1fifthavenue

I think the issue here Stockjock as Bea and Ate have mentioned, is that you've been given incorrect information as to what the package includes, and the crew have actually acted correctly. Appreciate it's disappointing when you expect something different though

Hi John, a friend who works for the line shared it on Facebook yesterday. No clue yet as to date or itinerary, but my thoughts will be the usual Western Med and I have a hunch the naming ceremony will be in Civitavecchia with the ship being built in Italy, Genoa having had the naming of Seaview etc... Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Sales will open on 26th June to VC members, with an extra 5% discount in addition to the current VC discount

You may be able to get something else in the Brass Anchor pub, but not the other bars in my experience

20 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

I’m sorry but the negative comments aren’t helpful would your response be the same if you missed a flight back to the USA

Of course the negative responses wont seem helpful, however delays in to port could happen for any number of reasons, and that's why insurance is so important, or build in a stay in the port of arrival

When I received the press release I contacted MSC to ask directly if there will be a new level or new benefits. The PR team replied with:

"The change doesn’t represent any additional rewards, it is simply to reflect the benefits which are already available at that level."

I guess its just a case of wait and see

Someone mentioned to me it will be Magnifica that will be stretched - will be interesting to find out, but there's no official release yet.

I'm glad that the Tex Mex is going - went on Splendida a few years ago and didn't like it and used it for a black card lunch on Fantasia last year as we didn't like the YC menu. Also glad to be trying Eataly next week on Preziosa before it's gone, but won't bother writing much of a review about it since it won't be much use to others lol

1 hour ago, MrMike45 said:

I guess the gist of what I am asking is...for those who have complaints about a particular cruise line (not talking the 1 post disappearing people) and are critical of them, do you go back?  Do you try another cruise line, and find those problems did not exist?  If so, which line?  Or if not, do you vacation another way?  

We cruised once with NCL, after having two cruises with MSC. We really didn't like the NCL Epic and the cruise we had for various reasons which are irrelevant to this post, but with that being said we don't go back to the NCL boards, join their Facebook groups etc as we know people who enjoy NCL and that there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to cruising.

After that experience we decided to stick with MSC as we know the product very well, we know what our holiday will be like etc

Hmmm I think with the reviews section you only have to see how many people have only ever posted one review and that's as far as they go. It's like a hit and run scenario, especially as there's no facility to reply.

I finally got round to completing the review of my recent cruise - https://timthorpetravel.com/2019/03/26/alicante-msc-opera-and-venice-march-2019/

Hope you enjoy it

pretty sure it is non-slip coated on Bellissima, certainly was on Seaview and from my brief look round at the Christening it looked the same

we're joining her in Alicante too, will write a blog when back

3 minutes ago, citizenfrank said:

So moistness aside ...With the fireworks

What is the news exactly?

That MSC Cruises UK have announced that service charge will not be mandatory for UK bookings

lol you should have seen the furore it created in our group - absolutely crazy!

14 minutes ago, Babybooface said:

Someone posted on Facebook that the DSC can now be removed for U.K. passengers at the end of the cruise if they wish I think they heard it from their travel agent 

Reply to same thread on FB - Hi all, I was waiting for the MSC website to be updated and to go back to the previous wording (so it does still have the compulsory wording there at the time of writing) - but yes this is what the news was relating to. Following the feedback seen, MSC UK have been listening to the UK customers, so it's business as usual

18 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Smacks a bit of a childish "I know something that you don't".  Why not wait 'til it can be announced to announce it, for heaven's sake!

 

Maybe MSC has decided to introduce a new, higher tier to Voyagers Club (how likely is that!  🙄)

Sorry Bea, my friend who works at MSC has asked me to wait until they get something updated their end before I can announce it

23 minutes ago, citizenfrank said:

TJT from the Facebook page saying the same.

Hope its all worth the tension lol 

That's me ;)

Still waiting for the go ahead to reveal - sorry for the delay!

