Just got off Magnifica

[drblue]

Hello Lorraine43,

Thank you for your direct and clear answers to the 7 questions I posted. It gives me a better idea on how things might work on the Magnifica. Due to a port-intensive itinerary, we might just view the ship as an expensive ferry with a few bonus features. Overall, MSC seems to offer a good value for the money, even if it is not a memorable experience. We'll go with an open mind, but loaded with lots of information provided by previous travellers like yourself.

 

My hope is that the negative issues are improved as the crew settles into the new ship, and food service also gets better. I've read the same thing: food is not MSC's best feature.

[eliopia]

Lorrain43,hi

we will also be on the magnifica late june,couple more question:

-when are the formal nights(what ports) ?

-does MSC offers shuttle service in dubrovnik,and how much?

-what did u do in Bari?

your help is much appreciated..

[Smooth Cruise]

More of my Magnifica photo's are available at: http://cid-2bc262eb31f33a31.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MSC%20Magnifica

 

Some are a bit blurry but they'll give you the general idea

Hi Shelledpea,thanks for the photos,we are sailing on the Magnifica on the 10th April and looking forward to a great holiday.I had replied to your post before but I think it went to cyberspace,ha,Happy Sailing,Smooth Cruise.:D

[xyz71]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=64778

 

please see link above and please advise if this is true or not. we are due to travel this saturday. would like to know your experience on board msc magnifica.

 

thanks

[Need 1st Cruise Advice]

Hi, I have just come back from a stay on-board the Magnifica, if anyone has any questions I would be glad to try and help! :)

Have always love the idea of a cruise, I have now booked my first ever cruise for myself and my wife and my 3 children – aged 13, 11 & 7.

Can you tell me what you thought of the ship, the food and the service ? Please.

Any reviews I have looked at, have all complained !!!

I am starting to worry and wonder if I have made a mistake by booking !!

I would really appreciate you opion.

[cruiser87654321]

I have just returned home from a cruise on Magnifica, and we enjoyed it. if you have any specific questions ask away and I will try to help.

 

We have cruised a few times, and whilst it isn't on a par with, for example, RCI, it compared favourably with Ocean Village.

 

We were happy that for what we paid, we got value for money.

 

The food was not gourmet, but perfectly edible and accceptable. Tea and coffe were not free, nor was water...but we knew that before we travelled and we were happy to pay for what we used, as opposed to paying a higher price upfront.

 

Our son is 12 so did not use the kids clubs, preferrring to be with us, but other kids on our table aged 7/8 loved it, even though it was obviously full of very mixed nationalities.

 

Drink prices were of the usual order onboard ships, and as we always do our own thing in port we cannot comment on the quality of the tours, but the prices seemed comparable with other cruise lines.

 

Embarkation is not easy though, long lines, and then, after check in a scrum to get through security. If I had to do that again I would arrive late, and hope everyone else had got onboard. We arrived early, and so did everyone else!!! if you get there later, maybe around 4pm, I am sure you would probably have a less stressful boarding experience.:)

 

Overall, we had a great time and although we went with low expectations we were pleasantly surprised.

[drblue]

I have just returned home from a cruise on Magnifica, and we enjoyed it. if you have any specific questions ask away and I will try to help.

 

We have cruised a few times, and whilst it isn't on a par with, for example, RCI, it compared favourably with Ocean Village.

 

We were happy that for what we paid, we got value for money.

 

The food was not gourmet, but perfectly edible and accceptable. Tea and coffe were not free, nor was water...but we knew that before we travelled and we were happy to pay for what we used, as opposed to paying a higher price upfront.

 

Our son is 12 so did not use the kids clubs, preferrring to be with us, but other kids on our table aged 7/8 loved it, even though it was obviously full of very mixed nationalities.

 

Drink prices were of the usual order onboard ships, and as we always do our own thing in port we cannot comment on the quality of the tours, but the prices seemed comparable with other cruise lines.

 

Embarkation is not easy though, long lines, and then, after check in a scrum to get through security. If I had to do that again I would arrive late, and hope everyone else had got onboard. We arrived early, and so did everyone else!!! if you get there later, maybe around 4pm, I am sure you would probably have a less stressful boarding experience.:)

 

Overall, we had a great time and although we went with low expectations we were pleasantly surprised.

