A beautiful modern ship with lots of activities for everyone. The only hang up which was consistent was the elevator system on the ship. It's the new type where you choose your floor and the elevator tells you which one to ride. It was so clumsy, often waiting 5 minutes or more for the elevator to arrive just to find one pack full of people. But then again it's a 19 level ship so you don't have many options.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Port Canaveral cruise terminal 10 is not exactly glamorous. You have to wait outside in the Heat or the rain in Florida to get up the escalator to the main area. While it wasn't that long maybe 15 minutes outside it could have been a lot worse with a thunderstorm which came a little later.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The main dining rooms food is adequate but not fancy. If you look at the menu you'll see that all the everyday options have copied the Royal Caribbean menu. Also it's a bit difficult to get a paper menu everyone wants you to look at the fine print on your phone. The buffet was, let's just say I avoided it if I could. Quite repetitive the food was fine but very basic and very repetitive and a bit difficult to navigate at times.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I'm bored activities were just great. We took lots of dance classes two to three a day and that's about it. They had water slides and all the other features you might find at a theme park but I've done that so many times.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The shows were entertaining but there was no live music on stage. Also the saying there's were adequate, but nothing outstanding worth talking about. They gave it their best. Also the cruise director is direct hire from Carnival so it was like being on a Carnival ship.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The service and staff were pretty good the wait staff and the main dining room was very attentive. Our room attendant Eugene was very good except we didn't see him for 2 days because he has so many rooms!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
If you are a fan of chrome glass Steel and shiny polished floors the ship is for you. It's like living in a casino!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was just great. Everything worked everything was clean. It was nice to have a dark interior cabin because at times we sleep in late while balcony cabins wake you up with sneaking in sunlight and slamming balcony doors all around you.
Ship tip
Be careful about the polished tile floors anywhere near the pool area or the buffet. People have a tendency to slip and fall because they're so shiny when they get wet over you go. Also be kind in the buffet, we saw more than one incident where people were getting into a fight over who knows what!
Ocean key is very nice and getting better. Since my last visit they have expanded the food options and the chair seating and other Aquatic activity options have been more spread around the island. Also the food was easier to access than the last few times I have been there.
MSC is notorious for having painful disembargation processes. I have been in the mile-long conga line several times on other MSC ships. This time we try something different. Carry on, carry off luggage. It worked great. We just left the ship before they started calling numbers and people and we were off the ship without a hitch. If you have an early departure Carrie your own luggage off the ship.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
