Lirica 12/17-12/27/05

[venicecruiser]

Got back yesterday afternoon from the Lirica Christmas sailing. Prior to this cruise, I had done one other MSC cruise on Melody. Here are a few thoughts:

 

Embarkation - Very quick. CDC health inspection was done which delayed boarding by maybe 30 minutes. I actually walked onboard about noon. Lirica scored 99 on that inspection....

 

Cabin - We originally had an outside gty and were assigned a cabin on deck 8 midship. Upon boarding we inquired about upgrading to a Cat 11 "suite" and did a paid upgrade. We ended up with cabin 10011. This cabin is forward and located under the children's playroom which resulted in some noise in the afternoons and early evenings. Pool and buffet were also one deck up which was very convenient. Cabin stewardess, Anna Maria, and her assistant provided excellent cabin service! The Cat 11 cabin was somewhat roomy with a small walk-in closet along with plenty of storage space. The bathroom has a tub/shower combination. Tub is very deep which is wonderful for soaking. Great water pressure and plenty of hot water in the shower. Fruit bowl was replenished daily and there is a mini-bar. The in-room safe is a decent size and is located behind the mirror at the vanity table. The balcony had two wicker chairs and a small round table. The cabin had a small sofa and cocktail table. All in all, we were very comfortable in the Cat 11 cabin. The standard cabins are very small but we were told that they had plenty of storage space.

 

Buffet - We both loved the lunch buffets! Great selection of both Italian items and standard buffet fare. There is a pasta station which offers a different pasta each day. There is also a pizza area with several different kinds available. The pizza I tasted was wonderful! Not the usual pizza overloaded with cheese, but much better than what we Americans usually get here in the States. My roomie ate at the buffet each morning for breakfast and was quite pleased with the choices available.

 

Dining room - We were in La Bussola for dinner. We changed tables a couple times and on the third evening found the perfect table. Our table Captain, Angelo, and our waiter Valentino (along with his assistant) were superb. Our assistant Maitre D, Antonio, was wonderful, as well as our Maitre D', Andrea. Francesco, the other Maitre D' was delightful as well. We were fortunate to be "surprised" each evening with appetizers or a pasta course not on the menu-all wonderful. Most of our table stuck with the Italian items offered on the menu each evening and they were very good. I sampled the risotto almost every evening and loved them. The only dessert I had was the lemon "sorbet". It is very creamy, lemony, but very light. I had it every night, but did taste the panna cotta and it was wonderful! We loved the sorbet so much that we asked for the label from the container so that we could try and find it in the States. It's imported from Italy, but my friend thinks she may be able to find it in one of the Italian markets in Miami. I am hoping that she can! We had no problems with slow or uneven service in the dining room. The only thing I had in the dining room that was not good was grouper. However, I had halibut that was excellent. The pork and beef was very good and my tablemates had lamb that they enjoyed very much. I had two lunches in the dining room and they were fine.

 

Entertainment - Shows were good and somewhat different than what is found on Celebrity, HAL, etc.. Drinks are not sold in the showroom.

 

Onboard activities - There are numerous activities offered during the day and evening. I did not participate in any so can not comment. One thing MSC is doing now that I was NOT happy to see is art auctions. However, they are not "pushed" like on other cruiselines.

 

Onboard shops - There is a small shop selling liquor and a small cosmetic/perfume shop. There is also a jewelry store and a boutique. The boutique had a great selection of Italian clothing along with some MSC logo items. I bought several Italian sweaters at very good prices.

 

Other onboard areas - Our favorite area on the ship was the Coffee Corner. Incredible cappucino and expresso. You can also order cocktails here and we found it to be the best "people-watching" spot on the ship. We had pre-dinner cocktails here every evening as well as our afternoon cappucino fix. Bar servers were great-Marius, Marietta, and Janice. The pool area is fine with plenty of chairs but if the ship is full, I am sure it can become quite crowded.

 

Misc - There was a Captains Cocktail party on the first formal evening. There was also a repeaters party on one of the other formal evenings. There was live music in most of the bars/lounges every night. What we heard was pretty good. I cannot comment on the disco as I never went. I did not feel "nickled and dimed" onboard. I did not experience pushy bar waiters or photographers. One thing that has changed on MSC is that in the past all dining room waiters were italian and that is no longer the case. The animation team is Italian as are most of the officers and many of the staff. Crew is made up of many nationalities.