Hello poet123,

We are booked on the MSC Magnifica out of Venice later on the year. We are actually lookign forward to it, and we are trying to do as much homework as possible to minimize potential surprises. Since you travelled with a son, I actually have a few questions for you:

 

1. Do you remember what the other kids on your table lik about the kid's club?

 

2. Did you stop in Dubrovnik, Bari, Rhodes, or Ravenna? If so, what type of activities did you do on your own?

 

3. During dinner time, was there a buffet or pizza option available outside of the main dining room? Our son is 3 years old, and he might not do well with formal long dinners.

 

4. Were you satisfied with the general service? So many posters here went as far as adapting (or even cancelling) the gratuities amount to reflect the lack of appropriate service. I wonder if you heard anything about it while you were there.

 

I will really appreciate your help.

[cruiser87654321]

Hello poet123,

We are booked on the MSC Magnifica out of Venice later on the year. We are actually lookign forward to it, and we are trying to do as much homework as possible to minimize potential surprises. Since you travelled with a son, I actually have a few questions for you:

 

1. Do you remember what the other kids on your table lik about the kid's club?

 

2. Did you stop in Dubrovnik, Bari, Rhodes, or Ravenna? If so, what type of activities did you do on your own?

 

3. During dinner time, was there a buffet or pizza option available outside of the main dining room? Our son is 3 years old, and he might not do well with formal long dinners.

 

4. Were you satisfied with the general service? So many posters here went as far as adapting (or even cancelling) the gratuities amount to reflect the lack of appropriate service. I wonder if you heard anything about it while you were there.

 

I will really appreciate your help.

 

Hi,

 

The 3 kids on our table were 2 girls aged 6 and 8 from LA, and a 7 year old UK boy. They were a little overwhelmed at first because the bulk of the other kids were from Italy or Germany. However, kids of that age are easily drawn into non verbal games and activities, such as dressing up, face painting, drawing and dancing games. it seemed that parents could stay close by (with the younger age group at least) so if your son gives it a go that may be the best thing. By th end of the cruise all the kids seemed to have integrated well.

 

We only stopped in Bari and Dubrovnik of the places you mention. However we have been to Rhodes as a cruise stop before.

 

So, in Dubrovnik the shuttle bus fron the cruise line was 10 euro per adult and 7 per child,and took 20 mins fro the port into the old town. It is 3km so probably too far to walk. However, the bus station is in the port and the local bus is 10 kuna pp (there is a currency change facility there also) there were 7 kuna to a euro, an dyou pay the driver, so clearly much cheaper and just as convenient. You will need Kuna to get on though. You can also change any surplus back before you depart. The euro is widely accepted in town but there is sometimes discount for use of local currency. We got a taxi back from just outisde the old town gate for 10 euro.

 

In Bari we just walked form the ship into the old town, as the dock is right in town.

 

When we stopped in Rhodes previously again we got local transport as the shuttle bus was very expensive, but of course it depends where you dock. The old town of Rhodes is lovely, a beautiful place to wander around, walled and with lovely squares and restaurants, much like Dubrovnik.

 

I will say upfront that we are from the UK and we are not used to receiving the standard of service you get in the US, so factor that into how much weight you give my answer:) We felt the service was not as good as RCI (but we had not paid their prices!!) and children do not pay the gratuity, again, different to RCI and most other cruise lines.

 

However, for us it was sufficient, our room was kept spotless and the waiter service was pleasant and efficient, and they were very obliging, especially with the kids on our table. They are mainly from Honduras, and there is a language barrier, but we feel that as we dont speak too many languages we cannot really complain that others do not speak English, we got by. If the kids wanted a hamburger it was procured for them, and ketchup etc was available. There is pizza on every night in the buffet area but it is chargeable. We ate in the L'Edera at lunchtime and there were more kids options always available there.

 

To sum up, if you are the kind of cruiser who expects the waiter to be hovering to fill your glass at every turn, and prefers to be cossetted and have every whim anticipated you will not find that on MSC. If you are happy to pour your own wine rather than wait for the waiter to notice your glass is empty, ask if you want something, rather than expect your needs to be anticipated then you will be fine. They always tried to help and for what we paid, that suited us.

