MSC Virtuosa Norwegian Ffords

[swansea_lad]

A good choice for a first time cruiser?

 

Just seem this deal, £381 per person 7 night cruise, inside cabin.

https://www.cruise.co.uk/offer-details/msc-cruises/msc-virtuosa/C6300BE4-7141-4809-9836-DB2AC04B9129/

[John Bull]

MSC have very stylish ships, the youngest fleet in the business.

 

But a first-timer needs to be aware of a few "differences" with Italian ships..............

- a slightly more-relaxed attitude to smoking

- dinners in the main dining room tend to be quite long-drawn-out affairs, lots of small courses. lots of pasta, no coffee served after dinner, and it can be a struggle to get them to provide a jug of water on the table instead of buying bottled. Your fare includes meals in the dining room - do give it a try for dinner, if its not your scene try dining in the buffet. In fact, since its your first cruise try both.

- altho the crew are drawn from all over the world, they're very "Italian". They vary from quite brusque to effusive, and they love kids.

- on-board currency is the euro. Altho' everything is added to your on-board account  and settled in one hit by your credit card at the end of your cruise, it means you have to get into the rhythm of converting prices in your head in order to figure the value. And on-board drinks are quite expensive - plus a service charge of 15 (?) %. Consider a drinks package if offered.

- there's a daily service charge - I guess around €15 per person per day, but check that on their website.

- some optional entertainment features are at extra cost, though not theatre shows etc.

- altho Italian passengers tend to be loud & excitable and will push past rather than queue, that shouldn't be too much of a problem on cruises out of Southampton where most passengers will be Brits.

You'll find many of the same negatives on American ships.

 

There's lots to learn about cruising, so a Brit-orientated cruise line like P&O or Marella is a better bet for a first cruise.

 

Inside cabins can feel claustrophobic, and you can't tell which way the ship is facing, whether you're in port or out at sea, day or night, sunny or rainy. Some folk overcome this by leaving the TV on, tuned to the TV to the mast-head camera & muted,  but consider an ocean-view cabin (fixed window or porthole) if it doesn't cost a lot more.

 

So - not ideal. 😟

But a bargain price. 🙂

 

JB 🙂