It's just the entrance to the theatre, not reserved seating, and there was only a couple of shows that needed reserving, it will tell you on your daily programme

19 minutes ago, Bases5 said:

I have a few more questions if you find the time.

Thanks in advance.

How are the wait times for the elevators?

Fine, although some of the buttons didn't work, I can't remember which, but make sure you press both to call them (there's a button beside each one)

Do they have U.S. plugs in the rooms. 

Yes, there are two above the desk, they're very close together which means UK plugs on an adapter can't sit side by side, not sure how this impacts US plugs

Does the room have blow dryers?

Yes, but they're the horrible hose type, and even as a guy they were rubbish - take your own!

Do the back decks have chairs to use?

Not that I remember but as we were all the way forward we didn't really look

Formal nights. Is a nice dress plus a jacket and tie ok. 

Absolutely, we wear lounge / business type suits usually not tuxedo

Did you notice any long lines at any certain area or certain times?

Not really, just guest relations on embarkation day and the night before big changeovers - getting back on at port could be a bit slow as there's limited space for security checks which are obviously so important. Think the longest we waited was 15-20 minutes

hey Base, have added some notes in to your questions 🙂

Tim

On 1/12/2019 at 8:57 AM, Bases5 said:

Very nice indeed. 

Was it complimentary?

yes it is free 🙂

4 hours ago, Bases5 said:

I thought I read somewhere that the pub had food to order

i was wondering if you could confirm this and if so what was the choices 

Yes you can get:

club sandwich

bbq chicken wrap

croissant with ham and mushrooms (maxi croissant)

roast beef platter

apple pie

chocolate brownie

Hi Len, 

Sorry you didn't appear to have such a good cruise. 

I have to say we've never experienced miserable staff, but we do find that a smile goes a long way, and if you smile the world smiles with you. Of course we've experienced people on an off day. I guess by human nature we are all different and it's unfortunate your waiter wasn't up to scratch.

We really enjoy the opera and often go on land, and we thought the opera on the ship was up to a very good standard. Completely understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, but there was plenty of variety in the shows I thought with songs from the musicals, dance, classical and opera. I don't know what else could be offered to add to it?

I'm with you that the product probably wouldn't suit a number of Americans, and to be honest we have found that American cruising isn't for us, hence sticking to MSC as we know what we're going to get 🙂

Tim

Now the dust has settled from new year I've got round to writing the review of our Christmas cruise that you can find on my blog timthorpetravel.com

- 

Earlier in 2018 a deal on the MSC Magnifica caught our eye, for 5 nights over the Christmas period, however when looking further we also found a longer cruise on the MSC Sinfonia. 10 nights, departing Barcelona on the 19^th December worked out not all that much more money, so we decided to go for the longer cruise particularly as we’re currently having building work done so Christmas at home was not a possibility.

Our travel agent packaged the cruise with a 2 night pre-cruise hotel stay, flights and the All Inclusive Deluxe drinks package and we were good to go! As this was such a long cruise I won’t go through a day by day account, and will just pick out some of the highlights.

Barcelona is a city we’ve visited many times as we’ve completed numerous Mediterranean  cruises, and on the Western Med itinerary it’s as certain as taxes and death. We enjoyed our time spent at the Barcelona House hotel – it’s location is very central, just off La Rambla and the Placa Reial with it’s bustling restaurants and grand architecture.

Ship Profile

MSC Sinfonia is the second oldest in the current MSC fleet (MSC Armonia is slightly older) and was originally built for Festival Cruises. At just over 58000 tonnes and a passenger capacity of 2163 she is small compared to the mega ships we see being launched in recent years. As a comparison, the current world’s biggest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas weighs in at 228000GT and can hold 6680 passengers.

All of the Lirica class cruise ships (Sinfonia, Armonia, Opera and Lirica) went through the ‘Renaissance Programme’ in 2015 which added extra cabins and altered public spaces. The previous lounge above the theatre was removed and cabins added, with a new lounge in the new mid-section and an extended dining room, plus children’s spray park.

