MSC Cruises UK  Reviews 

I was chasing a last minute cruise on 12 Sep on Virtuosa and sought advice on discounted price and possible Blue Light discount direct from MSC on 3 Sep. No contact made by MSC on 3rd or 4th Sep so dealt with Cruise King's and got a great deal. I hope the cruise service is better than the call centres?

Customer service pre travel or booking staff are not good and the way the company operate for solo travellers is scandalous!!! Nobody replies to emails, nobody returned a booking enquiry call and nobody replied when I even wrote to the global team pleading for help. Im disgusted by their actions or lack of it. Holding back cabins to try and maximise revenue and dishonestly telling customers none are available. Also, drip feeding the release of cabins to fool customers into thinking there are only a few left, and then trying to charge ONE person over £3k for a basic inside cabin, are just some of the tactics they use. Check out the video reviews on YouTube before committing to this basic cruise line, especially on the 'Virtuosa ' ship which holds over 6000 passengers but only has room on the sun deck for 600 with the usual towel saving reserving of beds being ignored, and long queues in the buffet restuarants, leaving passengers totally frustrated and annoyed instead of relaxed and stress free. NOT WORTH THE MONEY AT ALL.

I've always enjoyed MSC cruises and the onboard experience is fantastic. If you're looking for budget friendly cruising option, I can highly recommend their ships. Unfortunately, dealing with customer service regarding Open Booking Tickets has been the exact opposite.

After failing to apply my Open Tickets to a March 2027 cruise (I have 2, one was to go to my friend and her booking as it's meant to be transferable) and literally ignoring my question about a possible refund, I tried using one on a different sailing. Seascanner submitted the request to MSC on 27 July 2026. Response came today, 28 Aug 26! This was chased numerous times.

During that time, the booking was repeatedly auto-cancelled because I was advised not to pay a deposit via Seascanner, while waiting for the Open Ticket to be applied. MSC has now finally confirmed the booking, but the cabin category we originally selected has sold out. If we want to move to a higher-grade cabin, MSC will not honour the original price, meaning their delay could now cost us more money.

To be fair, MSC has agreed to honour the onboard credit promotion that was available when we booked. However, that doesn't make up for the stress, delays, poor communication and loss of the cabin we originally chose.

I love MSC's ships, but based on this experience I would strongly advise people to think twice before purchasing Open Tickets. The concept sounds great, but actually redeeming them has been a frustrating and lengthy process. I'm stuck with 2 tickets, no response to my complaint and no response to option of refund and I've been dealing with this for 4 months now. Planning holiday should be a joy, not another stressful chore.

Just got home from an MSC cruise on Meraviglia, and I’m genuinely disappointed — not what I expected after my first-ever cruise, especially given how many great things I’d heard about MSC.
The ship felt far too crowded, and the pool areas simply weren’t adequate for the number of guests onboard. The market-style dining area was chaotic — honestly like a cattle market at times — with little consideration for people trying to move around or enjoy their meal. On top of that, the food was very bland, which was a real surprise because I’d been told it was meant to be amazing.
Even though we bought a drinks package, we were still charged €1 for water, which felt petty and frustrating. The only real positives were the bar and restaurant staff, who were consistently friendly, and Bee the karaoke queen — a truly lovely person who stood out as a highlight of the trip.
Sadly, I won’t be sailing with MSC again. In my opinion, MSC really needs to up their game before their 2027 sailings from Southampton.

Always a great time
Can get Very crowded and unless you pay extra food Very repetitive and basic

