MSC Cruises Reviews 

We booked five balcony cabins and expected a relaxing holiday, but what we experienced was complete operational failure from start to finish.

First, the embarkation port was suddenly changed from Marseille to Nice without any convincing explanation. The “weather conditions” justification is highly questionable, especially since other cruise lines were able to dock in Marseille on the same day without issues.

As a direct result, we lost our original travel tickets and incurred over €660 in additional costs. Despite this, the company refused any responsibility or compensation.

The situation at the port of Nice was completely unacceptable. Hundreds of passengers, including many families with children, were left waiting for over 10 hours without proper food, seating, or basic organization. This was not just poor service – it was a clear lack of basic customer care and planning.

The problems continued onboard. One of our pre-booked cabins was changed without any prior notice, forcing us to wander through the ship with our luggage after an already exhausting check-in process. On top of that, the sanitary conditions were poor, including blocked sinks and toilets that were not functioning properly at times.

What is most disappointing, however, is the way the company handled the situation afterwards: no meaningful apology and complete refusal of compensation.

This experience showed a total lack of responsibility and respect towards customers. I will not be sailing with MSC Cruises again and strongly advise others to think twice before booking.

It was the most appalling experience. It should have been called MSC ammonia instead of Armonia because it desperately needed disinfecting of sewerage.
We left MSC Armonia on Sunday 5/4/2026. Explained we had a family function in our honor. They would not let us off the boat. We were 2 hours late arriving 2 pm in Padova. 24 people waiting for lunch. Then 2 hours in 2 of us projectile vomiting, diahorea everywhere. We all had headache and dysentery.
From the first minutes of the cruise in Rome were they tried to force an immobile 82 and 81 year old up stairs in horrendous wind. Finally they let 2 go in and then we nearly lost 7 year old through railing in the winds. Luckily a staff member ran up to help as I couldn’t move with her.
I reported it immediately and said that was life threatening and they are were so rude. I have cruised in every continent and never seen such lack of safety.
As you know winds were so bad to stop us sailing out of Civittavecchia and having to miss Malta.

The only good things about our cruise was our Indian room attendant, and Indian night waiter, the night shows, fresh pizza and finally being off the boat.

Even though I had bought thermal passes the stench of sewerage made it impossible to use. I reported this to staff and they said they would go spray. All the spray in China wasn’t going to fix the smell of sewerage on level 4, 5, 7, and 11. I rang reception and said we couldn’t use passes. They said they would get backbones. 3 days later nothing so I rang again. They offered a massage instead problem being same smell.

I have been in the service industry my whole life and my belief is the staff were too tired and lacking English made them rude especially the Brazilian staff. One morning we asked 6 times for coffee at breakfast over 40 minute period and even though they were just walking in circles they would ignore us and tell us to wait with such resting batch faces.
The worst thing is the my granddaughter and I have missed days of our holiday because we were so ill we were bid ridden with a bucket. The same stench coming from our bodies as the boat. Then so weak I couldn’t even drive or see my family again as they were scared to get what we had.

Very disappointing experience with MSC Cruises.

We traveled as a large family group of 54 people and have cruised over 11 times before, so we know what to expect. Unfortunately, MSC has been the worst experience by far.

They owe us $465 in incorrect charges and still have not refunded it despite multiple calls and emails. The response is always the same: “we are working on it,” with no action.

They also damaged our luggage and replaced it with a cheap duffle bag instead of properly compensating us.

On top of that, gratuities for four people were removed but never refunded.

At this point, it feels like we are being ignored. Extremely poor customer service and follow-up.

I would not cruise with MSC again.

I have high respect for the MSC brand and was very excited to book my first cruise for my birthday. However, I am now in a very difficult position through no fault of my own.
My booking 71635613 on MSC World Europa was cancelled by the company. I am trying to rebook for the Nov 5th departure (Barcelona), but I am facing a wall of silence. Your support emails bounce back, and my travel agent is trying to double the price instead of offering original fare protection.
I am not looking for a free upgrade. I am ready to pay a fair surcharge for the extra days based on my original rate. I just want to realize my dream and celebrate my birthday on your beautiful ship.
Please, Guest Relations, contact me directly to resolve this manually. Thank you
UPDATE / CORRECTION: My original booking (cancelled by MSC) is 70611636. My agent has now created a new booking 71635613 for the Nov 5th departure, but is demanding double the price. I am asking MSC Guest Relations to link these two bookings and apply Price Protection from the original one to the new one manually.

I am a repeat MSC cruiser, and while the MSC World Europa is undeniably a beautiful, innovative piece of hardware compared to the older fleet, hardware alone cannot save a vacation. This was, without a doubt, my most disappointing experience at sea.

