Hate to hear you are getting abuse from people for simply disagreeing with you. My wife and I appreciate you continuing to post videos with very useful info that had had a positive impact on multiple cruises.

I was booked on MSC in a balcony midship cabin for transatlantic. I booked 18 months in advance and had a great low price. 6 months before the cruise, I went to online to book excursions and my booking had disappeared. My travel agent looked into it and told me that MSC sold my cabin for a much higher price to someone else and just canceled my booking. NEVER AGAIN.

The problem is, Princess Cruises has to start putting its guests first. They need to hire someone who knows what their customers want and give them precisely that. Princess has one of the most loyal client base, and all they have been doing lately is slowly depleting it. Princess, we know you see this; stop messing around!

On disembarkasion, MSC detained my sister and I for almost 3 hours. They accused us of stealing the life jackets from the room. The accusation was so funny , I started laughing when I heard it was the reason they detained us. My sister and I travel very light . We each have one small suitcase. If they have a brain, they would have seen that there's no way a life jacket can fit in our suitcases. They didn't even apologize sfter finding out we didn't have their precious life jackets!!

A lot of these complaints can be chocked up to making the ships hold as many customers as possible yet not providing enough chairs, space etc. for the amount of people on board.

Surprised with the Princess Cruise reviews. Our experiences with Princess have been great! Excellent and attentive customer service, very good food, variety of entertainment, clean ship, and well planned excursions. We will gladly continue with Princess. The Medallion experience worked flawlessly.

I’ve taken over twenty cruises and would never sail on Princess again . Rude dining room staff and a cabin steward we had to ask be changed after several arguments about room issues. We were in a group of 16 and we all had issues. Never again!

I started cruising back in the 1980s. Even then, my travel agent steered me away from Costa, saying there were problems with food and service- noting instances of crew members cutting into food lines at the buffet! After more than forty cruises I’ve learned to ignore one-off bad reviews but to pay attention to the trends. Thanks for the great summary of current reviews, Ben!

I just did my first cruise with Holland America for our Alaska cruise. Very happy with everything! Staff was all so pleasant, did not encounter any rude staff, not a single rude one. Isn’t it amazing? They all served with a smile. Most of their staff are from all over the globe, Indonesians, Indians, Filipinos, Europeans.. very diverse and interesting. Food was very good. Entertainment was sufficient to keep us busy. I enjoy the smaller ship without all the fancy gimmicks. I have absolutely no complaints and now planning my next cruise with Holland America.

We been cruceing with MSC Divina, Meraviglia (my favorite) and Seaside and we are in love with the shows and such elegant boats yes maybe a little understaffed but overall experience was excellent we have no complaints and next Nov we doing MSC Magnifica so we'll let you know how is it and last but not least their story behind their Marine Reserve Ocean Cay what an honor be a part of it, look how they fix that dump site and brought back to life by MSC fixing Coral reefs and bringing 70,000 trees and now even birds not seen before are coming back 😊 I haven't heard from any other cruise line doing such a respectable effort to bring life back to that part of the Bahamas

You could say that the Costa situation is a shipwreck

Much of the deck space on some of the big ships is taken up by the addition of a floating funfair and haven type areas leaving insufficient space for sunbeds around the pool. I personally prefer the smaller ships that offer a different less hectic experience.

I went on a Princess cruise in 2018 and then again this year. I didn't notice any difference. I had no problems, thoroughly enjoyed my cruises. I also didn't rush to give them a 5 star review. I got off the ship satisfied I had a great cruise and never considered I should go on a review site and say how great it was. I've got another Princess cruise this November. I think review sites get more people who had a bad experience over those who had a good experience.

I have also found that there is a big difference between different ships in the same cruise line. Absolutely love you honesty and thank you for helping by sharing this info.

We took a Princess Transatlantic cruise this summer on Island Princess. We were super satisfied with service everywhere, food at the dining room and in general experience. Our Medallion app worked well, with minor glitches at times (not opening the cabin door). Princess used to be better somewhat, we remember the good old days. But we still hope they will go to the previous level if service and entertainment, once they’ve recovered from the pandemic-related difficulties. We are definitely going back to them!

