Recently returned from the MSC Magnifica - very enjoyable.

[sbsmutoni]

We recently returned from the cruise, sailing from Venice to Bari, Rhodes, Haifa, and Athens for 9 nights, from 12/18 - 27th. I read as much material as I could find before sailing. Although I found a fair share of negative comments, I am always objective, understanding that opinions are just that, and tend to differ based on who is giving them.

 

My family and I love Europe, including the food, the people and the customs. We have traveled extensively by land and on cruises to Europe, and are very open-minded. While I don't think we are food aficianados, I do think we are pretty discriminate as to food quality.

 

All that said, we have experienced better and worse during travel, but all in all, we completely enjoyed the Magnifica. The food was great on occasion, and almost always good or very good. The ship was beautiful and well maintained. The service was outstanding. And the itenerary could not be beat.

 

If anyone wants any specific information about the cruise, feel free to ask, and I will answer if possible.

[jjdc]

Thanks for posting and being willing to answer questions. I'm especially glad that you enjoyed your cruise. I think that being prepared and being open to differences are probably keys to enjoying a first cruise on MSC. I'm hoping they will help me enjoy my first cruise on the Magnifica next month.

 

Did you go on MSC excursions in Haifa or had you booked your own? If MSC excursions, which ones and what did you think of them? I think your itinerary had a full day in Haifa the first day and a partial day the second day (ours is reversed), but I think the excursions options are the basically the same. What did you do in Athens? I really don't want to do a cruise line tour there, but I'm still debating whether to just use public transportation or take a taxi. Our first day in Haifa and our only day in Athens (Piraeus) are relatively short. Did it take a long time for the ship to be cleared for passengers to debark in either of those ports?

[sbsmutoni]

Hi jjdc....

 

We had two almost full days in Haifa. We took the cruise's tour on the first day, which was a half day in Nazareth and Canaan. It was well organized, clean buses, and had a good tour guide, but we were just not that impressed with the sites. We did learn a great deal about the country and the region. It was pretty affordable, and we were happy we got out and saw some of the surrounding country. That evening in Haifa, we walked from the port to the German Village. We felt very safe, and it was an easy walk....at night, the gardens are lit up and from the German village, it was a sight to behold!! There are great bars and restaurants in that area to get a good local dinner.

 

The second day, we took the train the Tel Aviv, and we loved it there. The train station is right there at the port, and for about $18 per person, and an hour ride, it was well worth going to Tel Aviv. Because it was Friday, we had to come back at around 2:30, but on other days, you could stay a little later and explore the city.

 

We happened to be in Athens on Christmas day. Hubby and I had been there before, and had taken the train to the city. That was pretty easy before, but we had plenty of time, and the strikes were not so prevelent then. However, because of potential strikes, combined with the fact that our time in port was limited, we hired a driver this time. His name is Denis Kokkotos with Athens limo (www.athens-limo.com), and he was fabulous. for 150 euro, he met us at the port, put us in a beautiful Mercedes limo and took us all over the city to the sites. In Athens, people can either be tour guides or driving guides but not both. Denis was the latter, which meant he could not escort us into the sites, but he took us to the sites, gave us full descriptions and if we desired, we walked in alone. I highly recommend him, and the tour for a short day was very worth the money.

 

I hope you have a great experience. Let me know if you want more info on anything!

[sbsmutoni]

Sorry....I didn't answer your last question.

 

In all the ports, we were very prompt in docking, and the disembarkation process was pretty smoothe. In Israel, it's a little slower because of all the tours, and because the Israeli government is far more strict than other countries (you will experience your passports being collected when you board the ship, and before docking in Israel, the Israeli gov't comes on board and does a check of passports and issues cards for all passengers who have been checked to allow for disembarkation in Haifa).

 

If you are on a tour in Haifa, they organize the tours and disembarkation for the tours as priority.

[jjdc]

sbsmutoni, Thanks very much for all the information! While I would really like to book a private tour in Athens, I'm traveling solo and the price is a bit steep for me alone. I wish my roll call were active since if it were I would have a chance of finding someone online to join me. Given the limited time in Athens though, I may splurge and try to book a taxi ahead for the transfer both ways. I really, really don't want to do a ship's tour in Athens. In fact the only place where I'll do the ship's tours is in Haifa. I'm pretty set on going to Jerusalem, even though it will be a long day with a lot of time on a bus. I've booked one of the tours to Nazareth for my first day in Haifa (we don't get there until 1 pm); not sure if it's the same one you did, but I'm sure it's pretty close if not exact. I may reconsider given your comments.

 

Now, I'm going to go look up that hotel your recommended in that other thread!

[shopgirl86]

sbsmutoni, Thanks very much for all the information! While I would really like to book a private tour in Athens, I'm traveling solo and the price is a bit steep for me alone. I wish my roll call were active since if it were I would have a chance of finding someone online to join me. Given the limited time in Athens though, I may splurge and try to book a taxi ahead for the transfer both ways. I really, really don't want to do a ship's tour in Athens. In fact the only place where I'll do the ship's tours is in Haifa. I'm pretty set on going to Jerusalem, even though it will be a long day with a lot of time on a bus. I've booked one of the tours to Nazareth for my first day in Haifa (we don't get there until 1 pm); not sure if it's the same one you did, but I'm sure it's pretty close if not exact. I may reconsider given your comments.

 

Now, I'm going to go look up that hotel your recommended in that other thread!

What date are you sailing, we are going on the 14th of January. We are also heading straight to Jerusalem. In Athens we booked the ships Voyage of Athens tour, as it offered the most for the price.

[jjdc]

What date are you sailing, we are going on the 14th of January. We are also heading straight to Jerusalem. In Athens we booked the ships Voyage of Athens tour, as it offered the most for the price.

 

I'm on the 14 January sailing as well! There was only one other person on the roll call, and they haven't posted again since I joined it. If you have any interest in booking a private tour in Athens (Piraeus), email me at jjdcjj at aol.com , (Remove the spaces and change "at" to "@" just trying to keep from having programs that search for email address pick it up and send me even more spam then I already get.) The tour you chose in Athens does look like the best of the bunch since as you said it seems to offer the most. From what I've read, I think the advantage of the private tour in Athens is the likelihood of getting to the Acropolis before all the tour buses and being able to adjust times and itinerary to match how long we want to stay at a place. The disadvantage is that the drivers in most cases aren't "tour guides" as sbsmutone pointed out so we would be on our own for going into the sites and that the price of entry into the sites isn't included in the price.

 

I am really excited about this trip. The only place on the itinerary I've visited before is Venice so I'm looking forward to new things and new experiences.