A Week in Orlando: Trying the Competition

 

    After our cruise this fall, my husband encouraged me to try out solo cruising.  The reasoning was that I would like to travel more than he is available and cruising is a cost-effective and accessible form of travel.  So I booked my first solo cruise for April of 2023 on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).  You see, I had only ever cruised on NCL and I thought that I always would.  The logic is sound. When you sail consistently with one cruise line you earn loyalty points that equate to bonuses and potential savings. As I began to look into my dreams of travelling every month in 2023 on the $7,500 budget that my husband had given me though, I quickly realized that cruising on Norwegian wouldn't get me very far.  Between the one I had booked in April and the one I had committed to with my son in the fall I was down nearly half of my travel budget for the whole year.  I didn't need to budget for our travel in February because that was for our anniversary and it was coming out of a different budget item, so that left me only $4,000 for nine months of travel, less than $500 per month.  Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the finances provided to me, it was just going to take some creativity to make it stretch!  

    I started looking around on different travel websites to see what options were available to me, and I saw some remarkable deals on cruises, but almost none of them were on Norwegian.  It seems that Norwegian has an admirable policy of having standardized prices across platforms and the only bonuses you will get by booking with another travel agent are in the form of onboard credit (OBC) or other small incentives that don't affect the actual price of the cruise.  While I appreciate that this gives me peace of mind that I'm getting the best price possible, the prices were still notably higher than other options.  Particularly through ID90, I was able to get some interline prices that beat almost every other fare offer out there for many cruise lines.  I started to wonder what it would be like to cruise on another line and if the cost savings would balance out the loyalty bonus of sticking with Norwegian?

    My opportunity presented itself very soon.  The weekend I returned from Palm Springs I started to see a cruise on MSC that was leaving out of Orlando just two days after I had planned to leave for an incredible price.  For $215, including taxes and port fees, I could go on a three-day cruise!  This would give me an opportunity to try out a new cruise line, solo cruising, and an inside cabin all at once.  I know that's a lot of factors to try simultaneously, but I figured I could tolerate a lot for three days and the information it would give me for my future travels would be invaluable.  Turns out I was right!

    From the beginning of the booking process I noticed differences.  MSC had significantly less information online about what their cruise would be like and very few answers to my questions about dining, tipping, etc.  They, like other cruise lines, have an app that I installed and put my information into, but it also had limited information and there was no real way to check in on it - at least that I could find.  I did my check in on the website and printed off my boarding documents (two copies as usual in case I loose one) then did all the research I could online in preparation.  I found a vlogger, Emma at EmmaCruises.com, who had done a lot of travel on MSC.  She even had some videos from the ship I had booked, the MSC Meraviglia.  I'm a visual person, so seeing these set my mind at ease.  I wasn't booked on a sketchy, scary ship and inside cabins weren't as intimidating as I thought they might be.

    Every step of the process was different, not worse, just different.  On embarkation day, NCL typically has water and coffee out for people to enjoy while waiting, MSC only had water.  Their non-suite embarkation process and waiting areas were pretty similar. I've never embarked from Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida before, but I was surprised by the sheer distances that I had to walk to complete the process.  The building itself is as long or longer than the ship and I had to walk the length of it at least twice.  With NCL there is crew everywhere welcoming you aboard.  While I saw a lot of crew, they were not as boisterous or welcoming.  The crew on MSC were much more reserved and more inclined to talk with each other than with the guests.  Being an introvert, this didn't really bother me, but it was a difference that I definitely noticed.  As I boarded, I saw a station that was advertising helping you set up your internet.  I thought I could take care of it on my own but didn't see any harm in getting help so I stopped.  I'm so glad I did!  I'm the only one of everyone I spoke with on the first day that had my internet package functioning!  It was SUPER complicated to get it going and I definitely would have required assistance so I'm glad I stopped at the station right away before it got busy.  

