This was a cruise we had rescheduled due to COVID. We were happy to replace a Caribbean cruise with a Canadian one, but unfortunately the weather was not with us and we missed two ports.
The ship is beautiful, the service was excellent, the food was good and plentiful. Small extras that we enjoyed on other cruise lines, towel animals, quality towels, walk up food stations ( hamburgers , sushi )were missing or only available at extra costs. Shopping on the ship was limited and/or really high cost.
The App is a nightmare and information is often conflicting when talking to customer service. I am still waiting for my credit card charges to finalize.
MSC is still new to the American market and I think some of our disappointments were due to this. I do have to say the coffee is good, and the pastries delicious!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Overall embarkation was smooth until you hit the technology. The credit card kiosks did not work. Setting up Wifi and adding people to messages on the app was so difficult we needed to get help. We were sold wristbands that we were told would work in place of our room cards, but in multiple venues were told “ no, sorry, I need your card”
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We did not eat in the specialty restaurants. The buffet was varied and interesting. The hours were a bit off, particularly if you had an excursion or early dining as there was an extremely limited menu between 11 and noon.
There were several excellent dishes on the menu in the Waves Restaurant over the course of the cruise, but the attentiveness of our servers was what made the experience something we looked forward to each night. Joseph Balisi, our waiter and his assistant Dani Bagus quickly learned our habits and preferences , made suggestions when a meal wasn’t quite what we hoped for and generally made us feel welcomed and appreciated. Regretfully I am blanking on the name of their steward, but he was also attentive insuring that we were well taken care of.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are multiple hot tubs and pools, but only one area that was warm and enclosed. Since it is fall in the northeast the other pools really were not usable.
We paid extra for the thermal spa experience (sauna, jacuzzis, steam room, ice room, Mediterranean spa) and several units were not working all week. The jacuzzi is strange and uncomfortable, not warm enough and no seating just flat bottomed. Despite making reservations, the area was often overcrowded with people using specific units ( hot beds for extended times, literally taking naps on them ) .
There was a good schedule of physical activity, yoga, pickle ball , stretching etc along with a walking, jogging track.
The craft activity I attended was amusing, but the set up made it difficult to hear or see the leader making it difficult to follow along.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The evening shows usually sold out. The ones we attended were very good, but the theater was so warm after dinner it was hard to stay awake.
There was a wide variety of music around the ship, with very good performances.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As I said before Joseph Balisi and Dani Bagus, along with their steward really made the difference in our evening meal experience. They recognized after the
first night that we liked our water glasses full. Wine was always quickly available if we wanted it. One of our party enjoyed a cocktail before dinner, so they insured this order was placed quickly to be retrieved from the bar. Small extras such as a cheese plate while waiting for our meal were nice surprises. On the rare occasion that we were served something that wasn’t quite what we expected, Joseph made a suggestion and quickly returned with an alternative.
Our cabin steward, Shelia Villanueva was also excellent. She was attentive without being intrusive. It is such a simple pleasure to return to your room to find everything tidy, with the bed made , garbage taken out etc. She was always smiling and happy to help with any request.
I enjoyed room service, coffee and light breakfast every morning. This is such a treat and is included in the fantastica package.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is beautiful and clean! The main areas are wide open, with high ceilings making it seem even larger.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a deluxe balcony room. Despite the size of the room, storage is very limited. We only had three hangers in our closet. After the first stop we purchased more. We have cruised before so brought extra magnetic hooks for the walls, but for a 10 day cruise there is not enough room for your stuff. A shelf in the closet might help.
There is very limited space in the bathroom for storing a toiletries bag.
The biggest issue is the lack of outlets. My husband uses a C-Pap device at night. The only plug was across the room. We solved this by moving the bed , but then couldn’t see the TV. Adding at least one outlet by the headboard would make a big difference.
Ship tip
Board as early as possible. Get in line to resolve any issues as soon as possible, particularly dinner seating. Don’t struggle with the tec
We really enjoyed our excursion to the Anne of Green Gables site along with a ride around the countryside.
We were surprised to learn there are 30 golf courses. We would have enjoyed playing in this beautiful location. It might be hard to get 18 holes in ( although other excursions were 7 hours) but there was definitely time for 9 holes and a quick lunch.
We were stuck here for two days, glad to be safe from the storm, but Sunday in a small town is pretty quiet anyway, but it felt like limited effort went into pulling together some kind of adventures.
The initial disembarking was chaotic due to issues with the computer system. We waited for over an hour, then had to wait an additional 30 minutes because no one knew if the other people who signed up for the excursion were actually coming.
Simple strategies such as using one stairway for exiting passengers and one for returning would have reduced the chaos.
Did anyone from the ship reach out to the community to see if having several thousand people stuck could provide a financial boon at the very end of their tourism season?
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