 

Our gatuities were 49 euro each adult, which we felt was fair. Some of our fellow brits (who are not known as big on tipping) felt it was too much, that said, they seemed to be coming from the angle of wanting to tip themselves at a lower rate,rather than wanting to remeove the tips due to lack of, or insufficient, service. 7 euro a day per person for 3 meals and cabin service does not seem excessive to me.

 

Hope that helps, if you have any more questions, just ask!:D

[drblue]

Thank you poet123,

Your information is very valuable. Like your table mates, we are also from Los Angeles. We are not demanding travellers, we usually like to do our own exploring, and we are certainly not hung up on eating perfectly-prepared gourmet food for every meal.

 

Your tips on local transportation was very specific and useful. Your info is helping me to develop the right expectations for the cruise. A think a positive attitude will go a long way, plus we are also fluent in Spanish, and speak enough conversational French to get around. So, that might help us to at least communicate with a few more passengers and crew members.

[cruiser87654321]

Thank you poet123,

Your information is very valuable. Like your table mates, we are also from Los Angeles. We are not demanding travellers, we usually like to do our own exploring, and we are certainly not hung up on eating perfectly-prepared gourmet food for every meal.

 

Your tips on local transportation was very specific and useful. Your info is helping me to develop the right expectations for the cruise. A think a positive attitude will go a long way, plus we are also fluent in Spanish, and speak enough conversational French to get around. So, that might help us to at least communicate with a few more passengers and crew members.

 

You are welcome. :)

 

Another tip if embarking in Venice (especially with a young child) would be to resist the temptation to get to the port early, as almost everyone else had that idea!! A better option (although if you have a lot of luggage this may not be practical) is to see Venice by Vaporetto and arrive at the port around 4pm (assuming sailing at 5pm) the crowds will have dissipated and you will have a stress free start to your holiday.

[drblue]

You are welcome. :)

 

Another tip if embarking in Venice (especially with a young child) would be to resist the temptation to get to the port early, as almost everyone else had that idea!! A better option (although if you have a lot of luggage this may not be practical) is to see Venice by Vaporetto and arrive at the port around 4pm (assuming sailing at 5pm) the crowds will have dissipated and you will have a stress free start to your holiday.

Hello again poet123,

One more question for you:

Did MSC offer a free shuttle from Piazzale Roma to the Venice Port?

 

We will be staying at a hotel by the airport and taking hte bus into Piazzale Roma.

Thanks

[cruiser87654321]

Hello again poet123,

One more question for you:

Did MSC offer a free shuttle from Piazzale Roma to the Venice Port?

 

We will be staying at a hotel by the airport and taking hte bus into Piazzale Roma.

Thanks

 

We didn't see the shuttle bus at embarkation and so paid 5 euro pp for a taxi. At disembarkation there was a free bus, but only one, which meant the queues were very long, and not very controlled,:rolleyes: tbh we waited for 20 mins and missed getting onto the bus and so once again we took a taxi.

 

Can I ask why you are staying near the airport? it would be so much easier to stay near Piazzale Roma. We stayed at the Abbazia Deluxe (lovely hotel. and great views)which is the first stop on the water bus after PR, or the nearest hotel is the Santa Chiara which is right on the square.

[drblue]

We didn't see the shuttle bus at embarkation and so paid 5 euro pp for a taxi. At disembarkation there was a free bus, but only one, which meant the queues were very long, and not very controlled,:rolleyes: tbh we waited for 20 mins and missed getting onto the bus and so once again we took a taxi.

 

Can I ask why you are staying near the airport? it would be so much easier to stay near Piazzale Roma. We stayed at the Abbazia Deluxe (lovely hotel. and great views)which is the first stop on the water bus after PR, or the nearest hotel is the Santa Chiara which is right on the square.

Hello poet123,

Thanks again for the tip on transportation and taking a child into account when making decisions. We might go to the ship, drop off our luggage, and go explore Venice for a while before boarding.

