This cruise was unusual in that so many different languages were spoken on board. Announcements were made in French, English, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. It was kind of like a floating tower of Babel. There are lots of things MSC could improve on. The itinerary, however, was fantastic! All in all, it made for a very memorable honeymoon.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation in Fort de France was fairly smooth, but the port facility is all on ground level. We had to climb stairs up to deck 5 to board the ship, which was a little awkward with our carry-on luggage.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
We were surprised by the poor quality of the food, which was hands-down the worst we have experienced on four different cruise lines. This was the consensus of the other couples at our table in the MDR. The food was often bland and the recipes uninspired. We generally found the same to be true in the buffet, with a few exceptions here or there. They did seem to have excellent breads and pizza, but that was it. We did not try the specialty restaurants because we doubted the food would be worth the extra expense.
Coffee was usually terrible, and frequently cold. The exception was at the coffee bar, Il Cappuccino on deck 7. The coffee drinks there were excellent, and reasonably priced compared to most coffeehouses.
Our package included still or sparkling water in the dining room. We found it a little odd that they would simply leave the large plastic bottles on the table. It detracted from the elegance of the dining room experience.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We found the activities enjoyable. The water slide was great, and fairly long for a cruise ship. We enjoyed the virtual reality theater, even if it was a little pricey for the brief time you get. The pool deck could be way too crowded because certain deck areas were limited only to those with a certain package or who paid extra. We ended up paying for some time in the thermal areas and a private hot tub session because they were running a special on embarkation day
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We found the stage shows enjoyable but somewhat weird. They were like strange variety shows where different singers, dancers, acrobats, etc. would come out and give excellent performances; but there was no plot or theme that connected the different acts. After several nights of this, it started to seem routine. I think because of all the various nationalities of the guests, it is hard to present a traditional show that everyone could understand.
The singers were generally good but sometimes had trouble with the English lyrics they were singing. The best singer was in the Green Sax jazz bar.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most staff were very friendly. Because there were so many languages on board it was hard for staff to know what language to use when greeting or addressing guests.
The ship was unable to correctly fill a honeymoon package that had been ordered for our room. It seemed there were inadequate supplies of certain specialty items (wines, liquors, etc.) because guests would request something and then be told it wasn't available.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship itself is very elegant and beautiful. We found it exceptionally clean and well maintained. The layout can be a bit awkward. The outdoor promenade on deck 7 is a wasted opportunity because the views are completely blocked by the lifeboats.
We stayed in Martinique for several days before the cruise. The diving here is excellent. The area where the ship docks around Fort de France is not very desirable, but other parts of the island are beautiful!
I read lot's of reviews about MSC and how disappointing the food is, seems to be an ongoing theme, current reviews, reviews for years ago, all mention how disappointing the food was, so strange that MSC have not learned from these reviews. I have cruised with RCI many times, Celebrity, and P&O the quality of the food on offer is Generally of s very high standard, so what's going on MSC get your act in order. and do it before the 22nd April I will be there worst nightmare I'll probably get barred from the pursers desk due to me continually complaining
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