MSC cruise tips & tricks to know before your cruise!

Wondering what the best tips & tricks are to have the BEST MSC cruise? Check out our favorite cruise line "hacks" to make your cruise as smooth and exciting as possible.
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[@Megans358]

Bring a lanyard for you cruise card! You’ll be needing it constantly so having it around your neck is much easier. The ones onboard are like $15-$20 so it’s better to purchase before you go.

[@marciaburns8629]

Thank you so much . Im going on my first cruise in January and the tips you gave were awesome. The ship is sooooooooo!!!!! Beautiful i cant wait !!! It will be our 30th Anniversary thanks again for the tips.

[@gingercruiser]

I love their travel match program. I’m a Diamond member without sailing yet because I matched to my Hilton status! I sail for the first time with them Jan 6th

[@ninalimabarbosao9]

I'm a gold member how do I do that

[@AngelFlores-fb4qz]

What benefits did you get. I just did the match

[@popcorn6152]

My mummy and daddy book this cruise in august and I am excited, we going from Southampton to somewhere else and I am just so excited

[@LK-hy5jz]

Sailing for first time in November. Was recommended highly by my travel agent. Prior to this we are loyal customers of Royal Caribbean. But the travel agent was raving about MSC and encouraged me to try. Hoping to be happy as she is haha

[@larssandvik1347]

Good luck you’re gonna need it

[@steeviem1835]

How did you find their on-board account ways of registering ? I'm seeing 1st time MSC in May and it sounds like were gonna lose vacaybtime, in lines to register or get non spent money, back. I really don't like there way.

[@LK-hy5jz]

@@steeviem1835 it was very easy. You just register your credit card and if you buy something, it will be reflected on your card. They place a deposit of 200 dollars and if you go over it, then they will add more. We did not purchase anything extra and gratuity was deducted from that hold so we were at balance zero. You also have a full visibility to your account and spending so if you see something unusual, just go to the customer service. I hope it helps.

[@LK-hy5jz]

@@steeviem1835 overall it was a great experience on that ship. Very clean and service was great. Food more healthy and many options. They make mozzarella on that ship so it was fresh and delicious. Pizza was made in house too. Coffee was great. Lots of dessert options.

[@ms.tishadawn9799]

Thank you much needed information🙂

[@teresa978]

First time MSC cruiser this Christmas. Thank you so much for detailing what “hotel service charges” were, after my travel agent booked our cruise we were confused why gratuity was not listed on the confirmation.

[@briangriffith2394]

Thank you very much very helpful

[@GlobalAdventurer]

I like MSC because of the diversity of the passengers. It's nothing like a carnival cruise, like nothing😁

[@antoniobowden4849]

What do you mean by that? Carnival doesnt have more than one group of people?

[@GlobalAdventurer]

@@antoniobowden4849 Mostly all carnival cruises has drunks and party people and those people who go to Walmart. Don't want to be around any of them.

[@antoniobowden4849]

@@GlobalAdventurer understand. Hate that too. Only want a peaceful fun active shippers instead of the party goers. They need to go on virgin galic instead of the family oriented or single goers cruises.

[@Ambientmopar]

Looking to book MSC 2023 Caribbean sailings. To take Wife from Thailand to experience the clear waters of the Caribbean. We're sailing from Toyko to Settle WA on Holland America, before a stent in Las Vegas.

[@CruisingtheworldwithJackie]

Sailing MSC in Sept. Thanks

[@hildabroekman8392]

I love the enrichment activities like dancing, arts and crafts

[@BellezaymasByEmily]

This cruise line have Latin music to dance?

[@SarinaWheatman]

Hi, thanks for this information, all pretty useful. Does MSC Prezioza have the app to download to phones? I have tried a 'MSC for me' app which does not include Prezioza. Am sailing to Rio in October so plenty of time for research!

[@Jingok]

非常喜欢MSC、经常参加旅游！

[@donnaarnold9224]

While Cirque du Soleil is no longer in partnership with MSC, the Carousel Lounge on the Meraviglia features 2 shows that feature acrobats and dancing. Very much in the same spirit as Cirque.

[@Alhubers]

Ah that’s for letting us know!!

[@maxlattwesen]

As far as I know it doesn’t matter how high your status at another travel operator is because you always become a classic member instead of a welcome club member.