1. Poor Ship Layout and Atmosphere
Despite the new design, the layout is fundamentally flawed. The venues feel disconnected and closed off, making it nearly impossible to "stumble upon" activities. If you aren't standing inside a venue, you have no idea what’s happening.

Wasted Space: Floors 6, 7, and 8 have duplicated functions that feel poorly utilized.

Lack of Vibe: The dining rooms are fractured and separated, completely killing the "grand" cruise atmosphere. There is honestly no incentive to eat in the main dining room when the vibe is so flat.

2. Service Failures (Despite Friendly Staff)
While the individual staff members were generally nice, the quality of service was unacceptable.

Maintenance Issues: I dealt with a foul drainage smell in my cabin bathroom for 3-4 days. While I appreciate the staff’s repeated attempts to fix it, living with that odor for half the trip is not a 5-star experience.

Dining Room Chaos: The restaurant service was disorganized and reactive rather than proactive. Long waits and a general lack of coordination made every meal feel like a chore.

3. Non-Existent Communication & Lost Property
The most frustrating part—and the reason I will never book again—is the appalling communication. I left my phone in my cabin upon check-out. I realized it immediately after disembarking and saw it was still at the port via Google "Find My Device."

I tried every possible channel (phone, email) and nothing worked. Even after my travel agent contacted MSC, they claimed they "couldn't find it," despite my GPS showing exactly where it was. The lack of a recovery process or a helpful human to speak to regarding lost property is disgraceful.

Summary: If you want a pretty ship to look at, go for it. If you want a well-run vacation with reliable customer service and clear communication, look elsewhere. MSC has a lot of work to

The overall experience is OK. The staff is smiling and welcoming. The food variety was good but quality is below average (EU standards). Room standard is good. Here what made the experience below satisfactory:
- On the first day we receive a notice not to open the curtains for our room balcony, because they will be cleaning. Why couldn't this be done before we embark!? I chose and paid extra for a balcony to be able to enjoy the view from my private space.
- Transfer was arranged very early on the disembarkation day. We were transfered to the airport 7 hours before the scheduled flight!! Although, the transfer and the flight were booked through MSC! I tried to change the transfer 1 day in advance, and got the confirmation from the reception that the transfer is postponed, even changed the bag tags. Then to my surprise on the disembarkation day, I go to the reception to ask them about something else, and they were like "Oh! Great that you are here, we were trying to reach you to inform that the transfer could not be changed, and you will have to leave with the early transfer in 30 mins!!". Lame excuses were given by the front office manager.

So that destroyed the experience completely! Having to wait in the airport for 7 hours was not the best way to finish our vacation. Poor organization from MSC! I booked everything with them although that I know that it costs more just to skip planning.

Unfortunately, how the situation was handled in the reception made it even worse! I have more than 10 years of experience in the tourism industry, so I know that things would have been handled in a different way to make sure that guests have received the experience they paid for.

Booking number for reference: 70808128

They nickle and dime every single transaction, and do not have a good client base so you will need to spend more money than you expect just to get the experience that you expect. I personally bought multiple packages with them that did not seem to show up on my account, did not work as expected and forced me to buy a second package just to force me to spend more money, and every crew member I talked to was incrediblely unhelpful and unable to answer any questions I asked them. Overall I have nothing good to say about the greedy and overall incompetent crew staffing the MCS Divina, nor about the awful people they allow among their clientele. I would recommend everyone book with a different company and stay as far away from MSC as you possibly can, a higher upfront cost is worth it to be around better people and have an enjoyable vacation.

As an update: I complained about how the chief of security and customer service treated me and in retaliation they spent multiple hours arguing and screaming at me before blaming for forcing them to screaming, while hiding behind process and procedures to avoid taking any responsibility for their own actions. At this point, I believe the crew of the MSC Divina is entirely corrupt and not at all trustworthy, I highly recommend everyone stay away from this ship in particular.

We recently had a very frustrating experience with MSC Cruises.

We were traveling with two 18-month-old children and specifically booked a cabin that was supposed to accommodate two cribs, as we clearly indicated we had two infants under two. Unfortunately, when we boarded, it quickly became obvious that the cabin simply could not safely fit two cribs. They stated we can have one crib. This raises obvious safety concerns. It took a long time for staff to even provide them, and in the meantime we were left in a cramped space with no safe place for the exploring toddlers. Anyone traveling with toddlers knows how dangerous that situation can be.

Even after raising concerns, queuing up multiple times at guest services our experience stressful rather than enjoyable.

To make matters worse, there was inconsistency and lack of communication regarding the drink package. On our first visit to Ocean Cay, drinks were included as expected. However, when we returned to the island later in the trip, we were suddenly told that drinks were no longer included due to a “rule change” that supposedly happened that same day. There was no prior notice or communication about this change, which felt very misleading.