 

I've cruised extensively on the "mass-market" cruiselines as well as with a couple of the "luxury" lines. I can honestly say that I prefer MSC over ANY of the mass-market cruiselines. It is a different experience and not one geared exclusively to North Americans. It has a distinct European feel and that is what I like best about MSC. I think many Americans try MSC expecting it to be like Celebrity, RCI, etc., and it is not so they are disappointed. If you try MSC and know before you go that it will be a different cruise experience, I think you will enjoy it. I can already see a few areas onboard that are a little more "americanized" and I hope that does not continue. There were passengers from all over the world on the Christmas sailing and I enjoy that mixture.

 

I'm sure I have forgotten a few things, but if anyone has questions I will be happy to try and answer them. I hope to do another Lirica sailing before she goes back to Europe........

 

Claudia

[Oxo]

Excellent Review!! Wish others would be as informative as you with their reviews.

'Upon boarding we inquired about upgrading to a Cat 11 "suite" and did a paid upgrade.'

 

What did the upgrade cost, if you want to share that with others?

 

Dining room - What were the early and late dining times?

 

Entertainment - What time were the shows after dinner?

 

Other onboard areas - Our favorite area on the ship was the Coffee Corner. Incredible cappuccino and espresso. What were the prices of these drinks?

 

Did they have Internet PCs onboard and what was the cost?

 

We are hoping that MSC is not like the others. We want to see and experience something different.

 

Happy New Years!

[bigmike7]

Yo Claudia-

 

GREAT review!!!

 

Unfortunately - makes our March 20, 2006 cruise on the 'Lirica' seem so far away.......................................

 

Mike

[venicecruiser]

bigmike - Thanks. I'm looking at the April 22nd sailing.....

 

oxo - Early dining was 6 or 6:15pm, we had late seating and it was 8:15. Our upgrade was 500.00 each and well worth it to us. There were 2 showtimes most evenings. I believe for early dining it was around 8:15-8:30 and for late dining it was 10:15. Cappucino in the Coffee Corner is 2.25, expresso was 1.75 I think. There is an area with PC's for internet access. First couple days of the cruise, connecting to the internet was quick, at the end of the cruise unbelievably slow. Pricing needs to be adjusted to either completely by the minute or packages of minutes. Now it is 6.00 for the first 10 min and .60 per minute after the first 10 min. Be aware that if you log on and only stay on for less than 10 min, you still pay 6.00. This applies to every time you log on. We used internet cafes in port whenever possible. I can assure you that MSC is quite different from the other cruiselines!

 

Claudia

[Oxo]

Claudia: Thank you very much for the information. It is very helpful.

[mrcabman]

I just got back from the 12-17-05 sailing for 10 days. I am happy to see that someone on this ship had a good time. My family did not have that luck. This is the first time on and the last time on the line. I thought that the food was not that good and forgot about the service it was very bad. They did not even speak English at all. These was not we where looking forward to. This is not a 5 star boat in my family eyes. bad boat for Little kids. bathrooms are very small for bigger people. tipping was very bad just take it off your bill and tip in cash that did a good job. which for us was our cabin people and our third try for our dinning room. The ship a must say sail very nice in some what bad water. which was only a couple of days. The ship is very clean. The ship is not for your Americans like me to Europe. A lot of people that where talking to us had a very bad time.

[cmjaffe]

Claudia,

Where were you?

Glad you enjoyed your cruise...

we did too... though it took us a few days to get things "right" in the diningroom. We had a "new waiter" (had been working the buffet area and was brought down to the 5th floor, really should have been a busboy to start with, but it took us 4 days to realize that we really could (A) work with 2nd seating and (B) couldn't continue with the eratic service we were receiving though we enjoyed the folks at the table next to us. When we moved we missed our previous head waiter Bruno (who came to visit us many times afterwards... always a welcome time) and we never had a poor meal ever.. quality was the same if not better than what we had from RCCL good (if not better) quality meats, foods served HOT and enjoyable (though not for my waistline) tempting desserts at lunch and definitely dinner. Some things had been "lost in translation though" (like pumpkin cake at lunchtime that we didn't order since we were told it was a cake.. <like bread> and turned out to be pie... which we would have enjoyed).