I recently completed a 7-night Scandinavian & Baltic cruise with MSC together with my partner. I have to start by saying that the ship itself is beautiful, elegant, and clearly represents a significant investment. The décor, public spaces, and overall appearance are impressive and create a very positive first impression.
Unfortunately, beneath the impressive appearance lies a fundamental problem: organisation.
In fact, around ten years ago I cruised with MSC and was so disappointed by the lack of organisation that I avoided cruise holidays altogether for many years. My partner recently convinced me to give cruising another chance, and sadly I found that the very same issues still exist.
The buffet experience was one of the biggest frustrations. There appears to be little or no effort to manage passenger flow. Instead of clear queues and an organised system, people approach from every direction, cutting in front of each other and reaching over one another. At times it genuinely felt less like dining and more like competing for food. A simple queueing system with clear entry and exit points would make a huge difference.
What made this even more confusing was that additional buffet sections were often opened during lunchtime when many passengers were off the ship on excursions. Yet in the evenings, when almost everyone was back on board and demand was at its highest, sections were closed and only the minimum number of serving areas remained open, creating unnecessary congestion.
The same lack of organisation was evident around the lifts. It was common to wait 10 minutes or more, only to have people walk straight past those who had been waiting and jump in first. Simple barriers, queue lines, and signs encouraging passengers to queue properly would significantly improve the experience.
Customer service was also inconsistent. While many staff members were pleasant, our experience in the Tiger Bar Lounge was particularly disappointing. One staff member spoke to us in an unnecessarily aggressive manner and almost shouted at us regarding an area he claimed was closed, despite it being accessible and open. The interaction lacked even basic courtesy.
Another frustrating incident occurred when we attempted to purchase cigarettes. Different staff members provided conflicting information about whether sales were permitted at that time. After finally paying, confusion arose about whether the transaction had gone through, and we were left waiting around 10–15 minutes for another staff member to return and confirm the sale before receiving the product. It was a simple transaction that became unnecessarily complicated.
The spa is beautiful and the staff provide good service, but the pricing is extremely difficult to justify. We paid €115 for a couple's day pass, only to find the facilities so crowded that there was little opportunity to actually enjoy them. Charging premium prices for an overcrowded experience leaves poor value for money.
The pool facilities suffer from a similar problem. The outdoor pools are relatively small for a ship carrying thousands of passengers. They quickly become overcrowded, making it difficult to find space and enjoy what should be one of the highlights of a cruise holiday.
Even ordering drinks could be frustrating. In several bars it was difficult to get the attention of staff, often leaving us to wait for extended periods or walk to the bar ourselves to place orders.
Ultimately, my biggest criticism is that the ship appears to prioritise carrying as many passengers as possible without providing the infrastructure, organisation, or staffing levels needed to deliver a comfortable experience. Beautiful surroundings can only compensate so much when guests are constantly dealing with queues, overcrowding, confusion, and inconsistent service.
I genuinely wanted to enjoy this cruise and give MSC a second chance after my previous experience a decade ago. Sadly, while the ships may have become more beautiful, many of the organisational issues that disappointed me then still seem to remain today.

Our recent trip on the MSC Virtuosa was made truly unforgettable by the exceptional warmth, dedication, and hospitality of the onboard crew. Managing a ship of this scale with over 6,000 guests is no small feat, yet the entire team worked round the clock to keep every deck, bar, and public area immaculately clean and spotless. From early morning till late at night, the crew always greeted us with genuine smiles, making us feel right at home.

While every staff member deserves immense credit, a few remarkable individuals went above and beyond to make our vacation truly special:

Rikel & Gabriel (16th Floor Roof Bar): These two kept the good times rolling at the pool deck! Their high energy, fantastic drink recommendations, and prompt service made the roof bar our favourite place to unwind. Whether craft cocktails or quick refreshments, they handled every busy rush with brilliant composure and warmth.

Sugiana Kombang (6th Floor Bartender): Sugiana’s attention to detail and personal touch made every evening at the bar a highlight. Always friendly, attentive, and incredibly skilled, Sugiana created a welcoming atmosphere that made us look forward to dropping by every night.

Ahmed (Symphony Restaurant Waiter): Dining at the Symphony Restaurant was elevated to an absolute delight thanks to Ahmed. His flawless service, patience, and warm demeanour turned every meal into a special dining experience. He took care of our table with such genuine care and professionalism.

Thank you to the entire MSC Virtuosa family—and especially Rikel, Gabriel, Sugiana, and Ahmed—for creating memories we will cherish for years to come!

My issue is with the onshore customer experience and since my last review this calamitous and extremely poor customer interface is still almost useless, very disappointing.
Status Match, be incredibly careful "customer", your old Membership and points will be cancelled (you will have terms and conditions thrust upon you, rather than a real understanding of the customers perspective. Almost a year on, I’m still trying to get a straight answer from MSC as to how they justify their behaviour.
The App is no better and choses to reply in various languages and the Web site is diabolically slow and lumpy, even logging in to the Voyagers club is a tech lottery.
REAL WORLD TEST - I compared booking a cruise with the NCL website, which absolutely fly’s, is easy to use and just works. Same computer, same internet connection, same security at my end.
MSC did reply to my last post (thank you MSC), after a month’s delay and assured me that, “they had the issues in hand and were aware or the customer impact”, I’m waiting to see if the reply is genuine.
The TrustPilot score at this time isn’t great, so getting happy customers is urgent.

Overall Feedback
Recently had Alaska 3rd august 2026
I have been a frequent MSC traveller since 2024, with around 9–10 cruises in the last two years, so I am familiar with the standard I have come to expect from MSC. Unfortunately, this cruise was very disappointing and did not feel like good value for money.