The one thing I would add to this is that people generally tend to submit online reviews when they're not happy about something. When everything goes as planned we usually forget about it soon after.

Thank you for sharing this great information.

Canadian here. I've cruised three times with Costa - Eastern Med, Western Med, and India, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. The first two were great, I loved that it was an Italian ship. Price, ports, food, cabin and customer service were great and I really enjoyed hearing most of the passengers speaking languages other than English. I would agree that the entertainment is not as good as other cruise lines but that is not important for me as I'm usually exhausted from waking all day in the ports. The third cruise was on a very old ship, about to be retired, and the price was super low because of it. Cabin and food were not nearly as good and the ship was definitely run down. The ports were amazing though, and for the crazy low price I was happy. Oh, and the app worked fine on my phone. I would love to see you two go on one of the newer Costa shops to see for yourselves, and give us one of your very enjoyable reviews. I thoroughly enjoy your videos but I do wish you'd try some different cruise lines. 😘

Excellent video content. Thank you.

I love your channels. So much good information all in one (or two) spots. We went on our first and only Princess Cruise in 2018 and have one booked for 2025. I know Covid was a game changer for the industry and I really hope the cruise lines have addressed many of the issues by then. Thanks so much for your insights on the different lines.

Love Princess Cruises! Was on the Caribbean Princess and loved it so much we booked another Princess cruise for next year!

I can’t believe that anyone would pay thousands of dollars to go on a cruise where you get on a very big ship with thousands of people people that expect to be treated as they’re the only person on board. What could possibly go wrong ??!!!

Ben, glad you reposted this. You guys stay safe and healthy.... Cheers J

Our first experience with cruise ships was with Costa Classica in 2003. This experience got us addicted to cruising. Theme dinner every night it was a culinary experience. But when we took the Costa Concordia (3 years prior to the disaster) it was terrible, tables at the buffet weren’t cleaned, customer had to remove dishes themselves, employees were very unhappy. The only issue we had with Princess was getting out at every port, average 1.5 hours and wasn’t tender, why only god knows. Our worst experience lately was with NCL Encore (21 days) public space is for 2000 people and we were 4000. For example one pool can hold 30 persons. And so on.

I stopped cruising Princess a year ago. RCL and Celebrity both offer a much superior product in the same price category.

We sailed on a Princess ship a number of years ago. I hated the fact that all games, contests and events took place in the centrum. People were watching from the railings up above because the seats were taken up by passengers who knew the drill and appeared hours beforehand. The level of noise was ear piercing as the floors are marble and helped catapult voices into the rafters. The rooms were small by comparison and if you didn’t pay extra, you didn’t get any place to sit besides your bed. Yet, there are many vloggers who love the brand. I can’t understand why. Needless to say, we never sailed Princess again.

Great content, which more reviewers had your level of integrity! Good Job!!

I have sailed with Princess 24 cruises and must say the last 2 have been very disappointing, I also had to check my on board account daily as other people’s drinks were added to my account mistakenly, I travel alone and every night I would get charged for other people at my table, the service desk would rectify the mistakes but it was a hassle

The health dept failed Costa. They were one of the earlier ships with Covid. Princess has really raised their prices overall. The princess plus and premiere pkgs are high priced for what you get. They have taken services and restaurants that were free and charge for them now. The way around it is to buy an upgraded plus or premier pkg. Then it's given to you but with limits. Their goodwill and service to loyal customers means nothing now. Princess management is way out of touch and ruining their facilities and services for profit. Many people have left them, not to return.

Seems like the safe bet with Princess & MSC (even NCL, Celebrity, Holland, Carnival & RCCL) is to book their newest ships only!!! I’d give it 6 months after inaugural sailing to let them get all of the kinks worked out. I read a lot of reviews & watch a lot of youtube channels about cruising and it seems like the cruise lines throw the best at the new ships (food, staff, performers, etc.) bc of the press surrounding the first year or two of a new ship.

Thank you for honest and enjoyable programming!

I've sailed on 65 cruises in 34 years, on at least 10 cruise lines, both current & previous! I've found the European based cruise companies simply hate to give anything away for free! When they first started serving the american market, they refused to understand that Americans expect things to be 'included' & not extra! Until they accept this concept, Americans will be unhappy!

