MSC World America Eastern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 5

Ice Cream and Sweets!

Out on the World Promenade, Sweet Temptations is the place to go to get your sweet tooth satisfied!  They have bulk candy, crazy shakes, pops, and gelato. 

Everything is sold a la carte and not included in any beverage package. 

Lunch Menus

In addition to the buffet and the usual quick service spots to grab lunch onboard, it’s also being served in the main dining room from 11:30am – 1:00pm, the Yacht Club Restaurant from 12:00pm – 1:30pm, and the speciality restaurants are offering a special discounted lunch menu.

Here’s a look at the MDR and Yacht Club menus for today.

MSC Voyagers Club Reception for Diamond and Blue Diamond Members

This morning I attended the MSC Voyagers Club reception for Diamond and Blue Diamond members, the two highest tiers in MSC’s loyalty program.

MSC Voyagers Club starts with Welcome at 0 points, then moves through Classic from 1 to 2,199 points, Silver from 2,200 to 4,299, Gold from 4,300 to 9,999, Diamond from 10,000 to 24,999, and finally Blue Diamond at 25,000 points and above. Points are earned based on the MSC Experience you book, the length of the cruise and certain onboard services prepaid before sailing. MSC also offers bonus-point opportunities through things like Voyagers Exclusives and World Cruises.

Diamond and Blue Diamond come with a pretty long list of perks, but one of them is this loyalty event. Today’s reception was held at 11:00 a.m. and had just a couple dozen guests in attendance.

MSC does a really good job with this event, starting with something very simple – they hold it in a venue that’s actually large enough for the people invited. That sounds obvious, but it isn’t always. I attended a loyalty event on Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady last year where everyone was crammed into a space that was way too small, and it turned into a hot freaking mess.

MSC also makes this more than just 30 minutes of standing around listening to speeches. Today there was a musical trio performing, followed by a performer doing aerial maneuvers on a rope, and then a pair of acrobats. Crew members came around with cocktails, mocktails, and both hot and cold canapés.  Yes, it’s a bit of a sales pitch wrapped around free drinks and light bites.

There are a few short presentations mixed in. A representative from the MSC Foundation speaks briefly, followed by someone from Future Cruises, and then the cruise director introduces the ship’s senior officers and captain.

The only part that feels a little anticlimactic is the captain himself. He doesn’t give any remarks. He basically hangs around while two ship models are raffled off, signs them for the winners, says “ciao,” and that’s about it.

The whole thing lasts around 30 minutes, there’s enough entertainment to keep it interesting, and MSC actually makes its top-tier loyalty members feel like they’ve been invited to something a little special.

Breakfast Menus

In addition to the buffet, breakfast is being served for the masses in the main dining room, and for those in the Yacht Club, they can enjoy breakfast in the Yacht Club Restaurant.

Breakfast hours today are:

• Main Dining Room – 8:00am – 9:30am
• Buffet – 6:30am – 11:30am
• Yacht Club Restaurant – 7:30am – 9:30am