[@Dobber227]

There's a lot to love about MSC and I haven't even sailed with them yet. We sail in December. I'm gold status thanks to my Hilton Gold status before I've ever sailed with them. By far my highest status on any cruise line. My 6 kid will also get a status bump thanks to their RC status. The free balcony upgrade and kids sail free are awesome too. We will be in a balcony cabin for the first time ever because I'm usually too cheap to pay for balcony cabins for 6 kids and I. Our cruise fair was less than it would have been on the RC and Carnival cruises I was also looking at for December for interior staterooms. I'm not too picky so if this cruise is anywhere near as good as RC I'll definitely be sailing MSC a lot in the future. So far the only real drawback I see is Coco Cay does look nicer than Ocean Cay but oh well.

[@carolinecrockett4610]

We paid for premium drink package and just saw it does not include mini bar, what options do we have to have drinks in the room. We got a balcony room and imagine we will want to enjoy some drinks on the balcony...

[@s.n.e.8941]

Can you list the order of the ships in the video. The ships are so beautiful. I want to check out them all 😁

[@brianai7986]

How do you apply the age based discounts? The MSC website has the smallest description of the age based discount but no instructions on how to actually get the discount! I have even gone almost all the way through checkout and there was no discount applied.

[@kateroyal5879]

Does anyone know if the fun pass I includes limited or unlimited activities?

[@dutchman7216]

Is there an additional cost for the use of cellphones and texting?

[@esamelis]

Sailing MSC DIVINA now in December 2022, family cruise.

[@CruiseBlogGuide]

Have fun!

[@justSTUMBLEDupon]

What do the cabins look like? How do 4 people sleep comfortably?

[@angelacornell8660]

I am looking at a Opra cruse out of Rome on 14 November. Am I allowed to bring my embroidery 🪡 kit with scissors ✂️? Also please what type of plugs for my iPad? I am coming from Australia

[@AimeeFleck]

I was wondering about bringing my cross stitch too. I love sitting by the pool stitching and people watching.

[@jordanrichardson3565]

Are you not allowed to buy alcohol at the destination, and bring it on board?

[@brucepobanz]

I am booked on MSC Meraviglia for 30 days. I am 66 years of age. My TA and MSC both say there is no 5% discount for guests oner 65

[@scottjock]

Kids might sail free but unfortunately not during school holidays and the prices for adults are also highly inflated.

[@karmasutra4774]

I was on their site to try to book one to Saudi and Emirates.. but I am not understanding what the levels are and the layers of add ins. We have to pay extra to eat in the dining room and buffet and watch shows? Just not clear on that

[@jessicarubies2256]

Nooo. All main dining rooms and most shows are free and included in your fair. Speciality restaurants you have to pay for ahead of time to get a discount on them. Aurea level has a drink package and thermal spa access. Yacht club (which I suggest) has its own speciality restaurant, premium drink package and a personal butler. Also comes with thermal spa access.

[@antoniobowden4849]

@@jessicarubies2256 what’s the total for what you said if we going to the western Caribbean one

[@carlab9848]

The Aurea level does not come with the easy drink package, that is a separate cost

[@Alhubers]

Thanks for letting us know! That must have been outdated info

[@jcrackz86]

Are you able to purchase a bottle of alcohol pre boarding or when you board, in carnival cruises I buy a bottle of rum for the room for about $120, to avoid buying the drinking package since my partner doesn't really drink and I know you need to buy for each person in the room, does anyone know if msc let's you buy bottles for the room?

[@joecastro6523]

No, Msc does not allow bringing drinks on board, they must be purchased on board

[@beyondhorizons9758]

You can purchase wine, but not liquor, before the cruise - not sure if this is destination specific - I am taking my first MSC transatlantic (Italy to Brazil) - on their website I can purchase 'HOUSE-BRAND SPARKLING WINE' for $18, 'ONE BOTTLE OF WOODBRIDGE MERLOT or CHARDONNAY; SERVED IN CABIN' for $24 or 'ONE BOTTLE OF WINE (PINOT GRIGIO BASTIANICH OR CHIANTI PEPPOLI ANTINORI); SERVED IN CABIN' for $30

[@malthejensen5375]

hey. i cant find anything about 18-29 years old discount on msc's website. can you please link it?

