Went on this cruise with no expectations other than to relax and have some good food. The ship and staff are both 5 star (although disorganized at times), but it would be a push to give the food 2 stars. On an Italian ship you would expect the pasta to be first class. All of the pasta dishes were overcooked to the point they were tough and stuck together. Most of the food in the buffet is cold even on the warming trays (a couple of burgers were still frozen in the middle.) The pizza in the buffet however is fantastic! We tried three different soups all of them were like water (inclding what they called chowder.
If you want to relax in a chair and read you better get a balcony room as all of the chairs have stuff on them by 7am. The entertainment was all musical tributes until the last night and then it was gymnastics. The problen with the musical tributes is they only had one person that could really sing. Very little to do on the ship. The daily planners only have minor changes each day (Trivia subject.) My 28 year old daughter said she was so bored she won't go back on MSC.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze. 15 minutes after we arrived at the port we were on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food in the buffet area was cold and bland other than in the ethnic section. Main dining room was a little better but several times we did not get our entre until just before we were chased out to make room for the 2nd sitting. The problem was not the wait staff, but the kitchen staff.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
If I had not purchased the fun card in advance the cruise would have been a total disaster. We purchased the card so we could bowl in the sports bar, but the lanes were out of service for the entire cruise. So we used it for the Formula 1 Simulator and 4D Cinema. Be advised without the card the simulator is $12 evertime you get in, and the 4D Cinema is $8 for a 5 minute full motion video. The good thing is the fun card is only $76 and covers everyone in the cabin.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
They attempted to do major musical tributes for Tina Turner and Queen with below average singers. They set the flood lights up on the stage pointed towards the audience so you wound up blinded and could not see the performance on stage.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Tony (our room steward) was very attentive. Buhdi (our MDR waiter) went out of his way to get our food on the nights there were problems. The staff at the Customer Service desk were GREAT.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is STUNNING. Very well laid out. Always very clean. Wish they would dedicate at least one elevator to the physicaaly impared as people kept pushing between the wheelchair and the elevater doors to where it took us forever to get anywhere.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin 12126 was a very large fully accessible balcony cabin
Ship tip
They put the most delicious cookies out in the buffet at 4PM. They are gone by 4:15.
If you want HOT eggs for breakfast go to the very back station in the buffet and there is an omlete station.
If you want a place to sit I suggest you get a balcony, as they do not monitor or control chair hogs.
If you buy water to take on your excursions like we do, it costs $18.95 for six small bottles.
We never went to Falmouth, they diverted to Ocho Rios with no explination. I lost $200 on a third party excursion I had booked, as there was a 7 day cancellation policy.
We went to the fort and to old town. Architecture is fantastic. The only problem is the street vendors are very pushy, and once you buy from one the rest decend on you like vultures.
Booked a third party tour (Chachabean Ruins and Beach) here on ship mates. The tour company was Toucan Tours. Our guide was Gus and our driver was Tony. When we got to the ruins the plan was to leave the mother-in-law in her wheelchair at the gift shop. Tony insisted on pushing her through the entire tour. Where other tour operators we passed were only talking about the ruins, Gus was showing us all the flora and fauna. We learned all the medicinal plants and so much more. After the ruins we were taken to a beach not far from the port where my family had our own chickee, table and chairs. We were served all of the fajitas we could eat, and all the sodas we wanted (beer was available, but we don't drink). The food was great! Highly recommend this tour.
Due to time costraints we were not able to do the entire canal as it takes 10 hours to go all the way. We were bussed about half way across and then took a ferry through the locks. After reaching Panama City on the Pacific side we were bussed back. The ship had to delay departure for an hour and a half. Over 600 people took the tour on multiple busses and ferries. The trip was AMAZING.
The island is beautiful. We found a pavillion to sit the mother-in-law under and relaxed on the beach all day. They have a free buffet from 10 AM until 2PM, and there are free food trucks scattered throughout the island. Nightime entertainment was a junkanoo parade followed by a light show on the lighthouse. The light show started out really nice then just turned into a sound level meter for the music on the beach.
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