MSC Preziosa Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was a great cruise which included st Petersburg and Tallinn. Stockholm, Copenhagen and Kiel were interesting places however we did not go on any excursions and just had a look around

Beautiful ship, fabulous itinerary great food and company and cannot wait to return onboard in March 2020.

Une croisière c'est ouvrir un espace dans le monde, dans le temps, dans l'espace, dans l'océan et se laisser porter par le temps rythmé par les vagues, le vent et les sens.

Overall-- 5 out of 10 Obviously, I don’t take the above scores and average them out. Overall is the feeling I had about my MSC experience from start to finish. They had a terribly confusing check in with no signs or direction and no logical flow. Bad first impression. My biggest complaints are these: The Aurea experience, which I paid to upgrade from their basic Bella experience, was basically Bella on coffee. Yes, the suite was grand (no balcony, but that view!). It included access to the Aurea spa, which was a great let down. The spa was full of people lacking manners or spa etiquette. They should ask guests to sign a sheet providing these tips. I was excited having access to an exclusive area, thinking it would be great to avoid people while worrying about covid. But this experience was more like being punished than rewarded. The area called the Solarium, is on the top deck and didn’t have an inch of shade. After surviving melanoma, the sun is the last place I want to be. Several months prior to my voyage, MSC ditched free wine at dinner. Of course, looking at reviews, I didn’t know this until long after booking. They offered free bottled water at dinner, so many left the dining room carrying extra bottles. I don’t drink more than 1 or 2 drinks a day, so it didn’t warrant paying for a drink package. It was far less expensive to pay for each drink. I do not like a class system on cruise ships. One thing I love about cruising is feeling as if I am just as rich as anyone else on board. Sure, they may have a special dining room for the elite. But I am used to sauna access and a view over the bow with my fare, without paying extra. And I can’t stand being nickled and dimed. A cruise should be all-inclusive. In taking away the free 1 hour spa treatment, the free wine with dinner, and offering the terrible Solarium, they are squeezing out the middle class. I would be better off with the Bella experience and paying for the extras. But that’s not all-inclusive. There is little that made the Aurea experience worth it, even with a glorious suite. This sailing was enjoyable and I do not regret any of it. I simply wish MSC offered a little more value. Bring back wine at dinner. Include 2 servings of gelato. Something. Anything. Add some actual value. Most like to be pampered and made to feel special, but can’t afford thousands more for the Yacht Club.

Lovely ship, felt like your intruding on someone else cruise due to the constant embark and disembark at each port. The bars are not open even on sea days until 6pm, except 1 bar Preziosa bar opened at 3pm with limited seating and the bar in the buffet. Constant announcements in 7 different languages every day even in cabin there is no escape from them, staff not too friendly compared to other liners, service is quite basic overall.

