What about MSC?

[ottawapuppy]

We are throwing some ideas around for a Med cruise and MSC is coming up a lot. Anyone have any experience sailing this line?

 

Any feedback is appreciated!

 

Mike

[WDBGUY]

We did a 10 day cruise last February on the MSC Lirica in the caribbean, we went part of a gay group Aquafest, was alot of fun, they still had a Friends of Dorothy meeting, there was about 10 that showed up that wasn't part of our group. MSC is an italian cruise line, very european and everything was announced in 5 languages, most of the production shows were non verbal and mostly music and dance, talent, etc. much different from Royal Caribbean and Princess. It's not for everyone, especially those who are used to American style cruising.

[Rotterdam]

this is another hot topic.....

 

I sailed on 2 MSC cruises & they were like nite & day - both were 7 day carib cruises out of Ft Laud - both on February - 2 years apart.

 

The first was on the OPERA - I really enjoyed this cruise - the cabins are small so a balcony is a must. The service was 3.5 out 5. Cabin was clean & well kept - hardly saw the stewards - but when i needed something they were fast & efficient. The food was a 3 out of 5.....I am not one for big buffets & tons of food...the breakfast was fine as I ate in the restaurant...same w/ the lunches....pizza was great. Dinner was hit or be destroyed. The pastas were great - the entrees brought comments like " why would they kill a 1000 year old cow & make steaks out of it!!! Dinner service was funny - since the waiters did not really comprehend English....but we had fun with it.. Cocktail hour was great - the mostly European passengers were out in full force drinking dancing & participating in all teh lounges...fun with teh shows to Italian lessons. The nite club onboard was one of the best I have been in(I live in NYC and survived Studio54). There was enough deck space for all....the deck waiters & barstaff could be a bit stand offish at time - but a simple Ciao set it all right, the gym & sauna / steam were great.....teh size of the ship was great I would rate teh overall cruise a 8 out of ten.

 

The second cruise was on the ORCHESTRA. The ship was much larger & they packed the passengers in....teh pool deck wsa like Grand Central Station at rush hour. The food was horrendous...a 1 out of 5, the service was non existant a .5 out of 5. it was the first cruise that I wanted to leave early. The ship is clean & the cabins a bit bigger than OPERA _ I would still get a balcony. Whatever they did right on the OPERA would not be translated to teh ORCHESTRA.

 

Would I sail MSC again....only if one of the smaller ships had a specific itinerary I wanted - but there are other lines I will go on first.