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Royal Caribbean vs MSC was a Reality Check I Didn't Expect — Transcript

by Family at Sea · 3,168 words · 504 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Ask 10 cruisers whether Royal Caribbean
0:02or MSC is better and you'll get 10
0:04different explanations for why their
0:05cruise line is the best. Some people
0:07swear Royal Caribbean is in a completely
0:09different league and others would tell
0:11you MSC gives you 90% of the experience
0:14for a fraction of the price. But the
0:15problem is both sides can't be right. So
0:18today I'm settling this debate by
0:20putting these two cruise lines
0:21head-to-head across the things that
0:23matter most to cruisers and by the end
0:25we'll finally have a winner. Oh, if we
0:27haven't met yet, I'm Evan from Family at
0:29Sea. If this is your first time watching
0:30my channel, I'm glad you're here. If
0:32you've been here a while, you already
0:34know how much I appreciate you. If
0:36you're ready, I am. Let's go.
0:42When most people compare cruise lines,
0:44they focus on food, entertainment, or
0:46price. But before any of that matters,
0:48there's another question you have to
0:49answer first. Which cruise line has the
0:51better ships? Royal Caribbean and MSC
0:54are two of the most ambitious
0:55shipbuilders in the cruise industry, but
0:57they've taken very different approaches
0:59to developing their fleets. Royal
1:01Caribbean has nearly 30 ships compared
1:03to MSC's 23 and both offer experiences
1:06that vary dramatically depending on
1:08which ship you choose. A cruise on the
1:10MSC Divina feels completely different
1:12from a cruise on the MSC World America.
1:15Just like sailing on the Radiance of the
1:16Seas is nothing like sailing on the Star
1:19of the Seas. And MSC deserves plenty of
1:21credit for how aggressively it's
1:23expanded its fleet. The Meraviglia class
1:25introduced massive indoor promenades
1:28with LED ceilings, the Sea class
1:30emphasized outdoor spaces and ocean
1:32views, and the new World class combines
1:34both concepts into some genuinely
1:36impressive ships. In fact, the MSC World
1:38America is one of my absolute favorite
1:40cruise ships and I'd put it up against
1:42just about anything Royal Caribbean has
1:44ever built. But Royal Caribbean has
1:46spent the last two decades redefining
1:48what a cruise ship can be. The Oasis
1:50class introduced neighborhood style
1:52layouts that completely changed the
1:54industry. But the The Icon class pushed
1:56things even farther with enormous water
1:58parks, innovative entertainment venues,
2:01and some of the most ambitious ship
2:02designs ever created. And across the
2:05entire fleet, Royal Caribbean has been
2:06more consistent at creating ships that
2:08handle large crowds exceptionally well
2:10while offering an incredible variety of
2:12things to do. So, MSC is closing the
2:15gap, especially with its World Class
2:17ships, but when I compare the fleets
2:19from oldest to newest, Royal Caribbean
2:21still has the advantage. So, the first
2:23point goes to Royal Caribbean. Speaking
2:25of Royal Caribbean's incredible ships,
2:27I've got a pretty exciting opportunity
2:28for you to experience one of them with
2:30us. We're hosting our first-ever Family
2:32at Sea group cruise on the Symphony of
2:34the Seas sailing March 28th through
2:36April 4th, 2027 out of Galveston, Texas.
2:40And we've locked in some fantastic group
2:42rates with Central Park balconies
2:43starting at just over $1,900 per cabin
2:46for two people, and ocean view balconies
2:48starting at just over $2,000 for the
2:50entire 7-night cruise. And because
2:52deposits are fully refundable until
2:54final payment, you can reserve your spot
2:57without worrying about losing your
2:58deposit if your plans change. And since
3:01this is our first-ever group cruise,
3:03we're putting it together intensely on
3:04relatively short notice, and we're
3:06keeping things smaller and more
3:07personal, which will give us plenty of
3:09opportunities to spend time together
3:11throughout the week. So, if you've ever
3:13wanted to cruise with us, we'd
3:15absolutely love to have you join us. So,
3:17just click the link in the description
3:18below or scan the QR code on the screen
3:20to get all the details and reserve your
3:22cabin. And if you can't make this one,
3:25you can use the same link to sign up to
3:27be the first to hear about future group
3:29cruises, along with a more personal look
3:31at our travels, what's happening in our
3:33lives, and some of the things I don't
3:35get to share with you here on YouTube.
