THE GEN X WANDERER / Everything You Need to Know About the MSC World America Caribbean Itinerary: Eastern and Western

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Everything You Need to Know About the MSC World America

If you’ve been following along, you already know I sailed MSC World America twice this year, once on the Eastern Caribbean route and once on the Western (I did sail with the MSC Seascape as well on the Western Caribbean route).

This post is a summary of both trips, what I learned and I will keep adding as things come to mind! Before we get into the food (and there is a LOT of food), go read the embarkation posts for both, because Miami traffic to the port deserves its own warning label. The second sailing was much smoother.

On the Eastern sailing, we didn’t check traffic before booking our Uber and paid for it dearly. By the time the Western sailing rolled around, we’d learned our lesson and flew in the morning of, mostly because our arrival window was after 1pm anyway. The real takeaway: book a later embarkation slot if you can. Anything between 11am and 1pm is the worst of it, and it also depends how many ships are in port that day. Four ships is fine. Seven ships is a nightmare.

Okay, now let’s get into the MSC World America Caribbean itinerary in full, deck by deck.

Eastern Caribbean

Day 1: Embarkation
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Puerto Plata | Dominican Republic
Day 4: San Juan | Puerto Rico
Day 5+6: At Sea
Day 7: Ocean Cay Marine Reserve

Western Caribbean

Day 1: Embarkation
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Roatan | Honduras
Day 4: Costa Maya | Mexico
Day 5: Cozumel | Mexico
Day 6: At Sea
Day 7: Ocean Cay Marine Reserve

New to Cruising? Don’t miss my informational articles below so you can get sailing!

• Ultimate Cruise Packing Guide + Itinerary! Free Download
• Fear of Cruising? You’re Fears are Probably all Wrong
• First Time Cruising? Let’s Put Your Mind at Ease
• Prone to Seasickness? Choosing the Right Cabin Matters!

Deck 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20 ~ Full Video Walkthrough

If reading all of this has your head spinning a little, I woke up really early a couple of mornings and filmed a full video walkthrough of Decks 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20 so you can actually see all of this in motion instead of just taking my word for it. It covers the dining spots, the bars, the Promenade, and the deck party area, so you can picture exactly where everything is before you even board. I will drop that video right here so you can follow along.

MSC for Me App

Download here: IOS | ANDROID

Before anything else, you will need to download the MSC for Me App. Pre-checking in will also save you loads of time when you get to the MSC Terminal AA in Port Miami. You will have to take a photo of yourself, upload your passport etc.

And it’s how you’ll get your daily itinerary, book specialty dining and shore excursions, check your onboard account, and figure out which dining room is open for breakfast that morning. It works over the ship’s wifi, so you don’t need an internet package just to use it.

For excursions, like I said previously in other posts, check out Viator because these are substantially less expensive for excursions. Just make sure you are back on the ship for the all aboard call time.

Breakfast on the MSC World America

• Deck 18: Il Mercato Buffet, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Deck 19: La Brasserie Buffet (this is also your overflow spot when Deck 18 gets slammed)
• Deck 5 + 6: Main Dining Rooms (MDR): La Foglia,  Esagono, Hexagon, and Bubbles rotate breakfast duty most mornings. Note: On sea days, the main dining rooms run a sea day brunch, generally from about 8:30am to 1:30pm.
• Deck 8: Les Dunes, the Aurea only dining room, offers My Choice dining any time you want it, so no assigned breakfast slot
• Deck 8: Coffee Emporium, your dedicated coffee stop for espresso, slow brewed coffee, iced drinks (all free if you are on the drink plan) and pastries (extra cost). Note: both of my sailings, the day you are docked at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, the entire World Promenade was closed for cleaning starting around 8 AM and therefore, the Coffee Emporium was also closed until 4 PM | see my video in this post | Coffee Emporium Menu

Lunch on the MSC World America

• Deck 5 + 6: One or two of the main dining rooms stay open for lunch alongside breakfast. Again, note that they serve brunch on Sea Days.
• Deck 6: Luna Park Pizza & Burger
• Deck 8: Promenade Bites (noon to 5pm, hot dogs, pulled pork sliders, popcorn)
• Deck 7: Kaito Teppanyaki lunch seatings (noon to 2pm) (Extra $)
• Deck 8: Eataly for lunch on select days (noon to 2pm) (Extra $)
• Deck 8: Les Dunes, any time for Aurea guests
• Deck 18: Il Mercato Buffet, La Boca Grill in the Aqua Deck area
• Deck 19: La Brasserie Buffet (usually for overflow)
• Deck 20: The Harbour Bar & Bites 11 AM to 6PM