We are staying near the airport because we are arriving in Venice at 11 pm. The Marriott Courtyard is nearby and they provide a free shuttle from the airport. I got an extremely low special rate offer for AMEX holders, which made it easier to decide. I looked at other options, but after a 12-13 hour flight from Los Angeles, I did not feel like walking around in Venice in the middle of the night climbing over bridges and pulling luggage (plus a 3 year old child). It was mostly a matter of convenience. We are doing the same on the return because we have a very early departing flight at 6 am. However, I will check out the hotel you mentioned. I will google it right now.

Thanks.

[eliopia]

poet123,hi

Please,i asked the same question so many times but no answer:(,can u tell me what ports are formal nights,it means to me to know ahead of time,thank u for the info on dubrovnik and bari,still katakolon ,what did you do there?i don t want to take the ship tour to get to olympia.Thank you.

[cruiser87654321]

poet123,hi

Please,i asked the same question so many times but no answer:(,can u tell me what ports are formal nights,it means to me to know ahead of time,thank u for the info on dubrovnik and bari,still katakolon ,what did you do there?i don t want to take the ship tour to get to olympia.Thank you.

 

Hi

 

The formal nights were Bari, and the sea day.

 

Katacolon, is a small port and the ship docks right on the main street (almost the only street!) it is crammed with shops and cafes and we just chilled out on the waterfront after doing a bit of shopping. You could rent a car and visit the Mercouri vineyard (contact them ahead of time to make arrangements) or drive yourself to Olympia ( abt 30 mins away)for the ruins and there is a good shopping mall there too.

[eliopia]

Thank you poet123,and i think this is also what we will do in katakolon,the ship gets there at 8 in the morning , to be ready by that time to go to olympia and get back on time means i have to wake up very early ,and this is not my idea of vacation:).

[diecastaussie]

Thank you poet123,and i think this is also what we will do in katakolon,the ship gets there at 8 in the morning , to be ready by that time to go to olympia and get back on time means i have to wake up very early ,and this is not my idea of vacation:).

I'm reading this thread because we've just come back from the Hamburg to Venice cruise on Magnifica and wasn't impressed; but to answer your question about Katakolon, we visited there last year on NCL Jade and found that an easier option to get to Olympia was to hire a taxi for 4 hours. Split between 4 people this cost us 25 Euro each and we had a knowledgeable English speaking driver and a very comfortable trip in a near new mid sized Mercedes sedan.

[drblue]

I'm reading this thread because we've just come back from the Hamburg to Venice cruise on Magnifica and wasn't impressed; but to answer your question about Katakolon, we visited there last year on NCL Jade and found that an easier option to get to Olympia was to hire a taxi for 4 hours. Split between 4 people this cost us 25 Euro each and we had a knowledgeable English speaking driver and a very comfortable trip in a near new mid sized Mercedes sedan.

Hello Diecastaussie,

Tahnk you for the transportation info on Katakolon. It givers me a better sense of what to expect.

Could you please tell me how was your experience on the Magnifica?

You mentioned that you were not impressed. Was it the food, the service, the facilities, the excursions, the amenities, the customer service?

 

i will certainly appreciate your info. The more we know in advance, the more we could prepare for our first MSC experience.

[diecastaussie]

Hello Diecastaussie,

Tahnk you for the transportation info on Katakolon. It givers me a better sense of what to expect.

Could you please tell me how was your experience on the Magnifica?

You mentioned that you were not impressed. Was it the food, the service, the facilities, the excursions, the amenities, the customer service?

 

i will certainly appreciate your info. The more we know in advance, the more we could prepare for our first MSC experience.

 

Hi DrBlue,

We sailed from Hamburg to Venice on Magnifica and we were disappointed. It was our first experience with MSC, perhaps because our previous cruising experience was all with US orientated cruise lines our expectations were incorrect.

Services and entitlements that we had come to take for granted on Princess, NCL, RCL etc. either incurred extra charges or were simply not available on MSC.

Having to pay for water and coffee with your meals was something we had not faced before as was the 6 Euro charge for all in cabin movies - MSC don't show movies in any of the public areas of the ship only on demand in your cabin at 6 Euro a movie.