3:36So, what are you waiting for? Take 10
3:38seconds and sign up. I can't wait to see
3:40you on board or in your inbox. Food and
3:43dining is one of the categories where
3:44this comparison has gotten considerably
3:47more interesting over the past few years
3:49because MSC has stepped up its game
3:51dramatically, especially on its newer
3:53ships. MSC has always had some strengths
3:55when it comes to food. The pizza is
3:57still the best I've had at sea, and the
3:59Wagyu striploin at Butcher's Cut is the
4:01best steak on any cruise line. And all
4:03out tacos is probably the best value
4:06specialty dining option out there with
4:08$25 for all you can eat Mexican food.
4:11And the addition of Italy on the MSC
4:13World America has made their specialty
4:15dining lineup even stronger. But MSC's
4:17included dining has been historically
4:19inconsistent. The main dining room has
4:21been hit or miss across my cruises, and
4:24while the buffet has plenty of variety
4:26during breakfast and lunch, dinner
4:27selections can become surprisingly
4:29limited. But Royal Caribbean, on the
4:31other hand, has been much more
4:32consistent. The Windjammer is one of the
4:34best buffets at sea, particularly on the
4:36Oasis and Icon class ships, where the
4:38variety and quality are excellent. And
4:41Royal has done a great job expanding its
4:43included dining beyond the buffet and
4:45main dining room with venues like Park
4:47Cafe, A Loco Fresh, Sorrento's, and Aqua
4:50Dome Market. Their specialty restaurants
4:52are excellent, too, with Chops Grille,
4:54Izumi, Hooked, and 150 Central Park
4:56giving passengers plenty of reasons to
4:59splurge. MSC has closed the gap
5:00considerably, and there are individual
5:02restaurants where I'd absolutely choose
5:04MSC over Royal Caribbean. But when I
5:06consider the food most passengers are
5:09eating every day, particularly the
5:11included options, Royal Caribbean
5:12delivers a more consistent experience
5:15with better variety. So, this one is
5:16closer than it would have been a few
5:18years ago, but the point for food and
5:20dining still goes to Royal Caribbean.
5:22Royal Caribbean has some fantastic bars,
5:24and when it comes to the venues
5:25themselves, they're difficult to beat.
5:27The Schooner Bar is a long-time
5:29favorite. Playmakers is a great place to
5:31watch a game, and the Overlook on the
5:33Icon class ships is one of the most
5:34beautiful lounges I've experienced at
5:36sea. But my biggest frustration with
5:38Royal Caribbean is that so many of their
5:40bars serve essentially the same drinks.
5:43The venues have completely different
5:44personalities, but the cocktail menus
5:46often don't reflect that. And that's
5:48where MSC has a real advantage because
5:51they've got some beautiful bars of their
5:52own, but they've also gotten
5:54increasingly creative with their drink
5:56menus. On the MSC World America, the
5:58Elixir Mixology Bar serves elaborate
6:00hand-crafted cocktails. The Gin Project
6:03offers more than 70 different gins, and
6:05Masters of the Sea even brews its own
6:08beer on board. And then, there's
6:09something I absolutely love about MSC.