We saw all the negative reviews of MSC cruises, but decided to see for ourselves on a 7 day Med cruise on the Seaview from Barcelona in May and my wife and 4 adult children, loved the ship, the crew, the service, the itinerary and especially the entertainment and overall buzz around the ship. They enjoyed the food, but accepted that it wasn’t to a high standard, just good. They did say the food was always hot enough and they gave the crew members high praise for their service and friendliness towards everyone.

The Princess app that is described as “useless” now costs money to ship and activate on board. Sudden cuts and shifty business practices seem to mark the Princess brand these days.

Ahoy ! SOOOO happy that I "stumbled upon" your new (this) channel, after being a subsciber for years on your main channel ! Of course I immediately subscibed here ! Thank you.... and Cheers !!

After 20 cruises on Princess I am shocked by this as well. Is there room for improvement, yes. But service has been excellent, food wonderful and the ships, although some of them older, very nice, clean and welcoming. I am so sorry everyone hasn't had the same experience we have had! Our loyalty remains unshaken at this point!!!

We took two Princess Cruises aboard Discovery Princess out of LA and loved both of them. 3rd one is planned for November. The Love Boat is amazing!!

As a child, I was a passenger on the first Princess ship, the Princess Patricia II, then the next year, the Princess Carla (the inspiration for 'The Love Boat' novel), and later the Island Princess and Pacific Princess many times. A common thread amongst the ships was that they usually carried no more than 700 passengers and had lots of outdoor space which resulted in a general feeling of tranquility on board. Prior to sailing, well-wishers were allowed on board and thrown streamers at the dock were a common bon voyage site. Passengers participated in a hat parade, where Princess supplied construction paper, glue, crepe paper, feathers, sequins, glitter, etc. and passengers constructed hats and then after the second dinner seating concluded and a few post-dinner cocktails, the passengers would parade around in front of the senior crew who were the judges. I can't recall what the prizes were, however, they must have been pretty good because EVERYONE, including children, participated. Scavenger hunts were another big hit on Princess Cruise ships, along with a multitude of other forms of entertainment . . . while on the Princess Carla, I recall seeing 'The Wrecking Crew' in the main theatre, starring Dean Martin and Sharon Tate . . . a few weeks later, the Manson Murders occurred. On a lighter note, casinos were popular . . . while also on the Princess Carla, I won $100 which was the talk of the ship, considering I was barely 8 years old! I was given a tour of the Princess Carla's bridge and was even allowed to steer the ship . . . I wonder if that is still offered today? I doubt it. While on the Princess Patricia II, we were allowed to fish off the side of the ship when in port . . . I think I caught a Perch. As for the interior of the ships . . . they weren't considered plain, but rather nautical; at the time, I don't think anyone expected a ship interior to replicate a hotel. Passengers were excited about the experience of seeing new sites and sailing on the ocean. I don't recall televisions in the rooms . . . maybe a radio and a telephone for room service. The rooms had real portholes. When the weather was August hot in Mexico, the dining moved to the outdoors on the deck . . . milk was kept cold by placing ice into the glasses. While on the Princess Carla, the tides shifted and our departure was delayed and we were unable to leave Acapulco until the next morning . . . the ship sat on a sandbar and in virtually no water at the dock. It, too, was the talk of the ship. A popular shore excursion was touring Puerto Vallarta and seeing the 'Bridge of Love' which linked Richard Burton's and Elizabeth Taylor's homes . . . my grandmother insisted on seeing it! I made friendships from cruises that have lasted decades . . . a smaller ship encouraged a small town feeling where you often were able to get to know a good percentage of other passengers. The takeaway is that, in my opinion, today's ships are too large and carry too many people and suffer from accelerated wear and tear and staffing challenges. For some reason, the perception amongst cruisers is that the 'smaller' ships are inferior . . . I say not so . . . the smaller ships can oftentimes offer a richer experience . . . just give them a chance . . . if you can find one.

A great review. Thank you. I am now doing land holidays . My last cruise was so terrible that I am now just turned off cruising.

Excellent video Ben.

