I wont say I didn't enjoy the cruise, i truly did. but, for the price, I was disappointed with MSC in general, specifically for the surprise gratuity 2 days in without notice, the dinner wait for basic food, the bar service and the wait to wait to wait upon disembarkation. Overall, I had a good time, but there are areas that keep this brand from getting over the three star level. I think with better staffing at the bar and a kitchen on a close floor to the dining area would improve efficiency. Waiting two hours for a basic 3 course meal was ridiculous.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was crowded, as expected, but the lines moved smoothly along.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Dinner was a huge disappointment and it took two hours to receive meals on 2 separate nights. Waiters and staff were very humble and kind, but the portion s
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Fitness center was nice, casino was not too bad, activities seemed to be more geared to the younger crowd (hip hop, dancing, etc...)
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Unless you reserved in advance, before sailing, no venues had openings. I felt like the ship had more people than activities to support.
Children's Programs
No children with me
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I would give this 5 stars for most of the staff, especially the coffee lady in the chocolate store, she was amazing, and the dinner waiter / waitress staff were great and very friendly. What was a bad experience were the bartenders, who were all very irritated and seemed to be stressed out and not pleasant at all, in fact, they seemed annoyed when I only order diet soda and not a hard drink. Bars were understaffed and lines were long, taking at times 20 minutes to get a coke.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was very clean, pools were nice, rooms were made up twice a day, very good.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Cabin was nice, but a bit cramped and it was above what sounded like a huge warehouse. All hours of the night there were sounds like you would hear from a large industrial storage area, forklifts, boxes being tossed around, etc...all hours of the night. Additionally, small children were loose in the hallways at all hours running up and down the aisles and stomping.
Ship tip
Make sure you pay the gratuities up front or you will get a nice bill (surprise) on the 2nd day.
Beautiful Island, nice place to walk around, have a drink and just chill, but the food at the food court on isle was nothing more than a buffet / burger line that was the same as the ship, nothing remarkable and people were waiting for hours in the hot sun for that.....dissapointed.
Wonderful, loved the ancient ruins and the tour. Highly recommend paying a few bucks more for a small bus versus a large bus of people, so you get more time at the ruins / pyramids.
Endless waiting on the ship that seemed to be chaos, but once the lines started to move, customs and luggage were very smooth. I just didn't understand the hour long wait, to wait again at customs. Make sure you load up on caffeine prior to this wait event !!
Glad you enjoyed it. Not sure why the gratuities were a surprise, since they are listed on the website, in the details that you agree to when booking, in the documentation you receive to board the cruise and are common on all cruise lines.
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