Is an MSC Cruise Really The “BASIC ECONOMY” Experience at Sea (Unless in Yacht Club)?

Let me start out with the fact that I am so happy that in my well over a decade of blogging at BoardingArea.com, I have never ever taken one “comped” or company-sponsored trip in the air, at a hotel, or with a cruise line – nor will I ever. Personally, I feel that any review of an experience, when you did not pay for anything for it, is going to be biased. Heck, I have even been threatened with being tossed in jail for one of my reviews posted on EyeoftheFlyer.com.

A “BA” blogger, Kyle Stewart, a travel agent, recently took an MSC Yacht Club cruise paid for by MSC. He gushed on and no about how well he was treated in the Yacht Club. If you are not familiar with this concept, it is similar to what other cruise lines do that have the “ship within a ship”, that is, one level of service and food and so on in a private area for suite guests and then the rest of the guests outside “the club” get what the ship offers to everyone. In his review he stated:

“Another Boarding Area blogger had posted a poor experience in MSC choosing not to opt for Yacht Club or extras. The complaints aligned with a passenger that might fly Basic Economy on American Airlines but then attribute that to the entire experience of American when, in fact, business class is a completely different experience. Perhaps in a standard cabin, issues of drink packages, and dinner times are inconvenient. But if you’re a business class customer, you shouldn’t fly in Basic Economy – it’s a mismatch.” – Kyle Stewart, Liveandletsfly.com (bold mine)

Mr. Stewart did not link to my post or even mention me personally by name. However, his comments clearly indicate that he was referring to my dismissal and horrid cruise with MSC, an experience I will never subject myself to again—yes, it was that bad. I do know MSC has a history with those who dare to blog or vLog negative things about them. For example these famous vLoggers, who btw paid for Yacht Club, left their Yacht Club cruise early due to questions about some of their previous MSC reviews! But I wanted to focus in on Mr. Stewart’s comparison of not booking in Yacht Club to “Basic Economy” travel.

BE or Basic Economy with airlines is the dirt-cheapest ticket you can buy and still fly. Depending on the airline, even though you are on the same plane as everyone else, you may not get free bags (checked or even carry-on) or an assigned seat. You probably won’t earn elite credit points or redeemable miles. You are paying cheap, so expect cheap! It’s basically a bus fare. You get the idea.

When it comes to cruising, I have found that no matter what the cruise line (other than MSC), everyone onboard gets a fantastic experience. From the food to the shows to the pools and dances, everyone is having a blast and building memories of a lifetime. The cabin you are staying in really matters little once you are onboard, as for many, this is just a place to sleep as the ship (and destinations), with all they have to offer, is the point of the cruise vacation.

Thus you are not branded with some scarlet letter once you board and if you are not in a suite and you should not expect to be treated like a “steerage class” passenger onboard. That is, you don’t expect your cabin to be smoke-filled (like mine was on MSC) or the food to be sub gross (again like on MSC) or the wine to be un-drinkable (like in only one bar on MSC) and so on. Sure, if you are in a suite, you are likely to get more perks like priority boarding and more. But you can pay for this perk with some cruise lines or get it with status (not that it matters much if with MSC) as well as reserved seats at shows and better customer service. Most times, suite guests have access to a private desk or the concierge onboard but these are perks most normal people pay for.

I have been on a lot of cruises in my life (a bulk of them with NCL), but no matter what cabin I have been booked in, my experience has been very good. The food has been memorable and the entertainment, if not memorable, at least entertaining. The service has been good, if not great, and I have been treated as a valued guest.

Now is MSC really the BE of cruising? Based on my experience, I would have to agree and say yes as, even though just based on one horrid cruise, the MSC experience is a cheap one vs. a quality one with just about any other cruise line. Reading Reddit or other cruise sites reflects the same: don’t expect much with MSC unless you are in Yacht Club (and maybe not even then per some of the comments from readers on this blog).

What do you think? Do you feel if you are not in a cruise ship suite it is the same as flying BASIC ECONOMY with an airline? – Rene