We did have a few issues with MSC though mainly in their customer service area at reception desk. Be aware there are no announcements other than for bingo and art auction. The bank is opened for limited hours daily (like 7-9AM on some port days) and there is not other place to cash travelers checks on ship. There is a 3% charge for this service... even if you're not exchanging it for the same currency as printed on check. Couldn't get $$ from casino so if your planning on taking care of gratuities on own (removing the automatic tips) be prepared with the cash when you board, handle banking matters in ports (usually hotels with casinos would cash them w/o fee) or be prepared for the 3% fee. Was pleasantly surprised with the quality of photos done on board had a few reprinted in larger sizes, though found MSC to be a bit higher in price than comparable sizes on RCCL and Celebrity.

Enjoyed the variety offered at the shows, on par if not better than what we experienced on Brilliance the previous year. Some very talented combo groups in lounges performing to, unfortuntately empty rooms.... a shame ... after 10:30 the ship was quite quiet, though I'm told by Elena and Francesca that this was not the typical week.

The entertainment staff (animation team) are a lively bunch but didn't stick to a schedule so there seemed to be a bit more offered .... most times they'd show up about 10 minutes later and then do an activity for about 10 minutes then give up. Between 12-3pm there would be no activites scheduled and all activities were done on deck 11 during the day... and if there was rain they'd be cancelled... (unless it was the "bazaar" sale and then that was posted to have an alternative location in case of rain).

We had an inside cabin, knowing it would be small but found the storage space adaquate (w/4 of us), bedding comfortable (including the uppers) and not claustriphobic... was on deck 8 and took advantage of the aft lounge chair area... quite enjoyable in the late afternoon and sunset hour.

Would be do MSC again... if the price is right sure.

Carolyn

[venicecruiser]

mrcabman - Sorry to hear you did not enjoy your cruise......As you can tell from my "review", we had a very different experience and loved every minute of our time onboard Lirica. Perhaps you booked Lirica expecting a "normal" mass-market cruise experience? If so, then I can understand your disappointment. MSC, in my opinion, is not for everyone. I like the MSC experience specifically because it is NOT the usual mass-market cruise experience.

 

Carolyn - Sorry we didn't meet onboard. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise. Bruno is a sweetie, isn't he? We're already talking about spending next Christmas with MSC. Also, I am considering the 4/22/06 sailing before Lirica goes back to Europe.

 

Claudia

[Oxo]

Claudia: Again thank you for your posting and info. We are in our late 50s. What age, if you don't mind me asking, are you? The reason for the question is different ages have a different prospective on many different things.

You have a very positive attitude on this cruise and seem very honest in your posting.

What do you mean when you say:

Do not expect MSC to be like Princess, Celebrity, or other Mass Market cruise lines? Can you be more specific, please?

Thank you!

[RD64]

Claudia

 

I enjoyed your review as well. I will be sailing on the Opera in March and have selected MSC because it is hopefully different than the standard North American cruise experience.

 

I am a Holland America regular (having also sailed on NCL, Princess, and Carnical), and do enjoy the experience that they provide. While very good I just find that it is a very standardized and homogenized experience. I am looking for something a little different (European), and hope to find it with MSC.

 

Thank You RD

[venicecruiser]

oxo - I'm 53. I say that because MSC is different-more European. MSC is not geared mostly to North Americans, in my opinion. Even in the Caribbean there are many passengers from abroad. Food service onboard is not 24 hours a day. Room service menu is very limited. In my experiences with MSC, drinks are not pushed constantly, passageways near the onboard shops are not littered with "sale" tables. There is no "inch of gold" nonsense. There are not constant announcements for bingo. Its just different, and to me, better.

 

I think the only way to understand the differences is to experience them first-hand. As I've said before, MSC is not for everyone. Go with an open mind expecting a somewhat different cruise experience and I think you will enjoy the MSC product.

