I would not sign up for a cruise on my own or for my own pleasure as this did not come up to the expectations that I had. I enjoyed spending time with family and was happy to be with them.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
No problem with embarkation. It was fine.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
I only went to assigned dining room and buffet. The assigned restaurant was a huge disappointment as it was agreed upon on both sides that the 13 in our group would sit together. We were assigned 2 tables and were initially required to sit at the table we were assigned to. When we asked if we could change seating time from 5pm to 7pm we were told no due to the fact that there were children in our party. We eventually changed dining rooms on our own (we had to wait until assigned tables were seated before being seated, we had no problem with that). We were much happier with the service and attitude of the serving staff and the overall ambiance of the 2nd dining room. We were asked if we wanted a drink when being seated but no one ever came back to see if anyone wanted another drink. It seemed both of the restaurants ran out of Cabernet Sav after 3 days. I'm not sure if these issues came up because of company policy or if it was lack of training or shortage of staff.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I did not do a lot on the ship. I was hoping that you would have ballroom dancing in the evening. The majority of the dancing was latin, which I'm sure many enjoyed. I enjoyed walking around the ship and would probably have done some shopping when the younger members of our party were on excursions. I didn't expect your shops to be closed. I'm assuming that is by law.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The stage shows were wonderful. I loved that since they were short we saw the best of the performers. The bands playing on the main stage were enjoyable to watch from any of the floors overlooking. People around me seemed to really enjoy the hosts and games in the evening.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
For the most part service was not what I had anticipated as I had heard from friends who cruise all the time that service on cruises was beyond compare. I did not find that to be true. Although there were times when someone asked if they could get me something to drink. This was lovely until I found I could get a drink much faster by going to a bar myself, whether it was alcoholic or not, day or night. I doubt this was their doing but rather something to do with the way the bartenders performed their job or company policy. If you are eating dinner, lunch or breakfast and the drink you asked for doesn't arrive until you are finished it is not very satisfying. I enjoyed coming out at night when it was quieter to have a late night drink after I found a bartender who knew how to prepare my drink of choice. The first evening I made my request he had to search high an low to find what I was looking for, but after that it was nice for me to be able to unwind before going to bed. Room steward was friendly and performed his job perfectly. My safe did not work initially soon after I got into my room. I called for help and help arrived quickly. So I'd say there were some excellent people who were friendly and very helpful. I wonder if it's possible that they did not have enough staff, which caused the delay in service and in the one dining room made my initial experience one that confirmed to me that cruising would not be the way I would spend my money or spend my vacations.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I felt everything was clean. Common areas were inviting to sit and relax. Although I was cruising over Christmas, which meant that there were many families with young children, I did not feel overwhelmed with roaming children and teenagers. After roaming around I found game rooms, etc. which attracted the children and since it took me a while to find these places I think the design was done well.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Overall it was a very nice cabin. Bathroom was clean and worked for me. The size of the shower was fine for me but I wonder how anyone larger than me could have been comfortable. There were a few days early on when there was a smell in the cabin that I didn't like. I believe it had to do with the humidity outside. The carpet was feeling damp. I had the ac set to midway. After that I set it to very cold during the day and it seemed to fix my problem.
Ship tip
I heard from a number of people, outside of my family, on our cruise who were disappointed by the service on this particular ship. Some had been on other MSC ships and had enjoyed those cruises more. It seemed to be mostly a disappointment in service.
No excursion. I walked around the designated area, bought a few trinkets as gifts, and then went back to the ship. I'd say the best thing about that was the boat ride back to the ship as there weren't many people on it and I was able to take some nice photos.
I enjoyed walking around the island. The shoreline was quite lovely. It was nice to see so many shells (obviously brought onto the island, but lovely all the same). I enjoy photography and was happy to get some nice shoreline photos.
No problem here either. We were actually happy that we were not able to sign up for transport to the airport while on the ship (filled up by day 2 of the cruise) as we were able to secure a ride immediately less expensively.
It could be cruising isn't for you. I will be taking a MSC cruise in a few more weeks to see for myself what this cruise line is like. I think most people who cruise this line and do nothing but complain about every little thing don't realize that this is an Italian line, and not like the others like NCL, PCL, RCL, ect. I also think some people are elitists and expect the royal treatment and then complain that it's anything less, plus I have seen this in the MDR and lounges where people ask and expect a certain level of service and then complain, and also say they must be understaffed, when actually the overworked crew are doing their best to accommodate your every little whim. The only thing I hate about cruising is the other cruisers who have limited manners and expect the crew to drop whatever they are doing to service them instead.
Unfortunately, MSC doesn't get the best reviews. Yes. I have an MSC cruise coming up, but that's because it was practically free, so I'm checking it out to recommend... or not..to my clients. However, as someone else states, don't lump all cruise lines together. I've said Royal Caribbean as well, and they are amazing. I'm also sailing Princess for the first time 3 days after my MSC cruise. Regardless, I plan to make the best of it, despite a few flaws...:)
Yes, there are a lot of changes in cruising. I wouldn’t give up on cruising because of this experience, try different ships and itineraries. I do thank you for sharing.
Just a piece of advice: Don't blow off the entire cruise industry after one bad experience with one "budget level" cruise line. It sounds like your tastes are more in line with a Premium line that caters to older travelers. Think Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, or Viking.
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