The food variety has reduced, snack times are shorter, and there were not enough comfortable spaces to sit. The activities and entertainment were limited, and the evening atmosphere and parties lacked energy. The shopping options were also not appealing.

The pool, jacuzzi and outdoor facilities were particularly disappointing. The pool was extremely small, the jacuzzi was outside in the cold, there were limited towels, and the outdoor movie area was poorly organised. There were also no convenient power points beside the beds.

Some staff interactions were disappointing, with one staff member appearing impatient and unhelpful when I asked about the complimentary spa service.

I was considering booking another MSC cruise to Japan or the USA, but the itineraries were not appealing either. I would like to see better itineraries, such as Japan combined with South Korea or USA routes including destinations like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

I genuinely hope MSC takes feedback from frequent customers seriously. I have enjoyed many MSC cruises, but if the food, facilities, activities and service continue to decline while prices increase, I may have to consider other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean etc.

Overall, this was a disappointing experience and not the standard or value for money I expect from MSC.

This is a pre comment for MSC. We’ve been on a lot of cruise inc MSC, which have been good so have a fairly good base to make a judgement. This time we sail 5 Sept from Southampton, theres 3 of us so two cabins but one invoice , however the system sees them as separate bookings , you can’t link them which has already caused hassle and a problem booking reservations , everything is doubled up. The app is hit and miss and frustrating and often doesn’t connect at all .Added to that we are bombarded with up sales e mails for what seems like everything? Before we even go it’s clear that MSC are now charging top prices and the internet cost is totally extortionate ! so the total cost gets ramped up significantly and it’s disappoint that guests are now just cash cues . Hopefully all goes well . Will let you know

The cruise itself was great however I had a lot of issues with the website and my app, short version MSC cruises do not support hyphenated names my booking is still not linked to my account, and so now rewards for me but thats ok because I will be going with another company next time after the infuriating blocking access for any mobility disabled person to the aqua park on the last day.

On the last day my daughter wanted to go to the aqua park so we did as previously went ip to the 18 floor and tried to access the aqua-park via the aurea deck (label aurea passengers only) it was locked tried the other side door it was locked. So to access the deck I had to go down to deck 16 and climb up 2 fligyts of stairs on the deck.

As a disabled person using a crutch at the best of times and a wheelchair on a bad day I was appalled, It was bad enough that a disabled person who had to use the lifts had to go through the “aurea passengers” only sign. But to block this access was appalling

And yes MSC if I had fallen you would have been liable.

MSC Virtuosa. Luxurious but Crowded, biggest gripe the marketplace buffet with warm food on cold plates meaning you eat cold meals. The buffet food very bland and the pudding and custard was the same everyday bread and butter pudding. At £36 a day for internet how can this be legal? No guest washing machine or ironing facilities unless you pay extra. We didn’t pay for drinks packages too expensive. We would have to spend all our time on ship drinking 24/7

Entertainment very good but theatre too small for the amount of passengers

No free ice cream at the pool side just a measly scoop or 2 in the buffet at certain times served in a hot bowl. Make that make sense

Video on demand in the cabins is not free £9 per film unlike other cruise companies which are free

We booked a discounted spa treatment only to find a hidden charge of 15% service charge. I complained that in the uk this is a trading standards violation. The reply I got from guest services was that MSC is an Italian company. The spa was cancelled by me. Absolutely disgraceful that this is allowed.

We have been with P&O princess and NCL a few times and in our opinion MSC is the worst for value. Never again. Princess cruises is the best

We have not yet embarked on our cruise that will be next Friday 21 aug.
However my grandaughter is 19 weeks pregnant and they have her jumping through hoops to provide exactly what they require. The basic special needs form has to be filled in, but they require a letter from the doctor with specific things covered.
She has done everything they have asked and today have emailed asking for the same thing again.
We can’t get through to the department who deals with pregnancy just special needs department who will only email the relevant department and it takes days for a response. WE DONT HAVE DAYS LEFT TO DO THIS, get a grip MSC and stop causing pregnant ladies more stress.
Develop a proper pregnancy form for ladies to print off and take to their midwife so that it’s done EXACTLY as you require the first time.
We are a party of 11 people on this cruise but NEVER AGAIN a will we book with MSC.
I had heard bad reports prior to this but didn’t think it was this bad.

I booked a 7-night Mediterranean cruise with MSC Cruises, expecting a relaxing and memorable holiday. Unfortunately, the cruise itself was extremely disappointing, and what made matters worse was the way my complaints were handled afterwards.