    Their buffet was pretty similar to NCL with the exception of the emphasis on their pizza and bread.  My understanding is that MSC is known for these, being an Italian cruise line, but none of these were available to me because I was gluten free.  This became somewhat of an issue as the cruise went on.  On NCL, they have a dedicated gluten free kitchen where they can prepare most of the regular menu items in a gluten free way without cross contamination.  On MSC they had some regular food options that were already gluten free but that was pretty much all that was available.  They could not make any other items in a special way and there didn't seem to be any gluten free kitchen so the risk of cross contamination was very high.  I would not travel on this cruise line if I had a serious food allergy like Celiac Disease.  They had a gluten free bread offering in the main dining room at dinner and a gluten free cake that I heard was decent, but I did not try.  Other than that you just ate what you could find.  Each night in the dining room the head waiter would give me a paper copy of the menu that had been marked as to which selections were gluten free.  There were usually two entrees and one or two appetizers.  Fortunately I was able to find something each meal that I could eat and most of what I ordered was very good.  During meal times I was able to find plenty of options in the buffet that I assumed were gluten free, nothing was marked though.  The trouble I ran into was that their meal times were more limited than I had previously experienced and during "snack" times if the buffet was open it served pizza, bread, salad, and dessert. The salad was not particularly appealing to me as I could not eat most of the toppings and lettuce with dressing isn't very filling, so the first time I showed up at the buffet during a snack time and I was very hungry I kind of panicked.  I knew there would be no more food available until breakfast and I had had a bad night the last night at the WorldMark because I woke up very hungry and didn't have any food available to eat.  I was afraid of that happening again and I thought, "I'll grab a slice of pizza and just slide the toppings off onto a salad."  I didn't realize what real italian pizza is like I guess because when I got my food back to the table I realized that the pizza was a crust with a very thin sauce that had mostly soaked into the crust, and two pieces of pepperoni.  I think there was some cheese on it, but it wasn't enough to remove.  So, I ate it.  Not the edge of the crust, just the main part, but it wasn't the wisest move I could have made.  It was just 3-4 bites, but with all that I had been doing that week adding in gluten, even in small amounts, had the potential to cause quite a bit of discomfort.  Then I ate some lettuce with a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on it.  Realizing that I was still quite hungry and it wasn't wise to keep eating these options I slowed down, prayed about it, and started thinking outside the box.  I had skipped over the fruit section of the salad bar because I didn't see it as being particularly filling, but if I could find something to pair it with it just might help.  So I grabbed a bowl of melon.  Then I looked at the dressing area of the salad bar and saw that they had some chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, dried apricots, and sunflower seeds.  While not exactly a meal, and probably somewhat rude to take a large portion of what should have been toppings, I put together a "protein bowl."  This did the trick and gave me something to take back to my room so I wasn't stressed about waking up hungry without options.  This doesn't actually happen to me very often, and I've had to do extreme fasting a number of times so you'd think I wouldn't be so panicky about not eating for a few hours, but being at my physical limits and on the edge of a migraine I knew that pushing through hunger would not go well for me.  Also, there were no gluten free options on the room service menu even if I did decide to pay to order it.

    The other challenge I faced in the buffet was more about the other passengers than the cruise line, but I'm sure the staff could have handled things better.  They had similar stations serving the exact same options scattered around the buffet, but this was not made clear and so there were long lines at the first stations you came across upon entering the area.  I just wanted some breakfast potatoes and so slid into what I thought was the end of the line for a particular station, thinking it was ridiculous to wait in line where people were ordering made to order omelettes just to grab some potatoes but I didn't want to be rude and so I got in line.  Turns out I didn't find the end of the line and it wrapped back quite far behind me.  I was chastised for "cutting" in line and decided that potatoes were definitely not worth it.  I continued past the station and headed to the back of the buffet looking for a quiet place to eat and imagine my surprise when I found three other stations serving the same food and with little or no lines!  So people were standing in line easily for 20+ minutes for food that they could walk up and grab a few feet away!  It was the people in line that were snippy, not the staff, but had the staff handled the flow a little better than this would not have been an issue.

    This leads to another difference with MSC, communal dining.  I had heard about this, and it had been something that had put me off trying different cruise lines in the past.  Again, I'm an introvert and having to engage in conversation with strangers at dinner, especially the same set of people night after night, made me quite nervous.  I went down for dinner the first night resolved to make the best of it.  Things went pretty well and a nice woman I had met earlier in the buffet came and asked to join our table which made it even better.  The only real issue I faced was that they would only bring the next course when everyone had completed the current one and I tend to be a slow eater.  My entree was quite large, and I was really enjoying it, but it became clear that everyone was waiting on me and wanting to move on, so I stopped eating before I had finished (I guess this probably contributed to being hungry later, especially since I was at the early sitting).  The second night, however, the lady I enjoyed visiting with did not show up and I was the only female at the table.  The two men decided to debate religion and politics in a very uncomfortable way, and I couldn't get out of there fast enough.  I went back and forth about going to the dining room for dinner the third night, but I ran into the woman I enjoyed visiting with and she assured me that she would be there, so I went. It went pretty well and when the men started in this time, we just ignored them for the most part and had our own conversation.

