'This cruise ship was nothing like I expected. Nothing.'

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You either grew up in a cruise ship family or a very firmly non-cruise ship family — and mine was the latter. We had the common misconception that they were structured holidays for families or older people who wanted the ease of everything being organised for them, whether that be food, activities or places to see.

My family were those who wanted to see new countries locally, experience the culture and food, and get a taste in our own time — even if it was just briefly. If visiting somewhere warm, we'd want to spend days leisurely on the beach rather than on a guided tour.

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The thought of going on a cruise had never really crossed my mind until a few years ago, when I saw a group of friends do one, and the concept made sense. You have all these restaurants to try, a buffet if you want a bit of everything, you're on the water, there are open bars, and you can get off and visit new places.

Last month, I got to experience MSC World America on a seven-day journey from Miami to Mexico, Honduras and the Bahamas. And I couldn't believe how wrong I was about cruise ships, especially ones of this magnitude. Here's my very honest review of one week on MSC World America.

Boarding MSC World America.

My partner and I flew from Sydney to Miami with a brief stint at LAX ahead of our week on MSC World America. We flew on a Friday morning and arrived that same Friday night, staying overnight in Miami before having a few hours to explore the city before we boarded. We went straight to South Beach — what a cool sight to see.

This shows how little I know about cruise ships — I had no idea that boarding is almost exactly like going through an airport. At PortMiami, the big cruise ships all have their own terminals and you enter just as you would before boarding a plane. You scan your ticket and go through security. It was a pretty incredible sight seeing how they set it up.

This was my first hint that everything I thought I knew about cruises was wrong.

I had no idea where you board is almost exactly like going through an airport. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg

The newest in the World Class series, MSC World America, launched in Miami in April 2025. It has two itineraries: one from Miami to Mexico, Honduras and the Bahamas (which we did), and another to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

It takes 6,764 passengers. After boarding, you have to do a brief safety briefing in case of emergencies, and then you're free to explore. Our room was a Deluxe Balcony Cabin with a double bed, couch, bathroom and balcony facing out to the ocean. It was small but not tiny, and was never an issue — even for my 6'2" partner.

Our room was an Deluxe Balcony Cabin. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg

Once unpacked and settled in, it was time to explore the ship.Our package included all food in main dining and buffet, plus three dinners at their speciality restaurants (more on that later), access to an adults-only sundeck area, the premium drinks package (up to 15 drinks a day) and a Fun Pass, giving us access to the MSC Formula Racer, bowling, games and wild attractions on board like the zip line, aquapark and over-water swing ride.

Once unpacked and settled in, it was time to explore the ship. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

Sea days on MSC World America.

Two days out of seven were sea days. This was the time to properly explore everything the ship had to offer.

The ship is huge, so for anyone wondering whether you felt like you were on the water — short answer, no. It was very rare we felt any rocking, if at all.

MSC World America feels like a village on a ship. There are 13 dining venues, including six speciality restaurants. There's a steakhouse, sushi and teppanyaki, a Mexican restaurant and the only Eataly (Italian) at sea.

MSC World America feels like a village on a ship. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

There are also 20 bars, lounges and cafés, including a champagne bar, cocktail bar, English-style pub and gin bar.

Plus, shopping. Full transparency, the shopping is similar to duty-free you'd find at the airport, so whilst always fun to browse, I saved my shopping for port days.

Port days on MSC World America.

The first stop on the trip was Costa Maya, Mexico. Very much designed for cruise ships, we disembarked at the port and went off on an excursion for the day. We visited some Mayan ruins and learnt about the history behind them, which was fascinating.

Full transparency, the excursions are what I would typically avoid, knowing how I normally travel — get out, walk and explore. Some feel extremely touristy — guided tours with other people from the ship — but others don't.

Chacchoben Mayan Ruins. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

Roatán, Honduras, our second stop, was probably my favourite of the whole trip. I knew nothing about Honduras before arriving there. We were taken around the island in a small group of 15 by a local.

We learnt about the history of the island, known for its fishing villages, sailed through the Caribbean Sea in a fishing boat and ate a seafood lunch made by locals who didn't speak a word of English, whilst sitting on a barge as reggae music played — a real pinch-me moment.

Real pinch me moment. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

Then there were the final two stops, which felt much more like the way I love to travel — take my time and get some sun!

Our third stop was Cozumel, Mexico, where Eli, my partner, and I travelled by boat to Isla de la Pasión — a small island at the northern end of Cozumel, known for its white sand and clear turquoise water. We spent the day drinking margaritas, eating tacos, swimming and playing Jenga. Bliss.

Bliss. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

We ended the trip at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas, MSC Cruises' private island. Although, yes, you are there with everyone else from the cruise ship, there are bars dotted across the island, including some smaller ones with no more than 15 people at one time.

We parked up at one, laid our towels down and sipped cocktails and swam in the water. At several moments there were so few people we forgot we were on a cruise.

We ended the trip at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.

Dining on MSC World America.

Depending on what you do on port days, they can be quite exhausting. So we often headed back to the ship around 3pm, had a lie-down before getting ready for dinner and deciding which bar to pop into for a sunset drink beforehand.

With approximately 2,000 staff members on the ship, we would often pop into either the cocktail or champagne bar, grab a seat on the balcony and order a drink whilst talking to one of the bartenders. This felt like what I often do when travelling — meet locals, hear their story and how they got there. We met people from Bali, Indonesia, Italy and the Philippines.

I'm a foodie and a lot of the time when travelling, for me, involves what I'm going to eat. Over the course of the week, we tried several of the dining restaurants — teppanyaki, Mexican, the steakhouse and Eataly (the best Italian restaurant, only based in Italy, New York, Los Angeles and now on MSC World America). I was in heaven.

We also ate at the main dining room (which is included in every ticket, whereas speciality dining is an add-on). Both my partner and I agreed that the food was just as good, and with a constantly changing menu where you get three courses, you don't get tired of it.

MSC World America was nothing like I expected — and I mean nothing. I'm not being overdramatic, despite my family telling me I sometimes have a tendency to be. I've always had quite a narrow-minded view of cruising, and whilst there are some things I wouldn't necessarily take part in, like big group activities, it's the perfect way to have a little bit of everything — see new places, eat great food and drink (for free if you get it included in your package!) and relax.

You also didn't feel like you were on a boat — just a convenient village with everything you need, taking you to new places each day. My partner and I keep sending each other photos from the trip even now, saying how incredible it was.

It's also nothing like the stereotype I had — not just for families or older people. We went as a couple and would absolutely do it again. MSC World America, thank you for changing my mind on cruise ships. Now I'm off to change the minds of family and friends.

Mamamia travelled as a guest of MSC Cruises. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.

Feature image: Supplied/Charlotte Begg.