Really nice ship and great crew. Food good. Great for families. And they still offer solo sailing options other lines don't. However, some MSC rules were silly to stupid and need to be re-thought.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Fairly efficient, but not as smooth as some others
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Main dining was good to great, especially staff. Buffet pretty standard quality but a bit repetitive. Rules for specialty dining were nuts. Dining pkgs had very limited menus (unless you pay even more), inflexible, and not worth the cost.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Ship activities were above average, especially for kids. We had 400+ kids and they had their own areas. Did really see them except for them having a lot of fun. Highly recommend for family cruising.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Two stages. One more main stage show (4) than my experience on other ships. Good shows. Carousel stage performers more polished, but don't buy ahead. Cost me $19pp for one show, then was offered $5pp once on board. Felt like a cheat! Other music great and always happening!
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Seemed well above average. Next best after Disney.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Really great, but really restricted by some crazy MSC rules. Crew made some adjustments, but I worried they did so at their own risk.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Total mixed bag. Ship, in the areas average cruisers were permitted, was top notch. Huge, beautiful main concourse.
Other areas great. However, only Yacht club had access to front 1/3 of ship. If you like going up front for sail in or sail aways, you're out of luck! Bad design.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Size was standard, but storage space was less than most ships. Seemed designed for short duration trips. TV choices very substandard. Only one free movie channel (TMC, old movies), all others $10 PPV. Only one news channel (hope you like CNN), 2 sports channels, and a few others (Discovery, Food, Travel, etc.). Needs to be re-thought.
Ship tip
Don't pre-buy stuff unless you carefully read restrictions (some of which are not even documented). Example, the Mexican specialty restaurant is great, but 4 meal dining page costs $99 ($25 per meal). You can buy "All you can eat" for $17.99 on board and the pkg is fixed and gives you less (NUTS!!!).
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