Flnative9206

Overall experience was very enjoyable, and super relaxed. The bar I always went to was the Tiger Bar on Deck 6. Very spacious area, and great drinks. As far as the pools area, it was somewhat chilly believe it or not this past week so I did not spend too much time out there. It also did not feel like the ship was completely booked either… unless the ship is just that logistically spread out that it didn’t feel crowded lol. Traffic today leaving PortMiami was typical stop and go… I live on the border of Deerfield and Boca, and it took about exactly an hour on 95.. maybe 10 mins more than that. To quote my note on embarkation… I would plan to get there early just in case you get let on early as well as I was. If for some reason you aren’t able to board early, at least you will be where you need to be in the terminal on time. The traffic did seem to start getting pretty congested as we got off 95 Monday morning. I hope you enjoy.. I was pleasantly surprised!

Just curious if anyone has any hotels right near the Port of San Juan that are affordable and offer transportation to the cruise terminal. Any suggestions? TIA! 😁

Hello all! Just got off my 7th anniversary cruise on MSC Magnifica from Miami, and my wife and I are already planning for our 8th anniversary next year (trying to cruise for our anniversary every year). Next year, we are really interested in trying the RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas Southern Carib itinerary RT from San Juan PR. Has anyone done this route before? Has anyone been on the Rhapsody before? I know she is a very old ship… but that does not bother us, I fact we enjoy the smaller and older ships more anyway. For a potential first time RCCL’r that has cruised on Princess, Norwegian and MSC, do you have anything you love or hate about RCCL? My wife and I are trying to find “our sweet spot” when it comes to cruise lines. We are most likely booking this by next week. We are also considering the Mexican Riviera from LA on the Discovery Princess for March 2025… but leaning more towards the RCCL trip. TIA!!

Just got off the beautiful MSC Magnifica! I will admit I was skeptical to sail with MSC based on the reviews I had read from others… but I was very pleased to say the least. Embarkation Process- 10/10 First Initial Impression- 10/10 Food- 8/10 Cleanliness- 10/10 Cabin #9006 (Junior Balc)- 8/10 Staff to Guest Ratio: 10/10 Customer Service: 10/10 Entertainment: 8/10 Disembarkation Process: 10/10 Embarkation Process: I have only been on about 7 cruises or so, but MSC’s embarkation process was super quick and simple. I have no idea if it is because I showed up super early (I expected to wait for awhile)… but the time it took for me to park my car in the C garage, hand off my luggage to the porter, check in, and board was only about 15 minutes. My boarding time was 1:00, and I was sitting eating lunch at the Sahara Buffet by 11:15 am with my carry ons already dropped off in the stateroom. Smooth as silk. First Initial Impression: Not many words to describe this but amazing. The ship was extremely clean, staff was super helpful and friendly, and the check in process was super organized and easy. Food: The food was overall very good, I didn’t have any issues with anything but I wasn’t blown away either. Comparing to the other lines I have been on (PCL and NCL) I would rate MSC as close to the best I have had. The only thing I would say stood out negatively was that the pizza I tried did not match the raving reviews that I read regarding it. I had breakfast delivered to my balcony our morning at sea, and I was less than impressed with that as well. Very small portions, tasted fine though but not a home run. Cleanliness: The overall cleanliness on the Magnifica was almost perfection, especially in the common areas. Definitely looks like there is a lot of pride put into this ship. Cabin (Junior Balc): Although the size of the room (#9006) was fairly small compared to others I have been in in this category, it was still more than comfortable and cozy for a quick 4 night trip. I LOVED the amount of closet storage provided, as well as in the bathroom the “under sink” storage was actual cabinets and not open shelving which was very nice. Entertainment: I felt the entertainment was average compared to other lines. The comedian was good, not great. The main complaint I have with the Royal Theater is the seats seem to be very old, and everyone I sat in seemed to have a downward angle in the seat, it was uncomfortable for me personally. Theater itself is very pretty. Disembarkation Process: Just like with embarking, disembarking was just as easy and simple. You need to be out of the stateroom by 7:30, and you are assigned a meeting point based on either your stateroom number/location or if you have Aurea benefits. My disembarking time was 8:35 in the Royal Theater. As I was walking to the theater at 8:20 to wait with my group, I was told that I can just exit with the group that was leaving at that time. For reference… I got on the elevator at 8:20. I looked at my clock in my car when I got to the Port Tunnel to get to I-95 and it was 8:50. Picking up the luggage was very organized and orderly. Super impressed. I was home by 9:50! I honestly cannot wait to sail MSC again… when I do I will most likely stay with this class of ship as I felt the staff to guest ratio was perfect and navigating the ship was not overwhelming.

We had an awesome time as well! Funny thing by the way, not going to point her out for her privacy, but my wife was in the Topazio Bar in that picture from yesterdays trivia 🤣🤣 We had an awesome anniversary, and will definitely be sailing MSC again!

You will have beautiful weather coming into South Florida this morning! I love flying…. But I also do like being only a 40 min drive from the Port 😂 Parking at PortMiami isn’t too bad either. I believe it is $20 or $22 per day. Much cheaper than an Uber or car service from my address (at least for this particular trip).

Hey there! My wife and I will be on this same trip celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. First time trying MSC… figured try a short trip for the first trip with them to see how it is. We usually sail Princess and NCL. Looking forward to something different! Have an awesome trip! 🙂.

Hello everyone! We will be boarding the MSC Magnifica tomorrow morning for a 4day Bahamas cruise out of Miami. I was planning on depositing cash at Guest Services when we board tomorrow to put on our cruise account. Does gratuities come out from the amount you deposit as well? Or is that a separate charge/hold? Does anyone know how much the hold typically is? I am assuming it is at least the amount to cover the tips at the end of the trip (I was thinking the $200-$250 range). I understand that debit holds are not necessarily a “higher amount” but that the hold may take longer to release as well. Thank you!

This is super helpful.. thanks! Based on how spotty the website is I wasn’t holding my breath lol 😂

Since this is a shorter voyage, is there still a formal/gala night on the 4 night trips?

I’ll be honest, I am shocked they have it! lol Thanks!

Hey there! Yea when the email came through with the eTicket, all that was attached was the Embarkation form, Itinerary, and 4 luggage tags.. nothing else was attached. I’ll give it another week and see if an updated email comes in. I booked directly through the MSC site, which has definitely made it a little more tedious with some things.

Just completed our online check-in (which was a very outdated interesting experience)… but did not see a link to the health questionnaire. Is this something that becomes accessible closer to the sailing date? Or does it get filled out at the port check in counter? I am currently 29 days out.

This is our first time cruising with MSC, and we are sailing with another party. We weren’t sure if MSC had a messaging app to communicate between parties while on the ship.. I have used apps like this on NCL, RCL and Princess. Based on the outdated website that MSC has, I would not be surprised if there is no such thing (lol) but I figured it was worth a shot to ask! TIA!