to park my car in the C garage, hand off my luggage to the porter, check in, and board was only about 15 minutes. My boarding time was 1:00, and I was sitting eating lunch at the Sahara Buffet by 11:15 am with my carry ons already dropped off in the stateroom. Smooth as silk.   

First Initial Impression: 

Not many words to describe this but amazing. The ship was extremely clean, staff was super helpful and friendly, and the check in process was super organized and easy.   

The food was overall very good, I didn’t have any issues with anything but I wasn’t blown away either. Comparing to the other lines I have been on (PCL and NCL) I would rate MSC as close to the best I have had.  The only thing I would say stood out negatively was that the pizza I tried did not match the raving reviews that I read regarding it. I had breakfast delivered to my balcony our morning at sea, and I was less than impressed with that as well. Very small portions, tasted fine though but not a home run. 

Cleanliness:  The overall cleanliness on the Magnifica was almost perfection, especially in the common areas. Definitely looks like there is a lot of pride put into this ship.   

Cabin (Junior Balc):  Although the size of the room (#9006) was fairly small compared to others I have been in in this category, it was still more than comfortable and cozy for a quick 4 night trip. I LOVED the amount of closet storage provided, as well as in the bathroom the “under sink” storage was actual cabinets and not open shelving which was very nice.   

Entertainment:  I felt the entertainment was average compared to other lines. The comedian was good, not great. The main complaint I have with the Royal Theater is the seats seem to be very old, and everyone I sat in seemed to have a downward angle in the seat, it was uncomfortable for me personally. Theater itself is very pretty.   

Disembarkation Process:  Just like with embarking, disembarking was just as easy and simple.  You need to be out of the stateroom by 7:30, and you are assigned a meeting point based on either your stateroom number/location or if you have Aurea benefits. My disembarking time was 8:35 in the Royal Theater. As I was walking to the theater at 8:20 to wait with my group, I was told that I can just exit with the group that was leaving at that time. For reference… I got on the elevator at 8:20. I looked at my clock  in my car when I got to the Port Tunnel to get to I-95 and it was 8:50. Picking up the luggage was very organized and orderly. Super impressed. I was home by 9:50!   

I honestly cannot wait to sail MSC again… when I do I will most likely stay with this class of ship as I felt the staff to guest ratio was perfect and navigating the ship was not overwhelming. 

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Thanks for the review.  We leave on 4/26 for a 7 night - first time on MSC.  

What experience did you have?  Favorite bar?  How was the pool area?  Pool chair hogs?  Dining room casual?

Glad you had a good time - we are about 2 hours from the port and embark and debark on a Friday.  How was traffic?

1 minute ago, mduffy1834 said: Thanks for the review.  We leave on 4/26 for a 7 night - first time on MSC.     What experience did you have?  Favorite bar?  How was the pool area?  Pool chair hogs?  Dining room casual?   Glad you had a good time - we are about 2 hours from the port and embark and debark on a Friday.  How was traffic?

Overall experience was very enjoyable, and super relaxed. The bar I always went to was the Tiger Bar on Deck 6. Very spacious area, and great drinks.   

As far as the pools area, it was somewhat chilly believe it or not this past week so I did not spend too much time out there. It also did not feel like the ship was completely booked either… unless the ship is just that logistically spread out that it didn’t feel crowded lol.   

Traffic today leaving PortMiami was typical stop and go… I live on the border of Deerfield and Boca, and it took about exactly an hour on 95.. maybe 10 mins more than that.   

To quote my note on embarkation… I would plan to get there early just in case you get let on early as well as I was. If for some reason you aren’t able to board early, at least you will be where you need to be in the terminal on time. The traffic did seem to start getting pretty congested as we got off 95 Monday morning.   

I hope you enjoy.. I was pleasantly surprised! 

• 2 weeks later...

I was also on this cruise and my review of the culinary is quite different.    Dinner was good - not great, but good.   Could improve. 

Now the buffet was totally horrible.  The food was industrial, lacked any quality )other than bad), & never changed day to day other than the soup.  The entire buffet has to

be totally overhauled.   For example, the tamales were horrendous.   Breakfast scrambled eggs were runny.  Potatoes were deep

fried.    MSC has to revamp the entire culinary experience.