This is a beautiful ship the public areas are just stunning Embarkation: Was easy and quite quick with the usual queues. A few more desks open would have made the process of little quicker. Once on the ship you were greeted by the usual array of special offers for the spas drinks and restaurants. Our cabin was ready so we headed down the drop cases. Followed by a pleasant drink in a bar and then sail Away. Having been on a few MSC ships this one is the newest there was plenty of space the pools and Jacuzzis never seem very busy. The ship itself is very clean we went into all the bars before settling and the pizza bar where they serve beer. Service was always good too long for a refill. Dining was fixed seating only at either 6:30 or 8:30 pm our dining room was over two levels service was always good the food was as good as we had anywhere *TIP* get to know your waiters ours exceptional in their attention to detail. Nothing is ever too much trouble with attention to customer service. There's a lot of talk about small portions we eat in the dining room to stop from over eating as is sometimes the case if we use the buffet, with restaurant dining a just order second meal be it a starter, main or sweet we on occasion order a second something from the menu to share there was never an issue. The talk of no tea and coffee following a meal all you have to do is request this and they will happily bring it and we have on occasion when in conversation with fellow diners. Beautiful theatre, the best I've seen. You can see the stage from wherever you are. Productions were average the shows were quite short but filled with entertainment the storylines were non-existent so as previously said by others, the shows were very random an introduction of a start middle and end would make these shows flow, and enhance enjoyment. Talking about shows there was a major shift away from the opera singing ballroom dancing kind of shows we have seen on previous MSC ships the Swiss magician was very good the fact all the acts are incorporated into the show I thought was a nice touch. The cabin is quite standard for MSC ships we had a balcony cabin and after a just a few minutes you thought you'd been there for a long time almost like coming home. The room decor is rich and bright, that gives the room an expensive feel as does the entire decor on this ship. The TV is on the small side with a smart remote control to view ships account. There are 5 channels in German, 4 channels in Italian, one channel only for English, BBC world news. They advertise films , most you will have already seen and want to charge€7.50 to watch! *TIP* I always bring a few films and music on a flash drive a must if you have children as there is no TV at all for them. Tthe addition of a Kettle and Yorkshire tea and coffee was a welcome plus. We brought milk down with us from the bar to use. Sockets: there are 2 American flag pin and 2 European round pin on desk panel. *TIP* I always use is to bring along an adaptor to make use the power socket by the bed to charge phones they are European round pin type as a rule. The Bathroom the same as most cruise ships the addition of a glass door on the shower was greatly appreciated anybody who's had to put up with the curtains will know how difficult it is larger people have on most cruise ships All in all we had no problem with the ship or the service on board. My only running on the whole voyage was the photograph desk where they seem to work for themselves rather than the cruise line. Customer service seems to be at the bottom of their list, top of the list seems to be selling you overpriced photographs. The sooner MSC change the digital photograph sales the better across its entire fleet. All in all quite a good voyage. The people travelling to Europe I'm thinking of using a European cruise Line just remember that they are actually tailored to Europeans especially Italians and Germans. Who have very different ideas on queuing and pushing into Lines? Just remember when in Rome! Which is why we have started to do the same, or we worry about it less!. My *TIP* as always with getting good service treat the staff well and don't forget to add a tip where deserved, always works well for me to the point even returning to a ship I have met up with servicer that I have previously met and treated well on other ships and been given the first class service by not only them but their fellow servicer. Final words the ship is a beautiful ship with friendly staff and good service.

MSC Preziosa is a quality ship with caring companionate employees! The fellow passengers come from all over the world which makes for an even more exciting experience! I definitely recommend this to everyone!

We had an wonderful time. The ship is beautiful and the food was amazing.

Loved the ship and crew can't fault but did not like the constant picking up at each port of passengers. Some of us were dressed for evening while others still in traveling cloths so a bit off putting

To begin with before the cruise there was not good comunication with MSC reps., they stated things that were not provided.  The cruise check-in proceedure could have been extremely long except  for the fact my 89 yr old mother was on the trip and they put us is a quick line.  Then they let my brother and mother go through security onto the ship but made the rest of us (6) wait to board.  The ship is beautiful and the staterooms are large and beautiful with lots of storage space! The food in the dinning room was good overall with some excellent desserts and the pasta dishes were superb!  Our waiter Jose Cabrera from Honduras was fantastic. The buffet in the Inca and Maya was chaotic, 1st you had to find a table, then the service to clear & clean the table was slow, I cleaned it my self.  You went around in circles trying to find food with 3000 other people.  The food was just average. There are no other non paying places to eat on the ship, only dinning room or buffet.  All other ships I have been on have various places to eat so you don't have the conjested area in the buffet restaurant.

I was told Americans received 1 lt. of bottled water at dinner, we didn't receive them, I asked at the reception and they said it didn't matter what MSC reservations said, they don't give them. From other passengers review, they did receive coupons on there check in. MSC only serves bottled water in the dinning room. No coffee or Iced Tea! They do have water, coffee and hot water for tea in the buffet.  They only have juices until 10:00am in the buffet.  Also a pre package beer option I ordered they had no record of, when I showed them my print out, they said I wasn't charged and they would honor it.  "I had to go with what they sold on board the ship".

Our room attendant Johnny was  great, I asked him to make me towel animals and he did every night but only for my stateroom, we had 4 staterooms. I know the animals are an American ship thing but they are fun! 

The ports of call were fantastic but too short of time.  In Croatia by the time we got off the ship you had about 4 1/2 hrs. before you had to be back on the ship. 

