A little about me. This was our 8th cruise. We've had 2 on NCL, and 5 on Carnival. We chose MSC because we were eager to try a different line. When we saw the two for one (half price) balcony fare, we decided to try this ship. Where to start? This will likely be a little long winded, sorry about that.

Our cruise was seven days. 3 sea days, a short stop in Nassau, a late stop in St. Maarten, and a very long stop in San Juan.

Embarkation. The cruise paperwork said we could start boarding at 2 pm. But like any eager cruisers, we got there about 12:45, gambling that we would not have to stand outside on a line. We won. Got right in, had to wait about 5 minutes on line, then we checked in. Check in was fast and easy. But...... They don't take your credit card info when you board. Between the time you check in, and 11pm the NEXT night, you have to go to a kiosk and formalize your payment options. There are several Kiosks for this. You can use a credit card, debit card, or insert cash. We went during the afternoon of the second day. It was fast and easy, and no line. And they did not restrict using the cards for drinks the first night before we had our card registered. Read more