The specialty alternate dining venues charge extra based on the dishes chosen not a simple nominal charge like most other most other cruise lines. Our group of 4 decided to eat in the Oriental Plaza Asian restaurant one night but a quick check of the menu displayed outside the restaurant stopped us in our tracks when we calculated that dinner for 4 was going to cost in excess of 100 Euros on top of the meal in the dining that was already included in our cruise ticket. Needless to say that the alternate restaurants never seemed to be busy.

We also observed during our first dinner that it was very hard to spot a smile amongst the table staff particularly from the junior staff. It was also apparent that many of the junior table staff had little or no English and this lead to several instances of incorrect meals or wines being delivered to the table during the cruise. We appreciate that on a European based itinerary such as ours priority was given to other languages however, this is no excuse for the continued language difficulties that we experienced with all levels of staff during the cruise especially when MSC already cruises to the Caribbean where English is vital and we understand has intentions of visiting Australia in the future.

Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment for us was the food; recommendations from friends who had previously traveled with MSC had us looking forward to excellent Italian cooking on board. What we got was dull, tasteless creations that universally suffered from too long in a reheating oven. In all of our previous cruises we have rarely had the need to return a dish to the kitchen on this voyage at least 1 dish from our table of 4 was returned every night. Even pasta dishes which should have been perfect arrived at the table dry and crisp on top. We tried to ask our waiter to get freshly made up dishes that had avoided the warming oven but he said that due to the food preparation process this was not possible.

Individually with the exception of the food quality, these points represent minor inconveniences in our enjoyment of the cruise, however when viewed collectively, they represent a sufficient reason to question whether would ever cruise with MSC again or recommend an MSC cruise to friends. In addition, we were horrified to learn that as a result of MSC booking policies which force us to book in Australia we had paid almost twice as much for our cabin compared to the fares for similar cabin grades paid by American and German passengers:mad:.

I hope that I haven't sounded too negative, but I don't think that we would risk another MSC cruise; the other cruise lines just do it better.

 

 

[drblue]

Hello Diecastaussie,

Thank you for sharing your experiences. It does seem as if the overall service was not up to other US-based standards. Did you have a chance to adjust the expected gratuities to reflect the kind of service received? This is exactly the kind of information I need to hear (as well as the positive info).

 

We also have cruises mainly on Celebrity and Norwegian cruises. So, we'll see how it goes.

[diecastaussie]

Hello Diecastaussie,

Thank you for sharing your experiences. It does seem as if the overall service was not up to other US-based standards. Did you have a chance to adjust the expected gratuities to reflect the kind of service received? This is exactly the kind of information I need to hear (as well as the positive info).

 

We also have cruises mainly on Celebrity and Norwegian cruises. So, we'll see how it goes.

 

Hi drblu.

Being Australian my wife and I prefer to tip based on the service received, as a result we have always requested that "Automatic Gratuities" be deleted and we have then tipped on an individual basis. As a rule we work out the total based on the automatic gratuity system and split that amount up at the end of the cruise amongst the staff that have given us good service. Generally we have not had any problems on Princess, NCL and RCL in requesting that the automatic gratuity be deleted. However, a similar approach to the Reception staff on Magnifica on the first night of the cruise was met with a very definite NO - the gratuities could not be deleted or varied, so we were stuck with 7 Euros a day pp. It was also obvious by the attitude of all service staff that they knew that there was little likely-hood of extra discretionary tips at the end of the voyage.

On a more positive note; the ship was beautiful, the cabins (we had a category 10 balcony) were great and the public areas inviting if generally garish in their decoration and colour schemes - my wife decided it was simply "over the top" Italian which seemed an appropriate description.:p

[drblue]

Thank you for the info on gratuities, Diecastaussie.

We also follow your approach to providing gratuities. We usually cancel the automatic charges, and then tip ourselves. We also have not had any problems doing so in Celebrity and Norwegian cruises. We usually give even more to the people who provided good service and reduce the amount to those whose service was not adequate, in our opinion. I know that discussing gratuities in this forum is like throwing gasoline at a burning fire, but it is a tool that travellers can use to reward and acknowledge appropriate service.