 

Claudia

[mef38]

I also was on the Lirica Dec 17-27. I was on the Lirica in March 2005 and loved it so much I returned in April 2005. I decided to try it again this December and brought my mother. Something happened to this ship in the Mediterranian. On my previous times on her it was the BEST cruise ever. This time the animation team was made up of some from the last season and some new ones. The new ones aren't at all the quality of last season. Taking to Sara, Manuela, and Elena, they agree. The cruise director, Paulo, should be fired. He is the most obnoxious man and was very rude to many of the children. The food has suffered also. Although our waiter Suanda and maitre D' Achille were the best they could not explain the bad food. Fish was tough. If you ordered the steak every night you had good chances of it being good. In the Lirica Lounge there was a great band every night but no one went to listen to them. Maybe because it is harder to find on Deck 7. I went every night and had a private show. Talking to many others who know the Lirica last season, we all agree she has changed for the worse. I don't believe there will be a forth time for me on the Lirica.

[cmjaffe]

mef38...

couldn't agree with you more .... about Paolo

DH ADORED Elena... though Libby has picked up her "unique" laugh... (I don't want to encourage it...) Manuela and Sara were great too...

Claudia, you're right, MSC is not for everyone and one really must go with an open mind.

Carolyn

[bigmike7]

Yo Carolyn-

 

So glad that you had a good time - even with the small cabin!!

 

You had us worried that you didn't make the cruise with the flooded basement - and the fact that we didn't hear from you until today...................

 

Again - we are back on the 'Lirica' March 20-

 

@mef38 - last year - the earlier cruisers (December and January) on 'Lirica' were much more critical than the ones that cruised in March and April - which leads me to believe that maybe the crew has to go through an 'adjustment' period between the Med and the Caribbean - will know better this coming March-

 

Mike

[Oxo]

Do they show movies on the Lirica? If so, what were the latest ones shown? Thank you!

[mef38]

oxo

the only movies are on the tv. as for the Broadway lounge there are none. Another difference from the sailings in March/April 2005, then they played movies on the big screen.

[Oxo]

oxo

the only movies are on the tv. as for the Broadway lounge there are none. Another difference from the sailings in March/April 2005, then they played movies on the big screen.

Thank you for the information. I wonder why they did stop the movies on the big screen? Does it cost a cruise line more to show the movie on their big screen? You probably don't know , but I had to ask.

[antcyd]

OK, finally found some time to sit down and write my review of my experience on the Dec 17th sailing on the Lirica. Came home to having to deal with post hurricane Wilma stuff, roofers, insurance companies etc and have had no time!!!!

Carolyn, it was very nice meeting you and your family, glad to hear your werent flooded when you got home.

Claudia, I am sorry we didnt get to meet, its likely our paths crossed somewhere along the way though. Glad to hear your enjoyed your cruise.

 

Well first things first, a bit of info some of you may not know that did not sail with us, this cruise was being promoted as a "Family" Holiday cruise...kids were free if they stayed in the same cabin as parents. However it seems the ship was either not informed of this promotion or not prepared, I was told two different stories from 2 different staff members, the asst CD said that the corporate office did not inform the ship that there would be that many kids onboard and that they did not know until they were already onboard, another person told me they just didnt make any additional plans for these kids. Either way, the "kids program" was pathetic, almost non existant and these poor kids were all bored out of their minds!!!!! I dont care if they sailed for free, in 11 days there could have been some type of activities planned for these kids.

So the best info I can pass along to anyone sailing on the Lirica in the next few months with kids, bring lots of games, books etc to keep your kids busy. This "Family" cruise promotion is going on for the next few months.

 

Cabins: Small but efficient, lots of space for clothes etc. The bathrooms however, tiny....especially the shower. If you are a "large" person you will have a problem and I was told by quite a few people that they took to showering upstairs in the sauna area since they are larger showers.

My cabin steward was exceptional, no chocolates on the pillow at night but fresh fruit replenished daily which was a very nice touch.

 

Service: Sooooo much better than my sailing last year on the Opera. I have to say though, last year the majority of the crew were Italian and somewhat rude to Americans and there was definitly a communication problem but this sailing on the Lirica, the service was excellent, the crew is now made up of all different nationalities and I do see a big difference. The ship is incredibly clean and that was quite impressive, alot of the Celebrity cruise line touches in that repsect, someone at the stairwells cleaning the brass all the time etc.

 

Food: Hmmm this one I could talk about for days but I am tired and will make it brief. Of course this is only my experience so please no flaming!!!!

