My wife and I have been on 5 cruises with the first one being in 1999. A lot has changed in the industry since then and most of the changes were not for the better. I realize everybody is looking for cheaper prices, but I learned a long time ago you get what you pay for. Cruise lines have cut out a lot of the little things that made it special. But worst of all the cheaper prices allow lower class citizens on board. I don't want to sound better than anyone else cause I'm not, but when fights break out in food lines and drunkards are banging on your door at 1:00 AM I would say the standard has dropped to a new low.
This was our first MSC cruise and probably our last.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We arrived early but that wasn't a problem. It went very smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The dining rooms were fine and the food was good (not great). The service was terrible. started every might with a bread bowl and our butter rations. 1 butter pad per person with like 6 pieces of bread.
Only food we didn't like was linguini with clam sauce. Worst I ever had. Tasted like pasta with a can of chopped clams dumped on it.
Buffets had good food, but totally disorganized. Just for example putting the lettuce for the sald bar at the opposite end of where the line begins. Having to search for salad dressing far from the salad bar. Seemed like they just placed food at random spots with no real reason.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools were nice but crowded. Running track was great. Enjoyed 6:00 AM runs watching the sunrise. fitness center was small and has a view of the pool area. Maybe I was spoiled by my last cruise which was a much smaller ship but had a gym 3 time as big and was positioned at the bow so when you were treadmilling you felt like you were running into the sea.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Nice song and dance shows. Only night that wasn't just musical was a hypnotist who thought he was funny. I didn't think it was that great.
Children's Programs
i didn't take kids with
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
our room stewards were great. They were friendly and hardworking and did a great job.
The dining service was terrible. started every might with a bread bowl and our butter rations. 1 butter pad per person with like 6 pieces of bread. 6 nights in a row I was brought the wrong food. It usually was somebody elses at my table so not a big deal. I finally told the Maitre D. before our last dinner. They brought our dinners and you guessed it. Wrong ones. Really ridiculous but we just laughed it off.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The ship was beautiful. And I would give the cleaning staff credit for working hard.
Except for the dog that walked on deck 7 and used the bathroom there regularly. The owner I guess didn't think it was his job to clean it up. I don't think its appropriate to bring a dog on the ship. Its not fair to the dog.
Also, the first time I was on a ship, and I couldn't go to the bow of the ship. Disappointing.
And I would not recommend laying on the deck at the back of the ship. You will get showered by soot from the so-called eco-friendly ships engines.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Cabin was nice and comfortable, just smelled dirty and bad
Was going well. We did the walk off early option. Was going smooth until the left a wheelchair in the line. They specifically said No Wheelchairs. Of course this was a problem because they had places a wheelchai couldnt go through. Caused major backup. All cause an improperly trained employee left it through.
Appreciate your detailed feedback. Sadly, it’s true cruising isn’t what it once was. It seems that many people forgot how to act in public during the shutdown (not only on cruise ships). Sorry you were disappointed.
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