6:12They have espresso machines at every
6:13bar. So, you can get a freshly brewed
6:16espresso without hunting down a coffee
6:18shop. And more importantly, that means
6:20you can order one of my favorite cruise
6:22cocktails, the salted caramel espresso
6:24martini, made with real espresso
6:27anywhere on board. Now, I've had some
6:29inconsistent cocktails on MSC over the
6:31years. And Royal Caribbean certainly has
6:33its share of excellent bartenders, but
6:35MSC's increasingly creative menus,
6:37distinctive specialty bars, and
6:39attention to the drinks themselves have
6:41given me a longer list of cocktails that
6:44I genuinely look forward to ordering
6:45again. And when I'm choosing a bar, what
6:47ends up in my glass matters just as much
6:50as where I'm sitting. So, the point for
6:51bars and drinks goes to MSC. Nobody has
6:54made bigger strides in entertainment
6:56recently than MSC. For years,
6:58entertainment was one of the weakest
6:59parts of every MSC cruise I took. The
7:02shows would have talented singers,
7:03impressive dancers, elaborate costumes,
7:05and acrobats flying through the air, but
7:07absolutely no storyline connecting any
7:10of it. You'd go from one random song to
7:12another with performances that rarely
7:14made any sense together. I'd spend half
7:16the show wondering what in the world I
7:18was watching. But the World Class ships
7:20have changed that. MSC has invested
7:22heavily in productions designed
7:24specifically for American audiences. And
7:26on the World America, where they have,
7:28honestly, some of the best shows I've
7:30ever seen in one of the nicest venues
7:32out there, the Panorama Lounge, Queens
7:34Symphonic and Sensasonic are in a league
7:36of their own. And if we were comparing
7:38individual ships, MSC would have a
7:41legitimate shot at winning this
7:42category, but we're comparing entire
7:44fleets, and that's where Royal Caribbean
7:46has a significant advantage. Royal has
7:49spent years developing entertainment
7:51experiences that other cruise lines
7:53simply can't replicate. The Aqua Theater
7:55productions on the Oasis and Icon class
7:57ships combine high diving, acrobatics,
8:00and aerial performances that are truly
8:02incredible. And depending on the ship,
8:04you'll find everything from full
8:05Broadway productions on Royal's newer
8:07ships to professional ice skating ships
8:10on most of the fleet. And then, of
8:11course, you've got original theater
8:13productions on the older vessels as
8:14well. And even on Royal Caribbean's
8:16older ships, I've found the
8:18entertainment far more consistent than
8:20what MSC offers across most of its
8:22fleet. So, MSC deserves enormous credit
8:25for the improvement it's made. And I
8:26hope the World Class experience
8:28represents the future of entertainment
8:30across the entire brand. But until those
8:32improvements extend throughout the
8:34entire fleet, Royal Caribbean remains
8:36the clear winner. So, the point for
8:37entertainment goes to Royal Caribbean.
8:40If you're cruising with kids like we do,
8:41both Royal Caribbean and MSC have plenty
8:43to offer. And this category has gotten
8:45considerably closer in recent years,
8:47thanks in large part, again, to MSC's
8:49World Class ships. MSC has partnered
8:51with LEGO to create dedicated activities
8:54for younger cruisers, and its kids clubs
8:56offer age-specific programming from
8:58babies through teenagers. But where MSC
9:00has really stepped up is with its family
9:02attractions. The MSC World America has
9:04an entire family Aventura District
9:07featuring the Harbor with its ropes
9:08course, water park, and playground,
9:10along with the Cliffhanger, which is
9:12this overwater swing that sends you
9:14soaring over the side of the ship, and
9:16then steps away you have the Sports Plex
9:19with an area that combines bumper cars,
9:21roller skating, and sports depending on
9:23when you go. And MSC's arcades are
9:25fantastic as well. They're considerably
9:27larger and more impressive than anything
9:29you'll find on Royal Caribbean, with
9:30everything from racing simulators to 4D
9:33shows and interactive games. But Royal
9:35Caribbean has some major advantages of
9:37its own. Adventure Ocean, which is their
9:39kids clubs on board, offer excellent
9:41supervised programming. And Royal's
9:43newer ships has some of the most
9:45impressive family attractions anywhere
9:47at sea. And depending on the ship,
9:49you'll find surf simulators, rock
9:50climbing walls, zip lines, ice skating,
9:53laser tag, bumper cars, enormous water
9:55parks, and even skydiving simulators.
