Over all one of the best cruises I've ever been on. This was my 1st MSC cruise and I will definitely be back. The service and experience you get for the price is too good to be true!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarked out of Port Canaveral and it was SUPER fast. No lines. You do need to show your passport, vax card and negative covid test at 3 different points but it's so fast because there's no lines so that's no big deal. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes from taxi to lido deck.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I don't understand the poor reviews for MSC food - it was fantastic. Tons of choices in the buffet, so many vegetable options cooked perfectly, main dining room dinners were so tasty. Maybe the desserts could be improved bc I'm really picky about desserts but I was still able to find at least 1 option a day that was really yummy
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Plenty of activities throughout the day - bingo, trivia, shopping sales. The group fitness classes were not being done due to covid, but the stretching classes were. The lido deck games were so fun to participate in or even just watch - the entertainment team is AMAZING with tons of energy and they really try to pull you in and get you involved without being obnoxious about it if you do say "no". Really great energy from the team and they will remember you and say "hi" if they see you around the ship.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Stage shows were the standard cruise ship shows - singing, dancing, etc. The main female singer is quite talented. 2 nights they have some acrobatics in the show and those guys are very impressive! DJ is also very good and not too loud so you can party on the lido deck but still hear enough to have a conversation too.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I've been on 10 or 11 cruises and this is the best service I've seen. I'm sure it is partly bc capacity is low so you can get more attention but it is also bc the staff is just insanely helpful and talented. Every single thing I requested I received, even if it took some time to get, boy did they make sure I got it!! The room steward found a mattress pad bc I mentioned it was a bit too firm. The waiter made sure to put peanut butter on our table every single night because I asked for it 1 time. At the breakfast buffet the manager took at least 10 minutes out of his day to search the ship for peanut butter and somehow found where I was sitting and brought me a whole bowl of it! I don't know how he knew where I was sitting and instead of just saying "sorry, no, we don't keep peanut butter at the buffet" he took so much time to go find some for me and he even remembered me the next morning and said he had more peanut butter set aside for me from now on. I mean, how did he remember??? All the entertainment staff remember your name and say hi throughout the day and even the coffee baristas start to remember how much cream and sugar you like! It was kinda crazy!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship is very clean and beautiful but the layout is kind of confusing. There are just a lot of floors that do not go all the way through so you have to go up, over and back down, which is fairly standard on cruise ships, I just have terrible direction sense
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I stayed in a balcony cabin and it was a very good size with 2 twin beds, pretty large bathroom by cruise ship standards, room for a whole couch/seating area and nice sized balcony. Large enough for 2 deck chairs AND long enough for both people to stretch their legs out up on the foot stool.
Ship tip
Seriously, if you need or want anything don't hesitate to just ask. Chances are they will make it work.
We were supposed to be here 2 days but could not get into the dock the 1st day due to strong rip tides. That's no one's fault of course and we had alot of fun just doing a sea day but be aware that can happen. 2nd day we were able to dock and the island is very beautiful and well kept with soft sand, bar service, clean clear calm water for swimming but it is fairly small so not a whole, whole lot to do. Go for the lighthouse beach with the bean bag chairs bc those umbrellas are FREE and there are waiters walking around providing bar service but if you go to the other beaches you have to pay to rent an umbrella. The lighthouse beach is directly off the ship and is the most beautiful beach with the best sand and calmest water anyway so why pay for an umbrella to go anywhere else??
I love Nassau but unfortunately so much is closed right now bc covid. Straw market, senior frogs, pirate museum and many of the little bars and shops are closed. There is still some shopping you can do and see parliament, queen Ann staircase, etc but otherwise it's very dead
Disembarkation was even easier and faster than embarkation. We were in disembarkation group 10 and were still off the ship by 9am. At least at Port Canaveral we did not have to fill out customs forms, x-ray bags, there were no lines for reentry, we didn't even show our passports. The luggage was already sitting to the side so we just walked right off, grabbed the luggage and done.
Good review this will be my first MSC cruise I have been on 15 other cruises thought I would try a new Cruise line
It worked out well with Celebrity a week ago.
I am cruising solo so no single supplement on this is a big bonus.
Look forward to reviewing this line myself.
We took the Divina in February of 2020 and had a few issues, swore we would never cruise MSC again. Howeveer, based on your review it appears they may have made improvements since our cruise. May give them another shot as the ship is beautiful and we loved the ports we went to.
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