MSC Cruises Casino

There were some good and some bad. Beautiful ship, service and staff need some work. Food didn't hold up to expectations you have from other lines. Not awful but just not ~wow~ nothing memorable about it. Casino hosts were really nice. Seemed like activities for kids were great and some special facilities for them. I would go on another comp or take my family if kids sail free. But dollar for dollar would pick Carnival or RC for the money unless MCS was a much better price for same accommodations.

Service everywhere, including the dining room, was EXTREMELY slow. I felt bad for the people who had the drink package, it was hard to find a bartender and when you did, the bar was 3 people deep waiting to be served. Our balcony cabin was much smaller than Carnival or RCCL. Not enough storage space in cabin. Linens in our room were threadbare, the cover at the end of the bed was stained with what I hope was blood and not poop. The slots were extremely tight and if you wanted to play 3 card poker, it was $40 a hand. Blackjack was more reasonable at $10 a hand but good luck finding a seat in the evening. Slots were so tight, I did not see anyone get a handpay. Totally disorganized staff, you would get two different answers to the same question. Not enough staff to service so many people on board. Lines were long for everything you wanted to do. If you were 15 mins early for a show, all the seats were full. It didn't matter if you had a reservation or not. Complimentary dining options limited to either the buffet (always crowded) or sit down. The times were rigid, if you missed breakfast (we like to sleep until 10) there was no place to get any food until lunch. If you missed the window for lunch, the next opportunity to eat would be your pre-assigned dinner time. I heard a lot of people say they requested early dining but were assigned late dining. So short staffed in the dining room that every meal was a 2 to 3 hour event. I paid for two Cirque du Soleil shows. When you get on the boat, you have to stand in line to be assigned a date/time for your shows. They messed up and assigned me to the same show 2 times, we never did get to see Houdini. The food choices were limited and many times served cold. Towards the end of the cruise they ran out of basic things like champagne, lettuce and bottled water. On the positive side (there isnt much).... The bread was wonderful and fresh, the ship is beautiful, our room steward was great the private island was very nice the water was crystal clear but when lunchtime came, the line was 200+ people long. We were there until 9pm but if you walked away from the line and came back later, the food was gone and everything cleaned up. Even though the room was comped, don't bother. Find another cruise ship.