this cruise certainly needs a lot of work

THE FOOD AT DINNER:                            First of all, in general, there was not enough food to feed a bird.   The first night, we had lamb chops; two little pieces of chops, two tiny potatoes, and some vegetables was just not adequate.  The chops were quite good, I thought, but just not enough to make a meal out of.   My wife and I were quite disappointed in this, since one of the expectations of a cruise is good food and in adequate portions.   We ordered a bottle of wine prior to the waiter taking our food order, but the wine did not arrive to our table until we finished eating, even though I reminded the waiter two additional times during the meal.

                              On the second evening, one of the choices was Filet Mignon.  Before placing our order, the waiter announced to the table that the chef recommends the filet be cooked “well done.”   Since when has it been that a filet mignon should be cooked in that fashion?   I ordered my meat medium rare, as a steak should be.  However, it was a small piece and it was tough.  Filet Mignon is the best of cut of meat and so, why was it tough?   I would assume that it was cooked well before hand and just re-heated for dinner.  Or, maybe it was meat from a very old cow purchased very cheaply.   And the reason it was suggested that we order well done was to hide the fact that it was tough.

                              On the third evening, we ordered chicken.  We were disappointed so far, with the first two evenings, and so we thought, how can you go wrong with chicken?   Well, I guess it can be done, because the chicken breast was dry and tough. Another wasted evening, if not for the company of the guests at our table.

                              The fourth evening, we had prime rib.  For a change and to our surprise, it was rather good.  Not excellent, but far above what the previous meals were.

                              The fifth evening, we had dinner at the 1919 Restaurant at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan and it was excellent.  Perhaps you should try it sometime.

                              The final evening’s meal was a total disaster.  My choice from the menu was Pad Thai.  I love Pad Thai and have had this in many restaurants around the country.  When I asked about it, before ordering, the waiter’s only comment was that we should order two plates because one plate surely wouldn’t be enough.  He was right on that, but whatever he brought was not Pad Thai.  In fact, I didn’t know what it was.  The waiter thought it was a Chinese sort of Pad Thai.  If that was the case, then why wasn’t it called Pad China?  I want you to know that Pad Thai is not a spoonful of angel hair pasta, some green salad with a sprig of parsley and a very crisp strip of bacon.  There’s more to it than that.

                              May I recommend that you considering all the above.  I would also recommend to you that you replace your top chefs and the line of managers under the top chef.   I have been on Celebrity ships and the Princess Line prior to MSC, and both of the others had excellent food preparation, at all the meals.  

BREAKFAST:                  On the first three days, we tried to have a decent breakfast before starting out on our day.  In fact, by the time we collected what it was we wanted to eat and made it to our table, the eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausages were cold.  To be totally forthright, on the third day, we started eating and since the food was cold, we just left it and walked away very disappointed.  That was our last full breakfast on board.  

                              We noticed that the food was already lukewarm when it was sitting in the trays at the buffet.  One morning, I had waited for the bacon tray to be replaced in lieu of the empty one, only to find that it was just warm, rather than hot.  To me, this means that it sits around in the kitchen before someone decides to bring it out.    

                              There seems to be a problem here with the design of the eating area, I think.  The best design would be food stations of course, if that could be done.   Another would be to alter the two food lines, which currently start at the front of the kitchen and work their way towards the rear.   What if the lines started from front to rear, in that one line started in front and along one side and the other started at the rear along the other side?

STATEROOM:                 This was tight, very tight.  I guess the Company wanted to save some money.  Again, on both Celebrity and Princess, the cabins were substantially more spacious.  In our cabin aboard MSC, there wasn’t even a chair to sit on.  Watching the election on TV was from the edge of the bed . . . not very comfortable.  On both of the other lines, we had a small couch in our stateroom, where we could relax.   Storage space was adequate, but hard to get to with the way the doors opened.  And the balcony was quite small as well.   

ENTERTAINMENT:                     There was a lot of entertainment and it and should have been enough for anyone.   But, it was so loud that one soon decided to get out.   This wasn’t in only one bar, but in every, last, bar.   When we go on a cruise, rather than going to the theatre we like to go to the bar, have a beer or two, just relax and listen to the music.  We couldn’t do that here because the sound was blaring.  I would say that the average age of the passengers was about 50.  How many of these people want to listen to such loud music.  But here is where it is easy for you to determine whether the entertainment you hired works; just check the receipts for each evening.   I would venture to say that your income from this source was meager at best, barely covering the cost of the performers.  We walked through each bar several times during the cruise, and kept walking.  I noticed that most seats were empty; the bars were not filled considering the amount of passengers on board.   My recommendation to you would be to fire the teenager who looks after your entertainment because he/she is costing you money.

DESTINATIONS:            The reason we booked a cruise on your ship was because there was a two day layover in Puerto Rico.  This is what the schedule indicated.   It was not until the evening before we docked that I found out the schedule was a misprint.

Many people were confused, not only us.       

NOTE:                 On disembarkation, we were going through customs and the customs agent asked how our trip was.  I shook my hand to indicate so-so, although I really thought it was much less.   He then asked how the food was, and we told him that it left much to be desired.  He said that everybody coming off this ship was saying the same.   There you have it.