Overall, this experience felt like a combination of poor planning, lack of transparency, and false advertising; particularly regarding cabins that are supposedly suitable for families with multiple infants. Safety should never be compromised, and clearer, more honest communication is essential.

I hope MSC Cruises takes this feedback seriously and improves both their family accommodations and communication with guests.

This was my first and will be my last cruise the bad out weigh the good. Setting foot on the cruise first thing i smell is sewage I almost gagged second people everywhere packed rude people kids running third in the buffet dining room was a mad house people running into you seen a man washing his hands in the water dispenser where you get your drinking water room wasn’t ready was still dirty shower couldn’t even turn around in it and I’m a plus size woman there was so much more wrong things I don’t even want to talk about it anymore I just want to forget this nightmare

I’ve had an extremely frustrating experience trying to manage my MSC cruise because the MSC website simply does not work reliably. I repeatedly get HTTP Error 400 just trying to log into my account. On the rare occasions I can access it, the site often fails to load my booking or show any of my purchased add‑ons under Plan My Cruise.

Purchasing add‑on packages is another major problem. Items purchased through MSC do not appear under “Already Purchased,” which means customers can accidentally buy the same package twice. MSC agents even told me this is possible and that I must manually track my own purchases to avoid duplicate charges.

When I try to cancel and re‑purchase items during a sale, the website blocks me with “Location Code is invalid (SHPREQ010).” The drink package disappears entirely after purchase, so neither I nor MSC can see whether a sale price is lower unless they cancel it first — which risks forcing me to re‑buy at a higher price. No other cruise line I’ve used operates this way.

Managing multiple cabins for my adult family members is also unnecessarily difficult because the system won’t link our bookings. I have to log into each reservation separately just to make payments or purchase add‑ons.

I escalated these issues to a manager, but the response was dismissive and unhelpful. After cruising with other lines like Royal Caribbean and experiencing smooth digital tools and responsive customer service, the contrast is huge. MSC needs significant improvements to its website, booking management system, and customer care.

I recently took the cruise from Marseille and back.It covered Spain and Italy.I must say that the experience was phenomenal and I would definitely repeat it.
A big shout out to the staff at Ibiscus reataurant(fine dining 19h),Mr.Ashvin,Mr.Stess and Mr.Gerrard Rolland who took great care of me and my family.
They were always asking me my preferences and Mr.Stess always took a note of my preferred wine.He knew exactly what I wanted and served it at the right temperature.
Mr Gerrard served the dishes well and made us feel very comfortable.
Mr.Ashvin is an excellent supervisor.He was approachable and always made sure things were served well.The menu of both the meals and wines were good and the presentation was excellent.
I would love to see them again in my future cruises,their hospitality was out of this world.
Apart from that the rooms were great and staff were friendly and helpful.
I would definitely recommend this magnificent experience to everyone of all age groups and for any occasion.
The excursions are well managed and very well organised.
Totally worth it!!

Too many problems to list, but let's start with having to wait for over twenty minutes for dinner seating at "my choice dining" only to be moved from the La Pergola dining room on the sixth floor to the Marco Polo dining room on the fifth floor. While we waited at the La Pergola, three parties were seated before us, including a party of nine. We were moved because the hostess told us the Marco Polo would be less crowded and more quite, with fewer children. We were seated next to two tables of eight. One with four young girls and one with four young boys. It was quite noisy. And then, with my wife in a wheel chair, we were seated next to the serving station when other tables were available. I moved the table after the fourth time one of the waiters bumped into her wheelchair. She didn't show up for the trip in a wheel chair. She ended up in the wheel chair because, while she was walking from the terminal building to the ship, she fell on what appeared to be a piece of irregular concrete at a joint just outside the movable barricades when making her final right turn toward the ship. Funny how the dock personnel immediately moved the movable gates after her fall, and even before ship's personnel helped her up. The gate ship's personnel were very considerate at the gate and getting her to our room in a wheel chair. Once we boarded MSC's bus taking us from the Venice cruise terminal to the Marghera Terminal, we were under their care. While they might blame the accident on port management, I believe MSC was ultimately responsible for her injury.
She will most likely be in a wheel chair for the remainder of the trip, thanks to one or more party's negligence. She cannot leave the cabin without my pushing her wheel chair.
My advice, if you are wheel chair bound, DO NOT book on the MSC Armonia. The ship is handicapped (wheelchair) UNFRIENDLY.
All doors have sloped and raised metal thresholds. They are uneven and not only handicapped unfriendly, but dangerous. I have to pull her backwards with a thrust endangering not only her, but me, to move her across the deck from one door to another. Also, no automatic buttons to open the doors, so, if no one is around to help, I have to use my back-side to open the doors after unlatching them and then pull her across their handicapped dangerous thresholds backwards. I complained to management about the situation on April 6, but have had no response. The response I got from one of the reception managers was: this is a very old ship that has not been modified for the handicapped (wheel-chair access). More was said. I am not going to name names.

