We looked forward to this trip for a long time. Ignoring the bad reviews as usually there are some. Though we enjoyed our vacation because of the itinerary-I will probably NOT use MSC again. The ship was beautiful and clean but the crew was the issue.
The crew was not helpful almost to the point of being rude. Very unorganized and most were not able to answer basic questions. Food on buffet was good but sometimes mislabeled so choose carefully. Jogging track is NOT a jogging track! It goes through a bar, tables and chairs and the smoking area. Not separate at all. The casino is very small We are not new cruisers. My 11th and my sons 17th and we have enjoyed every one of them. This one was disappointing because of the crew and I don’t think I would choose MSC again as there are so many other options that we have had good experiences on
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Quick but disorganized due to it being a kind of never ending cruise with people getting on to start at many different ports
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Be careful what you choose. Issue with labels. Desserts very bland. Cocktails not good
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Fitness center good. Didn’t use pools but they were large and inviting.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Not helpful. Steward was good. Overall seemed unorganized. Even leaving and coming back on ship in ports at times was bad as they would hold us for no reason to get on as if there was a line. Twice there were large carts of supplies coming up as we were going out. A bit dangerous
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Clean ship and easy to get around. We used the stairs as usual but the elevators were always crowded
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Cabin was fine. The standard inside room. The steward was nice but didn’t seem to understand what we needed. Asked for things several times to get them. Was given daily schedules in the wrong language a few times
Ship tip
Don’t expect to watch television in your room if you want shows in English. Only 3 channels in English. CNN. And two ESPN. We were not in the cabin much but would have liked to watch tv before bed
Not much to see in port Excursion was not good at all. Paid a lot more of money for the listed snorkeling trip and ended up only going to a beach and a slow catamaran ride. Not what we signed up for and MSC would not credit any of the cost
Took our own bags and were able to stay onboard for awhile after leaving room. Took taxi to airport. Would have taken transfer from ship but not able to get correct information about it from desk
I was on this cruise, cabin 12053 and would say that the crew and staff were great with us. 99 % of them were always happy and helpful despite the long hours they work day in and day out.
Disembarkation was straight forward as we attended the meeting the evening before leaving the ship, all of the details of disembarkation were explained.
Overall a great cruise will definitely use MSC again. Take the Aurea experience for a nicer cruise
MSC is a European line that caters mostly to Europeans. Many Americans seem to find the differences and language barriers frustrating. As long as you are cruising for the ports and usually better pricing, they are fine. Just don’t expect it to be the same experience as the mainstream lines that cater primarily to Americans.
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