Beautiful ship, beautiful ports we called at, but really MSC, sort out the sunbed saving situation..... many many people were left with nowhere to sit, while sunbeds are saved “just in case” someone decides to go on deck! its not fair....
Embarkation
5 out of 5
smooth, easy , helpful polite staff, perfect
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
i wish there was 3.5 stars really. The main dining room was good enough, the menu choices varied enough, unfortunately the service lacked a little, and was at times sporadic . for instance some days we waited 40 minutes for a glass of wine, and other days it was virtually poured as we sat down.... but all service was done with a smile :) The food could have been hotter , i assumed it travelled a long way to get to us . we did use the dining room most nights, we did the Butchers Cut speciality restaurant, but at $76 dollars for two, plus $15 for side orders, seems quiet pricey when you have in fact paid for your main dining room already, so actually that meal cost us around $120 .... was nice enough, but the steak in the main dining room was included, and just as tasty. Buffet was plentiful, tasty and so so much choice. Was rather chaotic and very crowded though, so eating in there was kept to a minimum for us.
Calumet Buffet
3 out of 5
the food is plentiful tasty and hot... but so crowded and chaotic in there..... we only called in for a light lunch a few times .
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
we only took part in some quiz afternoons, but it was all done on time, with a good atmosphere
Aqua Park
3 out of 5
Sunbed saving situation is terrible... hundreds (if not thousands) of sunbeds saved on every deck on “at sea” days, from as early as 7am, with no-one ever using the saved beds..... isn’t fair and shouldn’t be allowed !
Entertainment
4 out of 5
the theatre team were very good , there was some tribute nights which were fab, but some nights it was a little samesy. and the ventriloquist just was not my thing AT ALL!!!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
we felt all the staff were very friendly, ( except the guy doing the ice creams on the aqua park deck) and nothing was too much trouble. and always done with a smile.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
the ship was very clean, and moving around was easy with plenty of space in the walk ways etc. but the lift waits are horrendous at times. Sadly, MSC really needs to do something about the hundreds of sunbeds that people save at 7am, yet never return to all day!!!! so annoying when you ready to take to your place on deck for the day, yet cannot get a sunbed for rows and rows of towel covered ones!!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
the bed was very comfortable , the room was kept lovely and clean. it could be a little bigger, but you get what you pay for :)
The "Lounge Chair Criminals" is a an industry wide problem. Certainly, not just with MSC. We've been on many cruises on different cruise lines and seen the same thing occur time after time....some towels, a few personal belongings (a hat, a pair of sandals, a book, etc. thrown on a lounge chair. Hours and hours go by and no one shows up to use that lounge chair while other passengers are frustrated looking for a chair. Doesn't seem to be a solution to this problem other than passengers having a sense of fairness. Even if there were a pool area monitor or monitors, how many chairs can be watched. How do you know if someone put their stuff on the chair and decided to run in to the café for a cup of coffee, or forgot something in their cabin, or a host of other situations.... Sure, most of us could come to the conclusion that if there are lots of lounge chairs with stuff on them at 7 am, there's probably a bunch of "Chair Hogs" at work.
It just it a huge task to police this behavior. I have a distain for this, as you do, but how can this be stopped?
Well, we are glad to read that you did enjoy your cruise (aside from the lounge chair problem).
Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Totally agree with that chair reservers. Sadly it’s an issue on every ship. The only company I ever saw clearing a chair if unused for more than 30 min was celebrity.
Was on this same exact trip as you; I agree with you on some things and not so much on the others. I can’t comment on the shows as I never went to any of them nor did I even swim at the pool as it was always crowded and like you said no where to sit
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