MSC Cruises complaint: Disappointment with MSC Cruise

MSC Seashore Cruise was a Disappointment!

Day One: On Saturday, September 24, 2022, I flew into Fort Lauderdale, Florida and made my way to the Port of Miami for a seven day cruise on the MSC Seashore. My assigned time to Embark was 11:30. The transportation was efficient and delivered me to the Port of Miami at about 10:30. Security and check-in went well at the Port. I was directed to a large room where I sat until about 12:15. I was given a card with a number 4, for boarding. Boarding was quite mismanaged! There were large crowds blocking the area to the boarding doors and the guy calling out the boarding numbers could not be heard since he was NOT on the public address system. I saw the man was holding up four fingers, so I fought my way through the crowd and was able to give the man my card. I went to the gangplank and boarded. After that nightmare, I thought I would relax with a quiet, sit down service lunch at the Central Park Restaurant but I was denied service. The Restaurant was open, but not to me. Apparently, you had to be on a, “back to back” cruise to enjoy lunch there. I was told to go to deck 16 for a buffet lunch. I found the Marketplace buffet was quite crowded. The cabins were not ready until about 14:15 or so. Most everyone waited on Deck 16. No wonder it was so crowded! As we were leaving The Port of Miami, a broadcast came over the loudspeakers advising the Itinerary I had purchased was not the actual Itinerary I would experience. None of the original locations would be visited due to a storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, except Ocean Cay. I understand the change from a safety standpoint, however MSC had to know in advance of the storm and could have notified passengers. They certainly had time to book alternative destinations. MSC saved a lot of fuel since the new locations were about half the nautical miles of the original itinerary route. More profits I suppose! I was a prisoner at this point. If I had been provided the itinerary change information, I would have simply cruised at a later date. In my case, the choice of the Itinerary was paramount since I wanted to purchase Vanilla Extract from Cozumel, as I have done for years. I was not happy!
As we set sail, I noticed water had soaked the carpet near the mini fridge. After a two hour period of unanswered calls to Guest Service, then false promises, plus the Customer Representative quizzing me on the cause of the problem.
I explained I wasn’t a refrigeration technician. I was finally able to move from Cabin 9203 to Cabin 15043. It was the same class of cabin I had paid for, but I didn’t have to walk on wet carpet. I checked the safe and found a brown wallet complete with cash. I gave the found wallet to the Room Steward. I went to dinner, and I asked to be seated at a table by myself after all the Cabin drama. I was placed at table 414. This table was within a foot from a family with a toddler in a highchair and another older toddler in a regular chair. Both children cried andor whined throughout the entire dinner. It was not pleasant! I also missed the Show since you needed to complete a Reservation. That process was not explained at all. I had never reserved a seat for the show in my previous years of Cruising. Also, I had to ask for wash cloths at both Cabins. Apparently, wash clothes don’t come with the towels anymore. Also, Kleenex is a thing of the past. Neither Cabin had any! Remember, this was just day ONE!
Day Two: Not much better. I went to breakfast. Upon return to my Cabin, I found someone had entered my locked Cabin and the couch was raised nearly to the ceiling. The pillows were thrown to the floor and a small piece of wire was on the desk. Photo available. I called 99 and was told they would send someone. I waited 30 minutes and no one came. I just left the Cabin in frustration. Later, I tried to eat Lunch at Seakers’ Food Court on Ocean Cay, but all of the lines were too long. They were all in the sand and off the concrete. Photo available. It was back to the ship for a buffet lunch on deck 16. Dinner time came and I had the same situation with the crying children. I was given a glass of ice water with a piece of lettuce floating on top of an ice cube. I had to ask for a replacement. At least I was able to attend the show.
Day Three: We docked in Nassau. At breakfast I wanted an omelet, that was a mistake. They had two omelet stations next to each other. The wait was between 15 and 30 minutes in a line. That line blocks other passengers’ access to the food displayed. Mostly toasted bread and bagels on this line. The other line blocked meat items and a sliced ham station. The lines were together at the back of the ship. Very poor management.