I enjoyed the shows each night, same people but different themes.  They don't really have a lot of other fun activities to do unless you pay for it.  Also the web site on and MSC cruises is not up to date.

  I have cruised over 10 times, on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL and MSC. 

This cruise was unusual in that so many different languages were spoken on board. Announcements were made in French, English, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. It was kind of like a floating tower of Babel. There are lots of things MSC could improve on. The itinerary, however, was fantastic! All in all, it made for a very memorable honeymoon.

Fine and steady vessel. Fine shore excursions. Cobh interesting maritime history

concerning last port of Call for TITANIC in 1912 and the funeral of the people lost in the sinking of the LUSITANIA in 1915. A little confusion about time and meeting point for the excurtions. Vessel steady in rough weather.

Oh my goodness, we have just returned from a fantastic holiday with MSC on the Preziosa and I would certainly cruise with them again, I can’t understand why there are so many bad reviews on here? The ship was immaculate, it gleamed everywhere. The staff were friendly and ready to help whenever they could, yes sometimes there was a wait for bar service, but we were on holiday and in no rush, so we would just sit back, people watch and wait for a staff member to get around to us. English was spoken by all of the staff so there was never a language barrier and the majority of the passengers were from foreign shores so it was like a proper foreign holiday not a butlins holiday camp!

We boarded the ship in venice and were told we could book in from 12.00. As it happens we arrived at the port at 11am but we just followed the queues and were on board early with very little delay. We caught the Alilaguna boat from St.Marks to the cruise terminal which was great, 8E plus 3E for a suitcase, although on the return journey the lady in the kiosk told us we didn’t need to pay extra for the luggage.

We ate in the L’Arabesque dining room every night and were sat with a lovely South African couple who became good friends with us. The waiter service in there was exceptional; it was great getting all dressed up and being treated like royalty. The menu was varied and with 7 courses to choose from there was always something nice to enjoy, and if a dish wasn’t to your taste they quickly whisked it away and brought you something else. We regularly had 5 courses and were never over faced. We had the drinks package which meant the bottles of wine were ready and waiting for us at the table when we arrived, our waiter always remembered what we drank! There was also bottled water and an amazing selection of fresh bread rolls brought to the table.

We had breakfast in the buffet which was chaotic, but we would just find a table, either alone or sharing with another couple and then cruise around the wonderful selection of food filling our plates with far too much food! Breakfast can also be ordered directly to your cabin using the complementary breakfast room service so we always had a drink in the cabin whist getting ready for the day, and we had the full continental breakfast delivered on the morning where we were off the ship for 8am. At lunchtime we would just cruise through the buffet picking up a salad or a wrap etc.....but be fair, the pizza always won us over and ended up being the snack of choice for us both! You can eat at the tables on the deck outside the buffet area which was always a preferred choice for us....and a cheeky cocktail was always nice to finish the meal off with. The ice cream on board was also fantastic, I’m a bit of an ice cream snob, but that stuff was awesome and included in the drinks package!

The cabin was fantastic, we had opted for a balcony one and I’m so glad we did. It was a real treat being able to sit out there before the evening meal...a quiet haven of peace with a perfect view. It was nice to be able to get fresh air into the cabin too, the Aircon was great but nothing beats fresh air. The bathroom was fine too, our friends had an inside cabin and they struggled with a small shower, but ours was fine so again worth the extra we paid for the balcony. The cabin steward was in there twice a day making the bed up and turning it down again at night, we never saw her but she did a great job. The mini bar was a bit of a waste of time, although we did keep a couple of cans in there to cool. You are charged if you drink from it, including the bottled water, however both cans and bottles are available from the bars around the ship so a bit of forward planning was all that was required to have drinks in the cabin. We also regularly took coffees, cocktails and snacks to the cabin and there was no issue with this.

The 30 mins shows in the evening were “entertaining” ! We regularly had a chuckle at their productions, but maybe not for the right reasons sometimes. It’s only half an hour so give them a go, but don’t forget to take a drink along with you!

