I reserved the same car service that we took to the Marriott Hotel at Orlando Airport the night prior. He gave us a $130 USD rate from the hotel to Port Canaveral.
Booking
I booked two balcony rooms for ~$2000 USD. MSC sent numerous emails about upgrades prior to embarkation with various rates. The experience reminded me of a budget airline where they will nickel and dime you to maximize profits.
Arrival
We arrived at Terminal 6 after a 45 minutes drive from the hotel. As soon as I got out the car, the same guy who haggled for a tip for him and daughter on the last trip was right there. I kindly reminded him that I remembered and he would only be receiving the one for the four of us.
Side note: MSC Cruises will email your baggage tags inside of trip packet. Please print them and tag your bags prior to arriving at the port.
We made our way down the sidewalk past more baggage handlers. As we arrived to the stairs, the guy wanted us to join the line to the left. I asked if we could get a wheelchair and/or an elevator for my mom.
He kindly helped us get to the elevator but the wheelchair would have to be picked up in the terminal hall. He then took us through the MSC Yacht Club line. There was an escalator to the right of the but we kept going to the right to hop on the elevator.
We exited the elevator and came to the right to enter the security line. There were quite a few lines and people but the line moved quickly.
Check-In
As the guy mentioned before, we had to acquire a wheelchair in the terminal hall. The station was to the left of hall while the check desks were to the right.
We were taken by the lady helping my mom to one of the furthest lines, away from the entrance, because there was less people.
There was no one in that particular line when we arrived we just had to wait for two counters to become available. After a few minutes, we were waved forward. The nice people welcomed us asked for identification and boarding documents.
I did not have mine (because it was in my bag) so he looked it up for me. He requested the I take a picture because I did not have one. I wrote about the MSC Cruise photo issue prior to the trip.
After a few minutes, we were through the line. There was an embarkation photo station to the left. We chose not to take one and took a right to get on the ship. The lady helping my mom helped us zigzag through people and we were on the ship roughly 30 minutes after we began.
WiFi/Wristbands
We entered the boat and Deck 6 so we had to make our way down to Deck 5 to get wristbands. It was not necessary to get but it on the cruise a bunch. The combined WiFi and wristband line was directly across from and down the hall from the bar. The queue seemed long.
After helping people realize they were in the wrong line, we made it to the first counter. This counter was located on the right and had two people working. I asked for four wristbands, was charged, and sent to the next line. The charge was ~17 USD. We were asked if there was a need for WiFi. I purchased the streaming package prior to the cruise for ~50 USD/per person.
At this point, we were about ~250 USD in on the day and we had not been to the room. We entered the next line to activate the wristbands. As we completed this quick process, there was announcement that the rooms were ready.
Room
The Deluxe Balcony room was located on the 10th deck. We excited the elevator and started walking the even numbered side of the ship. I forgot MAC Cruises has the cabins in even numbered cabins on one side of the ship while odd is on the opposite side.
We were assigned room 10107. The room (module) had the following dimensions:
Module Area 17mq (total space)
Cabin Area 15mq
Bathroom Area 2mq with shower
Balcony Area 5mq
The first thing I noticed about the room was its size. As you can see, it was much longer than wide. This was great for Nicholas and I but when my mom and stepdad came by the room, it was noticeably cramped.
The shower room was to the right. It was stocked with a few towels and had a small shower room. I had an issue with the toilet for half of the cruise, it would not flush. Maintenance came by to no less than five times to correct the issue.
The living area included sofa, desk with a small stool, rotating TV, and the bed. The sofa and bed were very hard. We did not get a good nights sleep during the cruise. The bed was massive though, it could sleep up to four people.
The TV was where the safety video had to be screened by everyone in the cabin. After screening the video, we had to meet at our designated assembly area. Ours happened to be Assembly D. My stepdad and I went down while my mom and Nicholas stayed in the room. We were allowed to check them in. There also love TV and Videos on Demand. The videos went for $10 USD.
I ordered some items prior to arriving at the ship. They were waiting at the desk.
There was the daily fresh fruit basket. We did not finish the fruit basket any day. The grapes and bananas were a cabin favorite.
There was an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. There tuna, prosciutto, caviar and cream cheese. My favorite was the caviar, while mom and Nicholas liked the prosciutto. The bread was too hard for my liking since I had dental surgery at the VA a few days prior.
There was bottle of Valdo Prosecco there as well. It typically costs ~$15 USD per bottle. It was decent but probably tasted better as it had been a long few days.
Last but certainly not least, there was the balcony. There were two chairs, plastic safety railing (approximately 3ft), and a mesh table in place. Nicholas and I spent so much time on the balcony. If we were not sleeping, we were out there listening to music and watching ships pass by…day or night.
Food
Room service was available the first three days until 1am. The limited menu consisted of tuna or ham sandwiches, Caesar salad, Heineken beer and an assortment of sodas. It was enough to hold us over until the next but was not substantial by any means.
Final Word
The Deluxe Balcony cabin was just enough room for Nicholas and I. The views from the balcony made up for any issues I experienced. I would ask MSC to relook at the pricing though because one person in the room would be ~$500 USD, while two people in the same room was ~$1000 USD. I would definitely book the Deluxe Balcony Room again.