As far as I was concerned, the food was just downright awful. Started with the first night, the steak everyone at my table ordered was so loaded with fat it had to be dissected and was inedible, none of us ate it. The Breakfast and lunch buffets were just ok, limited in variety, especially breakfast, identical every single morning, watery scrambled eggs, burnt bacon, undercooked sausage. There was a nice grill that made fried eggs and omelets however your choice of omelets were ham and cheese or ham and cheese....every day for 11 days!!! And since the man working the grill did not speak english a discussion about possibly having some veggies for an omelet wasnt possible. Lunch in the dining room, consistantly cold and disappointing. All fried food were soggy and cold, fried cheese appetizer, fish and chips etc, everyone in the dining room was sending their food back when I ate there for lunch. The pizza however was very good and was pretty much what I lived on for lunch. Dinner: the best choice, the "always available" steak. It was a nice NY strip served hot and freshly cooked, any other steak had sat in warmers for hours and were tough and had odd tastes to them(I was told about the warmers by the Maitre'D so not just an assumption) Fish was hit or miss, other things were just things I would never eat, lots of baby octopus,sardine ravioli, lamb shins???. Desserts were definitly not worth the calories with the exception of the ice cream at dinner(the soft serve machine wasnt working our entire cruise) Well enough complaining about the food, I am happy not to have gained any weight so thats a plus I guess.

 

Entertainment: Oh my God..... the cruise director was the WORST I have ever seen, in all my 37 cruises on many various lines. He should be fired!!!He was rude, obnoxious, politically incorrect and made many inappropriate remarks on stage, some of the things he said to the children were appalling. I was told by 2 people that they went to him to talk to him about some complaints they had and he told them that if they didnt like the way the cruise ship was run not to come back!!!!

Anyway, the shows were ok, somewhat disappointing as last year on the Opera they were the highlight of my trip, this time not so much. Same people, different act each night.

The lounges were literally dead almost every night, the bands played to either noone or some nights my DH and I had our own private band. Poor planning on whomever's part, the bands always seemed to take a break just as the shows let out so when you passed thru the lounges after the shows they were silent so guests just kept on walking.

The entertainment staff was funny and tried hard but the ship was half empty, only 1300 passengers for a Xmas cruise!!!! And so most games in the evening were cancelled due to lack of participation.

During the day however, BORING!!!!! The activity list was so minimal, the days at sea so boring. They definitly need to do something about the lack of things to do on this ship.

 

Some other observations.....more announcements this cruise than last year, bingo, art auctions etc. Definitly not as many as other cruise lines however.

Every morning, at 7:30am rap music started playing in the hallway speakers, loudly, enough to wake me up and become a real pain. Complained at the front desk however noone there could understand what I was trying to say, definitly a language barrier at Guest relations

 

Would I sail with MSC again??? I am not sure.I didnt have to cook or clean or deal with life's reality for 11 days so that made it worth while. It would be my last choice probably but who knows, they have 4 more ships coming out in the next 4 or 5 years, I might give it another try.

I do try to keep an open mind and be a positive person and so I can only say that my experience was just ok, not horrible, not great, just ok. I met very nice people onboard and had some great quality time with DH and were away from family for the holidays, for me thats a good thing:)

[venicecruiser]

Hard to believe we were all on the same cruise.........

 

We got to know Paulo and we had no problems with him at all. As to the food, I would advise anyone sailing on MSC in the Caribbean to stick with the Italian items. I had no problems with a "lack of activities" during sea days. I can always entertain myself and sea days are wonderful for sunning, reading, relaxing.

 

I can't comment on children's activities as I did not sail with children. However, it would not surprise me if there was indeed a lack of communication between Corporate and the onboard staff. In my opinion, the area most needing improvement in MSC is their shoreside operation.

 

All I can say is that if someone wants the usual experience found on RCI, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, etc., they should NOT book MSC. I like the fact that MSC is different and will book with them again.

 

Claudia

[Rotterdam]

Hard to believe we were all on the same cruise.........

 

We got to know Paulo and we had no problems with him at all. As to the food, I would advise anyone sailing on MSC in the Caribbean to stick with the Italian items. I had no problems with a "lack of activities" during sea days. I can always entertain myself and sea days are wonderful for sunning, reading, relaxing.

 

I can't comment on children's activities as I did not sail with children. However, it would not surprise me if there was indeed a lack of communication between Corporate and the onboard staff. In my opinion, the area most needing improvement in MSC is their shoreside operation.