We sailed on MSC Lirica before the stretch, and MSC Armonia after the stretch, and it is somewhat difficult to tell that this has been done as the design flows well and the new public spaces are in keeping with the original design.

On embarkation morning we took a steady walk down La Rambla and caught the cruise bus at €3 each which took us straight to the terminal where MSC Sinfonia was docked – we were the only ship in port which made things very easy. The usual check-in procedures commenced, and we were the first passengers to be onboard at about 12.45pm – one of the benefits of the MSC Voyagers Club black card is priority boarding.

Cabin

Our forward facing cabin on deck 9, cabin 9001 was spacious and a different layout to other ocean view cabins we have had. There was plenty of storage space for the duration of our cruise, and our cabin steward was friendly and efficient.

The configuration of the cabin worked really well. There’s no escaping the ship is showing her age in places but is kept very well. The shower was small in comparison to Meraviglia and Seaview with a shower curtain rather than enclosure; the bathroom is looking dated however cleanliness is the most important thing in my view. I should also add that the hairdryer was one of the old fashioned on the wall with a hose type and not much use for anyone with thick, long or afro type hair!

The window over the bow offered excellent views when sailing in to ports, and one of the highlights has to be the sail in to Valletta’s Grand Harbour.

Our itinerary for the cruise was port-intensive, with only one sea day. That’s actually pretty perfect for a ship of this size, however one draw back is that the bow thrusters to help steer the ship in to it’s berth made the room shake. The noise woke us up every morning – not great as we’re usually late to bed. Our table mates had cabins midships and didn’t even know we were docking, so it goes to show why location can be everything!

Dining

Excuse the length of this paragraph, but food is a major part of the cruise holiday experience, so naturally it will be longer!

On our first day, we headed to the main dining room, Il Galeone on deck 5 for lunch. On the older MSC ships we have noticed that the main dining room offers a hybrid buffet and a la carte service at breakfast and lunch. Presumably this is to take off some of the pressure from the main buffet on deck 11 which was not extended during the Renaissance project.

You are shown to a table by a host, and then asked whether you would like to order from the menu or to use the buffet. Drinks service is via the waiter. The buffet options are generally the same as those on deck 11 with the exception of burgers / pizza which is not available, so for cruisers who enjoy buffets I’d recommend using this option as it avoids any hassle trying to find a table.

This concept does have some drawbacks though. The a la carte menu selections seem to be much smaller with often only one option per course. This is somewhat surprising, however soups, salads etc are available from the buffet section, as well as a daily carvery selection with fresh vegetables.

We found that the lunch service could be very slow and actually quite chaotic, and in our ten days only went for lunch three times, one of which was Chirstmas Day. Don’t get me wrong we didn’t go hungry (is it possible to?) but compared to the MSC ships we have sailed on we found this worse. On our third and final trip to the restaurant we were sat for ten minutes before a waiter asked if he could help us. We hadn’t even had a menu at that point!

That being said, the Christmas Day lunch service, where the buffet in the MDR had been removed and it was pure table service went much better. We were seated with a couple from the UK and a lady and her friend from Hungary, who by chance we had met on our previous Christmas cruise on the MSC Fantasia! It’s a small world hey!

For our evening meals we were allocated table 504 in what would have been the corner of Il Galeone restaurant prior to the stretch. Our table for 6 on the first sitting at 6:30pm consisted of ourselves, two gentlemen from the East of England and a couple from Brisbane, Australia. We’ve not shared a dining table for two years and were somewhat apprehensive that we might not all get on.

All I can say is we hit it off like a house on fire and have made good friends! Thank you to our four companions for all of the laughs over the cruise. Dinner service took around two and a quarter hours each night so it was a massive relief that we all got on so well!

