Overall I was impressed by MSC. I was skeptical at first after looking at reviews, but going with an open mind and no expectations at all, I was satisfied with my first cruise with MSC, and I would go back. We meet a lot of nice people on board.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Getting on the ship was quick and easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
This would be 5 stars if our dining experience would have been better. The buffets were great, the selection of food was good in my opinion. There were a lot of the same foods day in and day out, but they also added new things each day as well.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Pools, slides, and Spa were all top notch. My wife and I really enjoyed the thermal spa area.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The stage shows were top notch, and not to be missed. They are Broadway type shows. Peter Punk was my favorite, I liked it more than Micheal.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My oldest daughter really enjoyed the teen club, and their activities.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Cabin steward was great, and super attentive. The waiters in our dining room were less than desirable. Our glass sat empty every night, and it was a pain to get them refilled. At one point they brought us a pitcher of water and left it at the table. Dining was the only negative experience we had.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
there were times when the dining room could have been cleaner.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was really nice. Closet isn't very big, but you can store your luggage under the bed, to make more room. My kids enjoyed the couch bunk bed. I really like the fact that when you shut both curtains your room didn't have any light coming in at all. This allowed me to sleep in a little.
Ship tip
If your an American be patient. Being from the south i'm use to super friendly people and having my personal space. However when you cruise with people from around the world, they don't act the same way we do. If you realize things will be different and step outside the box you will have an enjoyable cruise. It was kinda neat hearing the different languages and speaking to people outside of America.
San Juan has a lot of hills, so be prepared to walk up hills to where you want to go. The bright side is its all downhill on the way back to the cruise ship. Don't forget to visit street lined with umbrellas.
St. Thomas is very beautiful, we went to Megans Bay. The beach was nice, but the hurricane destroyed most of the coral in the bay. However we were still able to see some sea turtles while snorkeling. Keep in mind if you get off the ship early, you can't rent any beach chairs or snorkel gear till 9:30am. You will also have to put a deposit down to rent the equipment as well.
St. Maarten was our favorite. If you like to snorkel check out Reef-it, its a 5 min walk from the ship. The ladies take you on a guided 45 minute snorkel adventure. After snorkeling walk to downtown Philipsburg, and take a bus to your next destination. Its only $2 a person. We rode to Maho beach, and back to Philipsburg for less than a taxi ride at the port. The ladies at Reef-it recommended that to us. I wish we had more time here.
Nassau is still dirty to me, and now there is a VAT on everything you buy. We only got off the ship to eat, and go to the straw market for a few items.
While sitting in the theater waiting to leave, the employee told us if we had a flight to catch or just ready to leave then we could go ahead and disembark. So we did, and had to wait another 30 mins in the baggage area waiting to retrieve our luggage because they hadn't finished unloading our luggage. Surprisingly it was ready at our disembarkation time.
*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.
