Overall a great experience. Very crowded though. Definitely a get what you pay for situation with the quality of cabin, food and beverage and excursions. I felt like initially I got a good rate with discounts on the grand suite($6000). But I had a $2000 bill the last day for excursions and dining upgrades. The Aurea experience was marketed as this amazing package with spa and private decks and signature dining etc etc. The reality is if you don't get that package the experience would have been significantly less rewarding and possibly not worth it. If you don't have the private deck you might not even be able to fit on the other decks. The signature dining doesn't include your teenagers, so bring $100 per person for them. The drink package was not even close to being worth it unless you are going to consume about 100 drinks in a week. So, great cruise. You get what you pay for however. Spa services were too expensive to justify.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Extremely effecient
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Great variety. Expensive to add specialty restaurants but worth it. Main dining service could be slow and upgrades were expensive. I was expecting a little better options that were included for such an expensive cruise. Lunch dining was not worth the wait, just go to the buffet. Bar service typically very slow, which was frustrating at times.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
3 water slides were fun. Zip line was slow and usually not in operation. Fitness center was very nice. Spacious. The Spa and Wellness center could have been more affordable.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were simply amazing. Very well done each night. Dance/disco areas were predictable experiences.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Our two teenagers had a lot of fun at the teen club.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our cabin attendant was nothing short of amazing. Her name was Natasha (sp?) from Madagascar. She has been with MSC for 7 years. She was exceptional. Other service personnel had difficult names for me to remember (indian, phillipines) but were extremely nice and welcoming. Everyone was always working so hard and always with a smile.
Only criticism was the wait times for food and beverage.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Incredible and immaculate
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
With two teenagers I can't imagine having anything less than the grand suite. Spacious. Separate bedroom was enormous. Expensive but worth it. Only criticism is its the last room on the deck 13. So a walk anywhere takes a few minutes longer.
Ship tip
Bring your wallet. The specialty restaurants are expensive. I would forgoe the drink package. At $850 per person no one can drink that much at $6 to $7 per drink. Main dining upgrades are expensive as well.
Took an excursion to the caves. Had an amazing guide on a large comfortable bus narrate the entire trip, which was about 30 to 45 minutes. Got a great history of the island and the people.
Excursion to the Mayan ruins was misrepresented. Not worth it unfortunately. However, the area around the port had great restaurants and the scooter rental was $30 for a whole afternoon. That was the highlight.
Snorkeling excursion was impressive. Took awhile to get out to the islands, about 40 minutes, but worth it. Had to change boats each way so maybe a 3 hour excursion for 20 minutes of snorkeling.
Wow your drink package was expensive. We got the basic but upgraded to premium for only $100. Fortunately for us we will be able to consume our weight in alcohol on this trip lol
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