We went on a Mediterranean cruise via MSC Meraviglia and it was a very enjoyable one. Nothing like these complaints at all. The ship was new and clean, and the staff was pleasant. I have been wanting to go on an ocean cruise soon and I am thinking of using MSC again.

We have cruised with Holland America and Royal Caribbean. This year we tried Princess. It was definitely the worst. Our balcony cabin felt cramped, and had numerous problems. The electricity went out once, the plumbing went out twice, and they didn’t get the AC working till halfway through the cruise. The much hyped app and medallion were less than useless. I tried ordering snacks and drinks three times. Each time I waited 2 hours but nothing was delivered. Easy boarding was promised, as we were “ocean ready,” but boarding was a two hour ordeal waiting in lines in a hot un-air conditioned terminal. Basically they promised a great deal but delivered very little. Never again!

Honestly, I am not surprised to hear this about Princess. Don from Don's family vacations is a big Princess guy and yet even he seems at times to be at his wits end with him, like their quality has gone out the window. I think the problem with all the lines in general is that they are cutting corners more often, and trying to do more with less to the point where service is being sacrificed. As for Costa and MSC...not even a surprise. While MSC tries to act like a mainline brand, both are really budget brands, the modern day equivalent of the Big Red Boat, which isn't bad, but they need to advertise themselves that way instead of acting like they are a premium experience.

Thank you once again for your honest commentary. I enjoy reading / watching several different Cruise bloggers as each has a different perspective. I have definitely noticed that in the past 10 years my rating has gone from about a 4.1 to 3.5, and in the past 6 months to a 3.0. What would it take to make me give up mainstream cruising? Probably ask or any lower than 3.0. I will give it a go in 2024 with few expectations.

We sail with Princess in 6 weeks but we booked in March 2022 and paid in full then. They have sat on our money all that time. Our choice I know. Book early we thought and show some loyalty. Now they decide to change all their packages. When we booked we had no choice, it was one option. You’d think that they would honour existing bookings but no. Pay another £498. No chance. If room service and using the app was part of our booking back then we feel it should still be now. The things they have added is different, we didn’t pay for the juice bar etc but the things included should bloody well still be.

A group of 16 of us went on MSC Meraviglia in June and we all loved it! Sure, it was busy, but we never had to wait more than a couple minutes for a drink. There were 5,000 people on board, but I wouldn't have thought so if I hadn't heard the number. All of the staff were wonderful and the ship was gorgeous! We loved the food!

I booked our second MSC cruise today. The first was on Magnifica and was superb.

We have loved our MSC cruises and can't wait for our upcoming Norway cruise on the new Euribia ❤

We cruised on the Virtuosa earlier this year. It is certainly a beautiful ship but the noise in the public areas was so loud in the evenings and in the restaurant we could not bear to stay there. Our accessible cabin had a pair of camp beds which slid across the floor every time we sat on them. Not a lot of use for a disabled person.

2 weeks since a cruise on the Emerald Princess to Hawaii from Los Angeles. I can only give 2.5 stars. There was a lot of deferred maintenance (duct tape holding things together). The food was a notch less good from our previous cruise. The Medallion App is really a waste of space. Don't try to order a lunch to be delivered to you poolside. It took us 1.5 hours to get a terrible, terrible sandwich. I could go on and on about poor entertainment and such, but suffice it to say this was our last Princess cruise.

Enjoy your videos, my wife and I try to go on a cruse once a year. Thanks for the heads up. We are in our 70's

Very informative

Surprised about Princess. We are mostly Disney cruisers but we were on the Ruby Princess recently, an older and smaller ship, and we really enjoyed it. We are looking for a quiet relaxing experience, not a lot of activities, so not necessarily typical cruisers. The mdr food was very good. Buffet was awful but there were other good breakfast and lunch options. We loved the concerts with a great cover band. Bar service tended to be slow due to huge crowds and not enough staff, but the order online delivery bit helped with that. I had a very minor plumbing issue that was fixed immediately and they still gave me a generous onboard credit. Good value for the price, would definitely do it again.

More space for us! On Costa, MSC and Princess! Thanks for the vid.