If you have ever been on Celebrity or Holland - MSC isn’t even in the same hemisphere relative to the quality of the food.    

The food at Ocean Cay was ok- again industrial.  DO NOT buy a lobster roll - you will be severely disappointed.  Burgers were average at best.    We didn’t sample the chicken.   Brownies were good though!

• 3 weeks later...

On 3/22/2024 at 5:10 PM, Flnative9206 said:  

Did you happen to capture any of their Dailies? The rosters of day-to-day activities?

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MSC Cruises

6750 North Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL

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CRUISE FROM $179

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CRUISES FROM PORT CANAVERAL

7-Night Cruises From $329

CRUISES FROM MIAMI

7-Night Cruises From $339

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CRUISES FROM NEW YORK CITY

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7-Night Cruises From $379

Get ready to experience Cliffhanger, where thrill seekers meet the only over-water swing ride at sea, exclusive to MSC World America. Sailing from Miami, April 2025.

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OCEAN CAY MSC MARINE RESERVE

Welcome to Your Own Private Island

MSC Yacht Club

Step into the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive private sanctuary available to you on MSC Cruises. Here, you can discover elegance with luxury suites offering a 24/7 butler service. Enjoy curated menus in a private restaurant and unwind on the secluded pool deck. An elevated experience awaits you on a vacation that’s a step above.  Learn More.  

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MSC Cruises

Review Highlights

“ ! Fourthly , the private islan d was pristine and had these calm lagoons to swim ” in 15 reviews

“ MSC DIVINA from miami to NASAAU bahamas & FREEPORT bahamas 5 days 4 nights honestly, i give the cruise the stars because of the staff. ” in 17 reviews

“ There were a number of people from other countries such as Brazil, France, England, South Africa, etc . ” in 7 reviews

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6750 N Andrews Ave

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

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Our mission is to become the choice for vacationers of all nations who want to savor authentic experiences cruising the Caribbean, Mediterranean and all corners of the world. We're passionate about sharing the world. But for us, everything starts with the sea. …

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Does anyone have a method of contacting the cruise line other the useless phone numbers? I am looking to cancel and the agents are less than helpful and trying to increase the penalty for cancelling.

You have to call who you booked thru. I know that's not much help. You may be able to log on and go thru MSC portal. But they were not much help. And we pushed thru on my reservation. Cruise was ok. Guests were worst I've EVER encountered… more

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287 reviews

We gave you a shot and I can't wait to get off MSC Meraviglia. Cruised on many lines during high time. The food is awful, service with the exception of a few is not up to par and due right rude, not enough activities when the weather is bad, bars were out of stock on basic stuff day 2, Deck 6 shows were literally 10 minutes, lines to get in the restaurant on the hopes it was better than the buffet, etc. Husband earned a free cruise in the casino I told him never again. Very much looking forward to going on Royal in 2 weeks. The ship is beautiful and the dome is a great touch-other then that I will pass.

MSC is not worth it! Bad service Cold food Arrogant guest services Felt more like I was in prison than on a pleasure cruise

I cruise a lot and all I got to see is MSC is meh Life is too short to try and save money and cruise on MSC they are boring and customer services terrible and they serve cold pizza and the parmesan taste like nothing so Sophia Loren would not be proud but she is too old to know any different

We had the worst MSC execution yesterday - we were in Belize for January 1st and tried to go on the Tale of 2 Cities Tour - we got stuck in bike traffic for almost 2 hours on our tour bus, didn't get to spend our full scheduled time at the ruins and had the city portion cut short - and on top of all that, we didn't get back to the pier until 4pm when we should have been back by 1:45pm - so we had no time to spend exploring the city and had to rush back to the cruise for dinner - overall, entirely disappointed with the day and the MSC cruise line for how they have been handling us. I would not recommend to anyone in the future - we have tried complaining to the cruise line and they have essentially told us tough luck - we would love some resolution.

