Great cruise on MSC Preziosa, 20-27th *September, 2014

[CruiseIreland]

After an uneventful flight from Dublin, we arrived in Venice and sought our MSC sign in the Arrivals Hall. There was every other cruise line and other companies but no sign of MSC. Eventually, we found our contact and she was behind the others but the sign was down as she was checking names off her list. We were directed down the hall, past the coffee stand and out to the MSC office outside. After checking in there, we waited 20 minutes or so before we were led to the bus in the car park, not an easy trek with a trolley. The coach had no room for hand luggage overhead larger than a handbag. The trip to the port was quick and we were dropped at the end of a queue for bag drop. This was a long queue but in 20 minutes or so we dropped our bags at the door and proceeded upstairs to check in area. This was crowded and the first thing was to get our silly cruise photo taken. This was humorous and kept us smiling while waiting to check in. Check in was smooth enough and then we had to wait for number 15 to be called. This entailed a long wait and there was juice and water available. We had arrived at about 12.30 and we boarded at 2.15pm. We were told our staterooms would not be ready until 2.30 but we sneaked up and it was ready so we dropped off our bags.

 

First Impressions

Ship is beautiful and shiny. A lot of reflective surfaces, mirrored elevators and, of course, the famous Swarovski stairs. This was a favourite area for photographs all week. Our stateroom was a balcony, B2, port side, quite forward. There is an overhang from the top deck but it only causes shadow from about noon to 2.00pm on the sea day. The view down was towards deck 7 and lifeboats. View forward was restricted by the hump. Stateroom was very comfortable and spacious enough. Plenty of room under the bed for cases. Hairdryer in drawer was surprising good, I am told. Ice bucket provided but never filled, nor did we seek it to be filled. Met steward a couple of times, by accident. The room was kept very well. One towel animal and a note wishing us an enjoyable cruise. The balcony door slid open and stayed open as it is heavy. The aircon seemed to stay on even when the balcony door was open. The lock for the door is a button which was quite stiff so we did not bother locking it.

 

Food

This is the most contentious issue regarding MSC as far as I can see from other reports. Overall, we found it almost as good as NCL or RCCI. The buffet was chaotic at times. It seemed that food stations, although supposed to be replicated around the buffet, actually had different offerings. Many people recommend the ‘Ethnic corner’ at the rear of the buffet but we never found anything appealing there and we love Indian food. Buffet was good enough for breakfast and lunch but lacked choices and replenishment of meat in the evenings. I did not find bacon until day 3. It was crisp and streaky, very tasty. Perhaps I was late to breakfast as they cleared up quite early and from 10.00 it becomes continental. Pork sausages were plentiful and nice. Omlettes were folded without fillings and there was plenty of scrambled and fried/boiled eggs. We ate breakfast in the MDR one morning and the Omlettes there are really good. We had Egg Benedict in the MDR and it was not good, served on toast with a thick slice of fried ham. There was a vinegary taste which I believe is used to help poach the eggs.

 

We ate most evenings in the MDR, early sitting at 6.30pm at a 6 person table. Our tablemates were another Irish couple and a Tunisian mother and daughter. Very pleasant company. Our servers were very efficient and we were always out by 8.10pm, much of any delay caused by us chatting and so on. Wine was replenished reasonably often though we had to ask most nights. Wine was served by the glass. If someone was late to dinner, they were served in their own time and we often had different courses on the table at the same time. The menu was a 6 course affair, staring with a meat or fish course, e.g. smoked salmon and shrimp, followed by a salad, depending on the port of call perhaps Greek, with Feta cheese or Italian, Mozzarrella etc. Next was soup. Choice of consommé or ‘cream’ which was not very creamy. Soups were nice though. Next was pasta course, very filling, too much food really. The main course was meat, twice filet of beef. However, the beef was very small and sliced like roast beef. It was very tasty though. Dessert was good, Tiramisu, Baked Alaska etc. No coffee or tea at dinner.

 

Allegrissimo Package

Allegrissimo package was well worth the money, €23 per person per day. The price of drink on MSC was high, as the price number was similar to NCL/RCCI except it was in Euro. So it was easy to reach or exceed the package price, which included bottled water and coffee. The included wines were good enough. The bottle read ‘La Zolla’ and this was the only label offered despite the drinks menu claiming that there was a choice of 2 whites, 2 reds and a rose. Most cocktails were included. There was some confusion when I ordered Jim Beam as it translated at the bar to J&B and I wondered why I was getting Scotch! Once I ordered ‘A white wine and a bourbon’ and got a Mai Tai and a Morgan! That aside, the wait staff were very good. The staff overall were very polite and helpful. There was one staff member that I found rude, a pool towel attendant. My tablemates found one of the security staff at the gangway to be rude. Overall, though, very polite staff.