There were numerous issues throughout the cruise, including poor customer service, food quality and safety concerns, overcrowding and disorganisation, problems with our cabin, poor communication, limited English-language entertainment and announcements, and a general feeling that we were being overlooked and unwelcome.

I was also 22 weeks pregnant during the cruise, and I was particularly disappointed by the lack of consideration or support. I received no meaningful guidance regarding suitable food, no assistance with queues during embarkation/disembarkation and no welfare check from Guest Services.

There were also significant concerns regarding the drinks package. I paid around £196 for the package, but felt that the information provided to me was inadequate and that the package was not suitable for my circumstances. As a pregnant passenger, I had very specific reasons for needing clarity around what I was purchasing.

When I tried to raise these issues, I was incredibly disappointed by the response.

Rather than properly dealing with my complaint, MSC told me that because the cruise had been booked through My Kind of Cruise, I needed to take the matter up with the booking agent instead.

So essentially, when I tried to complain to MSC about my experience on an MSC cruise, I was passed back to the travel agent.

I then contacted My Kind of Cruise, who told me that MSC was responsible for the cruise but that they were the booking agent and would handle the complaint. The whole process became incredibly frustrating, with each side effectively pointing me towards the other.

Ultimately, I felt completely passed from pillar to post.

I wasn’t expecting every single issue to result in compensation. What I did expect was for MSC to take responsibility for the experience their own ship and crew provided and to properly investigate the concerns I raised.

Instead, I was left feeling like nobody wanted to take responsibility.

The cruise cost over £2,000, and this was supposed to be a special holiday. Instead, I came away feeling stressed, disappointed and extremely let down.

What has been particularly frustrating is that my concerns were not simply about having a bad day or disliking one meal. I raised multiple issues affecting different aspects of the cruise, including customer service, food, accommodation, organisation, communication and the handling of the drinks package.

Yet when I sought help afterwards, I felt that the priority was finding someone else to deal with the complaint rather than actually listening to me.

This has completely put me off booking with MSC again.

A company should stand behind the experience it provides its passengers. Being told to go back to the travel agent when the complaint concerns the actual onboard experience was incredibly disappointing.

I would strongly recommend that anyone considering an MSC cruise does their research carefully and understands exactly what support they can expect if something goes wrong.

For me, the cruise was disappointing enough. The customer service afterwards made the whole experience even worse.

0 stars if I could.

I certainly won’t be rushing to book another MSC cruise.

Timeless Studio Photography provide a photo session that is paid for independent of the other photography services on board. MSC operate a dynamic pricing structure for this service rather than being consistent and open about costs. For instance 10 unique pictures, most of which are very similar in a digital format was charged at £399.98 on the 17 June 2026.

My family were travelling with me and later had a separate photo shoot and received 31 unique pictures. Digital format plus some of them also in print form and were charged £300. The photographer on both occasions gave same assurances of best price" and "good value" MSC when contacted about the discrepancy just responded that dynamic pricing is used, If you want to use this service then beware.

Dont waste your hard earned money i am leaving this while on ship.
I wish I had stayed at home, if you are a family its great but if not DON'T DO IT, I'm getting off at the next port and flying home its that bad.
Food is mass market rubbish.
Entertainment for kids including evening shows.
Very poor support from staff.
Pools totally overcrowded.
Drinks heavily watered down and served by staff who don't want to be here.
Rather than boosting my mood as a holiday should I find myself going back to my cabin to watch a film on the overpriced WiFi.

My husband and I went on our first cruise,MSC Devina in May 2026,we had a brilliant time ,everything about this cruise was fantastic the staff went above and beyond our expectations,friendly and so helpful nothing was too much trouble for them!im a fussy eater but the two alacarte restaurants were superb,the ship catered for everyone from lively entertainment to cosy bars so much to choose from,the excursions were well organised in fact every part of the ship was so organised,we would definitely recommend MSC for a cruise and look forward to going on our next one with you ,thankyou all management and staff for a superb time we had!special mention to Astuti,Sachim,Kenneth,Lerrine,Wati and Agus you were all superb Gina and Carl

Extremely disappointing cruise on MSC Virtuosa – Diamond member left feeling ignored

I recently sailed on MSC Virtuosa from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords and, sadly, this was one of the most disappointing cruise experiences I have had.

I am an MSC Voyagers Club Diamond member, so I boarded expecting a good standard of service and recognition of loyalty. Unfortunately, the cruise was characterised by repeated service failures, poor communication and an extraordinary amount of time spent trying to resolve problems.

