2-Day Mediterranean Cruise aboard MSC EURIBIA

msc was the worst cruise i have ever…

msc was the worst cruise i have ever made

1. Food quality and presentation

The overall quality of the food in the buffet was very basic compared with what we expected from MSC.

• Pizza was frequently served cold, while the hot pizza was kept in a less accessible and less visible location.

• Better-quality food was sometimes placed in less prominent areas, after passengers had already passed numerous stations offering more basic food.

• The salmon at breakfast was hidden and was not openly available to passengers. In order to receive salmon, we had to specifically ask a member of staff for it. It was not presented as an ordinary, freely accessible breakfast item. A passenger had to know that it was available and specifically request it. This created the impression that access to higher-quality food was being deliberately restricted.

• For example There was also a restriction on the amount of lamb ribs passengers could take.

• Even when salmon was available, its quality was disappointing and it was not prepared properly.

• The steaks were of poor quality and did not meet the standard we expected.

• On one occasion, when I received a steak in the steak restaurant that was not satisfactory, I was not offered a replacement at no additional charge and was instead directed to the order other steak, where an additional payment was required.(after I already paid extra money for the restaurant).

• Surprisingly, the food in the restaurants was in some cases of lower quality than the buffet food. This is contrary to what passengers would reasonably expect from a restaurant compared with a buffet. As a result, many passengers preferred to eat at the buffet.

• The better-quality cakes were placed at the back and were difficult to access, while the less appealing cakes were placed prominently at the front.

• Chamomile tea was unavailable because the supply had run out, and it was not replenished.

Overall, the food experience gave us the impression that higher-quality items were being limited or made less accessible, which is not what we expected from an MSC cruise.

2. Additional charges and high prices

Throughout the cruise, there was a strong impression that passengers were repeatedly being asked to pay additional amounts for services.

For example:

• The internet package cost approximately €40 per day, which is a very high price.

• The beverage package cost approximately €140 per day.

• Regular water served at the tables in the restaurants was charged separately.

• The transfer/visit to Kiel involved an additional charge.

The overall impression was that the price paid for the cruise did not reflect the actual cost of the holiday, with passengers repeatedly being asked to pay additional amounts for services that we would reasonably expect to be included or more fairly priced.

3. Flåm Railway – approximately four times the market price

One of the issues that particularly concerned us was the handling of tickets for the Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana).

The price offered by MSC was approximately four times higher than the price available online when purchasing independently.

Despite this very high price through MSC, passengers who attempted to purchase tickets independently discovered that no tickets were available.

The impression was that MSC had purchased a very large number of tickets in advance, leaving passengers with little or no opportunity to purchase tickets independently at the normal market price.

We find it very difficult to understand why passengers should be effectively left with the choice of paying approximately four times the market price through MSC, when tickets at the regular price were no longer available.

This situation was, in our view, unfair and damaging to passenger trust.

4. Severe overcrowding

The ship was extremely crowded in many areas:

• The jacuzzi areas were very crowded.

• The dining areas were overcrowded.

• Shows and entertainment venues were extremely crowded.

• It was often difficult to find available seating.

In addition, some tables in the lobby were apparently reserved or closed approximately two hours in advance. For example, passengers arriving at around 5:00 PM were not allowed to use certain tables even though they were not actually being used at that time.

This significantly reduced the comfort and enjoyment of the cruise.

As avid cruisers who set sail at least once a year across lines like Celebrity, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Azamara, Norwegian, and Carnival, we know what a seamless cruise experience looks like. We recently returned from our voyage on the MSC Euribia, and while we went in with open minds, the overall experience fell significantly short of standard industry expectations. If MSC is serious about expanding into the North American market and appealing to US travelers, there is a substantial gap to bridge between their current service delivery and what seasoned cruisers expect.

