We started our two cruises by heading to the airport, taking a connector flight from Victoria to Vancouver. We had a four-hour layover, so after clearing US Customs, we found the lounge and started our vacation 

Do Not Try This At Home

This is the first time we have taken a red-eye flight to a cruise. If all goes to plan, we would get to Fort Lauderdale at 8:30 AM, head to the cruise ship terminal and then be on our cruise. If there is a delay, then we have to make our own way to the next port of call. So, we strongly suggest you do not try this at home! It’s really not the best plan; too much can go wrong. Weather delays, lost luggage, airport closures, and 100 other things. It does happen that people miss their ship and have to get to the next port of call, but it is a challenge. 

In the end, it went like clockwork and we were at the ship by 10:30. So, if we are saying “don’t do this at home”, why did we do it? Well, it all comes down to dollars and cents. Simply put, a flight the day before was about five times as much. We rolled the dice and came out on top. If we had not, one night hotel, some meals and a flight to Nassau, would have been less than the additional cost of flying a day earlier. But, we can’t stress enough…do not try this at home!

Heading to a New Ship

Once in Fort Lauderdale, we arranged for an Uber and headed to the ship. The drive was uneventful and we both slept for most of it. Boarding the ship was very smooth. Meg had pre-registered us and all they needed was a scan of our passport as well as a photo. The camera they use was an automated one, similar to the many Border Services use at the airport. We were on the ship at 11:00 and headed to the buffet – a true veteran cruiser move.

For those of you who have cruised, going to a new class of ship can be interesting. This voyage combined a new cruise line and obviously a new ship. There were many of the same things, but also some things were completely different, with a very European flair. 

Two of the most notable differences were the buffet and main pool located on the lower level of the ship on deck 8, as opposed to being on the top decks. This was very foreign to us and took some getting used to.

New Elevators – a Challenge for Some People

The other major difference was the elevators or lifts. When you press the call button for the elevators, you select the floor you want before you get on. Then the nice machine will tell you which elevator will be going to that floor and it also indicates how long it will be until the elevator arrives. When you enter the elevator, you do not press any buttons. Being trained to press the button when you get in is ingrained. It took a few days not to want to press the button when we got into the elevator. The display indicates what floor you are on and what floor(s) the lift will be stopping on. This also took a bit of getting used to, but after a few days, we absolutely loved it. 

This system has dramatically reduced the number of elevator-challenged people from getting on and saying “is this elevator going up (or down)”. Maybe this is not the case, perhaps all of the 5,000 passengers on board are gifted in the use of elevators…nah, who are we kidding.

In all seriousness, the system seems to work well. The announcements are in multiple languages, English is first. 

Setting Sail

The cruise departed as scheduled, after everyone had checked in for the safety drill. Dinner that night, and in fact most meals, were better than recent offerings from either Princess or Celebrity. The activities were pretty much the same: trivia, exercise classes such as line dancing, pool sports, etc. The Captain’s address offered some free adult beverages. 

One thing we did not like was our dining time, which was assigned to us for 5:30PM. Now this did not mean we ate at 5:30. By the time you get settled and your order is taken, you don’t start eating until 6:10. Your main entrée arrives around 6:30ish. When we asked if we could change to the 7:45 time, the Maitre’d told us there were some 200 people on the waiting list for late dining. 

MSC is an Italian line, with a heavy Mediterranean influence. Given so many of the passengers are European, it is not surprising that later dining is preferred. 

It’s Better in the Bahamas

We did not start with a sea day, instead we visited Nassau, Bahamas for our first full day. We did not book any excursions and simply walked off the ship to explore. Meg had done some research and found a number of places to check out. Starting with the ‘Queens Staircase’, a series of 66 stairs that were carved out of limestone in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. It is a very popular tourist attraction, however we were fortunate to get there during a lull with no other people around. The hoards were only 100 meters behind us, so we took our pictures quickly and carried on. 

From the Fort, we wandered around town and explored, trying a local adult beverage on a public beach. We really didn’t find a lot to see or do, and the guidebooks don’t list a ton of things. One thing they do mention, and we did, was the John Wadding Distillery. Being on the Islands, rum is the specialty. A quick seven-minute tour, which really didn’t cover a lot, takes you into the sample room where you could purchase tasters of different aged rums or other drinks. 

A Historical British Fort

The stairs take you towards Fort Fincastle, which had a $3 admission. Once inside the Fort, we joined a tour that explained so much about both the fort and community. The way the fort was designed and how things were carved out of limestone allowed for ventilation of the magazine. It was the original air-conditioning and highly effective. The view from the top of the fort was the best you could get in the Bahamas, which makes sense as it is on the highest point.

Not being big rum drinkers, we departed and wandered about. Nassau has a definitive British feel. The King is still the Head of State, similar to Canada. Everyone we met was very pleasant and we left thinking it was a nice place. 

Cozumel, Mexico

Our next port was Cozumel, Mexico. We like Mexico. As we wandered ashore, with nothing planned or booked, we met some Touts and settled on a 2-hour snorkel tour on the reef. Cozumel has the second largest reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef. The tour was in a glass boat, not just a glass bottom boat, but a completely clear fiberglass/acrylic boat. This allowed for wonderful viewing of the ocean floor as we headed out to the reef. 

Once we got to the dive point, we all headed out into the water and looked at fish and coral. The current carried us along and after 30-minutes, we were sheparded back into the boat to return to land. To be honest, the fish viewing was not the best we had ever seen. 

Once back on shore, we wandered around the town and headed to the Mercado where we created our own food tour, based on suggestions we read. The food was fresh, reasonably priced and excellent, what more could you ask for?

As we headed back to the ship, we stopped in for some tequila tasting. Now I (Cam) do not like or drink coffee. Imagine my surprise when I tasted coffee tequila. It was incredibly smooth, to the point of being dangerously good in that it was so easy to drink. Our tasting place was on the main drag and, the prices were, in our opinion, very inflated. We decided to pass on buying any and will look for this product in other stores, just to see if we can get it fairly priced.

Belize

We then had a sea day before arriving at Belize. Our plan was to take a tour of the caves, which we would do by floating on an inner tube. We met a few touts, all of them offering the “best” price. In the end we settled on a tour and headed out. A one-hour drive took us to a touristy trap place where we got tubes, helmets and a briefing. A 20-minute up-hill walk took us to the starting point and we entered the water where we boarded our tubes and floated down the river. 

The caves were truly inspiring. The stalagmites and formations were interesting and after about five-minutes of drifting down the river, it was pitch black, except for our headlamps. Our guide had us turn off our lights and we could not see anything. Our tour was about an hour in the caves and when we exited, we carried on down the river in daylight for another 30-minutes. We were back to the ship in good time for departure. 

MSC’s Private Island

As we sailed overnight, we headed to MSC’s private island. We were a bit worried about it, thinking it may be similar to Icy Point Strait, which is totally manufactured. Everything has been built on the Island, from the 5,000 planted palm trees to the shrubs. Normally there are places to eat on the island, which are included in your cruise, however on the day we were there, all food venues were closed. 

We managed to find two lounge chairs and some shade. Setting up our home for the day, we looked out at the ocean and, between swim breaks, read our books. While there was no food on the island, all the bars were open, however the queues were horrendous, so we passed. While the island was certainly not the highlight of our MSC cruise, the colours of the water, along with the soft sand beaches, made a for a postcard perfect picture. 

Winding down

As we left the private island, we returned to Miami. Our impressions of MSC were so favourable we booked another cruise for the spring of 2026. We will head to Europe, MSC’s playground, to visit the Baltics.

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