Why Are MSC Cruises So Affordable?
Have you ever wondered why MSC cruise ships cost surprisingly less than the average cruise itinerary on the market?
You get to enjoy low prices and top-notch entertainment that is almost comparable to the top cruise ship lines like Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
How do MSC Cruises make this possible? Let’s untangle their processes and methods that help them keep low prices with equally enjoyable trips that pull cruisers onto their deck.
Brief Background of MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises, a Swiss-based company, is the world’s largest privately owned cruise line.
Founded in 1970, MSC offers cruises to a wide range of destinations, focusing on the Mediterranean Sea. MSC Cruises is a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Group, they primarily focus on shipping and logistics.
They have a large fleet of 22 modern ships that sail over 100 countries. And features elegant designs, gourmet dining, and family-friendly entertainment options. This makes them an attractive getaway for all types of travelers, from families to couples to solo cruisers.
MSC Group is also committed to environmental sustainability, with some of their ships using exhaust cleaning systems to reduce emissions and carbon footprints.
4 Reasons Why Are MSC Cruises So Affordable?
Now let’s analyze four reasons that help MSC Cruises maintain low cruise rates. And by low, we mean extremely low. They are offering 7-day cruising for the price range of $199 to $299, which is almost half of what other cruise lines offer.
Maximizing Passengers Onboard
The first and best strategy to make up for the low cruise rate is to increase the number of cruisers they invite onboard.
They do maximize the cruisers, but they need to be careful with that. They also need to ensure that their guests are not having a bad experience due to overcrowding.
They encounter this by calculating the space ratio. An average human needs a certain amount of space to be comfortable and enjoy himself. MSC Cruises makes sure that the space ratio is not reduced to an unbearable amount. The space ratio is calculated by dividing the number of cruisers by the gross tonnage of the ship.
Minimizing Crew Members
MSC Cruises has one of the highest passenger-to-crew ratios in the cruise line industry. The passenger-to-crew ratio is defined as the number of passengers divided by the number of crew members onboard the ship. A high ratio signifies that staff will have to serve more cruisers at time. The high passenger-to-crew ratio significantly cuts the cost of cruise lines, but it may impact the quality of service. MSC’s passenger-to-crew ratio is in the range of 3 to 4, depending on the ship.
Also Read: How Much Does Carnival Cruise Cost to Bahamas?
Additional Add-ons and Benefits
Add-ons and additional perks add significant amounts to their profits. According to the analysis, the price of onboard activities is almost equal to that of booking the cruise. You can also analyze this by yourself while you sail on MSC.
The profit collected by onboard activities helps MSC offer competitive prices on the market. MSC Cruises offers a variety of onboard experiences, specialty dining, and fun extravaganzas for kids.
On top of that, MSC offers eight wifi packages, dishes from all around the world, stand shows, excursions, racing activities, movies, drinks packages, and many more facilities tailored to the budget of passage onboard.
Reducing Cabin Size
Another great strategy that allows them to keep prices low is reducing cabin space. This allows MSC to utilize space in the best way possible.
The average cabin size at MSC Cruise is around 150 to 160 square feet. While ships of Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have cabin capacity of 160 to 172 square feet.
Apart from reducing cabin sizes, MSC also utilizes space by inducing staterooms into their ships. Staterooms are private living spaces, usually with more than one bed and closet.
Low Fare Prices With Some Limitations on Quality
MSC does have significantly low prices in the market, nonetheless, it does come with some drawbacks. You can’t expect the experience you get from lavish Carnival cruises.
Go through reviews, recommendations, blogs, and vlogs of similar trips you are deciding to venture on to get a sense of what you will be getting onboard.
Also Read: What drinks and beverages Azamara Cruise Line?
Conclusion
In the end, if you’re going for the cheapest option available, it’s better to have no expectations at all. Your expectations not getting fulfilled will add to your ordeal.
FAQs about MSC Cruise
1. What is the Best Ship of MSC?
Ans. MSC Euriba is considered the best ship provided by MSC. Check out the itinerary of the ship to get the most out of MSC at the lowest possible price.
2. Which are the Most Luxurious MSC Ships?
Ans. MSC Virtuosa and MSC Grandiosa are two of the best ships MSC has.
Also, Read: Best Carnival Cruise Ships for Families