We came back off a Costa cruise just three weeks ago. I think the exact opposite of your views. We had a fantastic time, food was excellent in restaurant and buffet, staff brilliant! I am always amazed at how staff manage to communicate with so many different languages.admittingly there were many young staff on this cruise and I understood many were first time cruisers but all were helpful. Organisation I found perfect and being as I've owned and run a restaurant in Italy for 25years, I count myself as a good judge. Well done Costa, I will certainly travel with you again.

We had a lovely time on a recent Princess cruise. Our only real complaint was about ordering through the medallion. Drinks took 30 minutes or more and one room service order was cancelled after a nearly 2 hour wait.

I did a cruise with Costa in Brazil some time ago and it was simply amazing. The food was absolutely delicious, the ship was very clean, on board services were very good, entertainment was awesome... I don't know if it has something to do with the fact that a big portion of the crew was brazillian, but I had a great time and it was certainly worth the money.

What a shocker for Princess. We have booked for October 2024 doing the Canada and New England cruise on Enchanted Princess. Let's hope they sort things out ASAP including having a rethink on the casual dining charges etc.

My good friend just returned from a cruise with MSC sailing from Brooklyn, NY. She seemed relatively pleased with her experience but then that this was her first cruise and had nothing to compare it with. I have been on the Royal Caribbean and have nothing but good memories. Thanks for your objective review.

Have done one cruise on Costa. We got a free upgrade from an interior cabin to a balcony cabin. Never had that happen before or since. Thanks Costa. I've done 3 or 4 Princes cruises and enjoyed them all. However, I will admit that I'm a pretty easy guy to please.

We found cruises started lacking in food quality and service on Carnival when Automatic Gratuity was placed on billing. In the MDR staff didn’t give the attention and friendliness attitude once that we received. Service with a smile disappeared. Cabins are not given the attention of detail cleaning. We used to tip above the suggested amount given by cruiselines. We were given Seperate envelopes for different categories of crew staff to tip. Now mediocre service can be given and it all Pays The Same. Incentives have been takin away along with pride in one’s work ethic. Food looks delicious,but taste so bland. Cruising has definitely changed for us.😮

I've been on two cruises with Costa. Both were pre-covid, so more recent cruisers may have had a different experience. I thoroughly enjoyed our cruises. Mind you, I'm half Italian, so the cultural bit might come into it. I got good service from the staff because I spoke to them mostly in Italian.

...btw, if you want a really bad cruise experience, try Celestyal or Margaritaville at Sea.

Honestly, nothing would get me on a Costa Cruise! Thank you for the video!

Had my first and last cruise on the Enchanted Princess August 2022. It took 3 hours to get on board during which time I had given up the will to live. Had uploaded all info online before boarding but still had to have my photo take 3 times at the terminal. Ship didn't have enough venues for the amount of passengers on board, those they did have were so crowded we couldn't get anywhere near. The food was beyond pig swill and we played a daily game "guess the desserts today" we got it right every time, chocolate brownies and cookies that we witnessed being slapped on the plate by a crew member who really did not want to be there. Never again.

My first cruise in 2009 was on the MSC Poesia, the ship was beautiful, everything was immaculate. The entertainment was not memorable but I don't remember it being bad, they had a european style disco club (looked like the movie EuroTrip) which was lots of fun. My families biggest problem was the food, they had a buffet that had ridiculous hours, only set dinning times in the MDR which was quite late and I do not remember any specialty restaurants . If you left the ship for the day you would miss the lunch but dinner wouldn't be served for hours and there was many hours which food literally was not available! We cruised NCL 1 year later and the difference was striking, multiple specialty restaurants, MDR which you could just show up and eat, trademarked entertainment (Blue Man Group) and the Blue Lagoon with unlimited chicken wings and Pie.

Dude, you're awesome! 1st time I've seen you and I thoroughly loved the video. Too bad there are always trolls out there waiting to attack. Keep up the good work!😊

I've sailed MSC three times in a row (Seaview, Preziosa, World Europa). Three of the best cruise experiences I've ever had. And I've sailed on RCI, Celebrity, Cunard, HAL, NCL, Princess. Entertainment was so-so, food was better on the MSC Word Europa. No problems with service. By the way: My worst cruise experience was on the much acclaimed HAL (on the old Rotterdam). On MSC (in my opinion) you get more for your money. Especially as a solo cruiser.

