bigmike7 Posted April 3, 2006 #1 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Yo- Well - here goes - again- Back from our second MSC 'Lirica' cruise - last one 03/31/2005 to 04/11/2005 to Southern Caribbean and this one 03/20/2006 to 03/31/2006 to Western Caribbean- Ship still extremely clean - but there have been some changes and not all are for the better - but overall - it was still an excellent cruise- As has been stated before - the biggest changes are the: Addition of the Art Auctions - Bingo - Inch of Gold and the accompaning announcements (in 5 languages) The other changes noted are as follows: Food quality still very good - however they have cut back on the more premium main entrees in the dining room - (Buffet for breakfast and lunch still very good - fresh and tasty-) Drink prices - slightly higher - quality and quanity still very good- Wine package for 7 bottles now $44 more than last year (but the half caraf only up to $8 from $7 last year for Italian house red or white wine) No more free ice cream out by the pool - but still free with lunch or dinner in the dining rooms and with cabin room service- Tipping policy changed from cash out of pocket directly to room stewards and dining room waitstaff to $12 per day for a broader range of targeted receivers- Laundry notably higher than last year- The incredible thing is that we paid only $20 pp more than last year for the cruise fare - for the same eleven days - and last year were given a 3 catagory upgrade - and still an inside cabin - and this year - a 7 catagory upgrade to an outside cabin!! The Entertainment Team were still the spark plugs that drove the enjoyment engine - though a little more controlled than last year (a good thing)- The shows were done in a commendable manner - though not as lavash nor high level of talent as last year (except the magician - who was totally amazing)- The level of service is at least equal if not better than last year with a notable shift in the dining room away from all Italian waiters to more of an international mix- There was never a situation with any public service person - where english communication was a problem- including the Reception Desk, bar service staff, room service, cabin service staff and the buffet and dining room room staff - and all officers and management staff were extremely cordial and receptive to our wants and needs- All in all - it was not as good as last years cruise - but still a very good cruise - and still superior to some of the other brand names that we have sailed on in the past- Would we sail with MSC again? You Better Believe it!!! Would we recommend it to our family and friends? Absolutely!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forecastle Posted April 4, 2006 #2 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Yo- Well - here goes - again- Back from our second MSC 'Lirica' cruise - last one 03/31/2005 to 04/11/2005 to Southern Caribbean and this one 03/20/2006 to 03/31/2006 to Western Caribbean- Ship still extremely clean - but there have been some changes and not all are for the better - but overall - it was still an excellent cruise- As has been stated before - the biggest changes are the: Addition of the Art Auctions - Bingo - Inch of Gold and the accompaning announcements (in 5 languages) The other changes noted are as follows: Food quality still very good - however they have cut back on the more premium main entrees in the dining room - (Buffet for breakfast and lunch still very good - fresh and tasty-) Drink prices - slightly higher - quality and quanity still very good- Wine package for 7 bottles now $44 more than last year (but the half caraf only up to $8 from $7 last year for Italian house red or white wine) No more free ice cream out by the pool - but still free with lunch or dinner in the dining rooms and with cabin room service- Tipping policy changed from cash out of pocket directly to room stewards and dining room waitstaff to $12 per day for a broader range of targeted receivers- Laundry notably higher than last year- The incredible thing is that we paid only $20 pp more than last year for the cruise fare - for the same eleven days - and last year were given a 3 catagory upgrade - and still an inside cabin - and this year - a 7 catagory upgrade to an outside cabin!! The Entertainment Team were still the spark plugs that drove the enjoyment engine - though a little more controlled than last year (a good thing)- The shows were done in a commendable manner - though not as lavash nor high level of talent as last year (except the magician - who was totally amazing)- The level of service is at least equal if not better than last year with a notable shift in the dining room away from all Italian waiters to more of an international mix- There was never a situation with any public service person - where english communication was a problem- including the Reception Desk, bar service staff, room service, cabin service staff and the buffet and dining room room staff - and all officers and management staff were extremely cordial and receptive to our wants and needs- All in all - it was not as good as last years cruise - but still a very good cruise - and still superior to some of the other brand names that we have sailed on in the past- Would we sail with MSC again? You Better Believe it!!! Would we recommend it to our family and friends? Absolutely!! Mike Welcome back our 4/22/06 cruise will be here,before we know it. You answered alot of questions I had. Saw similar changes on 3/4/06 Opera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmjaffe Posted April 16, 2006 #3 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Big Mike... Welcome back... was waiting to hear of your second MSC experience. Glad you were able to get a huge upgrade... (though we were quite content with inside since we enjoy the dark) Did you have the ventriloquist as entertainer? Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmike7 Posted April 17, 2006 Author #4 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Yo Carolyn- Yup - we got a huge upgrade - but wanna know what - it was much noisier than the inside we had the year before - and only six cabins aft from the inside last year- Yes we had the ventriloquist - but did not go to that show for some reason I cannot remember- Was still an excellent cruise with good food and service- Hated the shower curtain though!! How is your foot? Better I hope- Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asctony Posted April 17, 2006 #5 Share Posted April 17, 2006 bigmike7: What were the 3 best dinner meals that you had on the Lirica this time? Please discount the Lobster as we don't like Lobster. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmike7 Posted April 18, 2006 Author #6 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Yo asctony- The prime rib - a tenderloin and a pork cutlett were the three best - all that I had were very good - these were excellent IMO Those that had the lobster said that it wasn't all that good- Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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