Beautiful, well maintained ship with bad entertainment
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Took us about 60 to 90 minutes to get onboard. Since we book a Yacht Club cabin we could skip the lines for the mandatory Covid-19 testing and had a nice waiting lounge with snacks and drinks.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
If you are a seafood enthusiast, this is the cruise for you! If you are not… well, it might be difficult. The portions are very small and the food often lacked flavor. We had all meals in the Yacht Club restaurant and it was not easy to get a table for dinner. MSC currently runs with 60% capacity and it was difficult to find a spot in the restaurant as well as on the sundeck.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Staying in the Yacht Club gave us access to the private sun deck with a nice pool, hot tub, comfy loungers and a bar. The ship has 3 slides, a rope course and a nice splash area for kids. You have to get a wristband for using the slides and the rope course, which led to very long lines since you have to renew the wristband every day. Other indoor activities are a Formula 1 simulator, a 4D-cinema and bowling. All activities were overpriced and not much used.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
In my opinion the worst entertainment we’ve ever had on a cruise. The shows were outdated with very bad singers. The dance crew was very good but could not make up for the bad performances of the singers. Due to the current situation the entertainment was very limited, no parties or dancing. Some of the singers in the different bars and lounges were very good, but overall we felt bored.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
As always, it depends who you have to deal with. We noticed a huge difference between the employees in the Yacht Club and on the rest of the ship. The Yacht Club staff was very friendly and they tried to make the best out of the COVID-19 restrictions. Special note for celiac cruisers - nearly all MSC ships are certified by the Italian celiac association. We notified MSC that our daughter has celiac and we were assigned to a special waiter who took only care for the guests with special dietary needs.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean. It is a beautiful ship with a lot of potential, which is sadly not used. It reminded us of a glittery and colorful Quantum class ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Compared to the suites in The Haven by NCL or the Royal Suite Class the cabin was a bit small, but sufficient for the three of us. The design was modern and everything was very clean and well maintained. We loved the bathroom with a gigantic walk-in rain shower. We never saw the cabin steward which was sad, because I like to meet them and thank them for the hard work they are doing. The balcony was a bit small too and only had two simple chairs, no loungers or footrests.
Ship tip
At the moment MSC does not allow individual shore excursions. You are not allowed to leave the ship unless with a excursion booked with MSC. We booked, due to three cancellations, the cruise last minute and we’re only able to book two excursions. We knew about the policy, but I never thought that it would bother me that much. Be prepared to encounter a lot of smoking and vapes all over the ship!
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