Before embarkation I telephoned MSC Customer Services to confirm that my complimentary Diamond birthday cake had been arranged. I was assured it had. After boarding, there was no cake, and despite reporting this onboard I still had to chase the issue repeatedly.

My Diamond bathrobe and slippers were also missing from the cabin and were not delivered promptly even after being reported.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the holiday was Guest Services. On several occasions I queued for 45 minutes or more simply to speak to someone. The worst incident occurred after I received a phone call asking me to attend Guest Services to speak with a manager. I then waited around 50 minutes in the queue, a further 20 minutes at the desk, and was ultimately told to come back five hours later and queue again. Spending well over an hour waiting after attending at the ship’s request is completely unacceptable.

The ship itself is attractive, but it felt far too crowded. Breakfast in the buffet was chaotic, finding a table was often a challenge, and in the evenings there were frequently no tables available in the bars. We were regularly left standing with drinks because there was nowhere to sit. For a cruise costing a significant amount of money, I do not think it is unreasonable to expect to be able to find a seat.

The pool areas were equally overcrowded, with sun loungers reserved with towels for long periods while nobody was using them. The policy against reserving loungers did not appear to be effectively enforced.

I also experienced soot from the ship’s funnels landing on my clothing while sitting at the aft of the ship, requiring laundry cleaning and causing further inconvenience.

To be fair, MSC did acknowledge some of the issues after the cruise and apologised for aspects of the onboard service. However, no meaningful compensation was offered for the overall experience or the considerable amount of holiday time lost dealing with complaints.

What disappointed me most was not one isolated incident, but the constant need to chase staff, queue repeatedly, and follow up on promises that were not carried out.

MSC Virtuosa has the potential to be a wonderful ship, and many individual crew members were friendly and hardworking. Unfortunately, the overall organisation and customer service on this sailing fell well below the standard I expected from MSC, particularly as a loyal Diamond member.

Based on this experience, I would think very carefully before booking MSC again, especially on a sailing operating at high capacity or close to school holiday periods.

The MSC online check-in app and process are incredibly confusing and, frankly, appear to be poorly designed.

Passengers are informed that they can complete online check-in up to 30 days before departure, yet boarding passes are not released until 21 days before departure. To make matters worse, after completing check-in, the system prompts passengers to view their boarding pass, even though it is not yet available. This creates unnecessary confusion and leaves passengers wondering whether their check-in has been completed successfully.

There is also no clear information explaining that boarding passes are only issued within 21 days of departure. If MSC does not release boarding passes earlier than 21 days before sailing, why encourage passengers to check in up to 30 days in advance? Allowing check-in between 21 and 30 days before departure without issuing a boarding pass is misleading and unnecessarily confusing for passengers.

Another significant issue is the lack of error reporting during the check-in process. If incorrect information is entered, the system may still indicate that check-in has been completed successfully. However, no boarding pass will be issued, and there is no clear message identifying the problem or explaining how to correct it. Passengers are left with no indication that anything is wrong.

The experience is even worse for bookings made through travel agencies. The MSC website states that boarding passes should be obtained from the travel agent, while many agency websites state that passengers will receive their boarding passes immediately after completing online check-in. These conflicting instructions create further confusion and make it unclear where passengers should obtain their boarding documents.

It seems that the only way to resolve any of these issues is through multiple phone calls, often involving long waiting times. This largely defeats the purpose of having an online check-in system and creates unnecessary frustration for customers.

MSC should improve the clarity of its communication, provide clear guidance on boarding pass release dates, introduce meaningful error messages during check-in, and ensure that information provided by MSC and its travel agency partners is consistent and accurate.

Virtuosa - over crammed under staffed floating mess.
Boarded the boat on Saturday, and it was obvious very early on that the boat was going to be uncomfortably overcrowded, even the shore staff commented that they have never seen it as busy.
Dining experience despite requesting an early dining slot we were assigned 21.45 hrs ! Trying to amend that involves queuing for hours and begging to get it moved, and the arrogance of the head restaurant manager is unbelievable, his favourite line being “we’re really busy”. Then manage your staff, guest numbers and tables better. Hardly any of the crew understand clear requests and you wait ages for anything.
Sun beds - not one free during our first day, spend 2 hours looking, lots of towel reservations going on and absolutely no control or governance.
Safety - the room kettle gave me a massive electric shock and tripped the circuit breakers, the issue was completely lost on the crew and I had to tell them how to fix it ! Extremely worrying.
Overall a mismanaged overcrowded unorganised floating excuse for a cruise.