After 13 cruises on Princess, we are done with them, their customer service is atrocious. Some of their older ships are not well maintained and they don’t answer their dining line when your put in quarantine. They don’t stand behind their product and when things go wrong they walk away rather than resolve the issue. They went from our favourite cruise line to our least favourite. My opinion is that Celebrity offers a similar experience but with much better customer service. Princess has become an overpriced budget cruise line.

Just voted for you guys on the World of Cruising Wave Awards!!! 🤞🤞🤞

When the video started I said to myself, who is this new adorable, young man talking about cruising? ♥♥

Ben I didn’t know you had a second channel. Love to see it.

I sailed with princess in May for an 8-night sailing and by day 5 we could barely find anyone who wasn’t ready to get off the ship already. It was a disappointment at every step, but we thought it was a one off but have been seeing more and more negative reviews that were similar to our experience.

For the record we did our world cruise on Island Princess finished on April 27. It was a great experience and the Princess standard was always kept. 111 days, food was good fresh and varied, entertainment was first class and the staff was absolutely terrific. We have 3 more Princess cruises booked! And, the medallion App worked wonderfully for the whole cruise.

RC cruise on Odyssey this past spring. Exceeded my expectations in all regards.

I took my first cruise (11 days to Alaska, Inside passage) with Crown Princess. REALLY loved it. Food was always good and varied, fruits and salads were fresh. I found that the service was almost too attentive. Felt quite spoiled. I had an inside cabin and even though I can't say it was luxurious, it was very comfortable. Thinking of going to Hawaii (16 days Ruby Princess) just because I enjoyed the experience so much. At Sea days were great because besides enjoying the ship, I enjoy the ocean.

We did our first three cruises ever on Costa while living in Germany. Having nothing to compare it to, we enjoyed ourselves overall. I’m not a big fan of formal dining, but it was OK. I never really found the staff rude, but my fellow passengers were another story. Since returning to the US, we’ve cruised exclusively on Norwegian and have really enjoyed our experiences. I’m not sure I’d ever cruise on Costa again having seen something better.

I just was on the Enchanted Princess, Aug 2023 and I was dissatisfied. Our mini suite had a bad mildew/mold odor and we let guest services know immediately. It was never resolved, as soon as the bleach odor evaporated the mold smell was back. Also the app was horrible, did not work at all or was slow. Drink service was slow, at least half an hour or more and there were times our ordered drinks did not arrive at all. I personally think they were trying to limit drinks on the package. When we went down to guest services on final day and asked why they had not offered us another room because of the mold smell they said there was no record of us ever complaining about it. We were at guest services daily complaining about the smell. They said they couldn't do anything for us about compensation on the ship and I should contact the cruiseline after I was home. The staff overall was not the friendliest with very few exceptions, our room steward was exceptional. This was my 4th cruise, the first one with Princess and I don't think we will sail with them again.

You are the best thank you so much for your kind help

Going on Coral Princess early December for a mini cruise. Coral Princess is currently the second oldest ship in the fleet. I will give you a very honest review. Just keep in mind my only other cruise was on Sitmars Fairstar as a 14 year old in the early 80s 😂 I have done a huge amount of cruise line ship research but I do not have much experience.

I'm a wheelchair user and Norwegian swore up and down that the handicap balcony was accessible. They outright lied. I'm going on a cruise with Princess next year and the KZfaq videos show that it's 100% accessible.

I can personally confirm some of the critique of MSC. On a 2019 Northern Europe cruise out of Kiel... Definitely the staff is overworked, but to their credit, they tried not to show it. The Mereviglia was a very nice ship and food in the dining room and specialty restaurants was nothing to complain about. Entertainment in the theater was weaker than any other cruise I've been on. Overall, it was a decent value

This is great, you really explain the problems and stress you are really clear,I agree we've sailed these lines yes they do have problems, Silversea was really not what we expected food, service and so much more,we already cancelled our next cruise with them, Viking really works very nicely.

