Great one week cruise from Port Canaveral. Stick with the fish entrees and you will be pleased. If you are only a light drinker skip the package since "house wine" is $7 a glass. Hope to dock in downtown Cozumel (MSC usual spot) for easy access to the city. Go out of the ship to enjoy Ocean Cay at night.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Only did the buffet for breakfast and could pick my own nearly burned bacon so I was extremely happy. Also the coffee is pretty drinkable. And there were donuts. Lunch was on deck 6 at the snack deli with finger sandwiches and pastries which were gourmet! Dinner in the main dining restaurant the Black Crab. The waiters were perfect and since we both order mainly fish dishes and the chefs on MSC know how to select and cook these we found the entrees to be delicious. We did not buy a drink package since house wine (ask for it like that) is just $7 a glass. And the one time I saw the bottle it was Canyon Road (so very drinkable).
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We did not use the pools and only went to trivia once. That was well run and fun.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The stage shows were awesome. Really some of the best voices on the ocean. The costumes and the dancers were talented. The song choices were great for our age group. One tip is to not sit too close because the sound system is loud.
Children's Programs
no children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was just the right mixture of chatty and hard working. We always had fresh towels and toilet paper and a spic and span cabin. Our waiters, too, were a good combination of talkative and service oriented. They really wanted to see us happy. We liked our maitre d' too. He shared our laughter on several occasions.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout was great for us. We were on deck 13 and only had to walk up one flight for breakfast. The theatre was easy access from our restauarnt. Getting off at ports from deck 4 was fine when you avoided the rush for elevators.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin is well sized and good storage. Beds were a bit too hard for our preference but still slept well. There was a little noise on some occasions from the spa above. Considered an obstructed view since the wall in the balcony blocks out looking forward but the balcony is bigger than most and we did get lay down lounge chairs on it.
Ship tip
You do have to seek out a machine to enter your credit card after boarding so you can be billed. Looks complex, but just follow the directions. No free soft serve. The regular wifi package worked fine for me to update my blog with photos (did not try upload videos) and checking social media.
On site Parking was charged for 8 days on 7 day cruise and cost $136. Embarkation was a breeze although we did arrive at our scheduled time and had to sit for an hour before we got onto the ship.
We have been to many cruiseline private islands. This one is unique if you get to stay overnight because of the Junkaroo parade and the light show. Terrific. The beach swimming is great. The beach on the inlet/bay is waveless and has soft sand. As all warn, the plantings are only 3 years old so there is minimal shade. Lunch was great and not crowded.
We took the Bacalar lagoon tour and although the bus ride out is 1+ hours it was worth the ride. Note that you will swim before lunch so it will be late (like 2 pm). What a beautiful area. The water is fresh water from underground ceynotes. The restaurant is where the pontoon boat departs and docks and where a buffet lunch of tortillas is served. Very tasty. All included except you must buy your own drinks which were reasonably priced.
Best part of going to Cozumel this time (we have been there several times) was that we docked downtown. Depending on the number of ships MSC usually docks here but might end up a few miles away at the international dock. From the downtown dock you can walk to the museum which is worth checking out to find out about the Mayan culture. Excellent exhibits.
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