I decided at the last minute to take a cruise to celebrate my birthday. I only booked the first leg of this 14 day cruise . I cruise out of Miami a lot. I flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before , used GO shuttle service to get to Miami and stayed at the Embassy Suites. I took a cab to the port for two reasons. I had a very late check-in 3 p.m. and I find it very annoying to use the hotel shuttle to get to the port . It's a little cheaper but I do not enjoy standing in line for 15/20 minutes and pushing my luggage along. There were three things I wanted to do on this Cruise: number one relax number two Gamble and number three shop. I chose this Cruise because of the price and because I had sailed on MSC before, on the Divina and liked the atmosphere. This ship was very quiet and peace. There was entertainment and dancing but it was not rowdy like other ships. I also knew that I could buy Swarovski jewelry at a discount on MSC cruises. I had been stalking a pair of earrings for a few months and was hoping I would find them on the cruise and I did. I found the Armonia very easy to navigate and get used to. The map I received when I embarked was very helpful and I referred to it a lot the first few days. I was lucky to be able to pick my stateroom when I booked. I wanted to be near the casino elevator because I usually stay in the casino until they close. I had an inside cabin on Deck nine. It had plenty of storage space. I have no complaints about the service I received. I found the staff and crew very friendly, always smiling, and very helpful. The ship was clean and seems like someone was always working to keep it clean. The dining room was a nice experience with excellent service. I found it easier to eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch when it was open rather than fight the crowd in the buffet .

The Meet and Mingle for Cruise Critic members was the best ever. MSC always has the best Meet and Mingles. They serve hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a cake and take a group picture which we get a copy of. We also head a nice Slot Pull . I was surprised that the casino gave us three gift bags to give out . I've been to a lot of slot pulls and that has never happened . I was impressed. Two things happened that I was not expecting. There is no ATM on this ship. Also free drinks in the casino once you reach a certain amount of points does not exist like it does on other Cruise Lines. But these two things did not spoil my cruise. I worked around them. I couldn't find any network stations on the TV so I spend a lot of time watching CNN and knew all about the hurricane. We wondered how we were going to make out because we were supposed to dock in Miami on Labor Day. The captain eventually announced that we would be returning to Mexico and have two extra days at sea. Everyone was given 24 hours free internet so they could try to change their travel arrangements. The service was the same. Nothing changed. It was a very smooth ride considering what could have been.

Because I had been to these ports before and taken excursions in the past I did stay on the ship at each port. When we docked in Miami I decided to take the Big Bus tour which was very convenient. The bus was right outside the terminal, they stored our luggage, and the first stop was Bayside Marketplace. I got off there and stayed until 5 when I was dropped off at Fort Lauderdale Airport. There are other stops I could have taken but I enjoy exploring Bayside. I had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, got a massage, a manicure, and did some shopping. I do plan to book the Armonia again and hope to do a back to back.