How do you feel about sailing on MSC's oldest ships?

[stuart2468]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:07 PM, maehara said:

Our next 2 trips are on World Europa and then Lirica, which is just about opposite ends of the MSC scale. I'm looking forward to both, to be honest, as they'll be very different experiences.  Watching ship tours etc has me not expecting Europa to be massively different from Euribia, our last trip.

 

Only thing that I marked down the old Armonia-class ships is that from certain unkind angles they have a bit of a car-ferry look to them - and we wouldn't see that when we're on board.  Otherwise I'm all for the different experiences that smaller ships offer. 

Just to correct something, and its more because its quite interesting rather than an important correction.

 

Rather than it being an armonia-class ship, it is infact a Lirica-class ship (to MSC), although both Armonia and Sinfonia are older ships than the Lirica. 

 

However, MSC ordered 2 ships origionally, first being Lirica, second being Opera. Armonia and Sinfonia, formally MS European Stars & European Vision, joined the fleet in 2004 when Festival Cruises went bust.

 

There is also another sister ship (actually the very first 'Mistral Class') still operating for Ambassador Cruise Line. Sailing as MS Ambition. This ship was delivered origionally, as the Mistral, to Festival Cruises. I believe (open to correction on this) this ship is still the length as origionally ordered and hasn't been extended like her sister ships.

 

Its just one of those intersting MSC fun facts that not many people know about. 

 

Another being the Magnifica, whilst being a different class of ship, is younger than both Fantasia & Splendida. This fact is a little less 'wow' now given the Seaside/Meriviglia/World class ships are older/younger than each other. But back in 2008-2010 MSC was not the player it now is.

[Ryan82]

Now you've said that @stuart2468 - I can see ambition is basically the same as Opera. Its just the Opera has been stretched. Im going to check out the anbition deckplans now. Proper geeking out.

[maehara]

Filed under "the more you know!".  And yes, this is exactly the sort of nerdy detail I love. 😅

 

For some reason had it in my head that all of MSC's current fleet had been built specifically for them, but always happy to be corrected.

[sidari]

1 hour ago, maehara said:

Filed under "the more you know!".  And yes, this is exactly the sort of nerdy detail I love. 😅

 

For some reason had it in my head that all of MSC's current fleet had been built specifically for them, but always happy to be corrected.

Preziosa was built for Gadaffi and his family complete with a shark tank, when they fell from grace MSC bought the ship as it was the same hull as Fantasia, Splendida and Divina.

[maehara]

28 minutes ago, sidari said:

Preziosa was built for Gadaffi and his family complete with a shark tank,

"James Bond villain" vibes intensity....

[perakcruiser]

2 hours ago, sidari said:

Preziosa was built for Gadaffi and his family complete with a shark tank, when they fell from grace MSC bought the ship as it was the same hull as Fantasia, Splendida and Divina.

Actually it was planned as a cruise ship and not a private boat for the family. One of Gaddafi sons wanted to start an African Arab cruise line. MSC of cause was very lucky to get a Divina sister ship with a discount after the Libyan Civil War broke out.

[Nunagoras]

No bells & whistles, but structurally all those older MSC ships are good ships. Personally I wouldn't go on a Lirica class one, once very few balcony cabins compared the newer ships, but that is personal.

[sealynx]

On 12/20/2023 at 3:25 PM, Ryan82 said:

Now you've said that @stuart2468 - I can see ambition is basically the same as Opera. Its just the Opera has been stretched. Im going to check out the anbition deckplans now. Proper geeking out.

They are basically the same, but Opera was the only one fitted with external balconies during construction. The other 3 MSC ships of the kind only got them during the stretching process. So Lirica and Opera are closer sisters to each other than to the other 3, but still were 'born' with differences.

 

On 12/20/2023 at 1:53 PM, stuart2468 said:

There is also another sister ship (actually the very first 'Mistral Class') still operating for Ambassador Cruise Line. Sailing as MS Ambition. This ship was delivered origionally, as the Mistral, to Festival Cruises. I believe (open to correction on this) this ship is still the length as origionally ordered and hasn't been extended like her sister ships.

Although she has never been lengthened indeed, she did get additional cabins on her stern superstructure, where the other 4 still have several decks of out door space. Also her night club was changed into cabins. I believe it happened when she transferred to Ibero, but I'm not sure.

 

On 12/20/2023 at 4:58 PM, sidari said:

Preziosa was built for Gadaffi and his family complete with a shark tank, when they fell from grace MSC bought the ship as it was the same hull as Fantasia, Splendida and Divina.

I'm really glad she ended up with MSC. For more than one reason, but I'll stick to the cruise ship related one: I don't like sister ships to be spread over several companies or even brands. I makes the lines less unique.

[shipgeeks]

After our Seaside cruises of early 2020, we came home and immediately booked two on Armonia. Of course, the four times we re-booked never happened, and now she is far away. We'd book again any time she came to the US.

We first sailed MSC in 2002, on Melody, out of Florida.  Built in 1982, retired in 2013.  I would sail on her again if I could!  1,076 pax.  We had a nice-size OV stateroom; there were no balconies.  Entertainment was great. The only thing I'd do differently, if I could go back in time, would be to eat all meals in MDR.  Little did we know at the time that that was the expectation. Buffet was very skimpy when we had breakfast and lunch there.

[neptuno]

Would Magnifica qualify as an "older" ship?  Just disembarked in Miami, and she is still OK, except not very well designed for warm weather sailing, like the newer SeaSide(s).  We began MSC out of Miami on Poesia which was fabulous in comparison to Magnifica, a bit smaller but much more well managed.  Have also sailed Divina, SeaSide and Meravilia but cannot call them smaller/older ships.

[Essiesmom]

It’s a little bit confusing because they started building the larger Fantasia class before they finished the smaller Musica class.   Magnifica was launched in 2010, the last of her class, but Fantasia and Splendida were launched in 2008 & 2009.  EM