MSC vs Princess Cruises: An Honest Comparison After Sailing Both

Most cruise comparisons are written by people who’ve sailed one line and guessed at the other. This one isn’t.

Our own numbers tell the story: the 17-night MSC Seashore transatlantic cost $2,155 for two in an inside cabin — about $63 per person per night, all meals included. Our 8-day Discovery Princess sailing came to $1,605 for two in a balcony — roughly $100 per person per night. Part of that gap is the cabin category, but even adjusting for it, Princess runs meaningfully higher per night.

We’ve sailed three MSC ships — the Seashore across the Atlantic, the Fantasia in the Mediterranean, and the Sinfonia around the Greek Islands — and Discovery Princess on the Mexican Riviera. (Our fifth cruise, on Celestyal, is a different story for a different article.) That’s over 40 nights at sea between the two lines, which is enough to see past the marketing.

Short version: MSC wins on price and embarkation. Princess wins on food, service, and overall feel. Here’s the full picture.

Quick Comparison: MSC vs Princess

Cruise line	MSC Cruises	Princess Cruises	Winner
Food quality	Good buffet, solid included dining	Refined, flavourful — clearly a step up	Princess
Embarkation	Time slots — smooth and organised	Open 11–15:00 — can get crowded	MSC
Adult zone	Newer ships have one, decent	Large pool, multiple jacuzzis, very quiet	Princess
Service	Friendly and attentive	Higher level — breakfast brought to you proactively	Princess
Cabins	Depend on ship age — modern on newer ships	Depend on ship age — modern on newer ships	Tie
Entertainment	Excellent on all ships	Excellent + cooking show — a highlight	Princess
Price	Generally lower	Generally higher	MSC
Overall feel	International, lively	One class higher — more refined	Princess

Food: The Biggest Difference Between the Two Lines

If there’s one area where Princess Cruises clearly outperforms MSC, it’s the food. And it’s not a small gap.

MSC’s included dining is good — the fixed-seating dinner system has its own charm. The buffet is generous, the main restaurants are solid, and you won’t go hungry. But Princess operates at a noticeably higher level. The flavours are more refined, the presentation is more considered, and the ingredients feel a step up. Small things stick in the memory: delicate chocolate puddings, fresh mussels, tuna prepared properly. The kind of food that makes you look forward to dinner — a full Princess dinner evening looks like this.

If food matters to you on holiday — and on a cruise, where most meals are included, it should — Princess is the stronger choice.

Embarkation: MSC Does It Better

This is one area where MSC has a clear advantage. MSC assigns embarkation time slots — typically one-hour windows spread across the afternoon — which means the terminal never becomes overwhelmed and the process moves efficiently. You arrive, you board, you’re on the ship without a long wait.

Princess uses an open embarkation window, typically 11:00 to 15:00, with no assigned times. In practice, this means a significant number of passengers arrive at the same time and the terminal gets congested. It’s manageable, but noticeably less smooth than MSC’s approach.

For a stress-free start to the trip, MSC’s time-slot system is the better model.

Adult Zones and Pools

Both lines have dedicated adult areas, but Discovery Princess set a high bar. The adult zone on Discovery Princess features a large, quiet pool and several jacuzzis — genuinely peaceful, well away from the main pool deck energy. On a warm-weather sailing, this becomes one of the best spots on the ship.

MSC’s newer ships — including MSC Seashore — also have a separate adult area, but it doesn’t quite match the Princess version in size or atmosphere. On MSC’s older ships, the adult zone is more limited.

Worth noting: if the adult pool matters to you, check which MSC ship you’re booking. The experience varies significantly between the older and newer fleet.

Service: Princess Feels a Class Higher

Staff on both lines are friendly and professional. But Princess Cruises operates at a higher service level in a way that’s hard to miss.

The clearest example: at breakfast on Discovery Princess, staff would come to top up coffee and bring additional items without being asked — and this was standard service, not something reserved for suite passengers or those with a drinks package. It’s a small thing, but it changes the feel of the experience noticeably. On MSC, service is attentive when you engage with staff; on Princess, it’s more proactively anticipating what you need.

Cabins: It Depends on the Ship

This is the one category where neither line wins outright, because cabin quality on both MSC and Princess depends more on the age of the ship than the cruise line itself.

Newer ships on both lines have modern, well-designed cabins with good storage, updated bathrooms, and current technology. Older ships on both lines show their age. We’ve stayed in cabins on MSC Seashore (new, excellent), MSC Sinfonia (older, more basic), MSC Fantasia (mid-range), and Discovery Princess (newer, very comfortable).

Our advice: check the build year of the specific ship — ship age matters more than the line and cabin type matters more than both.

Entertainment: Both Excellent, Princess Has One Highlight

MSC and Princess both invest heavily in onboard entertainment — Broadway-style shows, acrobatics, live music, and daily activity programmes. The quality on both lines is genuinely high, and neither disappoints in the evenings.

The one standout on Princess was a daytime cooking show — a proper demonstration by the ship’s chefs, with tasting and audience participation. It was one of the most enjoyable hours of the whole sailing. MSC offers cooking demonstrations too, but nothing quite at that level of production.

Price: MSC Is the Better-Value Line

MSC Cruises is generally the more affordable option. For comparable itineraries and cabin types, MSC tends to come in lower — sometimes significantly so. That price advantage is part of why MSC has become one of the most popular lines for European travellers, and why it makes sense as a starting point for first-time cruisers.

Princess commands a premium, and based on our experience, the premium is justified — particularly for the food and service. Whether it’s worth it depends on your budget and what you prioritise. For a honeymoon or a special occasion, Princess feels worth the extra cost. For a first cruise or a trip where you’re spending most of your time ashore, MSC offers excellent value.

What We Actually Paid: MSC vs Princess

Detail	MSC Seashore	Discovery Princess
Route	17-night transatlantic	8-day Mexican Riviera
Cabin	Inside	Balcony
Fare for two	$2,155	$1,605
Per person per night	~$63	~$100
What’s included	All meals, shows, pools, water park	All meals, shows, pools

Different cabin categories and routes — a direct comparison isn’t perfect, but the per-night gap held across everything we experienced.

Which Cruise Line Should You Choose?

Choose MSC if: you want strong value for money, you’re cruising for the first time, or you’re spending most of your time exploring ports rather than living on the ship. MSC’s route network is extensive — particularly in Europe and the Mediterranean — and the newer ships are genuinely impressive.

Choose Princess if: food and service quality matter to you, you’re planning a longer sailing where onboard experience is central, or you want that slightly more refined atmosphere. The higher price reflects a real difference in what’s on the plate and how you’re looked after.

We’ve enjoyed both lines, and we’d sail both again. But if someone asked us which felt like the better cruise — purely on the experience aboard — Princess would win.

FAQ: MSC vs Princess Cruises