    I don't think I want to let this experience put me off of communal dining or have me avoid cruises where this is the norm.  I think it would be beneficial for me to learn communication skills that could both end unpleasant conversations like these and speak up for myself.  Those would benefit me in far more circumstances than just the occasional cruise!  Communal dining also offers opportunity to socialize for a solo cruiser to help avoid loneliness.  You never know what opportunities might crop up!  In fact, on our last night a woman at the table next to us overheard our conversation and came up to me to ask for advice on a health situation she was facing.  One of the biggest challenges I face in situations like these is that I am a people pleaser.  I want everyone to like me and I want to bless those that I encounter.  The catch is, sometimes blessings don't look the same.  Perhaps I could have blessed everyone at the table if I had just politely said something like, "Bob, I'm feeling uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.  Could we shift it please?  What was your favorite cruise?"  Instead I just squished further and further into my chair and ate as fast as possible.  Lesson learned, I hope!

    While the service was a little less friendly and engaging with MSC, it was not lacking.  Every time I asked for help someone was more than happy to assist, and sometimes they even anticipated my needs like seeing me try to navigate with a tray of food and a cane.  The couple of times I visited guest services they were quick and efficient with answers to my questions and greeted me with a smile.  My cabin steward was the most friendly and engaging staff member I encountered.  He was anxious to help out in any way he could and made sure to work around my schedule, popping in to clean up whenever I was out for a meal.  

    Another staff difference I noticed with MSC was that the staff that did interact regularly with me, my cabin steward and the waiters for our table, were much more up front about asking for a positive mention in my post cruise survey that would be sent to my email.  On NCL they have crew comment cards that are regularly mentioned in onboard communication, but I've never had a staff member mention them to me directly or ask for one.  I've made a point of filling out a comment card for as many staff members as I could on each cruise because I know they matter even more than the few dollar tip I might leave.  MSC didn't have any cards like these that I saw though, and it was strange to have people ask - even to the point of asking me to take a picture of their name badge.  I felt awful about it as I fully intended to leave comments for them, but when I took the post cruise survey there was only one section available for typing and it didn't clearly have anything to do with this.  Then the survey ended abruptly, and I wasn't able to go back in and note anything.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the Music on MSC.  In the past I've only heard around the ship music on NCL in passing because nothing was enjoyable enough for me to purpose to sit down and listen.  Quite the opposite on MSC, there were multiple musicians and groups that I spent time sitting and listening to.  In fact, I didn't get to hear all of them that I wanted to!  I spent two evening sipping a glass of wine and listening to a jazz trio in the Sky Lounge, and it was wonderful.  MSC showed me how good ship music could be and added in something I will definitely be watching for on other cruise lines. Since this cruise I've been paying attention and many reviews have mentioned the quality of music on Holland America which piques my interest in trying them out.

    MSC also clearly takes pride in the quality and cleanliness of their ship.  Everything was sparking!  From the mirrored elevators to the $13,000 per step Swarovski Crystal staircases in the Atrium, I can't remember ever coming across something dingy or in poor repair.  The MSC Meraviglia was a beautiful ship and I can't recommend her enough.

    On this cruise I also visited a cruise line's private island for the first time, MSC's Ocean Cay (pronounced Key). I've heard lots of different reviews out there about this island, but I'll tell you, from a first-timer's perspective it was paradise.  There were multiple beaches you could visit with loungers and chairs available.  One of the beaches had first come first served umbrellas as well.  The cruise line rents them out to those who would like to visit a different beach or don't get there in time to secure a free one.  I like this as it feels like it give people a chance to prioritize.  Do they want to get a free umbrella?  Then get off the ship as soon as possible and head straight to lighthouse beach.  Want to sleep in and have an umbrella wherever you want to go?  Rent one!  There was a system of electric trams that would shuttle you from the ship to the different beaches and other places like the spa or the buffet.  I was please to find that both the food at the buffet and the food trucks placed around the island was included in my cruise fare!  The staff on the island were courteous and helpful, and the driver of the first tram I rode was also a wonderful tour guide taking us around and informing us of our options for the day. The sand and water were lovely, although on most beaches there was a great deal of coral so I learned that in the future I should bring water shoes for such and adventure.  They did have one beach that was "rock free" so I made a point of heading into the water here.  Their bathroom facilities were more than adequate and well-maintained.  There was one near each beach as far as I could see.  They had outdoor showers to help you remove the glue-like sand and large stalls that worked great for changing in.  The trams were not wheelchair accessible as far as I could see, but the paths they traveled on were open for people to walk/wheel on as well and they were well-paved.

Here's the thing: I can definitely say that MSC and NCL are different, but I would also love to travel on both of them again.  NCL will always be my first cruise-line love and I know I'll continue to travel on them whenever feasible, but I'm definitely open to other opportunities now!