My Beloved and I just returned from a trip to Barcelona, where we spent a few days wandering the restaurants, tapas bars and public markets, before boarding the cruise ship MSC World Europa. The ship put in at Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina (Sicily) and Valletta (Malta) before returning to BCN. I'm not usually a fan of cruising, but my wife is, and I like my wife, so there I went. Aboard ship, we were privileged guests, provided first-class service in and by the ship's "Yacht Club" program. The best part of the trip, for me, was Barcelona, which I've likened to a mix of San Diego and New Orleans in its culture, size and vibe. I'd go back for a longer visit. Surprisingly, the same goes for Genoa, a second-tier city that's attractive and interesting enough to entertain, but isn't a world-class tourist destination. Sort of like Denver, or Baltimore. Naples is always going to be an exciting and gratifying dive into grimy excess, rife with great food and stunning, decaying architecture; loud and pushy people who are just naturally agitated; heart-rending art and music; dangerous traffic; and gorgeous women (and, I'm told, men). It's a party that gets out of hand and spills into the streets, where those who weren't invited are quick to throw hands with those who are too wasted to remember how they got there. Marseille is Naples without the good parts. I didn't leave the ship to visit Messina or Valletta, deciding instead to stay on board and wallow in luxury, like Scrooge McDuck on vacation. As guests of the ship's Yacht Club, we were offered an array of exclusive benefits, including: - A deluxe suite on the access-limited Yacht Club deck - Access to priority embarkation and disembarkation in all ports, including a walk-on escort in Barcelona who made what might have been an hours-long check-in process take less than half an hour... and we sipped champagne while it happened. - Round-the-clock concierge team and a dedicated butler, along with priority room service. - A dedicated fine dining restaurant that didn't require reservations. - Priority access to entertainment and other venues. - Private solarium and sundeck featuring dipping pools and whirlpool baths, plus chairside cocktail service. - The Top Sail Lounge, which offered crafted drinks, gourmet finger foods, and desserts, a private sun deck, and panoramic views of the ocean. - Complimentary "Premium Extra Package", featuring a wide selection of beers, cocktails, wines, top-shelf liquor, and an array of non-alcoholic beverages. - Unlimited Wi-Fi, shipwide, for up to two devices per guest. - Complimentary access to the Spa's Thermal Suite. Also, with a single request sent through my butler, the ship's bakery provided freshly-baked kouign-amann, every morning, which were delivered to my suite. I'm always glad to hear people mock those who cruise. I want them to keep thinking that the experience and its participants are awful, so that when I decide to cruise again, the only people I'll run into will be people who want to be there, and those who, like me, have arranged to avoid pretty much everyone else on the ship. read more

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Wow!!! I did not read these reviews before going on MSC Cruises but I did read many from the Fort Lauderdale location. I am glad I went with my intuition and decided to take this cruise out of Barcelona. We sailed the Grandiosa from 3/5/2020-3/12/2020. It was a great time!! This ship is only 4 months old so that probably helped a bit. I have sailed Royal, Norwegian many years ago, Carnaval and Celebrity. Overall, I prefer MSC. That is not saying they are perfect. What I did not like was far outweighed by what I did. I will start with some of my dislikes. Some of the main courses in the Main Dining Room were just okay. They do not adequately prepare you for some of the ports. For instance, we took a 1.5 hour each way motorcoach ride to Rome. They dropped us off on a side street and basically said, "Ciao, meet back here at 3:30". It would have been more helpful if we were dropped off near the Trevi Fountain or some memorable location. Onto the good stuff!! Their pizza is AMAZING!! The head pizza maker is from outside Venice, Italy, so that is just awesome to start. They make their own mozzarella daily and you can watch the guy make it. They have inventive flavors such as pesto pizza, which is mostly green, a salumi pizza which was delicious, and I normally do not like salumi!! They had chargrilled pizzas but my favorite was the margherita pizza. The sauce was so good and I am picky about pizza sauce. The basil was so fresh. I actually closed my eyes to savor the flavor. No cruise line beats their pizza. Not even close. Entertainment was very good. We saw Cosmos by Cirque du Soleil. Extremely talented performers as usual and very reasonably priced at $18 each paid before we left. This included a drink so you can't go wrong. I created my own chocolate bar at Jean Phillippe chocolate store. It was fun because you choose your toppings and create your own masterpiece. I have not eaten it yet but it looks delicious. Lots of ingredients to choose from. Oh yeah, I forgot. One other thing I wasn't thrilled with was the pushy photographers. Not all, but one in particular bugged me every day to take pictures. Even the last night of the cruise where I could not have even purchased any if I wanted because they print the next day. He basically implied I would be doing him a favor because they have quotas. Not even for sales just for many people they photograph. Oh boy. All in all, I would say if you like Royal Caribbean, this line is very similar. Just with much better pizza!! read more