9:58And one of the biggest advantages of
9:59Royal over MSC is how many more of these
10:02activities are included with the base
10:04fare versus being charged like you'll
10:07find on MSC. Royal Caribbean also has a
10:09much broader selection of ships designed
10:12specifically around family cruising,
10:14rather than concentrating its most
10:16impressive attractions in a handful of
10:18newer vessels. So, while MSC has made
10:20tremendous progress, Royal Caribbean
10:23still offers more activities families
10:25can enjoy together without constantly
10:27reaching for their wallets. So, this
10:29category is closer than it's ever been,
10:31but the point for family friendly goes
10:33to Royal Caribbean. Atmosphere is
10:35without a doubt the most subjective
10:37category in this entire comparison
10:39because what makes a cruise enjoyable
10:41for one person can drive somebody else
10:43absolutely crazy. And Royal Caribbean
10:45and MSC deliver two very different
10:48experiences. MSC is a European-owned
10:50cruise with a distinctly international
10:52atmosphere with passengers from all over
10:54the world bringing different
10:55expectations and approaches to cruising.
10:58And while I definitely enjoyed that
11:00international experience, I found that
11:01the shared spaces on MSC ships can
11:04become surprisingly chaotic,
11:06particularly when large numbers of
11:07passengers are trying to use them all at
11:09the same time. Whether there's people
11:11pushing their way onto elevators before
11:13others can get off, lines that seem to
11:15have no particular order, or buffets
11:17that turn into a free-for-all during
11:19busy periods, there's often a lack of
11:21organization that makes these situations
11:23more frustrating than they need to be.
11:25Royal Caribbean, meanwhile, has done an
11:27exceptional job designing ships that
11:29handle enormous numbers of passengers
11:31without constantly feeling crowded. The
11:33Oasis and Icon class ships are
11:35particularly impressive here with
11:37distinct neighborhoods, spacious pool
11:39decks, and enough restaurants, bars, and
11:41lounges to spread passengers throughout
11:43the ship. And there's another difference
11:44I've noticed as well. Royal Caribbean
11:46generally feels more social with
11:48passengers striking up conversations at
11:50bars, participating in activities, and
11:53interacting with one another throughout
11:55the cruise. Whereas MSC tends to feel
11:57more reserved with passengers spending
11:59more of their time within their own
12:01families or the groups they're traveling
12:03with. And while some cruisers prefer
12:04that atmosphere, I personally enjoy the
12:07more social experience Royal Caribbean
12:08delivers.
12:09So, when I consider crowd management,
12:11passenger interactions, and overall
12:13experience of spending a week on board,
12:15Royal Caribbean has the advantage. So,
12:17the point for atmosphere goes to Royal
12:19Caribbean. Private destinations have
12:21become one of the biggest battlegrounds
12:23in cruising, and Royal Caribbean and MSC
12:25have taken two very different approaches
12:28to creating them. MSC has Ocean Key,
12:30which is one of my favorite private
12:31islands anywhere in the Caribbean. And
12:33what makes Ocean Key special is that MSC
12:36has transformed a former industrial sand
12:38mining site into a beautiful marine
12:40reserve with eight beaches, crystal
12:43clear water, and plenty of room to
12:44spread out. And MSC regularly schedules
12:47late departures and overnight stays,
12:49which allows passengers to enjoy the
12:51island after sunset, which is something
12:53I absolutely love. But Royal Caribbean
12:56has a larger variety of private
12:57destinations including Perfect Day Coco
13:00Cay. And as much as I love Ocean Cay, I
13:02think Coco Cay offers an even better
13:05experience. By the way, why is it Coco
13:07Cay and Ocean Key? I don't know. Like,
13:10Key's the right way to say it, right?
13:11Like, or do you say Cay? I don't matter.
13:14Because at Perfect Day Coco Cay, while
13:15you can still find those beautiful quiet
13:17beaches and tropical settings where you
13:19can relax all day, Coco Cay also gives
13:22you an enormous variety of other things
13:24to do. There's Thrill Water Park, the
13:26massive Oasis Lagoon Pool, the
13:29adults-only Hideaway Beach, Coco Beach
13:32Club, and enough different experiences
13:34that you can visit multiple times and
13:36have a completely different day each
13:38time. And that's ultimately what
13:39separates these two destinations for me.