Ship Cleanliness & Health Concerns The most glaring issue throughout our voyage was shipwide cleanliness and basic hygiene. Hallways were routinely littered with leftover room service trays, garbage, and piles of dirty bedding. The buffet was chaotic and unkempt, frequently resembling a war zone during peak hours, with food-covered floors that understaffed crew members completely ignored. Most off-putting was watching staff wheel clear bins overflowing with slop and uneaten food directly through the restaurant, passing right alongside active dining tables and buffet lines.

Sanitation concerns extended into the beverage program as well. When we purchased the premium drink package, we expected the convenience of sealed bottled water. Instead, we were issued reusable bottles to fill at public spigots—an eco-friendly idea in theory, but a severe sanitation hazard in practice. Guests routinely touched their bottle rims directly to the spigots, contaminating the water source for everyone else. Furthermore, the lack of basic guidance was frustrating: guests without drink packages were forced to pay for water, and staff failed to mention the existence of complimentary water stations until late into the cruise.

Dining & Service Friction While minor hiccups happen on any ship, the food and beverage execution in the Main Dining Room was consistently disappointing. Dishes were notably bland, culminating in a breakfast where our Eggs Benedict arrived inexplicably smothered in brown gravy instead of Hollandaise sauce. The bar service was equally frustrating; when ordering a standard dry gin martini with no vermouth—a very common order in North America—the bartender argued that it was "impossible" and "not a real martini," leaving us feeling shamed over a simple request. The house wine selection, featuring subpar options like The Federalist, also felt well below baseline expectations.

In the stateroom, standard basics like facial tissues and washcloths were missing upon arrival and had to be specially requested. Public lounges often felt congested and poorly managed, with non-ordering guests hoarding bar seating for hours without staff intervention. While some crew members were polite, we encountered an unusually high frequency of curt, indifferent service, with several staff members even feigning language barriers to avoid assisting us.

Minor Positives & The Final Verdict To be fair, the trip was not entirely devoid of good moments, though they felt like isolated exceptions rather than the standard:

Specialty Dining: The specialty restaurants were genuinely excellent, offering high-quality meals that stood in stark contrast to the main dining room.

Spa Experience: The onboard spa was top-notch, professional, and thoroughly relaxing.

Stateroom Attendant: Our cabin steward was prompt, polite, and kept our room immaculate.

Incredible Ports: The destination ports were stunning and offered beautiful shore experiences.

On paper, the cruise might have looked like a reasonably priced getaway, but in reality, it turned out to be one of the most costly vacations we have ever taken. Value isn't just measured in dollars; it's measured in time—our most precious, non-renewable resource. We spent an entire week of our lives and a substantial amount of money on an inferior product with a cruise line that seemed far more interested in shuffling passengers through ports than ensuring we actually enjoyed our trip.

Ultimately, a good spa treatment and scenic port stops cannot make up for widespread hygiene issues, subpar food, and consistently frustrating service. For a company attempting to break into a competitive US market, this level of operation is unacceptable. While we share this feedback in the hope that MSC takes drastic corrective action, these few silver linings were nowhere near enough to rescue a deeply unpleasant vacation. As seasoned travelers, we know what quality cruising looks like, and we can say without a shadow of a doubt that we will never set foot on an MSC ship again.

**MSC Euribia – A Very Disappointing Experience**

Our experience on MSC Euribia was extremely disappointing. The panels inside our cabin made unbearable creaking noises, making it very difficult to sleep at night. We reported the problem, but the solution offered was unsuitable for us.

The ship also feels overcrowded and unable to comfortably accommodate so many passengers. There are enormous queues almost everywhere, making it difficult to relax and enjoy the facilities.

On top of that, there is a constant feeling that MSC is trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of its passengers through endless upselling.

Overall, a frustrating and exhausting experience rather than the relaxing holiday we expected. I would think twice before booking with MSC again.

Highly un recommend and the most important feels like my money was spent for nothing. The number of pepole is so big that guest relations doesn't have a chance . It appears they knew about the room problem but they sold in anyway