Our waiter Maharta was very friendly and knew his job, however we wonder if he perhaps had too many tables to look after and this is what caused service to be slower than you would expect. His assistant, Jonathan was also scarce meaning that drinks service in the restaurant could be slow. Maharta was fantastic in asking each night what wine we would prefer the next evening so as to have it ready for us and try and speed things up a little.

The food at dinner over the week was of a very good standard. Portions as ever could be a little on the small side but well presented. We’d highly recommend anyone with an appetite orders two appetizers, or an appetizer and salad as well as their main course, or extra vegetables.

The food highlights of the cruise for me have got to be Ramon Freixa’s Duck Royale which we first discovered on our honeymoon, the pan-seared duck breast with currant and chilli sauce, the veal shank on Med night and the Indian butter chicken on Christmas night was the perfect antidote to all of the rich food!

In addition to the main dining room and buffet, the Lirica class ships also serve food in the pub located on deck 5 forward. Shelagh’s House is an ‘Irish Pub’ with a range of beers including Guinness and Murphy’s. The food on offer includes club sandwiches and a roast beef platter. This makes a great lunch option if you’re too late back from an excursion or sight seeing, or if you just fancy a light bite.

Example Menus:

[gallery ids="357,358,359" type="rectangular"]

[gallery ids="361,360" type="rectangular"]

Service

I’m not sure if ‘service’ is the right heading to use but I just wanted to touch on how we found the onboard experience. We know we have been spoilt with cruises in the Yacht Club, and we knew that the experience would be somewhat different with fewer crew to assist more passengers in bars etc. In all honesty, the service and customer experience from that perspective was absolutely fine.

I’ve read numerous reports of cruisers who say they wouldn’t go with MSC unless they could go in the Yacht Club. There was absolutely nothing wrong in terms of wait times or attentiveness.

During the cruise we were really lucky to meet with Juli who we had met on another cruise on MSC Fantasia, as well as Vickee, Ketut and others from MSC Magnifica and also Melissa who was on her first contract.

As many of you will know, MSC announced a change to the drinks packages last year, and now these are in play with the simultaneous running of the old drinks packages it has caused confusion, and this is completely understandable. We’ve now completed twenty cruises and therefore know what we are entitled to based on our drinks package code. Unfortunately this period of confusion lead to a number of occasions where the bar man advised the waiting staff the drinks we had ordered were not on our package, when we knew full well they were.

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="472"] Onboard drinks packages[/caption]

Entertainment

The shows on the Sinfonia were very good, with some excellent performances. One advantage to fixed dining and a smaller ship with more limited facilities is that you find yourself going to more of the shows than on the big ships with lots to see and do.

Highlights have to be ‘Paris after Dark’ a dance show based on the city of love – amazing tango and popular routines, and of course a Can-Can dance. The opera gala was also excellent, with a live pianist and violinist to accompany the singers and their renditions of favourite opera songs such as Nessundorma and O Mio Bambino. The staff show is also not to be missed as regular crew members take over the entertainment with dancing, singing and music.

[gallery ids="363,364,365" type="rectangular"]

The main party bar, The Manhattan Bar, is the place where you would find the Animation team causing havoc with a multitude of party games in between music from a live band playing dance music and typical pop party hits.

We also really enjoyed pre and post-dinner cocktails in the Buddah Bar, which is the ship's mixology bar offering a range of standard and crafted cocktails.

[gallery ids="366,367" type="rectangular"]

As it could be cold during the day, the activities that would usually take place around the pool such as dance classes and stretching were also held in this bar.

Overall Opinion

The cruise was a solid 4 stars out of 5. The issues that we experienced did take off some of the shine, but the overall friendliness of the crew, the fun we had in the evenings made up for those shortcomings.

There’s no escaping the fact the ship is smaller and therefore activities and options are limited, but you can only be in one place at one time.

We have another cruise booked on the MSC Opera, which is in the same class. We’ll have then completed a cruise on each of these ships, and we both feel that after that we wouldn’t book another Lirica class unless the price and itinerary were very attractive.