8-Day Mediterranean Cruise Aboard MSC SPLENDIDA

A disappointing cruise experience. I will personally not travel on an MSC cruise again. Ship was over crowded, with hordes of feral children running riot with little or no supervision. Restaurants and buffet were packed with long lines and wait for tables. Food was largely mediocre. Common ship areas were hot with little or no air conditioning. Open decks were packed with people, with difficulty getting free sun lounges, especially on sea day. Music by the pool was raucous and excessively loud. Gym area was packed with children playing on the machines, with no space for regular exercising guests. Crew were tired and largely indifferent. Saving grace was our main dining room waiter who served us well.

Entertainment, especially in the main theatre, was very mediocre and largely disappointing. The elevators took an age to arrive and were frequently full, necessitating long waits and sometimes having to resort to climbing stairs to several decks.

Overall a dispiriting and tiring experience, with MSC seeming to prefer packing guests onto their ships like sardines and little concept of quality or service.

Even though MSC have a reputation for low fares, these are not enough to compensate for the overall experience, in my opinion.

From the moment we boarded MSC, we immediately noticed a significant lack of warmth and hospitality from the crew. Unfortunately, we did not feel welcomed at all. Very few crew members smiled, and many appeared disengaged, unwilling to make eye contact, or uninterested in assisting guests. Rather than feeling valued as passengers, we often felt like an inconvenience.

After settling into our stateroom, we discovered that there were no hand towels in the restroom. I went out to locate our stateroom steward but encountered another crew member instead, who informed me that the towels would be delivered later that day. We waited, but no towels arrived on our first day. When I finally met our steward, the interaction was disappointing. He barely spoke unless spoken to and avoided eye contact entirely, giving the impression that guests were interrupting his work rather than being his priority. I was simply told that the towels were still being washed.

My wife and I understand that first impressions are not always fair, so we intentionally chose not to judge the experience based on the first day alone. However, as the days passed, the same pattern continued throughout the ship. At the buffet, crew members rarely acknowledged guests warmly. No greetings, no smiles, no effort to create a welcoming atmosphere. Staff would only approach our table once our plates were ready to be cleared, and even then, interactions felt robotic and emotionless.

We have cruised many times over the years, and this was honestly the very first time we experienced such an unfriendly and unwelcoming environment onboard a cruise ship. Hospitality is the heart of the cruise industry, and sadly, that essential element felt missing throughout much of our MSC experience.

To make matters worse, we encountered a serious issue in our stateroom when we were awakened from a nap by loud water drips coming from the ceiling directly onto our bed. I had to immediately jump out of bed and place a trash bin underneath the leak to prevent further soaking of the bedding. While we appreciate that someone responded after we called guest services and eventually sent a plumber, it took nearly three hours for the issue to be fully resolved, including replacing the bed linens. This was extremely disruptive and concerning.

Additionally, our assigned dinner seating was scheduled at 8:30 PM, which was far too late for us, leaving us no choice but to dine at the buffet most evenings.

The one truly outstanding part of our MSC experience was the nightly entertainment. The shows were absolutely spectacular, world-class performances that deserve tremendous recognition. Without question, we give the entertainment team 5 stars for delivering unforgettable productions night after night.

However, exceptional entertainment alone cannot compensate for poor customer service and a lack of genuine hospitality. Cruise passengers invest not only their money, but also their trust and expectations in choosing a cruise line. Guests should feel welcomed, appreciated, and cared for from the moment they step onboard until the moment they disembark.

MSC leadership and management should seriously reevaluate and reinforce the importance of customer service culture across the fleet. Smiles, warmth, attentiveness, and simple human connection are not minor details in this industry. They are the foundation of the guest experience. Without passengers, there is no cruise industry. Guests should never feel ignored, unwanted, or burdensome while onboard.

At this time, if asked whether we would sail with MSC again, our honest answer would unfortunately be a strong “no.” We sincerely hope MSC takes guest feedback seriously and makes meaningful improvements in crew engagement, hospitality training, and overall customer care. We would love to see future reviews and experiences reflect positive change because MSC has tremendous potential to be exceptional.

I really enjoyed the cruise, as this was my first time, I wanted to note that the staff were all very helpful and friendly especially these two bar staff guys,

Melvin Hilario & Kuldeep, as they went out of their way to be very agreeable and helpful, I will probably book something next year.

The whole experience was smooth and I met some really lovely people, the food was 1st class, the cabin quiet and very comfortable, the embarkation 6 disembarkation was very easy in all the ports we visited, as was the journey.

I would advise anyone who is thinking about doing a cruise to look at the MSC website for many different destinations and journeys.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the way it was all organized, and how everything worked perfectly, I was a little worried about the amount of people that onboard, but there is plenty of room for everyone.