Booking the Orchestra - thoughts? Recent Reviews?

[CruisinEurope]

Hello!

 

We're about to take our first MSC cruise on the Orchestra. I'd love to hear anyone's opinions (recent) about MSC and the Orchestra in particular.

 

We're traveling with a 6 & 8 year old - so the kids facilities, pools, etc. will be of interest too.

 

Thanks!!!

[AmoMondo]

Well you'll be able to tell from my signature that I'm a fan of MSC. My next trip is on the Orchestra (April repositioning trip) so will be able to tell you all about her when I get back.

 

The things that I like best about MSC arethe beauty and cleanliness of the ships, the italian food, the opera, the evening shows and other musicians onboard, the laid back atmosphere (with no one hassling you to have their idea of fun), the few announcements, the balinese treatments in the spa, the mix of cultures and languages, the European style of service and the great value for money.

What i don't like is they are not always very organised and getting accurate information can be a bit of a challenge at times. Sometime the Italian staff on reception and tour desk can be a bit off hand or slightly arrogant (but not always). Mostly it is the behaviour of a minority of the passengers who bug me the most - smoking where they shouldn't, pushing and shoveing and generally being rude or constant whinging and complaining (about ridiculous things - I've no issues about people complaining when there is a genuine problem).

 

if you have any specific questions about MSC, fire away and I'll do my best to answer them as honestly as possible.

[catalyst2006]

Hi AmoMondo,

It's nice to hear from someone with positive attitude because there are few negative reviews about MSC.

We are going to Northern Europe on Aug 8, 2010 on Opera.

Actually I am looking forward to try MSC.

Sylvie