Did a Princess cruise in 2018 to Polynesia and ya, it was lacklustre. It was an old ship that was being refurbished at sea! No mention of that inconvenience at booking, so was put off that parts of the ship were cordoned off to facilitate maintenance and upgrades (ex. painting/new carpeting). Have never had any further interest to board a Princess ship since then. First impressions really do stick!! Great review as usual! Thank you!

We've done several cruises with Princess others. I think that our attitude towards cruising is changing. We are more disappointed now than we have ever been. Still, we are taking a repositioning cruise with Cunard to England and another cruise back to the US with Celebrity in the fall. We see them as less expensive and more entertaining than a business class ticket. Finally, we have another cruise on Oceania in December of 2024 and look forward to the culinary experience. There are so many ways to cruise, from mega ships with slides and rides to more intimate cruising with luxury and ultra-luxury cruise lines. These all have a place but it's never good when a line positions itself as a luxury company either through advertising or by cost and under delivers.

After many cruises, I relaized that even within the same cruise line ships themselves varied in quality. Of the 3 cruise lines we have done, all had great ships and just so-so ships. Specially when it came to service and the staff.

Great video. We had a wonderful time in MSC but only because we were in the Yacht Club. Service, food were excellent. I wouldn’t sail again unless I was able to afford the Yacht Club

It is always an interesting perspective about Costa. So often it is the American traveler that is hyper critical because Costa is a European product and caters to their affinity. I haven't sailed on Costa since 1987. It was pre Carnival, and was good fun: Toga parties, italian style nights, I dont remember the food being 'SPECTACULAR" but I also dont remember being revolted by it.. I definitely will try the new products though. l will try to get on all the ships as I engage in my new part time cruise agent career...

We booked Princess for a long European cruise because the itinerary looked good and the deposit was very low. But then we heard some not so good reviews and within a week, they made that new change (last week) to their packages and previously complementary items. I lost faith and booked Viking instead, even though it’s a lot more money, this is an important trip to us and we want to get it right.

Don't like being conned by bait and switch low life at Princess. We learn our lessons well. We have dumped Princess for future cruises and choosing Holland America, amongst others.

Oh no, we're going on our first Costa cruise in October, fingers crossed it isn't as bad as the reviews say! We tried MSC for the first time this year too, and it was just too busy for us, the ship was lovely though.

Done 15 Disney and 8 RCCL. We decided to give MSC a try for the first time in June 2023. The Seascape was beautiful and we had no complaints even though the food was hit or miss. We had a great vacation.

I have enjoyed MSC but they definitely need more staff for the amount of passengers, it's so hard to get seats or drinks anywhere.

I've been on MSC in the Yacht Club and as a regular passenger. I didn't know I was on the same line. If you're not in the Yacht Club, stay away. I never saw dirt though. Usually they are always cleaning.

We were on the Sky P transatlantic in November 2022. We gave this 5 Stars. Food was good to excellent and staff went beyond expectations. Never had to wait for a server to ask us if we needed a drink. 2200 passengers on board so lower than the 3500 capacity. Going on the Emerald November 2023. Will see about the changes. We do agree that the app is the weakest link.

Excellent video. Let's hope Princess can improve.

I feel people with a negative opinion are more likely to write a review so the data can be skewed somewhat. Some people are also serial complainers. On every cruise, we’ve always encountered some negative points but never feel the need to write a scathing review. We mainly sail with Princess and did feel standards had slipped on our cruises last year. This June, on Sky Princess, we felt the experience was much improved and felt akin to pre-Covid cruises. Unfortunately all cruise lines are trying to recover pandemic loses hence the worse service and increased nickel and diming. I also feel many expect cruise standards from 20 years ago at the same price as they paid back then too.

Some of these I expected. One was a complete surprise.

I read recently that the series "The Good Ship Murder" is made on board the MSC Virtuosa (2023) and other MSC cruise ships, I believe. I have not cruised but love watching your vids on cruising and will keep watching. You give great honest information and you're both so funny to listen to... very entertaining. I will, if I do ever get on a cruise ship, remove MSC from the list of cruises I might try. Unless I hear they improve in future. It just sounds to me like 6000 is way too many people for any real quality treatment.

Princess is my favourite. A friend of mine was currently on Costa firenze. Catastrophic!