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I truly enjoyed my time spent on the MSC Grandiosa. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never sailed with them previously. The ship is absolutely beautiful. It is brand new and that makes a world of difference on cruise ships. The balcony was pretty large and the cabin size was equal to other cruise lines I have sailed with. They had a digital assistant called Zoe. I could have done without this. It is similar to Amazon Alexa. I have an Alexa at home and like it but find that that she can not always answer my questions. Well, Zoe is much worse. This device did not work when we were in port. It also could hardly answer any questions. In fact, the only question that I play answered every time was what time it was. The device is supposed to help you find your way on the ship or answer questions. I think they should do away with this because it is more annoying than anything. The food on board was pretty good. I really enjoyed the buffet. The pizza was really delicious. They make the mozzarella on board. The food in the main dining room was hit and miss. I had to send my dinner back a couple times because it was just not good. Entertainment on board was just fine. It is lively and upbeat but I prefer Royal Caribbean entertainment to this Cruise Line. We did see a Cirque Soleil show for a slight upcharge. That was really fun. The crew and staff were obsessive with keeping this ship clean. They even have eight or ten sink near the buffet so everyone can wash their hands. I felt confident on this ship in terms of my health and safety. The photographers were amazing. I was able to buy several pictures that I really liked. On other Cruise Lines I rarely buy a photo. The photographers really took the time and effort to get each pose right. I thought they should have provided more insight into the different ports we would be visiting. On all the other Cruise Lines I've been on, they give a discussion the day before you go to the port. This Cruise Line did not. I missed that. Every announcement they made was in about seven different languages. This really annoyed a lot of the passengers but why should the announcement only ban English? That would not be fair to people who speak other languages. It was really impressive how our cruise director did all of these announcements. Imagine knowing 7 different languages? He did it without a hitch. We got to see some amazing ports in the Mediterranean and it was a wonderful cruise overall. I would definitely sail with MSC in the future. read more

Where do I begin??? First let's start by saying if you have taken an American cruise but never a European cruise....this line will disappoint you. The cruise stopped at amazing ports and offered amazing excursions which provided once in a lifetime experiences and were well worth the cost. While we definitely enjoyed our trip (how could you it's Italy and France) we will never book on this line again. See below for our reasons: We chose the MSC Mereviglia, a new ship only 6 months old but clearly with some kinks to work out! The ship is breathtakingly beautiful and clean but with the ability to room 5,000 vacationers it's design lacks key features. 1- Not Enough Space! The main lobby and entertainment area which houses the ships central bars had no where near the seating it needed. Vacationers have to stand around waiting for tables to open just to sit and get a drink. You had the option to stand at an already crowded bar to order but plan to wait at least 10 minutes to be waited on and add another 10-20 minutes to get your order. One whole level was dedicated to champagne only drink items- this left many open seats and poorly used space-if they offered the full drink menu this would definitely help but still would not be enough! The indoor pool area can not support a day at sea! So plan accordingly for cooler weather trips! Forget using the hot tubs, if your lucky they will hold 40 ppl total. For a ship of 5,000 ppl.... you can do the math! 2- Poor Bar Service! While all wait staff were pleasant, smiling, and nice.... do not expect to get a drink in an acceptable time. They will see you, maybe even acknowledge you, but there is no urgency or readiness to serve quickly or efficiently. For the indoor pool bar and tables, don't even bother, you will only become frustrated! The restaurant service is much different, you will be greeted quickly, served quickly, and even get your food quickly (but probably too quickly!) See number 3 for more! 3- Food and drinks! Let's see- most people plan cruises and rave about the food. You will only rave about the specialty food restaurants on this line!! Maybe that's the point.... it forces you to spend more! Butchers cut and the sushi restaurant are amazing! By the way the brunch at Butchers cut is well worth the price and is amazing!! However your anytime eating restaurants = wasted calories with tasteless selections! And I mean tasteless! The food comes out very quickly added to its tastelessness leads me to bet it's frozen food! Do not order a mixed drink unless it's on the menu!!! Dirty martini-don't do it (unless you expect vodka in a glass with lemon) Mojitos- they are premade (glasses of sugar, and mint sitting in a glass waiting for be mixed). The best drinks= Bellini, baileys Irish coffee, and beer. Regular coffee- DO NOT DO IT!! It's instant coffee, just add milk and the murky gray looks like some science experiment! Room service- it's hit or miss- that's if they ever answer! However if your calling in the evening your best option is pizza! 4-The Circ du soleil Show was cancelled the entire trip. Each night we rescheduled for a different night only to show up, stand in line and reschedule. If you made dinner reservations for after the show proceed to issue number 2 and you will see where frustration begins to escalate! 5- The buffet- if you like pizza and being shuffled around like cattle dive in. But prepare to fight your way to food, aggressive cruisers, and limited seating. Pray your room is not the level under the buffet- which is where the Aurea Spa level resides you will love the endless noise and echoing into your staterooms. The best part of the cruise was the Spa area, most Spa staff were efficient, welcoming, and knowledgeable. However I must note, my husband and I went for a 1-hour massage, my therapist excused herself in the middle to use the restroom however my massage ended prior to my husbands. During his massage his therapist actually fell asleep and had to be woken, this was after she drooled on his leg. The salt water spa's and sauna, although small for the amount of people it needs to serve, were the best part of the cruise. Overall we enjoyed our vacation because of the beautiful places we had the opportunity to see and visit however MSC is not a cruise line we will recommend or book in the future. read more

