My wife and I returned yesterday from a 7 night cruise on the MSC Armonia to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Havana, Cuba. We booked the cruise solely because of the visit to Cuba.

Our experience with MSC began at embarkation. I had received information in the pre-cruise packet sent to me electronically by MSC that our assigned embarkation time was 4:15. Having taken more than 20 cruises in the past, I knew that it would likely be possible for us to embark earlier than our assigned time, but I decided to follow the instructions I had been given and arrive at the assigned time. When we arrived at 4:00, there was nobody to be seen in the passenger loading zone. Nobody! I dropped my wife off with the luggage and drove to the parking garage. When I returned, I managed to get our two suitcases up the ramp to the check-in desk. As I did so, I passed numerous MSC employees, and not one of them offered to assist us. Some of them even appeared to walk away as they saw us approaching. When I got to the desk, I showed the agent my printed information showing that our assigned embarkation time was 4:15, however, the only response I received was "Sorry sir. Everyone has gone on board. I explained that I am a cardiac patient having had two triple bypass surgeries in the past 13 years and requested assistance with the luggage. I was told that there was nobody to assist me and that I could "go slowly onto the ship."

Twenty minutes after we boarded the ship, the Captain announced that the safety drill would commence and that sailing would occur immediately after that. Read more