First off, we’re fairly new cruisers, In our late 50’s and 60’s. We’ve sailed on Disney, Celebrity, Norwegian, Princess and Emerald Waterways. We like trying different lines to compare. We were a bit apprehensive trying MSC because of all the negative reviews, however we couldn’t have been happier overall with this cruise. More on this to come.

We managed our own travel into Orlando coming from Montana. I ordered a shuttle from Happy Hour Shuttle in Port Canaveral and we ran 5 hours late due to the plane (United) breaking down in Denver. Our shuttle driver was there when we landed and couldn’t have been nicer. About a 45-minute drive to our hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort at Cape Canaveral and the room was great, however getting food after 8PM is a challenge on the property. On the bright side we watched a SpaceX launch from our balcony, just amazing to see and also to hear the sonic boom. Next morning, we used their shuttle over to the terminal about 10 minutes away.

Covid Note: With the 48-hour test requirement, we had to take an Uber over to Medfast at Merritt Island and get the nasal swab test, no big deal. Once on the ship our temps were taken every morning before breakfast. Read more