SAVE YOUR MONEY! MSC cruise line is the worst cruise line I have ever been on. The Seaside is the ship I took, bars were over crowded( very few waiters walking the pool), dinner was a 3 hr ordeal , the ship was designed horribly (you had to go up elevators and back down to get to decks that crossed the entire ship) but the worst was the air conditioning. Every place on this cruise was hot, miserably hot. The only cool place on the entire ship was my room, so if I wasn't in the pool , I was in the room. We tried to go see one of the shows but you were unable to have a drink in the theater. I have been on at least 20 cruises and this was by far the absolute worse. I love to travel and if MSC cruise line gave me a free cruise, I would stay home. Don't waste your money on a cheap cruise.

Traveled on the MSC Meraviglia in August 2021 and encountered disappointing services. The paid services were not delivered, and no refunds were issued. I was particularly dissatisfied with the post-cruise customer care experience, especially regarding photo services. Interactions with customer service provided inconsistent and misleading information, lacking accountability for prior conversations. Attempts by cruise staff to reach the photo services vendor for pictures were unsuccessful. Furthermore, I experienced racial behavior from photo staff, specifically Caesar, and reported it to customer care, but no investigation or action followed. Foul play was also observed from customer care representatives. The supervisor mentioned in a previous conversation is no longer with the company, and promises of a follow-up call from the highest-level supervisor, Louis, were unfulfilled. Customer care representatives displayed arrogance, and cruise staff seemed indifferent, treating customers as if they were receiving services for free. Despite verifying all pictures on the last day of the cruise and being assured they would be available shortly, no photos were provided, leaving me without cherished vacation memories despite a significant expenditure. Ticket Ref - 45223877

I reported a fraudulent charge to my bank from this company. The next day I called MSC Cruises to try and stop the payment on their end as well. Come to find out MSC Cruise has no way check if the name on the card matches the person who booked with them.... meaning that any criminal can book with them and regardless of if fraud is reported and the transaction cancelled supposedly MSC Cruise has no way to tell. So come one come all you criminals to MSC Cruises because MSC Cruises will do nothing about you.

I boarded the MSC Bellissima in Japan from 11-13-2023-11-23-2023 in a Fantastica Experience. All I can say is there's nothing fantastic about the experience. First, in our order confirmation we 600-MINERAL WATER AND COFFEE IN DINING ROOM. This does not work. The dinning room pull out a tablet which state water is $5.5 per bottle and then told me to go to the front desk. Front desk told me everything was fine in their system and told me to go to dinning room. All this ended with me not getting any mineral water for the whole cruise. There are 7 ports that we were supposed to visit. Out of the 7, 1 require additional passport to Busan Korea. We were not aware before the cruise so we could not go off the ship. Then they cancelled two ports (Fukuoka and Kanazawa). They were the ones that we wanted to visit the most. The cancellation came in at the last minute before docking. All we heard was we were sorry, here's 25 on board voucher and we were stranded on the boat for 3 consecutive sea days. After being stranded for 3 days on the boat, when we arrived at Hakodate, they had a huge line for immigration. We were in line 30 minutes before the process started and waited over an hour to get off the boat. When it was our turn to go up the stage for immigration officer, the front desk reception supervisor informed us that they want a bunch of people to jump the line before me because they were suppose to be getting off the boat a day earlier when the port was cancelled. I told her no, I was in the line for over an hour and waited my turn, I will not let anyone jump in front of me. Then the lady threat to call security and they make a big deal with the Latina lady on the stage trying to block me from going on the stage. There was a crowd of people cheering not to let to people cut in line. MSC along with their poor customer really pissed some people off that day. We got off the boat 2 hours later and there were more than 8x people after us. Overall, I do NOT recommend MSC or their poor customer service. This ruined my whole thanksgiving. Thanks, MSC. You and your staff really know how to cruise.