 

Photographs

It has been said that MSC photographers are not as ‘in your face’ as other lines’ snappers, but we found we could not walk through the public areas without being offered photo opportunities, on the sparkly stairs or wherever. Even the life jacket drill was a major photo op, more so than a safety drill, I suspect!

 

Entertainment

The shows were spectacular and very well choreographed, with acrobats and trapeze artists but, after a few days, they became repetitive. Only on the first night was there an act which had been brought on board, a tenor and pianist, very good. Every night had a theme i.e. Pandora, Wonderland, Queen, Italian songs, and Witches of Paris, and the final night, which we did not attend, was a ‘Best of’ night. The Cruise Director made his announcements in 6 or 7 languages before each show, which kicked off promptly at 9.30pm, for 1st seating diners. Each show only lasted 35 minutes and there is no bar service in the theatre although you can bring in your drink.

 

TV

There are 3 stations in English, apart from the safety channel; Sky News, Euronews and CNBC. Interactive TV service is clunky but I could see our onboard account on the last night. €2 was added to our account as a UNICEF donation which we had not consented to. We left it, as it is a good cause.

 

Pool Areas

There are 3 public (non Yacht Club) pool areas, the Solarium which was a covered area with no loungers, just chairs, a Aqua Park with a large pool, surrounded by loungers and a few hot tubs. At the rear of the ship is the Garden Pool, also referred to as the Infinity Pool. This pool was filled to the edge on some days but not on others. Nice area with plenty of loungers, if you get there early. This is not an ‘Adults Only’ area. Bar service at all pools. Above the Garden Pool is another sun deck with a children’s water park area and the steps to the water slide. No, I didn’t try it.

 

Ports of Call

The ship called at Bari, Katakolon, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik with one day at sea. Excursions are heavily promoted on the TV and around the ship. We did not use any ship excursions, preferring to DIY at Istanbul and Dubrovnik. Port stops are short except for Istanbul.

 

Disembarkation

We left bags out before 1.00am last night. Our assembly colour was light blue. This is indicated on the tags left in your room last evening. Gathered at the appointed time and were led off promptly to waiting luggage and queued for coach to airport. Only a 15 minute drive to Marco Polo and there in plenty of time for check in.

 

Overall Impressions

We were pleasantly surprised with MSC and the Allegrissimo package made it a worry free trip. With our only reservations being some aspects of the food, I would have no hesitation in sailing MSC again, based on price and itinerary. All things being equal, I would choose NCL, RCCI and MSC in that order, but I enjoyed them all.

[Skipper Tim]

Thanks for the review. Having enjoyed the Fantasia, the Preziosa is on my radar.

 

The trick with Allegrissimo wine is to ask what the choice is and try both reds or whites (or all four plus rose if you are ambidextrous). The choice is different between the bars and MDRs too. I have found that the best Allegrissimo red is only available in the MDR and is not the default option - you have to ask for it by name. I have not come across 'La Zolla' before but none of the Allegrissimo wines are 'available in the shops' (read EU wine lake). Still it is vital to to find the most palatable then request it from then on. Don't forget the very palatable sparkling which is only available from the bars.

 

Courses are not synchronised across a table in the MDR simply because there are so many of them and most people miss some out. The alternative would be much longer mealtimes with some people waiting food-less for others to finish their current course only for them to wait in turn for the course they chose to miss out. Bring in the option of having mains as starters, starters as mains and things not on the menu by request and it all gets very complicated. I think MSC do a marvellous job of keeping everyone at the table satisfied despite such diverse orders and eating habits.

 

I am also a fan of Ethnic Corner when eating in the buffet to the point of not even looking at the rest of the buffet. There was always something interesting, unusual and tasty there and it is a different choice from a different part of the World everytime. It saves difficult decisions and time walking around inspecting everything. Straight to ethnic corner, catch the eye of a waiter for a glass of wine, sit down - simples.

 

Having given up on the free 'juice' (not) and 'coffee' (not) at breakfast, I find the best compromise for me is to sit outside, just forward of the buffet within waiter service of the pool bar where freshly squeezed orange juice and speciality coffees can be conjured up on Allegrissimo. It makes the world of difference to the quality of breakfast. Each to their own!

 

I read your review with interest, it was a welcome break from the Divina traffic. There were no great surprises right down to the crispy bacon, beef slices and no coffee at dinner.

 

I would rate MSC above RCI solely on MSC's more discreet style of service - the guest should always speak first - but that divides many on this forum too.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[Beamafar]

Hi Ken..........great to read your review - it should certainly be of help to anyone considering that particular itinerary on Preziosa. Mind you, I get the impression that it isn't a particularly favoured one by English speakers judging by the lack of interest on the roll calls and scarcity of reviews. Did you notice this over the last few months?

