MSC
And finally, we come to the Marmite of cruising: MSC.
Some people absolutely love MSC. Others, like me, wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. In fact, there is a phrase that seems to crop up regularly among its detractors: MSC – Must Steer Clear. Make of that what you will!
On paper, MSC can look extremely attractive. The headline prices are often remarkably low, but there is a catch. Like a low-cost airline, that advertised fare is essentially the basic ticket and quite a few things that you might expect to be included with other cruise lines can cost extra. Drinks packages, Wi-Fi and speciality restaurants are examples, and the exact inclusions vary according to the fare and itinerary.
For example we dined in a speciality steak restaurant and the food was sublime. However with most other cruise lines you pay a small supplement for the speciality restaurants usually about £25 a head, on the basis you have already paid for your main meal. Whereas MSC charged us around £45 a head. Yes the food was good but overpriced. So that wonderfully cheap cruise can become rather less wonderfully cheap once you've added the extras you actually want.
I've actually sailed with MSC twice, so my opinion isn't based on simply looking at the brochure and deciding I don't like the look of it.
The first was MSC Orchestra, and I'm afraid I didn't enjoy it. But I took the view that perhaps I'd been unlucky. MSC couldn't really be that bad, surely? So I decided to give them another chance.
The second opportunity was rather more special: the maiden voyage of MSC Bellissima, one of their brand-new super-ships.Unfortunately, rather than changing my opinion, it reinforced it.
One particular memory has stayed with me. Crossing the Bay of Biscay in a brand-new ship, I discovered that all those impressive modern facilities don't count for much when the ship is rolling around like a fairground ride. Our bed actually shifted about three feet across the cabin. Whether the technical reason was the ship's stabiliser arrangement or simply the conditions is almost beside the point from a passenger's perspective: it certainly wasn't the smooth maiden voyage I had been hoping for.
And then there is the fellow passengers.
MSC is an Italian company and naturally attracts a large Italian clientele, although it also has a very international passenger mix. I know it is dangerous to generalise about any nationality, and I certainly wouldn't suggest that every Italian passenger behaves this way, but I found the attitude towards queues and personal space on my cruises particularly frustrating.
The buffet could become a complete scrum. Forget forming an orderly queue and waiting your turn; it sometimes seemed to be a case of seeing what you wanted and getting there before somebody else did.
On one occasion, my wife was reaching for the last item of something on the buffet when another passenger simply barged her out of the way and took it himself.
Let's just say that we nearly came to blows.
That's probably the closest I've ever come to starting an international incident over a buffet.
The ships themselves are undoubtedly impressive. MSC has invested heavily in enormous, modern vessels packed with facilities, and if you like big ships there is plenty to admire. The problem for me is that a ship can be magnificent to look at and still not provide an enjoyable experience once you've got several thousand passengers competing for the same space.And that's really my problem with MSC. It isn't that everything is terrible. Far from it. There are attractive ships, plenty of facilities and some very competitive fares. The company clearly appeals to a huge number of people, and those passengers are obviously finding something they enjoy.
It's simply that I don't happen to be one of them.
I gave MSC two chances, including a brand-new flagship on its maiden voyage, and came away with exactly the same conclusion both times.
Some people love MSC. Some people hate MSC.
I'm firmly in the second camp.
MSC? Must Steer Clear.
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