This was our fourteenth cruise, but the first on MSC. Negative comments on Cruise Critic made us nervous. We chose this cruise because some friends were booked and they had recently been on the ship to the Panama Canal and they had a good experience. The ship was new, beautiful and crew was generally friendly.

Embarkation

Taxis at the airport were difficult to find, probably due to Spring Break. Once we arrived at the ship Embarkation was not pleasant. Limited communication with conflicting directions and long periods of waiting from 11:30 to 12:30 strained everyone's nerves. We normally would not try to board a cruise ship this early, but we had no alternative considering our flight schedule. Once we got to a check-in counter the process was very efficient. Other members in our party boarded quickly later in the afternoon. Read more