 

All I can say is that if someone wants the usual experience found on RCI, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, etc., they should NOT book MSC. I like the fact that MSC is different and will book with them again.

 

Claudia

I sailed on the OPERA last February...I agree with your assessment of MSC. I've sailed most lies & would choose MSC over the rest of them. Its funny that Americans do not understand the European way of life...a simple Bon Giorno(sp) starts things off right.. I saw many passengers start off by saying "I want..."

 

The OPERA was great fun, the service & food was great considering what the fares were. I knew I was not boarding a Four Seasons Hotel - so my expectations were aligned.

 

I am hoping to sail LIroca thos winter!

[cmjaffe]

Rotterdam,

Couldn't agree with you more. THough in the diningroom this time around Bon Giorno didn't always work... there's a huge contingency from Bali/Indonesia in the waiter ranks... though Supervisors and above all seemed to be Italian. A cheery greeting and a smile always started our meals. After we finally had the nerve to switch our tables and seating time (found early seating wasn't necessary for the kids to do for risk of them missing out on any activities, there were none offered to DD except for 3-5PM <and this was after a few days on board, she's 9 1/2 and there was originally postings that the kids room -- glorified day care-- was for 3-8 yo -- and when we looked in on the first sea day it was full of rambunctious pre-schooler youngsters with one adult watching them while the other adult was trying to sign in the newcomers... total mayhem and Libby wanted no part of it>) we never saw the head waiter or above where we were seating but our waiter had a wonderful smile and was always attentive and when I asked for recommendations or suggestions was never steered wrong. Libby's now missing her desserts and had been programed into having pizza on a regular basis. We brought reading materials for the kids to ocupy themselves "just in case" since I wasn't expecting much offerings. We were VERY impressed with the cleanliness of the ship... always seeing railings polished, hallways scrubbed etc. THis is the first time in 3 consecutive sailings that nobody in our family has gotten ill and it was definitely appreciated. Cindee, I agree with you about the "music" (selection of material I question) in the hallways during most hours, though once we were inside didn't hear it much. It never woke us up in the AM, probably we weren't right under the speakers. We were right next to the staff staircase etc. and were pleasantly surprised to hear very little noise, especially during the last night when they were loading up the luggage in preparation of debarkation.

I was hoping that there would have been more of an Italian influence in the diningroom. I'm wondering how there staffing will be when they add onto their fleet 'cause right now I feel that they're getting stretched thin with waiters. Our first one needed to be instructed exactly what we want/needed and it seemed like this one had a "check list" where he just put a "tick" mark alongside the items offered. You couldn't deviate from the items listed but once we spoke with the Bruno, he (Bruno) took care of things. I think that our experience w/original waiter was the "exception" (the previous cruise and prior he was only working the buffet area upstairs and was looking forward to having his own tables and "liking the money" <potential tips>(this he told the table next to ours who found the comment amusing and told us... we commiserated about George).

Go with the flow on MSC and you should be fine...

Carolyn

[venicecruiser]

Rottie - Which sailing are you looking at? 4/22/06 is a Big Band cruise on Lirica I think which is why I'm considering that one....

 

Claudia

[deck chair]

It is so useful to hear of the experiences of those who have sailed on MSC. I'm tired of HAL and thought I would try MSC this February for 11 days. If however, one has to listen to rap music and other piped in garbage in the public areas duing the day I think I will give it a pass. It is nice to have peace and quiet. How bad is it, really? Thanks.

 

Patrick

[venicecruiser]

I didn't find it that bad or annoying. I just ignored it when I noticed it at all.........

 

Claudia

[antcyd]

We were unfortunate enough to have a cabin that had a speaker in the ceiling right outside our door and I am sure that is why it woke us up however, I found the music in the hallways to be at a pretty high volume and definitly not the usual "elevator" peaceful music. This was literally rap and bad rap at that, I actually complained not only about the rap music but the lyrics that were said, lots of racial and sexual overtones. But then again, you only heard it in the hallways,elevators and in the buffet area but it was pretty drowned out in the buffet area. I think for me if I were happier with the cruise itself it wouldnt be a deal breaker for me, I guess we could have asked for someone to come up and disconnect the speaker, that would have been a good option.