Great cruise for the money. The gym was incredibly small and hot so if you need a good gym, this is not the style of ship for you. MSC has other styles of ships with excellent gyms. The buffet is a much better experience than the Main Dining Room (both included in the fare).
Beds and linens are comfortable. The bathroom has a magnifying mirror for seeing those pesky eyebrows that need plucking which is great and the shower has a shaving bar.
The Cruise Director, "Dr. Reverand E.", was really annoying. It was like being trapped on a ship with some out of touch guy pandering to tweens all week. We've been on more than 50 cruises and never had such a horrible CD. I would stay away from this ship until he leaves!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
My sister was able to drop us off right at the curb in front of the ship. We arrived during our boarding window of 2-2:30pm and had literally no wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was a bit of a disappointment, but the buffet was spectacular. In the MDR, the lobster was spongey, the shrimp overcooked, and the other two fish entrees I had tasted fishy but had good seasoning. Service was friendly but slower than other lines when it's just a table for two only. The MDR needed more pastas on the menu. Only one pasta choice is too little for an Italian cruise line. However, the quality and variety of food in the buffet was outstanding. They even had Kelloggs PopTarts! Even the breakfast options changed daily on the buffet which you rarely see on cruises. We ended up doing the buffet for dinner a few nights because the experience was so much better than the dining room.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Fitness center is tiny and only had 9 treadmills with 4 of them out of order during our cruise. AND the cardio equipment is under overhead windows creating a heat lamp effect making the area like a sauna...not ideal for cardio. The entire gym space is significantly smaller than any ship we've been on. Otherwise, the multiple pools, hot tubs, and kids area, etc were fantastic! If you want a lot of social activities and don't want a good gym, this ship is for you.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
This was well done.
Children's Programs
We were two adults cruising by ourselves.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
3/4 of the crew was friendly and full of smiles while 1/4 seemed really tired and ready to go home. I can't blame them though, they work a ton of hours with no days off. It is remarkable all the crew does.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The stateroom balconies are not quiet because of the layout of this ship design. There is a pedestrian deck area below the staterooms all the way around the ship which causes passenger noise to constantly bombard the balconies. You can pretty much forget about reading quietly on your balcony for hours on end listening to just the sound of the water. You will hear other passengers below chatting (especially if you are anywhere toward the middle with the extra large - and awesome - hot tubs are) or music being played from who knows where.
The in room sofa was stained and needed a deep steam clean, but this is not something the room attendants have the ability or the time to take care of. The ship was clean and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Traditionally sized and laid out cabin. The bed linens were super soft and the mattress firm but surprisingly comfortable. The shower has the nice glass sides and has a nice shaving bar for the ladies. My husband has long legs and had a hard time using the toilet because it was so close to the sink. Our closet doors stuck and were had to maneuver and got harder as the cruise went on. We meant to talk to our attendant about it but never remembered when we saw her. She was great so I'm sure she would have gotten someone in to fix them if we had. There are two styles of pillows. One was really soft (my choice) and one a bit more middle of the road in the firmness (hubby loved this one). We were both pleasantly surprised with the pillows.
Ship tip
Book your balcony cabin as far forward or back as possible to avoid deck noise from below if you like to sit and read on your balcony.
Great beaches close to the ship. Go to Twistee Treat for ice cream!!! You will be happy you did.
Getting on and off the ship was a breeze whether by taxi or your own transportation.
We love this port. It is clean and well maintained. There are quiet beach areas where you can get away from the crowds and piped in music but there are also areas where you can be social and party with like minded people too if that is your thing. There are so many interesting shells. The restroom facilities and outdoor showers are super clean and plentiful. The food was good and easy to get to as well.
Go to the east side of the island here if you want a quiet beach day with lovely scenery. The best way to do it is rent a car so you can drive the length of the east side and really experience authentic deserted Mexican beaches with no one else around.
We did the self carry and walked right off the ship. We only waited in the terminal 5-10 minutes to go through customs and that was a very simple process. There were no marked taxi cabs though which was a bit of a pain because we wanted to stay local. There are $20 group rides to the Orlando MCO airport though if you want that. Just walk past customs and you will see the signs.
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