Terrible. MSC Seashore, Nov 20. They were understaffed but even worse, the staff they do have were generally ambivalent, unhelpful and rude. Everyone on the ship says the same thing. We've never seen such poor service on a cruise. Just a few highlights: - Took an hr to get up the elevator when we boarded. - I was traveling with my father in separate cabins and had requested in advance we be seated at a table for two. Instead, they seated him at 5:00 and me at 9:15. - I booked an excursion and they charged me twice. Then they cancelled the excursion and could not offer another. They refunded me only once. Hasn't been fixed after waiting 3 lines to remedy - My dad got locked in his room. I called emergency line and customer service 3 times. It took them 45 min to send someone. Some kind of door lock issue. Major safety concern and not an impressive emergency response. - When I returned from port, my door lock's cover was gone. I had do not disturb sign on but someone must have broken in. The door lock cover was inside my room. - Eating at the buffet is stressful. Waaay too many people, no place to sit, employees don't care about anything. The drinks...water and juice were often completely empty. One breakfast we could get nothing but decaf coffee to drink. - Breakfast room service was also a struggle. One morning I got honey but no tea, another I got butter with no bread. Sometimes fruit came sometimes not. They would not bring water. - They brought my dad the wrong dinner 2 different times. One time they messed it up twice. The good: -The maid did fine - The room was nice - The shows were pretty good - Their private island is lovely - My dad and I laughed harder than I have in years...only 3 pieces of asparagus for appetizer or three corn chips in a tablespoon of guac Conclusion, they have a lovely ship but are completely incapable of servicing it. The lines at customer service are epic. Only go if you set your expectations below poor and get a really really good price.

WORST customer service - if I could leave 0 stars I would . they overcharged us for excursions ( it's been over 5 months & still have not received our refund !). And we had bed bugs !!! You Get what you pay for !!!

So getting to the port was a nightmare. Their Internet was down so we had to wait Three hours to finally get on. The fun started and ended almost within the same hour. The excitement to try the pools and slides weee killled when they said they don't open today. Okay well why ? then it's like they're only open until 10-6 when most people are out on their stops doing excursions. Then the slides have small hours like 2:30-5 or 6?! Again why ?! Be open all day or not at all. They didn't make it super fun either being around the ship. At some points it became let's do this since it's something to do. The card system was smart for getting on and off the boat but having to buy things on the boat it would be fine then randomly not work and that was frustrating because you'd be waiting 30 minutes for a dang drink or something and then find out no it doesn't work. Service sucked. It took forever to get anything ! Then if you even got it the language barriers were insane. Eventually you'd just be like ok yeah and hope you'd get what you ordered or even anything at all. The dinner and buffets were disgusting. Nothing has flavor and the pizza was sloppy and wet looking. Hot dogs were boiled so they're gross. Burger has no flavor and was yuck. Fries were moist and not crisp. Any desert had almost no flavor so it was super sad. Dinner was a nightmare the first night. Sadly every night our dinner partners next to us we'd joke about ok is it good ? Hmmmm nope but I'm hungry. You'd basically just eat because it was edible not good. What's even more sad is their beautiful island. But that's all it is. Not much to it at all. Some generic bars. Two restaurants that serve the same exact crap as you get on the ship. So it's not like you even get to try new stuff. Nope. Tummy is sad. Their shops on their island are pathetic. It's their name brand on a bag or t shirt or a plastic boat thing toy. I wish there was more to these shops. Also we sat in like for ( shocker ) 20 minutes before they said they had no fish waffle for a place called something like the food or whatever. Me and my daughter looked at each other like seriously?! So we walked back to the boat and got on chowing down on gross food simply cause we didn't want to be hungry. The cleaners for our rooms were awesome. They should get all the love but the entertainers who are absolutely incredible should as well. BUT the shows sucked. They seemed random even though they'd have " Themes" like Peter punk was weird. Michael Jackson's night was one of the better shows. But after a show comes dinnner which I was never excited for but prayed to god that there would be something edible. People were also saying the msc app that has a feature where you can chat with family ( since you don't have signal ) werent working unless both people had the messaging open. Also people who bought internet said it doesn't even work well which is most ships. Save your money. It feels like this ship is new and I can't see it lasting long. I really don't. The beds were also the most stiff things ever. They're like particle board stiff. All in all .....Service sucks. Food sucks. Entertainment sucked. Communication sucked. Being late to let people disembark sucked. The disembarking process sucked. Their activities sucked. It's just not worth ever spending money on again. Please do yourself a favor and spend the extra money on anything but this cruise.

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