We loved our room, the ship, our dining room and some of the bars, but MSC really needs to change a few things, like the muster drill, staffing and open hours in the Marketplace, serve real eggs vs powered, run things on time (and state the correct activity) for daily activities. We will only sail on MSC again if we get a good deal, not unless we hear they correct some things and then we will sail much more.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
MSC combined general boarding with the priority Aurea experience folks, so we did not get to take advantage of priority boarding like we should have, however it did not take that long to board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The Manhattan room was nice and quiet and our waiters were great. The food was ok. The Marketplace was horrible. The eggs were runny and powered and they should have had more sections open during busy periods. There were very few staff to clean tables and assist guests. Many tables stayed dirty. Most times we had to sit at a dirty table. The Marketplace also did not allow you to order an omelet. Most staff looked miserable and were unfriendly.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
One thing that drove my wife and me crazy is that they kept changing the activity schedule and not tell anyone. Many times we would go to a place expecting a band or activity and then find out they changed it to some other activity. It just did not make sense. And many times the activities were not at the time they showed on the daily planner. Very odd.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Shows were ok, but the theater was always packed with people standing everywhere. One night we had an entire family of 8 standing behind us (in the the aisle) during the show and making noise. The staff did nothing to stop the behavior. Also, a couple nights the staff did not check our reservations, which meant the theater was terribly overcrowded. Again, the staff was terribly undermanned.
Children's Programs
no kids were with us
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Our room steward was great as well as our dining room crew. Some bars had great bartenders and some were not that good. The Marketplace staff was minimal and looked unhappy. The theater staff was minimal too.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Great ship! Loved our room.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Great room and view. Cabin steward was great!
Ship tip
It's a great ship, but terribly understaffed in some areas. The Marketplace is a madhouse and the open hours made no sense. Even on disembarkation day, the Marketplace food was not available until 25 minutes after the stated opening time of 6am. That made it impossible for us to eat and get in the walk off line.
We got off the ship pretty fast, but we were in line for about an hour. Unfortunately, they make everyone leave their rooms at 7am, so the ship is quite a madhouse. The walk-off line was the longest I had every seen on any ship. There were hundreds (or more) people in line. The line wrapped around most of deck 6.
Probably not the cruise line for you. I love it all and don’t mind getting a lower price. In fact much lower I always study and investigate other lines. I’ve been on RCL. NCL. Too. MSC. Is my favorite. Been on for. Doing a back to back in April. Thanks for your review
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