If you are looking for relaxing vacations Do Not take this cruise. To much noise. Too much work for leaving every port and visiting. We took the mediterranean cruise on the Prezioza boat and it was honestly super noisy. Most of the staff were friendly but not everybody. Some people had attitude at the moment of dealing with customers especially in the Arabesque restaurant. Do not think that when you get into every port you can just walk and visit the city. Incorrect!. Most of the ports leave you within a distance you need to take a tour hosted by the cruise to get to the downtown area. When announcement are made is so obnoxious!!. The speakers are so loud and as they have to speak in 5 different languages are long. The worst part of the announcements is its high volume. Can you imagine taking a nap in your room and being awoken by these speakers. Are we paying for being under custody? Something else I was forgetting, Smoking inside is allowed here in designated areas ...so 1990's read more

MSC Cruceros - Gross!!! This is the surprise I got when I opened my "clean" silverware at the Maya restaurant. - Barcelona, B

The food is bad, the customer service is worse. The only saving grace for this ship is it's interior design and decoration (five stars). Otherwise I would give this one star. read more

Worst ship ever, please do not take if you want to have a nice and relaxing trip. I have been on so many cruises and this has been the worst by far. The ship showed up 8 hours late and didn't email or tell anyone so we all had to wait around for it to show up. The room was tiny and had a view of a dirty lifeboat. The food was alright and the service was by far the worst I've ever gotten on a ship. AVOID THIS CRUISE AT ALL COSTS!! read more

I don't know were to begin...First of all, we cruised with a group of about 180 on the Bellissima-MSC ship out of Barcelona. The ship is massive and beautiful as we approached. I must say that it was the quickest and smoothest check-in than Iv'e experienced on any cruise line. Once we were aboard there were signs that things were not going to go well. We had a package that was changed by he cruise line so our first day and throughout out cruise, we constantly experienced problems with "what we were allowed" to drink in our plan. We got a different answer each time we asked for clarity. This made it very difficult at each meal time. Our room was clean and we did get room services...even when we indicated that they skip our room. This was annoying...especially when we had the light on over our cabin door indicating do not come in...someone entered our room. The overall attitude of the crew was poor. We found them to be rude, condescending and not willing to help. We experienced this from the pool staff, wait staff, at the bars and generally from most of the staff we came into contact with. There were a lot of food choices, but by far the best item n the menu was the pizza. The buffet and outside grill closed around 6...ice cream you have to wait in line to get and have it in your plan and it also closes around the same time. Each port on the cruise was great and the excursions were well organized. I've read other cruisers who traveled on MSC with some of the same issues so I'm not going to belabor this review. Please read all the other reviews as well. read more