My complaint:
It seems ridiculous that an essential item (drinking water) should be subject to such exorbitant charges: onshore 1.5 or 2L bottles of water cost about 0.5E (Euros) or less and yet, on MSC cruises, a 750mL bottle of water costs 3E or more (around 1000% profit). Nor is drinking water provided FOC in the cabins.
Also, at some dinners, we met some couples who had paid for ”drinks packages” (as my wife and I are non-drinkers we didn’t need them): the husband would have a beer or a wine and the wife would ask for a glass of water…and what did she get? a 750mL bottle! so she would open it, pour a small glass of water and the rest would go to waste! I noted MSC often advertised that they were environmentally friendly and yet the above example of water wastage and empty plastic bottles being created unnecessarily seems VERY far from it.
So, although I found the staff good and the destinations good, I am afraid that I am unlikely to choose another MSC cruise for the above reason and I will be warning friends about this issue when they choose overseas cruises. In Australia, most cruise ships (PO, etc) provide water at meals and even provide a glass of water when they serve a coffee (I note that this was also a problem in Italian cafes: no glass of water with a coffee!).
Suggested solution:
By changing their approach to the provision ( charges) associated with drinking water supplied to guests.
