Sailed MSC Magnifica Jan 15, 2011

[bcpcept]

We sailed from Venice on the Magnifica. What a ship... It was beautiful.

We knew before we sailed all the negative reviews so tried to take this cruise with a open mind.......Nothing could beat the itnerary for the price.... That is why we booked it. All the rest is just minimal to this.

 

The food was not good. The breakfast buffet was the same every day. Adequate but boring. The lunch buffet the same. Mostly the same every day but adequate. The sit down dinners were ok but nothing to brag about. You only got coffee for breakfast. That is it..... You only got water at the lunch buffet and not the dinning room, You got nothing to drink at dinner unless you pay for it. So be prepared.......

 

The shows we not very good except for the singers and dancers who put on two shows that only lasted 20 and 30 minutes.

 

The service was good as was all the crew. The ports of call were great and so it was why we really booked this cruise and wanted to see. All in all. ?????

If you want a great interary for a great price. Book this one

[drblue]

We sailed from Venice on the Magnifica. What a ship... It was beautiful.

We knew before we sailed all the negative reviews so tried to take this cruise with a open mind.......Nothing could beat the itnerary for the price.... That is why we booked it. All the rest is just minimal to this.

 

The food was not good. The breakfast buffet was the same every day. Adequate but boring. The lunch buffet the same. Mostly the same every day but adequate. The sit down dinners were ok but nothing to brag about. You only got coffee for breakfast. That is it..... You only got water at the lunch buffet and not the dinning room, You got nothing to drink at dinner unless you pay for it. So be prepared.......

 

The shows we not very good except for the singers and dancers who put on two shows that only lasted 20 and 30 minutes.

 

The service was good as was all the crew. The ports of call were great and so it was why we really booked this cruise and wanted to see. All in all. ?????

If you want a great interary for a great price. Book this one

Hello bcpcept,

We sailed the same itinerary on the MSC Magnifica, and I kind of share most of your opinions. We also booked the trip just based on the itinerary. Overall, we had an appropriate and pleasant experience. The key was to be informed and to do you rhomework about the ship and ports.

You are right on the food; the buffet was always the same for breakfat and lunch. So, we just tried to eat something slightly different every day. We knew about the water issue in advance. So, we requested, and MSC gave us 14 vouchers for FREE large bottles of water per passanger. We exchanged them for water bottles without a problem. Didn't you get them? They are supposed to be free for American and Canadian cruisers who ask for them. Dinners were Ok (aservice was wonderful) but at the end, we ended up going to the TEA SERVICE right before dinner; it was more relaxed and there were plenty of food with sandwiches, bread, free coffee, deserts, and drinks.

 

We liked the ports, especially Israel, Rhodes, and Croatia. We travelled with a 4 year old child, and he had lots of fun. Regarding the night shows, we actually liked them because they were brief (30 minutes) because our son is very restless. They were, however, not very professional in comparison to other cruise lines.

 

I would also recommend this cruise with a couple of caveats or warnings. If you are looking for a wonderful Mediterranean itinerary at a great price, this is great! Moreover, children travel for free. However, if you find a comparable itinerary and price in that part of Europe, I would not hesitate to travel with a much better company like Celebrity, Holland America, or even RCC.

[bobar]

I only have one devils advocate question and that is having sailed on ccl, ncl,rcc,hal,costa, and celebrity the breakfast buffet on those lines is the same everyday as well...

We sail on the magnifica on March 8th with a new route as they took egypt out but cant wait..This will be my 5th MSC cruise and have loved the prior 4..first one in europe but we are aware of the water rule..we all garry large insulated drink glasses with us on ship..is there ice in the cabins or do you have to request it...

Who was the cruise director? thnx!!:cool:

[cruisingcanadian]

Well,Bobar,I will answer your question about the ice in the cabin.When we got to our cabin on the Splendida,there was an empty ice container. I went to see our cabin steward and asked him if he could get us some ice.He did not understand even though I was holding the container.He run for his co-worker who translated him my request.We got ice twice during our week long cruise.:rolleyes: We had very similar service in MDR and at the customer service desk:eek:. Sometimes indifferent,sometimes unprofessional, several times rude. And no,no smile on my face and my friendly attitude helped. Nobody can convince me that this cruise line is at par or even better than Princess,Celebrity or RCI.

