Musica......Canary Islands and Maderia .....7 nights...2026.....January or February

[Kelownabccan]

Thinking of booking a two week back to back....7 days each....anyone done this area of the world  and some thoughts....looks like a nice "getaway" from the cold Canadian winter....hopefully the ocean is not too rough and windy that time of the year........Fantastica or Aurea.......would like your opinion as the price point is not all that much and like the open time for eating........Have done a few MSC cruises so know the routine....Thanks....

[perakcruiser]

Canary Islands in winter is excellent. No problem with rough sea and strong wind, but it is not warm enough to swim in the ocean if that is your desire. Fantastica or Aurea, no recommendation possible, depends all on yourself. 

[Kelownabccan]

18 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Canary Islands in winter is excellent. No problem with rough sea and strong wind, but it is not warm enough to swim in the ocean if that is your desire. Fantastica or Aurea, no recommendation possible, depends all on yourself. 

Thanks....just what we figures.....amazing have had no other people chime in....with their thoughts.....oh well.....

[notley-cruise]

20 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

Thinking of booking a two week back to back....7 days each....anyone done this area of the world  and some thoughts....looks like a nice "getaway" from the cold Canadian winter....hopefully the ocean is not too rough and windy that time of the year........Fantastica or Aurea.......would like your opinion as the price point is not all that much and like the open time for eating........Have done a few MSC cruises so know the routine....Thanks....

 

The higher your voyager club status the less the value of Aurea is.

 

Aurea gives you larger and/or better positioned cabins, plus.

 Anytime dining
 Exclusive Top deck
 Free room service delivery
 Prosecco & Choc bar

 

If you don't have Diamond loyalty status then you get the following from Aurea.

 Priority boarding & disembarkation
 Bathrobe and slippers

 

Thermal, Aurea is unlimited, Diamond/Gold is one time, plus you can buy unlimited access if you wish.
 

 

Edited September 8 by notley-cruise

[Kelownabccan]

16 minutes ago, notley-cruise said:

 

The higher your voyager club status the less the value of Aurea is.

 

Aurea gives you larger and/or better positioned cabins, plus.

 Anytime dining
 Exclusive Top deck
 Free room service delivery
 Prosecco & Choc bar

 

If you don't have Diamond loyalty status then you get the following from Aurea.

 Priority boarding & disembarkation
 Bathrobe and slippers

 

Thermal, Aurea is unlimited, Diamond/Gold is one time, plus you can buy unlimited access if you wish.
 

 

Thanks....our status on MSC has gone down to the lowest as have not done them for a few years.....although I suppose we can do the status match with our other lines and go up....I figured for the extra 100 bucks or more was worth it for us....and I like going for dinner when we want and not a set time.....also got the drink package....not sure how that works on MSC....it says up to $10....hopefully that gives us a few choices of drinks....lol.....

[Essiesmom]

5 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

Thanks....just what we figures.....amazing have had no other people chime in....with their thoughts.....oh well.....

Think about it.  CC membership is mainly North Americans.  Most of the cruises that use the Canaries as their winter getaway sail from Europe with mostly Europeans onboard…who have never heard of CC.  But I’m sure the Canaries are covered in the Ports of Call section here.  EM

[notley-cruise]

7 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

Thanks....our status on MSC has gone down to the lowest as have not done them for a few years.....although I suppose we can do the status match with our other lines and go up....I figured for the extra 100 bucks or more was worth it for us....and I like going for dinner when we want and not a set time.....also got the drink package....not sure how that works on MSC....it says up to $10....hopefully that gives us a few choices of drinks....lol.....

 

The MSC Musica class ships are smaller and older than the modern mega ships, so no Yacht club, water slides, etc.  They are traditional Italian cruising.  The Aurea cabins are in an excellent position forward and raised above the pool deck with the top deck above them.  There's a single main dining room with a dedicated entrance and section for anytime dining.  The spa was smaller and simpler than what you find an Mergavlia and newer ships, Gym was well equipped.

