Nine days of fun in the sun was marred by repeated times standing in line to get assistance with Internet communication problems. Crappy ports of call didn't help much either. Cozumel has multiple things to do, but Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and Costa Maya, Mexico are pretty weak. Unless you want to swim with the dolphins, take a tour to a beach, visit a waterfall, ride a 4-wheeler, or visit a local restaurant, you only have their tourist shops with t-shirts and trinkets. The cruise village at Costa Maya must have been 1/3 massage parlors, and they were all after your $35. A bright spot was Ocean Cay, the island owned by MSC. It was pretty, and great for swimming and relaxing.

It was impossible to find a quiet spot for reading outside your cabin, as they have music piped in everywhere, at higher volume levels than are comfortable for me. Trying to enjoy coffee and watch the sun come up is no fun when your senses are assaulted by hot jamming music at 6:30 am. Other reviewers have covered the food situation pretty well. The buffet is the same every day, and gets old fast. The main dining room is better, and a dining package will get some decent food in the specialty restaurants. Be prepared to shell out for upgrades though, as the regular package is weak. Be aware that the drink package is void in the specialty restaurants. You will get the upcharge for your drink. Better get one before you go in, and take it with you. Be aware that you will be assaulted from the time you step on board, to purchase their dining package. The staff pushing these packages will approach you while you are eating, in the bar, while you are talking, relaxing on deck, at the pool, and it gets old very fast.

Back to the Internet, or lack of it. I brought my laptop so I could do a little paperwork, and found out that you can't get an Internet package for your phone, disconnect your phone, and then connect your laptop. Every device has to have it's own plan, and no switching. You have to have the upgraded Internet plan for streaming to allow you to use Facetime video, watch YouTube, etc, and it will run you about $130 for each device for the nine days. Next, they have blocked the ability to make a wifi phone call, even with their streaming package. Calling on board requires you to connect through the ship phone system, at a price, or make a call with Facetime or Whatsapp. You are blocked from sending and receiving photos on iMessage, but you can text. Sending photos must be done via Whatsapp or Facebook messaging. Trying to use the MSC website to check in, make entertainment or restaurant choice was impossible. I gave up after a few days, and called to get it done. Their MSC for Me app is pretty weak. It has a built-in function to allow texting throughout the ship, on their wifi, but it was non-functional. It has been broken for some time, and nobody seems to care. Read more