MSC Cruises UK & Ireland Reviews

Ship overcrowded, kids running amok, not enough sunbeds, sunbeds clearly reserved and nothing done about it. Bars understaffed...long waits to be served. Encountered vaping in areas where forbidden. Reception enable to resolve issues.

First class from start to finish. Will return.

Beautiful ship, very clean, friendly and very helpful staff, fantastic entertainment programme.

Staff, food and facilities were excellent. Always something to do and a good range of bars

Turn the heating up in the halls.Inform people about the amount of children who are likely to be on board.

Never read reviews so I take my trips with what happens when I am on them ,and was one of the best ones

Stunning ship, super friendly staff

A great cruise taking us to our favourite places, Spanish towns along the southern coast where we saw, Spanish culture, art and gastronomy. Loved it. The ship is very large but negotiable and we loved our balcony cabin. Food very good although pretty noisy in both buffet and dining room. Lots of different entertainment although we missed having a quiet space to meet and talk with other cruisers.

Go and enjoy

Really great MSC Mediterranean cruise

Itinery was excellent Food was great Price was good Kept away from pool areas to avoid crowds Getting off at southampton was a downer

This was our first time travelling with MSC cruises and we did not know what to expect and could only go on our previous experiences with other companies. We travelled on the MSC Splendida which was a beautiful ship. The decor in the ship looks classic, a little tired in areas but she’s a relatively older ship so that’s kind of expected. Cleanliness was great, no areas really stood out to be dirty. Our cabin was a decent size with plenty of cupboard and drawer space. We were a family of four and we all managed to get our things away without any trouble. If there was only two in a cabin you would have plenty of space! The bathroom was clean and tidy with shelves and under the sink cupboards so again all our things were put away. The balcony is what let the room down, it was looking pretty tired and in need of a really good scrub - it wasn’t dirty as such but looked like it needed a good scrub to bring it back up to looking good. The furniture was standard balcony furniture. The other downside to the balcony was we had other guests who would sit out and smoke and the smell of smoke wafting was not pleasant. I understand that smoking is not permitted on the balcony but there were definitely several people who did. The lifts and staircases were all well maintained and clean. All communal areas were clean and well maintained, the furnishings just look a little dated but I think this adds to the experience of the ship that she’s not an ultra modern P&O Arvia ship, she is a classic ship with softer furnishings. The staff on board were all very friendly, helpful and always smiling and approachable. The pool on deck 14 was always busy and looked clean. The water quality looked very good and wasn’t cloudy. Sunbeds - now we didn’t want to sit out and sunbathe but if you did… good luck finding a free one. There was loads of sunbeds with towels left on them and no sign of anyone using them. I think this is a problem that every cruise ship has and until they work out how to stop people from behaving so selfishly it will always be a problem. The food in the buffet was plentiful, huge choice if you are not a picky eater. If you are then you will find it a little limiting of plainer foods. The restaurants are again filled with super friendly staff. We had the early sitting and had a table of four just for us and we sat at the same table each evening and was served by the same fantastic waiters each night. They would happily switch items so you could have a meal that you wanted. The restaurants for breakfast you will get put on other tables and have to share which we didn’t mind, we met some lovely people and shared some great conversations. We also met a family who would not make eye contact and made it very clear to the restaurant staff once we had been seated that they did not want to share with us which made everyone feel very uncomfortable. It was a shame that this one family pulled down the whole vibe just for being selfish. Sadly there are always people like that. Thankfully there were in the minority on this cruise. Excursions were excellent with incredibly knowledgeable guides. They did seem a little pricey compared to other companies but I have to say the quality was high. On the whole we loved the cruise, I would highly recommend MSC, and I would also say to anyone who has travelled with other companies to go in with an open mind and not compare too much detail as each cruise is its own unique experience. You can travel on the same cruise twice and each time have a different experience so I would recommend to anyone judge for yourself and choose a cruise itinerary that works for you.

The wonderful staff

Second MSC cruise but first time in the Yacht Club. A superb experiance all round..

We had a good family holiday

Chris Caress and the entertainment team were all superb. All staff were outstanding, efficient and friendly.

A great cruise intinary. All the staff were great. Cabin spotless. Food was great. Pools were busy as expected.

Great ship, met lots of interesting people from all walks off life. Visited Islands where views and waters are picture perfect. Wonderful experience with loads off great memories with family and grandchildren

I found MSC to be unaccommodating and somewhat offhand with my queries both on my diabetes and in general about the ship or excursions. My main issue is that l am a type 1 diabetic with chronic issues. I was told that there was both Sprite and Coke zero available prior to and once boarded. I walked between seven bars asking for Sprite zero to be told they didn't have it but try elsewhere. No member of staff could tell me which bar had it. Walking in the heat is hard for me due to my neuropathy. I went to guest services to be told again go to different bars with no specific bar provided. I explained that l do not like coke zero at all and asked if l could bring on something l could drink. I was told no. I went back to guest services a second time to enquire which specific bars had sprite zero. The girl called the bar manager for me, who informed them coke zero was the only option on the cruise. I found this highly disappointing and very inconsiderate. Especially as l was told l could not purchase at port and bring onboard a drink l would enjoy. That left me due to my illness the choice of drinking coke zero which l do not like or warm water, as most of the time ice was unavailable at the water points. For this reason alone l would tell all l know to avoid booking with MSC Cruises. I would also like to say that when approaching staff for information or directions, l was lucky if l got a grunt and/or flick of the hand in a direction with no explanation or information

Loved our cruise. Entertainment was fantastic. The ports brilliant. Especially the dolphins at blue lagoon. The food was great. Loved everything. No hassle for sunbeds on meraviglia unlike another ship last year. We didn't want to get off. Thanks to everyone for making it such a great holiday and to Elbin for keeping our cabin so clean. Chris you are doing a great job as the director, second cruise with you as director. We loved every minute.