 

Basically, if you buy with best price guarantee or bid upgrade they are excellent value. Easy plus drinks package won't cover the premium drinks and signature cocktails, so you might want to upgrade to Premium Extra.  CruiseMummy blog has a comprehensive guide to MSC drinks packages.

 

Canary Isles are fascinating destination, we've been there several times, never yet got up Mount Tiede crater as takes time / too windy !  Lanzarote volcanic wine growing is fascinating and they are aren't joking when they call Fueraventura a hot windy island.  Did I mention it's windy...  Maderia is lovely with amazing plant life and scenery.

 

[CruisingFox27]

The Canary Islands and Maderia would be very pleasant at that time of year. Ideal for a winter break. 

I've been to various locations in the region over the winter months and, although the weather has no guarantee, it's always been warm. At night it would be a little cooler and require a light jacket or cardigan. Mainly due to the breeze. Less of an issue when on a cruise than on land. 

 

If the price point is similar and it's important to you, assuming it is as you made reference to it, I'd definitely go for Aurea. The Anytime dining is the most significant benefit. Musica will have 2 dining times, and will be fixed for Fantastica. 

 

There are different levels of drinks package. Easy, Easy Plus and Premium. Depending on which level you have there is a list of drinks included, up to a certain value.

Have a look at them menu choices and decide if what you'll drink is included. You can always upgrade if you'd like the higher package. If you're not going to drink premium cocktails and top branded spirits, you'll be fine with the Easy or Easy Plus.

[xcell]

I would like to escape the Canadian winters too -- where would you port out of?  Have you done the smaller ships before?

[Essiesmom]

Just because it is smaller than Meraviglia class, Seaside class, etc. doesn’t mean it is small.  Musica class is the same size as the Spirit class of Carnival, Queens Elizabeth and Victoria, the vista class of HAL…a great size of ship.  EM

[Kelownabccan]

Thanks for all the comments.....have booked two back to back....Aurea cabin...keeping the same one.....for only a $350 deposit to hold for each one....and fully refundable until next October was a " no brainer" to hold the nice cabin.....we are always looking for different places and cultures to dive into to....lol....

 

If see something better that comes up....easy to change and the price.....looked at the price for this Jan and Feb and about a thousand more....always like a bargain....

[perakcruiser]

11 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

Thanks for all the comments.....have booked two back to back....

Nice.

 

As you are not familiar with the Canaries, here is a recommendation. You have to get the permit for going to the top of Mount Teide long in advance. The permit is free. After you got the permit grab the tickets for the cable car. And then reserve your rental car, best choice is Cicar. 

 

If your cruises start/end in Tenerife you can do the Teide trip either before, after or in the middle of your back to back. 

 

Permit: https://www.reservasparquesnacionales.es/real/ParquesNac/usu/html/detalle-actividad-oapn.aspx?ii=6ENG&cen=2&act=1
Cable car: https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/volcano_teide/teide_cable_car/teide_cable_car

 

This thing you have to organize by yourself. But all islands do offer great trips and MSC has good stuff reasonably priced. Make sure your excursion on Gran Canaria includes the Bandama crater. 

 

[FionaMG]

@Kelownabccan, given you're from Canada, you may find the sea is actually warm enough for you to swim in. 😂

 

Note that the stretch of Ocean between the Canaries and Madeira can be bumpy. Take precautions if needed.

 

In Madeira, the cable car up the mountain followed by a wicker basket ride back down is a great way to spend the day.

https://madeiracablecar.com/en/

https://www.carreirosdomonte.com/v3/en/index.php

 

 

[MyriamS]

If you cannot or would rather not drive, many activities in Tenerife and Gran Canaria can be done by walking, public transport and private/group tours. Renting a car would allow you to be more flexible with timing and go to more remote places, but it is also an extra expense and hassle that we (personally) try to avoid as much as possible. 

[Kelownabccan]

Boy....tons of stuff to ponder.....love it......only one and half years away....lol.....even got the air fare ideas planned using this Jan to Feb flights.......easy......Thanks to all of you