We weren't sure what to expect as cruising is new to us. It was structured, but organized. We had a great time. The bartenders were a "little" slow with making the drinks and some seemed more interested in socializing with the customers vs. making sure all customers were being helped. The pool was small, but surprisingly it wasn't that crowded and we were able to find a lounge chair and enjoy ourselves by the pool several times during our trip. The ports of call were fun - and the cruise director had a "show" on the TV where he would explain the activities of the day - which helped keep us on track. The lines for the gelato stand were always very long, so we had to wait at least 15 minutes before getting to the front, but it was always worth it. The shows in the theater were enjoyable. Each night we would take a drink and sit outside the buffet restaurant and watch the waves and enjoy the night. A very relaxing way to end each night. Overall, the staff was helpful, food was "ok", accommodations were comfortable and we had a great experience on the MSC Armonia. :)
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Fast, easy, and painless.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was average - wish there was more variety especially with the buffett. More late night options. Pizza was great! The Marco Polo restaurant had some really good menu items as well. No real complaints, but nothing really stood out either.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
They were fun, energetic, and included the audience. Not exactly Broadway quality, but were overall very enjoyable.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service from our waiter (Suni?) at Marco Polo. Gave some great recommendations. Our room steward, Toto (sp?) was always friendly, helpful and promptly cleaned our room each day. Really great customer service!!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It was a little awkward having to walk through the restaurant to get to guest relations and the other side of the ship (i.e., theater, etc.). However, the staff did a good job keeping all common areas clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was much better than expected. Comfortable bed, water pressure was good. Shower of course was small, but it is what it is. Hair dryer was a little odd, but overall, for a small room, there was "enough" room. The large window was a nice surprise as well. Comfortable - no complaints.
Ship tip
For the tender ticket process, get there early as they do start giving them out earlier than posted. This will ensure an early departure (i.e, posted time to get tickets was 7:30 am, we got there at 7:00 am and got a ticket then). We ended up on the first tender.
Again, wish we had more time. Booked an excursion via 3rd party for a day at the beach. Did some additional snorkeling and had a good time. Again, wish there was more time. We left the beach a little early so we could go back to get some shopping before boarding back on the ship but there was a power outage which affected several blocks - so we weren't able to get souvenirs.
WOW! Can't really find the words. The process went smoothly. You do have to do an excursion each day you are in Cuba if you disembark. We did the vintage car city tour day 1 and the La Cubana fortress and city tour on day 2. Both were fantastic! We booked the Tropicana show for the 1st night by ourselves online before we left on the cruise which made that process hassle-free as well. The only down side to the vintage car tour is that you have to share the car (4 people besides driver) and that there was no real "guide" except for the meeting locations during the trip. i.e., our first stop was revolution square and the guide told us about that. The last stop (yes, only 2 stops) was at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which was nice, but we were limited to the bar area and just had a drink. The Tropicana show was amazing! We had dinner at a restaurant in Old Havana first, then took a taxi to the show. We paid the extra $5 in order to take pictures which is well worth it. We were snapping the whole night! A definite highlight of the trip. There is so much to see and we were so glad there were 2 days devoted to Cuba (which was the signalments reason why we selected the MSC Armonia - because of the itinerary to Cuba). It did not disappoint - at all! The fortress tour was so informative. Again, so much to see. We toured the fortress, saw the Christ statue, went to Revolution Square again along with Hotel Nacional de Cuba. We didn't know it included those stops as well, we thought it was just going to be the fortress. When we got back from that tour, we had wanted to check out La Floridita so we took a cab there but it was super crowded and we weren't able to spend any time there due to the crowds. Finding a place to eat lunch on that side of town was difficult. Menus were scarce and heavy on the seafood options. One tip - when you get off the ship and go through immigration, go down the staircase to the left - there will be more money exchange booths downstairs which are less crowded. A very easy process going to and from Cuba. Our excursions kept us so busy we didn't have any time to really shop. That's the only downside, but the experiences were so much more important. Architecture was amazing! Great visit!
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