My wife has severe bruising in her knees and left wrist, swollen and black and blue lip, including gum bleeding, plus a hairline fracture in her finger. Medical bill for 788.01 Euros from the medical department.

"DIAGNOSIS" (from the medical paperwork):
"S80.0 - Contusion of knee"
"S82 - Fracture of Patella"
"S62.3 - Fracture of other metacarpal bone"

No mention of the facial bruising and gum bleeding other than an RX for "CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE MOUTHWASH"

Oh, the staff at the medical facility: OUTSTANDING Job! Great doctor, Dr Cliff, great nurse, Jenesis. She was in very caring hands.

18 other issues of a more minor nature I would like to discuss. My reviews will be not only honest, but provable with photo backup. Believe it or not, the cut-out hole for what I assume would be a tissue dispenser in the bath room was covered up with an aluminum plate. We found no other tissues or tissue dispenser in the cabin. But there was adequate toilet paper for nose-blowing.

One of interest: we had to put down a 250 Euro deposit on the wheelchair. We tried to leave the ship with the wheelchair in Corfu, but were not allowed. I think 250 Euros would have paid for the wheelchair. We were originally told in the medical clinic that we could take the wheel chair off the ship due to her injuries.

I do not blame the MSC front line employees for these issues. Fort Lauderdale, are you listening?

Thank you.

Was really looking forward to MSC. Took a deal for a family trip. Always used Royal Caribbean or Virgin before. The beds and pillows are extremely uncomfortable. One side of the casino is smoking and one is not. WTH is that?? The food, even at the specialty restaurants where you have to pay more is so disappointing. They dollar you to death for everything. This will be my last MSC. Certainly will be sticking to Royal Caribbean going forward. They just seem to be more focused on customer experience more than these lower rated cruise lines.

My 80-year-old mother had her passport stolen on board. Despite the Brazilian Consulate offering a solution, the crew refused to act and gave only generic instructions. She, without money, language skills, or documents, is being forced to disembark in Messina. This is a shocking lack of care for a vulnerable passenger.

The workers went over and above to make us happy very helpful pleasant and easy to approach

The WORST cruise of my life!! Staff was wonderful but the boat was FILTHY

I recent cruise on MSC World America March 2026, departing from Miami.

My cabin was located at the front of the ship, so I regularly used the forward elevators.

On multiple occasions, after selecting my deck and entering the assigned elevator, other passengers—clearly Yacht Club guests—entered and removed my selected floor after the doors closed, overriding my destination and leaving me to nowhere.

The first time this happened, I was confused and felt trapped, as I had no idea why my selected floor disappeared after I were already locked inside the elevator.

There is no warning, no notice, and no way to prevent this situation.

MSC may offer enhanced benefits to Yacht Club members, but it is unacceptable to do so at the expense of other paying guests. This system is unfair, disrespectful, and humiliating—I did not pay to be overridden and locked in to showcase others’ privileges.

Even more concerning, this setup can easily create conflict between passengers. It could lead to arguments or fight.

Superb staff on the call centre always go the extra mile and Thank you Mercy for your help today so we can all.be in the same MDR the crew are fabulous on Virtuosa they all go the extra mile as well
The call centre staff are amazing never wait long for an answer fabulous

I recently sailed on the MSC Seashore, and unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment—especially for my first cruise experience. The food was terrible across the board, lacking both quality and variety. I expected much better given the reputation of cruise dining.

Service was another major issue. I never once saw my cabin attendant, and when I specifically called for her, I ended up waiting 45 minutes with no response. Many of the staff members I encountered seemed rude and uninterested, as if they didn’t want to be there at all.

The WiFi was horrible—slow, unreliable, and not worth the cost. On top of that, I had multiple unauthorized charges on my account and had to go to Guest Services three separate times to try to get them resolved. Even then, the billing for excursions was incorrect, and it was incredibly frustrating to deal with.

To make matters worse, several excursions were canceled due to “weather,” even though it was sunny and 83 degrees outside, which made no sense at all.

Parts of the ship also didn’t feel well-maintained. There were noticeable soft spots in the floors, which was both surprising and concerning.

Overall, this experience completely turned me off from cruising. I would not choose MSC again, and honestly, I don’t see myself booking another cruise in the future.

A lot of walking to and from the ship. The layout of the ship is confusing.