13:42Ocean Cay is designed around a
13:44particular kind of vacation. It's a
13:45beautiful, relaxing tropical escape, and
13:48MSC does that exceptionally well. But
13:50Coco Cay gives you the freedom to decide
13:53what kind of day you want to have.
13:54Whether that's relaxing on a quiet
13:56beach, spending the afternoon at a pool,
13:58or racing down water slides with your
14:00kids. And I think that's a much better
14:02approach because no matter what you're
14:04looking for, Royal Caribbean has an
14:06option for you. So, as much as I love
14:08Ocean Cay, the point for private
14:10destinations goes to Royal Caribbean.
14:12Price and value are often treated like
14:15they're the same thing, but they're not.
14:17Because the cheapest cruise isn't always
14:19the best value, and the most expensive
14:20cruise isn't always overpriced. But when
14:22you're comparing Royal Caribbean and
14:24MSC, I think the difference is pretty
14:26staggering. Royal Caribbean has built a
14:28reputation for offering some of the most
14:30impressive cruise ships in the world.
14:32They've become increasingly successful
14:34at charging a premium for that
14:35experience. And to be fair, there are
14:37plenty of things included with your fare
14:39that help justify the price, including
14:40incredible entertainment, family
14:42attractions, and some of the best
14:43designed ships at sea. But MSC has
14:46completely changed the value equation.
14:48I've regularly found MSC cruises selling
14:50for hundreds, and sometimes even
14:51thousands of dollars less than
14:53comparable Royal Caribbean sailings. And
14:55we're not talking about choosing an old,
14:56outdated ship to save money, either. You
14:58can sail on something as impressive as
15:01the MSC World America for considerably
15:03less than what Royal Caribbean charges
15:05for its newest ships. Now, MSC certainly
15:07has its own shortcomings, particularly
15:09when it comes to included dining,
15:11entertainment on older ships, and
15:13overall onboard experience. But when I
15:15look at how much cruise you're getting
15:16for your money, those compromises become
15:18a whole lot easier to accept. And that's
15:21before we even consider The Yacht Club,
15:23which I think is the best suite
15:24experience at sea and regularly costs
15:26considerably less than comparable suites
15:28on Royal Caribbean while providing a far
15:30better experience. So, while Royal
15:32Caribbean delivers an exceptional
15:34vacation, and I understand why people
15:36are willing to pay more for it, MSC
15:37delivers an incredible amount in that
15:39experience for dramatically less money.
15:41And when I compare what you're spending
15:43against what you're getting in return,
15:45this category isn't even close. The
15:47point for value goes to MSC. With that,
15:50the final score is 6 to 2 with Royal
15:52Caribbean taking the crown. But, MSC put
15:55up a much stronger fight than what the
15:57score suggests. In fact, there are some
15:59areas where MSC has a legitimate
16:01advantage, particularly when it comes to
16:03drinks and value. With how aggressively
16:05MSC is improving its newer ships, I
16:07think this competition is only going to
16:10get more interesting. But, when you look
16:11at the complete picture, Royal Caribbean
16:14delivers a stronger overall cruise
16:16experience with better ships, more
16:18consistent entertainment, and more
16:20options for just about every type of
16:22cruiser, which means that in this
16:24head-to-head showdown, Royal Caribbean
16:26takes the win. But, here's the bad news.
16:27Even after figuring out which cruise
16:29line is better, you still have to know
16:31how to get the best possible deal on
16:33your cruise. And with cruise prices
16:35climbing over the past few years,
16:37getting that wrong can cost you a lot of
16:39money. But, the good news I've been
16:41looking closely at what's happening
16:42across the cruise industry, and there's
16:44a strong case that right now might be
16:47the best time to book a cruise in years.
16:49And in this next video, I'll explain
16:51exactly why, what's changing, and how
16:53you can take advantage of it before the
16:55opportunity passes. So, don't stop here.
16:58Watch that video next because the cruise
17:00you want to take could be a much better
17:02deal than you realize. I'll see you over
17:05there. If you're ready, I am. Let's go.

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