I'm not sure if I would use this line again. They have five years of experience under their belt and don't have it figured out yet, despite the unusual occurrence of disembarkation day. They need I.T. help. I set up my credit card before I left. Onboard it didn't show. I tried through the app. My daughter also tried. When we went to purchase photos, neither were set up despite having linked us together. So I tried using their machines aboard to set up. No. So then I had to stand in the long line at guest services. They aren't allowed to do it, but she said she cleared everything and now I could use a machine. So I did get it set up. BUT when we were exiting the ship, my daughter, along with LOTS of other people, because their bill wasn't paid... The bill seemed high but our frustration. was great by that time, and we just paid it. ALERT, the gratuity of 15% is charged on each paid item. Additionally, each person in the cabin is charged a $56 fee.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Although there were a lot of passengers, the operation was pretty smooth and went rather quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I did not pay for or try the specialty restaurants. The dining rooms were above the buffet, but there was a great selection in the buffet. The food, however, was overall average. If the dispensed water from the buffet was not to your taste (the only place to get free water), there was a charge of $3+. I went to shore in Nassau and brought back water for $1.15 per bottle. The coffee was good! And without charge. Juices were without charge as well. The dispensers would accommodate only small glasses so if you bring a bottle for ice (only available at the buffet) or juice, it's a messy process.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There were lots of activities to choose from. I did the walking track and pools, shows, Nassau, Ocean Cay, casino and bingo. I will say I thought $20 for bingo was ridiculous -- for a $500 pot. There were lots of dance classes if you are a dancer.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
This was the best part of the trip! The free performances were stellar, and the one paid performance we went to was excellent too, and reasonable at $18.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Each staff member always spoke and were very diligent in their duties. All spoke English but not all were fluent.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The design was beautiful. The common areas were very clean and kept that way throughout the trip.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Very small room. Adequate is the best word. Clean, but definitely mattress and sofa could use updating. The bathroom was great. The balcony was likewise smallish but adequate.
Ship tip
Don't plan to work aboard. Their internet package, although expensive, is very slow and unreliable. That was with 3500 passengers. A staff member said next week they would have 5000.
I did not do an excursion. Just walked into and around town. There was lots of construction, it was a long walk, and a bit scary. Next time I would just stay aboard the ship or do an excursion.
This was the best! I snorkeled at north beach, Bimini, and saw rays, lots of barracuda and various other fish. Visibility was excellent. I did not realize that most of the food wagons, the food was free, but, of course, drinks were not. There was a buffet but lines were long.
HORRIBLE! First, this was the cruise where there was a fatal woman overboard incident at 5 a.m. that morning. At 7:30 the woman was found and picked up by the Coast Guard. We were to vacate our rooms at 8:30 a.m. and all huddle together in common areas. The buffet area was completely out of dishware and limited food. At 11, those of us who kept our luggage for "express" disembarkation were given the go-ahead. Half of the passengers must have done that so you can imagine 8 elevator taking everyone to a single floor. When we exited the elevator, we were told by staff we could only leave the elevator area one direction. We stood in that sane place 1.5 hours. A physical fight broke out 10 feet in front of us as other lines would not allow anyone to merge in. Several people were arrested. And while we were still in the same place they started adding more folks permission to disembark. It was a mess and a joke. We finally arrived at customs at 1:30 p.m.
Thanks for the review and I agree that MSC has a lot to work on but except the IT issues, every mainstream cruise line has the same issues you discussed. They all charge auto-gratuities on drinks and and daily tips (room charges), bottled water costs more than in store on land, bingo is much more expensive than you would pay at home, etc. Your not supposed to fill up your own bottles at the public dispenser. That why the don't make it easy to do. Once you understand the limitations, they won't upset you.
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