We really enjoyed our cruise, and would definitely sail on this ship again.
We got the 5 specialty restaurants dining package, and it was totally worth it, all the specialty restaurants were very good. Our biggest complaint with the restaurants is that we expected more Italian red wines by the glass, such as Chianti or Montepulciano for example, but they were available by the bottle only.
The Champagne Bar was great, I think we ended up there pretty much every day of our cruise. Also were pleasantly surprised by The Pub, they had Chimay, which is the first time I've seen a Trappist beer on a cruise ship.
We also really enjoyed the shows, I read that MSC shows are not as good as on other lines, but I disagree, at least for this ship. "Houdini", one of the circus shows, was my favorite.
We also did a bit of shopping on board, the clothing store had some Italian designer brands, and everything was significantly discounted.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Took over an hour to board, the line was very long, but at least always moving. Most of the line was inside and in the shade, but some was outside, so wear sunscreen and a hat if going in warmer months. We checked 3 bags in to be brought onto the ship, and all 3 came, but took may be 3-4 hours total, and they came one at a time, so don't panic if you don't get all your checked in bags right away.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
All the specialty restaurants were excellent, and the buffet had a wide variety of healthy options. Buffet's pizza was the best pizza we've seen on a cruise ship so far. Were not impressed with Panorama restaurant however, food was so-so. Also, expected more Italian red wines by the glass during dinner, but most were by the bottle, and had the usual high markup.
TV Studio & Bar
5 out of 5
Went to karaoke night here, there is a little stage with a large screen, and comfortable chairs facing the stage, so definitely a perfect karaoke venue.
Brass Anchor Pub
5 out of 5
Went there a couple of times, had some Chimay, it was never crowded, so a nice place to relax with a beer and just hang out and chat
Panorama Restaurant
3 out of 5
Food was OK, but I guess expected from included dining.
Butcher's Cut
5 out of 5
Filet mignon was very good
Champagne Bar
5 out of 5
Our favorite venue on the ship! Never really experienced champagne cocktails before besides the usual mimosas, but now have a whole new favorite cocktail type!
Hola! Tacos & Cantina
5 out of 5
Good tacos
Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Coffee
5 out of 5
Cappuccino was good, also some interesting chocolate sculptures, and we even got to watch one of them being made. There's also an entire store just for macaroons!
Jean-Philippe Crepes & Ice Cream
5 out of 5
Ice cream and smoothies were good
Marketplace Buffet
4 out of 5
A lot of healthy options, vegetables and fruit were always fresh, and there was always at least one fish dish. Pizza was definitely the best we've seen at sea so far. Biggest complaints are no water station/fountain, no sushi, and not as much Indian food like on our other cruises with Royal or Norwegian.
Ocean Cay
5 out of 5
Ate here twice, all seafood was very good
Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
Good variety of choices, has sake, food was good quality.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We used the gym, outdoor pools, and hottubs. The gym wasn't very large, but had a good amount of machines such as treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, several weight lifting machines, and even 2 barbells (first I've seen on a cruise ship). Pools and hottubs were good, but of course a little crowded as expected.
Fashion Boutique
4 out of 5
Some nice discounts on Italian brands
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We saw 5 different shows, 2 musical-type shows, 1 magic show, and 2 circus shows, and they were all excellent, really world-class talent in my opinion.
Children's Programs
Did not travel with kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was great, all crew and dining staff were very polite and attentive, one of the nights our dinner at Ocean Cay ran later that expected, and we were going to miss one of the shows, but our server simply rebooked it for another night, and so we didn't have to rush at all. Our room steward was also great, very helpful.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is pretty new, so everything was working as expected, and was clean and well kept. Only complaint we have are the elevators, they were pretty slow, often it would take more than 5 minutes to get one, and it would be very crowded.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We liked our cabin, it was close to the elevators, everything was clean and in working order. Only annoying part was that there is no small/dim night light of any kind, so using the bathroom at night means either getting blinded, or taking your phone, or going in pitch-black darkness.
Ship tip
The ship used to sail in Europe, so in addition to American-style power outlets our cabin also had 2 EU style ones, so if you have EU to USA outlet adapters, bring them and you can have extra usable outlets.
We live here! The cruise terminal is right next to the ferry terminal, so if you don't have a lot of luggage and coming from Manhattan or Queens, its easy to take the ferry and not deal with traffic. Also the area immediately surrounding the port has plenty of bars and restaurants.
The port itself is a bunch of industrial maritime buildings. There is a strip with restaurants nearby, but you can get there and back only in a taxi, and inside that strip the Uber and Lyft pick up location is specifically designated, so you have to either walk to it or explain to your driver exactly where you are. In this area by the port, we went to Rusty's Seafood and Oyster Bar, and thought it was great. We also went to Kennedy Space Center, it's about 25 minute drive away, and we had a great time. If you go, definitely go see the Atlantis pavilion!
We did the dolphin swim excursion at the Blue Lagoon, and really enjoyed it. Besides the dolphin area, Blue Lagoon has a buffet-style restaurant and several beaches and shops. Buffet can be pretty crowded so be prepared to spend some time on line.
There's a buffet on the island, and we stood on line for at least half an hour to get our food. There was a light rain while we were waiting, and even though it was very warm, it would have been nice to have more cover.
We rented some snorkeling gear, and spent most of the day on exploring 3 different beaches and snorkeling there. I would suggest bringing your own snorkeling gear if you have it though, my wife had trouble keeping her rental mask on.
We also did the guided kayak tour of the island which we really enjoyed, it was about 2 hours in a kayak, got to see some iguanas and learned a bit about the history of the island.
In the evening, we did a sunset sail around the island, it was cloudy so some people did not show up, and so instead of 1 included drink per person we ended up with several!
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