[drblue]

Well,Bobar,I will answer your question about the ice in the cabin.When we got to our cabin on the Splendida,there was an empty ice container. I went to see our cabin steward and asked him if he could get us some ice.He did not understand even though I was holding the container.He run for his co-worker who translated him my request.We got ice twice during our week long cruise.:rolleyes: We had very similar service in MDR and at the customer service desk:eek:. Sometimes indifferent,sometimes unprofessional, several times rude. And no,no smile on my face and my friendly attitude helped. Nobody can convince me that this cruise line is at par or even better than Princess,Celebrity or RCI.

The issue of ice brought back some memories from our MSC cruise. While it is true that Europeans do not really use ice on their drinks, the ship certainly has ice available for their customers. The lack of responsiveness regarding the question of ice is rather typical of MSC. However, it does help when the customers actually speak some of the other languages more common on these European itineraries (Italian, German, and Spanish). English is spoken by some staff members, but not all of them. I found that when we asked for things in English, we were given very little information. However, as soon as I spoke Italian or Spanish to the staff, they became all chatty and even provided information that was beyond what I had requested.

One practical suggestion to anyone travelling on the MSC European itineraries: you must go and see the language representative on board. There is a specific person assigned to take care of all the questions that English, French, Italian, and German speakers might have about the ships, excursions, or services. Their hours (and meeting locations) are posted daily on the printed schedule delivered to your cabin. They are extremely helpful, and they do give you information on the ports, services, and other practical items as well.

[bobar]

i havent sailed princess nut have rci and celebrity and really have enjoyed msc more...this will bemy first sailing with them in europe but im sure we'll be fine. 2 of the 4 times we sailed them in the caribean there were actually very few americans on that particular sailing and we had a great time...i will figure out a way to get ice.. :cool:

so does anyone know who the cd is on the magnifica?:cool:

[petuniapig]

We will be sailing in March. Could you please tell me what the weather was like?? so I can figure out what to wear. thanks so much.....

[joybaby]

i havent sailed princess nut have rci and celebrity and really have enjoyed msc more...this will bemy first sailing with them in europe but im sure we'll be fine. 2 of the 4 times we sailed them in the caribean there were actually very few americans on that particular sailing and we had a great time...i will figure out a way to get ice.. :cool:

so does anyone know who the cd is on the magnifica?:cool:

 

Bobar, We sailed with you on the OPERA a few years ago. My husband and I and his Barbershop Quartet!:)

We are going on the Poesia in Nov.(19-26) and I am looking forward to it.

joybaby

[bobar]

joybaby,

yall will luv the poesia. we did it last january and had a blast:cool:

[joybaby]

joybaby,

yall will luv the poesia. we did it last january and had a blast:cool:

 

Oh we had a great time on the OPERA and I can't wait to sail the POESIA. Have to brush up on my Italian.

We did a t.a. on the Carnival Freedom 2 years ago - Maimi to Italy and then a week in Tuscany. It was divine. A 1950's hotel in the middle of the town, wonderful food, and the train within walking distance so we could do day trips.

Here's my email: jnelson5348@cfl.rr.com

I am anxious to hear of your travels.:)

 

Joyce

[OneNewTexan]

Regarding the comment earlier "....So, we requested, and MSC gave us 14 vouchers for FREE large bottles of water per passanger. We exchanged them for water bottles without a problem. Didn't you get them? They are supposed to be free for American and Canadian cruisers who ask for them."

 

Who do you go to request these free water vouchers? On board the ship or prior to sailing?

 

We have a cruise in September on MSC and would like to know. Thanks.