[@cameronfeldhaus]

Same!

[@joecastro6523]

Not a discount for this age group specifically

[@zekilirato1035]

Hi , thank you , please I need to ask about food including , and you said some shows are not include cruise fair please i would like to go as first time with my family in march 2023 for seven days ,

[@rseymour1295]

I have sailed with MSC and all the shows were included in the fare price.

[@jurasparkjuraspark6639]

Some ships have specialty shows and they charge a small fee. All ships have free nightly shows as well as entertainment in the lounges. Specialty restaurants are extra fees but Buffet and Main Dining Room is included. We are doing a 10 nighter in December and for the All In Drinks & Wifi it's only $180 CAD more than booking just the cabin. That is the Easy Plus drink package and 2 devices for Wifi. Which is a very good deal.

[@steeviem1835]

I wish cruise bloggers would cover in more details on how on-board spending works with MSC. I cant find ANY decent information on KZbin about it. No-one explains it properly. It's confusing. Why don't they allow us to pre register our card for on-board spends online , like every other cruise line?! It sounds like you lose vacation time in lines...to register or get unspent money back, I hate the thought of this.

[@Dwellingstar]

I watched a few videos and there's one KZbinr who said his card was already registered when he did the online check in while another said it didn't work so this seem to be a 50/50 chance. Lol

[@raisafrancisco7323]

I will sail with MSC for the first time in September.

[@khayebee]

We will too 😊

[@khayebee]

We are here now

[@ronc.9248]

Can u bring wine

[@jeanasmith4024]

MSC does not upcharge single travelers. Makes it so much more affordable. I travel for the private island and take my snorkel mask to use at the beaches and in the lagoon. There are so many fish by the rocks.

[@mykianatreasures5320]

which island has the lagoon?

[@dcFaddy]

Ocean cay

[@tanyabrown4148]

Wish they had kids ride free now, I booked for July 2024

[@sleepingforest4048]

This does apply to all MSC ships yes?

[@Pantherjonvideos]

For the most, yes..

[@joecastro6523]

The discount breakdown is not correct there is not a specific discount for 18-29, or for over 65. They have tge voyager club discount 5-10% , military/civil servant 5-10%, Healthcare discount 5-10%, and depending on the promotion you choose for the kids sail free, if you get the all in drinks and wi-fi kids will pay but at a reduced rate, but this is a more cost-effective promotion to get

[@gatoreuph]

We just booked our first MSC cruise for this June, but our TA told us that the "Kids Sail Free" policy does not apply in June, and we were charged for the 5- and 6-year-olds. Who's right?

[@Dwellingstar]

I booked my 7 night bahamas cruise, sailing in June. 2 adults and 2 children for $3099 with free wifi and drinks. Honestly it's the best deal you'll find out there.

[@Dwellingstar]

@Barry Weaver we cruised with MSC back in 2019 and we loved it. Keep an open mind and remember that it's not apples to apples with other cruise lines. For the price this really is a great experience. I am hoping this trip will be just as fun as our previous.

[@lauricealfo705]

Mainly the 18-29 age discount

[@user-xu5js1nl7l]

It’s Mere-uh-vee-ya. Correct? Not Mere-uh-vig-lee-uh?

[@adrianbiegaa9773]

Those are not tips & tricks. Just basic infos...

[@jeffspartz5724]

"Cay" is pronounced "Key".

[@lauricealfo705]

No one at reservations knows anything about age based discounts

[@SueHagen1]

We are over 65 and our travel agent is really great about all discounts, so if there would have been a 10% discount, we would have got it.

[@Calventius]

No kids please!

[@larssandvik1347]

Extremely low quality passengers make up the average passenger on this cruise ship. Unless you just got out of prison, you’ll be disappointed.

[@jurasparkjuraspark6639]

Wow. Thanks. Can't say that I had the same impression. We did find a few North Americans to be questionable, but for the most part the people were delightful.

[@larssandvik1347]

@@jurasparkjuraspark6639 keep dreaming. And making excuses for your fellow Mediterraneo’s.

[@larssandvik1347]

@@jurasparkjuraspark6639 keep dreaming. And making excuses for your fellow Mediterraneo’s.

[@DonMacGillivray]

Jorge ! How are you Haven't seen you since those months in protective custody! I thought you would never make parole... Congrats. 😁