We booked this cruise because of MSC's advertisement of eco-friendly practices and focus on sustainability. Instead, we found the same waste, excess and focus on quantity over quality that we have with other cruise lines. As far as cruises go, it was midling (or lower, in the case of the food). MSC fits right in with Carnival as far as cruising goes. Which is a shame, because we were expecting a more responsible approach to cruising. MSC had the potential to be innovators of a whole new way of cruising, but what we got was a typical crowded cruise cay, plastic straws, tons of wasted food and dining options that not only were not eco-friendly, but also effecticely excluded anyone unfortunate enough to have a dietary restriction. Just a note: this rating system is rigged. The only section where I gave a good review was for the cabin and the entertainment so...2 out of 11 categories), and somehow the overall review still ended up as over 4. Something wrong with that algorithm for sure so don't trust the number of stars the reviews give. Read the whole review people submit so you get the real picture of their experience.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Lines were long, but the process was smooth and efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The specialty restaurant we went to was fantastic, but hours were limited so it was very hard to get in. By the second day it was booked solid for the rest of the cruise. The wait staff in the dining room was lovely, but the food was atrocious. I think I had one decent meal there on the last night. The buffet was always packed and it was hard to find anything good, though the Mozzarella they make on the ship was phenomenal. I had heard that MSC was famous for their pizza, but it was terrible. The worst part of the food experience was that they had no gluten free options (though I was assured when booking that they would). Their way of handling my dietary restriction was to take the menu and cross off all of the items I could not have, which left one or two options (which were dry chicken that tasted like dust, salad, or spaghetti that tasted like it came out of a can). I couldn't have dessert unless I paid for Gelato (which was heavenly) or had a boxed generic cake (that was absolutely not heavenly), so it was irritating looking at all the beautiful desserts and not being able to eat any. My husband has no dietary restrictions and his dining experience wasn't much better than mine. I basically ate salad and cold cuts and cheese during the day because that was all there was at the buffet that I could eat.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were many activities on the ship that we likely fun (especially the Himalayas walk) but the lines were always so long it wasn't worth fighting through them.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Carousel shows were phenomenal. Though they were an extra cost to attend, it wasnt that muxh and they were well worth it. There were also musicians and performances throughout the ship that were nice.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ok because while the waitstaff and the person who cleaned our room were absolutely amazing, the customer service reps at both the excursion desk and the customer service desk were rude and less than helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Common areas were lovely and well-maintained. The layout was confusing and we got lost a few times, but after finding our way around it was fine.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was spacious and the balcony was lovely. With the balcony doors closed we could not even hear the room full of college party girls beneath us or the children in the cabin next to us (which allowed them to enjoy their cruise without keeping us from sleeping so everyone wins).
Ship tip
Book the specialty restaurants early, and don't expect quality food at the buffet or in the dining rooms. There's alot of it, but it isn't great.
We were excited to go to Nassau because we had a stingray encounter booked. It was canceled, and we were offered a day at Blue Lagoon. It was nice and the weather was great, but if we wanted to do anything but lay on the beach we had to pay alot more. What was irritating about this is that we had to pay much more for this than for the excursion we had booked because we had to pay full price (when we booked our excursions online it was much cheaper). We weren't even offered another excursion in exchange. They refunded us the lower amount we paid and charged us almost double for an excursion that was less desirable.
The island is pretty and the staff there are friendly. However, all 3 of the excursions we booked were canceled due to weather. The only thing we were able to do that we planned was the lighthouse tour (which was great and Coco is an amazing tour guide). We chose this cruise specifically because MSC markets this cay as a marine reserve and the cruise line as eco-friendly. It was an cay just like any other cruise line. I would have been ok with the canceled excursions if i could walk around and learn about the restoration efforts etc., but there was none of that. I can't comment on the food on the cay, because the lines for the food venue were about an hour long throughout their operating hours.
Just a tip. Do the express walkoff. That started at 630 am. If we hadn't took our own luggage and left that way, we would have been stuck on the boat till 9:40, 'enjoying the common areas' because you had to be out of your room by 8 am. Given how crowded the boat was, 'enjoying' would not be the word I would use.
Appreciate your feedback. Confused because your overview says it was bad but your star rating and comments aren’t too bad. Just a tiny quibble: Carnival doesn’t use plastic straws and has reduced a lot of paper waste. Sorry you were disappointed.
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