Dinner on the MSC World America

The main dining rooms all serve the same rotating dinner menu each night, so it doesn’t matter much which one you’re assigned to. There are 2 dining times: 6 PM and 8:30 PM

• Deck 5: La Foglia (included with your cruise fare)
• Deck 6: Luna Park Pizza and Burger, casual no reservations quick service serving pizza, hot dogs, burgers, wings, hot dogs + more
• Deck 6: Esagono, Hexagon, Bubbles (included with your cruise fare)
• Deck 8: Les Dunes (Aurea Experience, walk up dining between 5 PM and 10 PM)
• Deck 18: Il Mercato Buffet, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Deck 19: La Brasserie Buffet: if Il Mercato gets full, this is the overflow

Specialty Dining Menu’s (Extra $)

These are all available at an extra cost.

• Deck 7: Hola! Tacos & Cantina | MENU
• Deck 7: Kaito Sushi Bar | MENU
• Deck 7: Kaito Teppanyaki | MENU
• Deck 7: Butcher’s Cut steakhouse | MENU
• Deck 8: Eataly (the only Eataly at sea) | MENU
• Deck 8: Paxos Greek Taverna | MENU

Specialty Treats

• Deck 6: Jean Philippe Chocolat & Café (Extra $) | MENU
• Deck 8: Promenade Bites: Popcorn, Jamaican Patties, Hot Dogs, Pulled Pork Sliders, Cotton Candy
• Deck 8: Sweet Temptations (Extra $)

Bar Menu’s on the MSC World America

Standard Bar List | MENU

• Deck 4: MSC’s Hidden Speakeasy, by invitation only | MENU
• Deck 6: Dolce Vita Bar
• Deck 6: Jean Philippe Chocolat & Café | MENU (Extra $)
• Deck 7: Masters of the Sea (British pub) | MENU
• Deck 7: MSC Signature Casino Bar
• Deck 7: Panorama Lounge
• Deck 8: All Stars Sports Bar | MENU
• Deck 8: Coffee Emporium | MENU
• Deck 8: Elixir Mixology Bar | MENU
• Deck 8: Fizz Champagne Bar | MENU
• Deck 8: The Gin Project | MENU
• Deck 8: The Loft | MENU
• Deck 8: Sweet Temptations, specialty Ice Cream, Milkshakes, Treats (Extra $)
• Deck 8: Zest Juice Bar (fresh smoothies) | MENU
• Deck 18: La Boca Bar and Grill Pool Side: Pizza, Burgers, Fries, Hot Dogs
• Deck 18: Pool Bars: La Perla Bar + Mar Azul Bar | MENU
• Deck 18: Zen Bar (Adults Only) | MENU
• Deck 19: Botanic Garden Bar | MENU
• Deck 20: The Harbour Bar & Bites | MENU
• Deck 20: Box Bar inside the Sportplex | MENU

Themed Nights

On both our sailings on the Eastern and Western itinerary, we had the same themed nights.

• Day 1: Embarkation Day
  Because so much was going on today, you can wear whatever you want and there was no dress code.
• Day 2: Tropical Night
  It’s is exactly what it sounds like, floral shirts and colourful everything.
• Day 3: Gala Night
  MSC’s version of formal night, and comes with a photo op with the captain, and many backdrops and photographers stationed all over Deck 6 and 7, so pack something nicer than a t-shirt. I’ve seen women wear ball gowns, men wear tuxedo’s, close to wedding attire and lots of Quinceañera’s happening around the ship.
• Day 4: Resort Casual
  Tonight you can breathe a little and just chill
• Day 5: 70’s and 80’s
  We never dressed up for this one, but I’ve seen a whole table of 8 look like they came out of studio 54 complete with wigs.
• Day 6: White Night
  Then they have saved the best for last, White Night, which turns into a full White Party on Deck 18 at 10pm. And here’s the part nobody warns you about, and this is my job now: White Night often falls on the same evening as Italian Night dinner and is loaded with pasta in red sauce. White dress plus spaghetti sauce plus a rocking ship equals a bad time. Consider yourself warned!

Theatres and Shows

The World Theatre spans Decks 6 and 7 and seats over 1,100 people for the big productions, currently Dirty Dancing in Concert plus a rotating lineup that includes Odyssey and Momentous.

