MSC has gotten into the cruise business too quickly. The CEO's and designers apparently have never sailed on their own ships! If they did they would be shocked and appalled. The design is terrible. The idea of the Yacht Club, while good, falls short of the elegance that the line is trying to portray. Again, the staff is wonderful, but they can only work with what is given them. MSC is known as a cargo line. People are not cargo. If MSC wants to really gain the North American traveler, they need to research other longstanding and experienced lines to see what MSC is missing on their ships.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
There was apparently a delay, so the embarkation was okay.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food on MSC was not consistent. Some courses were good, some not. Meals sometimes did not come out hot. The buffet in the Pool Bar in the Yacht Club was fair at best. It was much better the last time we sailed on the Divina. Desserts, cakes, are dry . I often remarked that they need a Duncan Hines box cake! Drinks in the Yacht club were good. The buffet in the main part of the ship is terribly laid out and not at all fit for any kind of comfortable dining.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We used the pool and hot tub in the Yacht Club. They were very lovely. However, I would never go "steerage" because the deck chairs around the main pool were on top of one another. So much so that you had to dive into them! Very poor arrangement.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
They tried hard. The shows were okay. It was very interesting that before each production show never make an announcement in English. The announcements are in Spanish, Italian, Portugese, French and German...no English.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff on board could not do enough for us. They are wonderful! All of the people in the Yacht Club were terrific! They really are too good to be working for this line!
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
If there was a rating lower than one star, I would give it here. The layout on the decks that provide entertainment, shopping as well as small entertainment venues is horrible. It is very difficult to walk around. The Photography area is narrow and difficult to manuever. There were areas where you could only walk single file in order to get through! Whoever designed this ship has never sailed on it, walked these decks, never eaten in the general buffet area and has never sunned on the lounges that are stacked on top of one another.They also never laid on the lounge chairs in the Yacht Club. They have a bar just at where you sit that digs into your back. We had to place a wadded towel to make it somewhat comfortable.The evacuation system needs to be looked at as well. There was a stink in our cabin that they had to flush with hot water and soap every few days.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We love this large cabin. The only thing that is wrong with it is that it is not directly in the Yacht Club. But, MSC has rectified this on other ships.
Ship tip
Never book "steerage". If you travel and want some semblance of a good time, book only in the Yacht Club.
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