We didn’t take any of the MSC excursions; in fact we only did the one private excursion to Olympia with a company booked through ShoreBee who were waiting just outside the port gates, Katakolon is only a small town but you could pass an hour around the small shops and in the seafront cafes. At Bari we just strolled into the town as it’s only about a ten min walk, not too much to see but a nice seafront with lots of fishermen preparing squid which was a sight to see. Izmir was a bit of a nightmare as the taxi dropped us just outside the bazaar, even though I’d asked for Konak square, and a “friendly” shop keeper met us from the car and wanted us to check out his shop. But we just declined and headed off on our own; make sure you have a map of the area as the signs aren’t too good. Inside the bazaar it was fine, the shop keepers just allowed you to browse at your own leisure and it’s just a nice size to pass an hour. At Istanbul we walked about five mins from the port towards the bridge to pick up the tram, make sure you have Turkish lira to pay for the tokens. It’s cheap and a fast way to get around the city. We did the blue mosque, which had a huge queue although we did wonder if we could have bypassed it and gone through the entrance for prayers that was in the courtyard but this would only work if you were properly attired as the loan headscarf’s and  trousers are only available as you approach the main entrance. The Hagia Sophia  was well worth the entrance fee, although buying a ticket was a nightmare as there was little direction as to where to go for a single ticket, the museum passes seemed to be the preferred  ticket choice but they are of course more expensive. Make sure you go up to the gallery as it’s even more spectacular from up there. The basilica cistern was also worth the visit, it’s an unusual place and if the photo booth inside hasn’t a big queue when you go in treat yourselves to a silly photo! We never got to the bazaar as we ran out of time but I heard it was huge compared to Izmir.

Dubrovnik has to be one of the best ports, we taxied to the old town, about 30min drive because of traffic, and then walked around the walls. The view is fabulous from up there, the town looks beautiful. But make sure you take a drink and visit the loo before you set off! We stopped at the Buza bar, the bar on the rocks but this can’t be accessed from the walls, you have to get down from the wall and then try and find it! But the view was lovely and the cider well worth the trip. A little haven of peace. The harbour area is worth a visit, the waves were crashing on the rocks when we went. I was gutted we didn’t get up the cable car, I had planned for us to do that first, but the taxi took us straight to the old town and it was then a climb up to the cable car station we decided to give it a miss. If you are taxiing back to the ship leave plenty of time, there was a huge queue when we went about 45mins before the ship was due to leave.

My only complaint with MSC was the lack of information we got from them prior to the holiday and about the ports during the holiday. There were 2 gala/formal nights and 3 theme nights (white/Italian/60’s,70’s & 80’s) in the main dining room however this was not communicated to us until the night before. We knew of passengers who then had to go out the following day and buy a shirt for a formal evening. MSC are very focused on selling their excursions so they do not produce any information about the port and sights that are worth travelling to, so the best information I could give anyone would be to do the research before, google is a valuable tool!

So as you can see we loved this holiday and would definitely book with MSC again

I don't have the words to say how disappointed and upset we were with the whole experience. We are avid cruisers and will be going again, but never on an MSC. If I can help just one person with not wasting their money on MSC, then maybe some good will come of our experience.

Beautiful. was not used to embarkations on each port, but made ours a lot faster. Only draw back was we never went to Lisbon. 3 days at sea in a row.

MSC does great entertainment. Spa was nice. Good sales. Casino friendly and low key.

Our first cruise. Amazing . Didn’t know what to expect but it really was a treat . I would to do it again . The ship amazing . Ur room perfect . Staff lovely and friendly. Great memories made

Overly zealous staff interrupt asking constantly how is everything. Ship is great. Embarkation worse than terrible. Sat in cold tent for about 7 hours. Staff seemed confused.

The value was good of the length of the cruise. The ports were very good on average. The ship was beautiful. The food was OK, mostly cheap food, all beef products were tough, the fish was prepared well and he pasta was a hit or miss. The entertainment was sub par.

The crew was not helpful almost to the point of being rude. Very unorganized and most were not able to answer basic questions. Food on buffet was good but sometimes mislabeled so choose carefully. Jogging track is NOT a jogging track! It goes through a bar, tables and chairs and the smoking area. Not separate at all. The casino is very small We are not new cruisers. My 11th and my sons 17th and we have enjoyed every one of them. This one was disappointing because of the crew and I don’t think I would choose MSC again as there are so many other options that we have had good experiences on