 

I'd be interested in your views on a couple of things:

 

How did you find the "vibe" onboard compared with RC and NCL?

 

Did you think there was a more international mix than on the others?

 

As you found the food to be not quite up to what you'd experienced on the other lines, do you think MSC would be better pricing their product more in line with other companies and improving the menus?

 

I would agree with people regarding the food onboard - I think choices are very limited. However, the way I see it, if you were to spend the savings you make by sailing MSC in the speciality restaurants, I believe you'd get an even better cruise experience. For those who prefer to have a table for two, this would also be a plus.

 

I regularly compare prices of cruises and MSC always comes out so much cheaper than anyone else. Especially for balcony cabins and drinks packages. It's why I keep coming back to MSC - I also love the vibe onboard which isn't dominated by one nationality over another.

[CruiseIreland]

Hi Tim. I asked about the choice of wine in the MDR and was told that was it! It wasn't a problem as I only drank wine at dinner. I thought the staggered courses at dinner was great. At busy times it was difficult to get a waiter.

 

Bea- I thought the vibe was good. The majority of passengers were Italian, unsurprisingly. Few enough English speakers but all announcements were in English first. I wouldn't want Msc to change on my account. Most of the time it made little difference that we were on an Italian ship.

 

Our future preference will be for 'anytime' dining plus Allegrissimo...maybe YC? As you say, it's great value for money!

[Elmartellama]

I am also a fan of Ethnic Corner when eating in the buffet to the point of not even looking at the rest of the buffet. There was always something interesting, unusual and tasty there and it is a different choice from a different part of the World everytime. It saves difficult decisions and time walking around inspecting everything. Straight to ethnic corner, catch the eye of a waiter for a glass of wine, sit down - simples.

 

I do like your approach on this. The buffet is so big you can easily walk a long distance if you look at everything!

 

Is Ethnic corner fleet wide (interested in MSC Orchestra) or is bigger on the Fantasia class?

[Elmartellama]

CruiseIreland, thank you for your review :)

 

Just some thoughts:

 

- I think buffet food selection is wider at peak / rush hours. We always saw bacon and everything, never tasted it though. It has less selection during the afternoon.

 

- You're right about photographers, they push you way too much. We had to laugh one time because during Gala night the photographer asked us if we were a "couple" -implying we were gay- I said yes of course :D But we are very discreet people and in our culture asking openly if they are gay is considered very intrusive. They guy was nice, possibly gay himself, yet we found the thing a bit weird and tried to avoid the photographers for the rest of the week. We think MSC pictures are a rip off, and a waste of money / ink, and environmentally unfriendly.

[American Bear]

CruiseIreland, thank you for your review :)

 

Just some thoughts:

 

- I think buffet food selection is wider at peak / rush hours. We always saw bacon and everything, never tasted it though. It has less selection during the afternoon.

 

- You're right about photographers, they push you way too much. We had to laugh one time because during Gala night the photographer asked us if we were a "couple" -implying we were gay- I said yes of course :D But we are very discreet people and in our culture asking openly if they are gay is considered very intrusive. They guy was nice, possibly gay himself, yet we found the thing a bit weird and tried to avoid the photographers for the rest of the week. We think MSC pictures are a rip off, and a waste of money / ink, and environmentally unfriendly.

 

 

 

Yummy, bacon on everything!:D

Reminds me of the 1lb. bacon sandwich I had every morning on the Divina!:D

[AmoMondo]

I do like your approach on this. The buffet is so big you can easily walk a long distance if you look at everything!

 

Is Ethnic corner fleet wide (interested in MSC Orchestra) or is bigger on the Fantasia class?

 

On all of the ships. I like the Indian day the best. Love the Lamb Madras although it could domwith a bit more kick!

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

Thank you for your review, I'm glad that you enjoyed your cruise in this magnificent ship:)

[margie11111]

Hi CruiseIreland, thank you for the informative review, we will be sailing on the Preziosa soon and we are booked for the second MDR seating, can you please tell me what time is the 2nd seating? travelling with teens and not sure whether to try for the earlier seating. Thanks in advance

[CruiseIreland]

Hi CruiseIreland, thank you for the informative review, we will be sailing on the Preziosa soon and we are booked for the second MDR seating, can you please tell me what time is the 2nd seating? travelling with teens and not sure whether to try for the earlier seating. Thanks in advance

Hi Margie. Thank you. We had 1st sitting even though we had booked 2nd, so you may find yourself on 1st, which was at 18.30. 2nd was at 9PM. Our tablemates had been on 2nd but had requested 1st for 2nd night onwards. Ken

[Dunderess]

CruiseIreland,

Thank you for an interesting and comprehensive summary of the MSC Preziosa tour that also I will be doing in October. It gave me great insight into the approach and what to expect.

I look forward to our cruise in the near future. Can hardly wait...

[jessabella]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it.