 

We are not very demanding travellers, and we selected this cruise based on the itinerary and its ports. So, we are hoping that we have a good cruise in the general sense.

 

Did you do any ports on your own rather than a ship's cruise? If so, how was the process of getting around?

 

Sorry to hear that the MSC prices in Australia are higher than the USA. On a positive note, your country is just beautiful. We were just in Melbourne last August and we all loved it, espcially my 3 year-old son.

[diecastaussie]

Thank you for the info on gratuities, Diecastaussie.

We also follow your approach to providing gratuities. We usually cancel the automatic charges, and then tip ourselves. We also have not had any problems doing so in Celebrity and Norwegian cruises. We usually give even more to the people who provided good service and reduce the amount to those whose service was not adequate, in our opinion. I know that discussing gratuities in this forum is like throwing gasoline at a burning fire, but it is a tool that travellers can use to reward and acknowledge appropriate service.

 

We are not very demanding travellers, and we selected this cruise based on the itinerary and its ports. So, we are hoping that we have a good cruise in the general sense.

 

Did you do any ports on your own rather than a ship's cruise? If so, how was the process of getting around?

 

Sorry to hear that the MSC prices in Australia are higher than the USA. On a positive note, your country is just beautiful. We were just in Melbourne last August and we all loved it, espcially my 3 year-old son.

 

Hi drblu,

 

Our cruise was a repositioning cruise basically to get the ship from Hamburg to Venice where she would start her normal Mediterranean season. As such I think that most of the ports of call were not ones that MSC would normally call on.

 

Our itinerary, which was what attracted us to the cruise in the first place included Amsterdam, Lisbon, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Naples, Messina Dubrovnik and Venice. We tend to be fairly independent about sightseeing, we either hire taxis by the hour and have preplanned the things that we want to see (in a group of 4 this is a very economical and flexible arrangement). We also use public transport depending on the proximity to the ship and access to the points of interest that we want to see.(this option requires a fair amount of internet research prior to arriving in the port) We only use expensive ship excursions if there is something that we can't get to by other means like visiting the Pyramids when your ship is docked in Alexandra or visiting Effysis from Izmir.

 

In Amsterdam we walked to the canal tours office and used a day pass to do our sightseeing including a visit to the Heineken Brewery - you get 3 free beers.

 

In Lisbon we caught a free Port of Lisbon shuttle and then used the "Hop on Hop off Red Bus" to do our sight seeing. Lisbon is a great city and we would definitely love to go back for a longer period.

 

In Palma De Mallorca we caught the Hop on Hop Off bus again and alternated between the Red and Blue routes.

 

In Barcelona we boarded a local bus (3 Euro) into the main city Square after being quoted 30 Euro by the taxis waiting at the port. We then caught the Hop on Hop off bus again switching from Red to Blue routes to get to the Gaudi Cathedral - strangely a taxi from the Square back to the ship only cost 12 Euros we were too late for the bus - loved Barcelona.

 

In Naples we lashed out and took the ship excursion to Sorrento absolutely beautiful and the guide was excellent.

 

In Messina we lashed out again for a city tour which was pleasant but not spectacular.

 

In Dubrovnik we caught the local bus (12 Krona) to the "old town" and spent the day walking and shopping then caught the local bus back again - very enjoyable. Croatian beer is pretty good.

 

Despite my previous criticisms of MSC it was an enjoyable cruise but if MSC had got their act together it would have been even better.

 

Thanks for the compliments about Melbourne it is our home town and we think that it is not too bad at all.:D

[AmoMondo]

Hi Diecastaussie

 

i was interested in your comments about Lisbon. I'll be calling there in a few weeks. is the HoHo bus stop close to where the port shuttle drops you off? I have been to Lisbon before for a few days and mainly got around by tram and metro that time. However in a limited time it will probably be more convenient to just use the HoHo to have arefresher of all the main sites. i presume it went to the castle (that is the one place I did not get around to on my last trip)

 

Thanks

[summer66]

We are sailing on April 24 and have booked a suite. I find conflicting information about whether Magnifica has a 'Yacht Club" like some other MSC ships. Does anyone know? Or has anyone stayed in a suite?

Many thanks.