The Port Entrance at Nassau was under construction, so that was a mess. Once I was out of the Port area, I experienced dilapidated buildings that were falling down. Photo available. I couldn’t enter some businesses since I hadn’t brought a mask. I wasn’t aware masks were still required or I would have brought the one I packed for the trip. In short, Nassau was not at all fun and that is why I did NOT book it as an itinerary location! Dinner time came and I experienced the same crying toddlers. Believe me, I understand raising a family, but those days are behind me. Tomorrow I will change tables.
Day Four: Was a day at sea. I went to the Central Park Restaurant to change tables but found it was closed. I went to Reception and waited in the queue. After the wait, I was told to return to my Cabin and dial 99. That number is Guest Relations. I was told they would transfer me to the Restaurant to make the change. I returned to my cabin and dialed 99. I was told they could NOT help me. I explained that I had waited in line at Reception. Reception directed me to call. No matter. Thanks for nothing! Time came for dinner, so I stopped at the maître d’ table and asked to change tables. I was assigned a table on the direct opposite side of the crying children. I swear I am not making this up. I had explained the situation, but no matter. I returned to the maître d’ desk and explained again. This time they placed me at a table for four, but I was by myself. I hated to waste the three extra seats, but they wanted me at table 395 so I sat there. After dinner I took another shot at explaining the situation and tried again for a single table. My pleas fell on deaf ears. I was told to stay at table 395. I wish I was making this up! I went to the show and got a front row seat. I was early. A family of five that I had seen at previous shows came to the front row. They had a special needs boy around ten who also had mobility issues. He had an orange walker of sorts. The child sat next to me complete with a helmet. The poor child had difficulty getting seated in the seat and kicked my right leg several times while flailing his legs, in an attempt to get seated. The Mother was two seats away but did not help the child. I was afraid to help the poor kid since I didn’t know the extent of his disabilities. The poor child only sat in the seat for a moment, then he went to sit on Mom’s lap for the rest of the show. Dad and another son were a couple of rows back. At 20:15 in the Atrium we were to meet the Captain and Staff. I went to the location and found it was so crowded you couldn’t get close to seeing any of the Staff. Photo available.
Day Five: Today is Wednesday and We docked in Puerto Plata. This is in the Dominican Republic. I slept in a bit, but wanted a sit down type of breakfast in the Central Park Restaurant. I had trouble getting an elevator on Deck 15 to go to Deck 5 where the Restaurant is located. I suppose lots of folks were exiting the ship causing the elevators to be busy. I arrived at the Restaurant at 09:33. I was once again denied service! I was told the Restaurant closed at 09:30. I would have made it if it wasn’t for the elevator delay! It was back up to Deck 16 and a 15 minute wait in the omelet line. I was the 7th person in the line. I asked if there were any other omelet stations on the ship. I was advised there were only two. So, there are only two people making omelets andor fried eggs for 5,877 passengers. That is just crazy! Complete and total mismanagement. Later in the evening I visited the Hub since I wanted to buy a day of Internet for Friday, to make arrangements for my flight and other items. I was the only person at the counter, but the Clerk ignored me until I took his photo. Photo available. It was only then, he acknowledged me. I asked about the advertised $17.99 per day Internet Service but was quoted a price of $30 per day. Quite a rip off for a day of Internet. I chose to do without!