The Panorama Lounge, tucked in the aft of Deck 6 and 7, hosts Queen Symphonic and Cinesonic, and a host of variety shows, and honestly, get there early because seats fill fast. Luna Park Arena also doubles as a performance space and nightclub once the concert style shows wrap for the night.

Muster Drill

Good news here: the muster drill is now entirely digital. You watch the safety briefing through the app on your own device, then do a quick check in at your assigned station. No more standing in a hallway in your life jacket for twenty minutes.

To Gratuity or not to Gratuity 🤷🏻‍♀️

This has alot of controversy and I was cruising in the days where you paid this all at the end and it was all up to you whether or not you wanted to. Now it’s built in and pre-paid added to your onboard account automatically. They say that the pre-paid gratuities goes to all those behind the scenes that you will never encounter. The laundry facilitators, the pastry chefs, anyone and everyone that is not customer facing.

It runs somewhere in the $16 to $20 per person, per day range for Caribbean sailings. When we were at the reception, I overhead a lady telling the front desk to remove the pre-paid from her account.

Did I get it removed? No. There’s alot of mixed reviews as to if the people behind the scenes actually receive this extra cash or if the ship is pocketing it. Now this is across the board on all major cruise lines. I really wish I had honestly asked our room attendant if this is true. But anyway, we still tipped on top for our room attendant and our dining server. They truly went above and beyond.

There is a lot of debate online about whether the extra tipping is necessary, and honestly, that’s a personal call based on your own experience onboard.

Pools and Hot Tubs

The main pool deck sits outside with a couple of hot tubs nearby. There’s also a solarium with its own pool and four hot tubs, all saltwater, which is a nice quieter option when the main deck gets loud. There is a limit capacity of people in the hot tub and it does get crowded fast so they will come around and tell you to get out. And if you want zero kids around you, the adults only Zen Bar on Deck 18 aft is your spot.

Housekeeping Notices

Expect balcony and window cleaning at some point during your cruise. This usually happens on a port day midway through your cruise. Crew will slip a notice under your door the night before ahead of time so you’re not caught off guard mid half naked in your room with the curtains open.

What Not to Pack: Irons and Steamers

I was incredibly bummed that no cruise ships allow this but safety first. Leave your travel iron and garment steamer at home because both are banned onboard and will be confiscated at security during check in, held until the end of the cruise, then returned to you at disembarkation. Hair tools like straighteners and curling irons are fine, it’s specifically the heating elements used for clothing that are the issue because of safety. You can also opt to get the Downy Wrinkle Release off Amazon.

And in case you missed it, make sure you check out my post on What to Pack for Cruising! It also comes with a free downloadable checklist and itinerary tracker.

Laundry Services

MSC does offer laundry, but there’s no self serve option on any MSC ship, so it’s all send out service, and it is not cheap. You’re looking at per item pricing (a few dollars for basics, more for dresses and jackets) or package deals for 10, 20, or 40 items if you’ve got a full load to send.

Ocean Cay: What to Know About Chairs and Heat

Chairs at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve cost extra (we didn’t know duh), with one exception: the row right in front of where the ship docks, closest to the beach, is free. If you’re sailing in August, brace yourself, the heat is brutal and there’s a fair amount of walking involved. The shuttle service is sparse and seems to mostly serve Yacht Club Members, so plan on your own two feet getting you most places.

Below are all the stops we did on both the MSC World America’s Eastern and Western Caribbean Itineraries. Not included is MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. And because the MSC World America is docked in Miami, I’ve added that in first incase you happen to stay a couple nights before and want to explore!

Eastern Caribbean Ports

Western Caribbean Ports

Disclaimer*: Booking through Viator is a great way to explore beyond the cruise line’s offerings, often with more flexibility, unique experiences and generally much cheaper. However, it’s important review: pickup location, proximity from the cruise port, excursion timing, travel time and return time to ensure everything aligns with your ship’s “all aboard time”. Cruise ships will not wait for passengers delayed on independent excursions. All third-party excursions are your responsibility.

Final Thoughts

After two full itineraries on the MSC World America, the verdict is simple: this ship earns the hype. Between the endless food options, the theme nights, sneaking into the speakeasy twice, and lounging by Ocean Cay’s turquoise water, there is no shortage of ways to fill your days, and somehow also no shortage of ways to nap through half of them without guilt.

It is a big ship with lots of ports, so get ready meet your daily walk threshold of 25,000 steps. Whether you go east for the history and the beaches or west for Roatan and Costa Maya, the MSC World America itself is the real star of the trip, and honestly, we are already trying to figure out how to get back on it, this time, using the “Adult Arcade”.