MSC disappointed this time.

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 63

Review summary

Christmas cruise 23-30 Dec. Boarding was very poor. Very disorganized. No explanation of lines. They just pointed us to a line that turned out to be the "we don't have all the paperwork ready" line. Realized after 20 mins. Boarding took 2+ hours (without test) Compared to maybe 30 mins on the Meriviglia (with test) back in Aug. Was looking forward to trying the Seashore. Lovely interior. Cabins great and spacious (we had oceanview). No "central avenue" for the shops and attractions like most mega ships. Were split over decks 6 and 8 (casino between on 7). I would describe it as a ship of pockets both for entertainment, bars and pools. Main aft pool on deck 17 was quite small considering size of ship. We mainly went to the jungle pool area and pirates coves with the kids which were great. Note kids need to be 7 yrs + for the bigger slides even if they meet height reqs. Lots of Jacuzzis and the whirlpools on the side of deck 8 were extremely relaxing. Food in buffet was fine. Minimal variation over 7 days but I didn't mind. MDR was pretty poor. Sailed on the Meriviglia in Aug and Choice was much better incl steak option every night which was now a $9.99 surcharge. I not a fussy eater and cannot recall a single meal in the MDR that I was excited about. Shame. Entertainment was limited. Partially due to Covid outbreak and quarantined staff. I really enjoyed our cruise on the Meriviglia in Aug 2021 and was looking forward to this one but was unfortunately disappointed. Paying a premium for a Christmas cruise I expected a little more but it was pretty much a regular type cruise with the odd Christmas hat with staff. Far too much overselling of on-board restaurants in the buffet. Approached 3-4 times daily while having breakfast which became a little tiring. Nice to see the different nationalities on-board and the Europeans managing to come over. Changed itineraries due to Covid were fine, that's the world we live in. Was excited about this one and unfortunately it didn't quite hit the mark. Preferred Meriviglia as a ship style (my daughter will challenge that though as she love the pirates cove). 2 MSC cruises so far. 1 I enjoyed. 1 not so much.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Disembarkation

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