Day Six: Thursday. We were still in Puerto Plata since we had docked overnight. I made it to the Central Park Restaurant for a sit down service breakfast. I was seated and brought a menu. I asked for orange juice. The drink guy asked for my Cruise Card. Apparently, you must pay for orange juice these days on MSC. I promise that I was never charged for orange juice in the past. I opted for tap water. The Menu was printed on an 8 12 X 11 sheet of paper. The print was extremely small. Since I had never made it this far at a sit down service Restaurant for breakfast or lunch, I was not familiar with the offerings. Agus, the waiter stood staring at me with pen to paper expecting me to order without reading the Menu, so I did just that. I asked for an omelet and a bagel. This seemed to satisfy Agus, and he went away. The omelet was great! It wasn’t all burned like the ones you get on deck 16. The bagel was cold but I wasn’t going to bother Agus. He didn’t seem in the mood! At 17:30 I was invited to a Welcome Back Cocktail in the Le Cabaret Rouge on Deck seven. It was hard to find and the Captain was finishing his speech by the time I arrived. I am not much of a drinker, but the Fruit Juice was nice. Since the Welcome Back Cocktail Event conflicted with my 17:15 assigned dinner time I decided to go to the 19:00 Show. I planned dinner at the buffet on Deck 16. I was surprised they planned the Cocktail Event at a time that conflicted with assigned Dinner times. Before dinner, I ran out of toilet paper, so I found the extra roll under the sink. I assumed the reserve roll would be replaced by the Room Steward during turndown service that evening. I returned to the Cabin much later. I found the reserve roll of toilet paper had not been replaced. I confronted the Room Steward in the hall and asked for a roll of toilet paper. He pretended to not know what I wanted! I went to Deck 16 where I had observed several rolls of toilet paper in a public restroom and took one. I now had a reserve roll of toilet paper. It is such a shame that service standards have slipped to this point! I honestly don’t think a reserve roll of toilet paper is too much to ask for. Even if the Room Steward was out of toilet paper on his cart, he should have went to secure some or told me he would take care of it ASAP. Or even the next morning. Communications did not seem possible.
Day Seven: Today is Friday. A day at Sea. I had a twenty minute wait for an omelet today and I was only number seven in line. I was blocking folks who wanted toast, bagels, and butter. Such a poorly though out arrangement. I wanted change for a twenty dollar bill so I could tip my transportation folks. I went to Reception. The line was overflowing their ropes, with about twenty people in line. I decided to try the Casino. The line was about eighteen people long. I guess I will wait until the airport. It seems like anything you want to do on the Seashore translates into a long line! I went to the Excursion Desk to ask about the MSC transfer service to Fort Lauderdale. I waited in line. Imagine that! When it was my turn, I was told the transfer was not an Excursion. I would have to go wait in the line at Reception. That line was about 18 people deep. I went to my Cabin planning to call Guest Services at 99. The joke was on me! I called five separate times and was hung up on each time, after several minutes of listening to the recording of them wanting to help me. I will just use Uber. I promise all this is just the short list of disappointments. There were MANY more disappointing incidents, but these are the highlights. I won’t waste your time explaining all the disappointing incidents. If you are contemplating a cruise with MSC, I suggest you DON’T. They don’t deserve your business and if you decide to book, I can promise disappointment from day one. With this cruise I will have attained Gold status in the MSC Loyalty Program, but it won’t matter as I will avoid MSC in the future. I am an avid cruiser, usually booking two cruises a year pre-pandemic. I will look elsewhere to spend my vacation dollars!
Day Eight: Today is Saturday and time to Disembark the Seashore. I am glad to put this experience behind me. The ship was nice and well appointed. The food was great and plentiful. Most of my issues were about personnel and poor management along with poor communications skills. Deck 16 had wonderful hand washing stations at every entrance. The only problem was they rarely had any soap. The liquid soap was supposed to dispense in your hand when it detected motion. Most did not. I’m assuming they were simply out of soap. Just another personnel issue! If you decide to cruise the Seashore, be prepared to wait in line for everything! I made it off the ship after waiting in a very long line. I did the express walk off and took all my luggage with me. It was a slow process, but I got off the ship and all went well until a passenger going down the escalator with her unlawful bag of fruit on top of her luggage, lost her grip on her luggage and it all fell down the escalator, the luggage mowed down the people in front of her since she was only about half way down. The bag of fruit got caught in the bottom of the equipment and the escalator ground to a halt. Authorities had to call maintenance to remove all the shredded fruit from the teeth of the bottom pad of the escalator. I was now stuck waiting for the small elevator! Just another disappointment! The line was stopped, and people had long waits, since the elevator could only hold about four people and all their luggage per trip. Imagine that! Another line to wait in! Thankfully no one was seriously injured. I asked to use the stairs that were roped off. I was denied.
I suppose the most disappointing part was MSC completely ignored my complaints. They did NOTHING to right their wrongs although they have called me several times wanting me to book a new cruise. They are reservations people and claim to have nothing to do with operations.
I would respectfully request a replacement cruise free of charge so I can experience the itinerary I paid for.
Sincerely,
Randall (Randy) Staab
Indianapolis, Indiana