A very good cruise that could have been excellent other than a deadbeat cabin steward and MSC not correcting on faulty engine problem. This has happened multiple times in as many years. Like having Scotty from "Star Trek" saying "I'm giving her all she got, Captain". Why have they not fixed this correctly? Maybe due to loss of revenue and dry docking costs.
I do want to point out the food was the best of any cruise we had. Great seafood dishes Mediterranean style. Strangely enough we hardly gained any weight due to lower carbohydrates and smaller desserts not over sugared. You walk away from your table actually feeling good and not bloated. With other cruises there were a lot of starches on the plate as fillers. Not this one. Lastly our travel agent Katherine Green got us the best table in the Ipanema dinning room. She made the booking stellar.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Got to dock at 10:45am and was on ship at 11:00am. Excellent.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Great food down to the Surf and Turf. Mediterranean style cooking. Best food of any of the 30 cruises we had.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Some nice pools and hot tubs. Gym was nicely setup and not very crowded.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Shows were OK but not as well as expected. Mixer of the sound had the volume so high we had to wear earplugs.
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Waiter could have brushed up on his English and was had to understand. He did a nice job of delivering food promptly and was very friendly. We tipped him over and above the recommended amount. The room steward was a different story. She was slow to respond and would clean on her terms. She said if you don't let me clean the room now you will not get it cleaned. Wife had to leave note on what we needed or it would not be done. Ran out of TP and found another steward in the hall that gave me one. We did not know about the room key having to be in a certain direction to keep the power on in the room (hole is on the right top side of the room card or power will shut off). Called and found this out the following day from the pursers desk. Would have been nice if the room steward would have explained this to us. Towels were only changed when we called her and we laid the used ones on the floor. Got to the point where we would reuse one towel because they spent ones were on the floor. She would store the next passengers towels under the bed. Found this out when I put our luggage under the bed. Do not think this is very sanitary. Asked her why there were towels under the bed and she said that they were there for the next passengers. I would have rated this higher to a "good" rating but the incompetent room steward dragged this rating down.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Nicely maintained ship. Clean. Hand sanitizers were mostly empty and did not work. Soap at wash stations was out 40 percent of the time. would have been an "Excellent" rating if the above problem had been addressed. And what is the deal with the problematic engine missing port of call on time? Because of this we did not arrived at Port Canaveral until 11:00am and the mass exodus was like a cattle stampede.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Nice design and generous balcony with a high ceiling. Closet could have been bigger. Otherwise perfect. Rating "Good" due to poor cabin steward performance.
Ship tip
Book your shows early on your "Smart TV". They fill up quick especially on the first shows. Get to the theater early and wait to be seated. Seats fill up quickly and you will stand if you are late. If you are on an early schedule go to breakfast and lunch early when they start. The buffet gets very crowded and lines are long.
Nicely set-up. Man made island well done with multiple areas for swimming and snorkeling. Considering the 4 day stay cruise there. MSC had food available on island so you did not have to go back to ship to have lunch.
MSC has the best parking spot here. Right in the center of town. RCL Allure of the Seas was was docked 5 miles north of town. MSC wins this hands down. Be careful while there. Saw armed guards with machine guns. Stay in busy areas.
Disembarkation from hell. With the ship arriving 5 hours late at 11 am. Everybody was lined up at the exit. We thought we would wait out the stampede so we left at 12 noon which was the latest you can stay on the ship. Got on the elevator with another couple on our deck 12. When we arrived at deck 6 which is the disembarking deck we could not get off the elevator because so many people were sardined together. After several attempts we managed to get off the elevator and walking shoulder to shoulder with everyone managed to get off after 45 minutes. Got a sore throat from somebody coughing incessantly. MSC really could have managed this much better. Just hope you don't have a late arrival for disembarkation as this spoiled an otherwise great cruise.
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