[AmoMondo]

It's prior to sailing. You should get something in your e-tickets. If not get your TA to speak to MSC or speak to MSC if you booked directly with them

[woodofpine]

I concur with the lion's share of OP and drblue's comments. We sailed Magnifica end March '10. The itinerary was the draw, the weather was unusually nice, the cruise was great. We sailed as two families with 6 kids (mostly teens) and everyone enjoyed! The ship was very nice. Crew performance and attitude was fine. This was tested by a glitch in booking/cabin configuration that made a cabin move necessary; guest relations worked hard to facillitate that (a complete opposite to Celebrity line's attitude in a near identical fact pattern years before).

 

The food was disappointing, especially buffet foods. MDR offerings were highly variable with some bright moments and other shortfalls, inconsistent. We were provided water vouchers and new going in about the water custom-policy. I recollect there being more than water available at lunch (but the memory is lost). Coffees were very high quality (not syrup swill US Joe).

 

I agree with others that at the same price point, I'd book a North American oriented competitor; but MSC's product cruise product holds its own and is price attractive. North American pax need to understand the differences in the line and the varied passenger demographic to avoid a bad reaction. At the right price or itinerary, I'd sail MSC again.

[cinanina]

We will be sailing in March. Could you please tell me what the weather was like?? so I can figure out what to wear. thanks so much.....

March and April are pretty unpredictable. You can have mild springlike weather around 19/20º or even more or it can be winter, cold, windy, raining. The more to the North of Europe the colder, generally. I'd take clothes to dress in layers and be prepared for spring weather with some sweaters and light jackets, no need to bring real winter clothes unless you are doing a norther Europe cruise but something like a raincoat/jacket for rain or an umbrella might come in handy... those sort of boat jackets, you know

[drblue]

I agree with Amomondo. You should definitely have it listed in your e-reservation and e-tickets (jut to be safe and avoid any problems). Ask MSC directly by calling them to their 800 number in Florida, or ask your travel agent to call on your behalf. We had this item listed on our e-tickets, and were given the water vouchers on board. When we arrive in our cabin, there were the vouchers already inside an envelope together with the day's program, and other advertisment.

If you have any other questions regarding the Magnifica, I will be glad to answered them (if I can). We (2 adults and 1 child) sailed the Eastern Mediterranean on Jnuary 4-15, 2011.

[LeeOne]

March and April are pretty unpredictable. You can have mild springlike weather around 19/20º or even more or it can be winter, cold, windy, raining. The more to the North of Europe the colder, generally. I'd take clothes to dress in layers and be prepared for spring weather with some sweaters and light jackets, no need to bring real winter clothes unless you are doing a norther Europe cruise but something like a raincoat/jacket for rain or an umbrella might come in handy... those sort of boat jackets, you know

 

We are sailing on the Splendida March/April and we also appreciate your reply ..... I can only assume that while on board the temperature would be 'comfortable', but shore tours are likely to be cooler with temperatures 19 - 20, (or even less) I guess this is when we need to be more careful when packing or more to the point "what we pack" with the unpredictable weather!

 

thanx again.

[nigelbasset]

I must comment on this. Saying the food is not good is not accurate. The food is excellent Italian. If anything the Italian food may get a little boring after 11 days but to say it is not good is inaccurate. Coffee and juices are available for breakfast not just coffee. We had 6 children in our group ages 18mos to 15 and none went hungry. The teenagers usually ate at least 2 main courses each night and the youngest ate spagetti most of the timeand he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He entertained all around us too and caused the waiters to really earn there pay. There was plenty of variety in the buffets that one could have a different type food each day.

 

The entertainment was good. Lots of variety and yes usually only 30 minutes or so. State of the art theatre ( I know, I'm in the entertainment business). I'm not an opera fan normally, but the two classical music nights were excellent. Nice to hear the real thing. The 'popular' singers and dancers were good but not exceptional. The speciality acts - acrobats (on a moving ship), and others were excellent. Even had a mime comedian one nite who was exceptional. Just ask my son who was the blunt of a few of his 'jokes'. I had never seen a mime comedian before but a great choice for a multi-language audience.

 

We were on the cruise where Egypt was cancelled while at sea, It was what we wanted to see the most so we were disappointed we couldn't stop there but once we learned the extent of the unrest we were glad that MSC management had the foresite to cancel. We got an extra day in Hafia.