MSC Cruises Reviews

Thursday 9th Feb 2012

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Msc Cruises

Msc Lirica

MSC Licira - Excellent Baltic Cuise!

MSC Licira - excellent Baltic cuise!

Reviewed By: Bryan, Rayleigh on 7th Feb 2010
Cruise Line: MSC Cruises	Times cruised before: 3-5
Cruise Ship: MSC Lirica	Sailed: July, 2009
Destination: Baltic	Age: 36-45
Cabin: Inside	Occasion: Family holiday

Firstly, sailing from Dover was brilliant! The whole embarkation process was so quick and saved so much time compared to flying. Once checked in, with a complimentary glass of champagne in hand, as you step on board, you are greeted and personally shown to your cabin straightaway. We never got this with other cruise lines such as Royal Carribean International. Also, to our surprise, our luggage was already in our cabin, which was good. The inside cabin was very clean, more spacious than we had expected (having only stayed in a balcony cabin before). It was well furnished and the bathroom was compact & shower was good. A few days into the cruise the fan in our cabin didn't work and we were upgraded to a outside cabin, which was nice to have a view. The MSC Lirica has 750 cabins - catering for 1500-2000 passengers. So its a lot smaller than other cruise ships - about half the size compared with RCI. This was definitely better and meant that the disembarkation and embarkation at the ports of call was alot quicker - plus you could get a table fairly quickly at the buffet restaurant. The ship decor was nice, and all the areas were kept spotless. The staff was very friendly (friendlier than RCI we thought). The facilities are similar to RCI: numerous bars & lounges, a pub, a theatre, a la carte restuarant, buffet restaurant, Grill buffet, Pizzeria, 2 pools, 2 jacuzzis, gym, mini golf & shuffleboard. Compared to RCI, what it didn't have was a ice skating rink, rock climbing, basketball court, roller blading and a 24hr cafe. However, we didn't think this was a problem at all. The only thing it did fall short on was perhaps an extra dining option. Whereas breakfast and lunch could be at the buffet and a la carte restaurants, dinner is only available at the a la cart restaurant (unless the ship arrived at a port of call late, such as Sweden & Russia whereby the buffet restaurant is open in the evening as well). The food at the a la restaurant was very good and offered a 7 course dinner and 5 course lunch everyday. We thought the food was better than RCI - and a lot of the passengers thought so too. Also, there were always food available from 11.30pm - which included 3 midnight buffets. There were 3 formal/ gala nights in our 11 night cruise and everyone dressed up. There were 2 captain cocktail evenings with free cocktails & champagne. All the stops on the cruise was good, and we arranged our own tours for St Petersburg on the internet, www.travel-stpetersburg.com/, which was excellent - much better and cheaper than MSC 's own excursions. So in summary, we thought MSC was definitely a 4 star cruise, very comfortable and good value for money. We would not hesitate to sail with them again. I've thought about the pros & cons of MSC, when compared to other cruise lines such as RCI and they are: Cons: * Only 1 dining option * Steam room & Sauna was not free * Fewer facilities (ice skating, rock climbing etc - but these were not missed) * No complimentary room service (apart from breakfast) - but again this was not really missed Pros: * Friendly staff (including reception staff, which is very rare!) * Quality of food * Smaller ship (so less people!) * No annoying tannoy annoucements * Staff ready to get you a sun lounger on sun deck * Drinks packages & no 15% on drinks * Price - free kids!
Quality of Food
We ate mostly at the formal dining room, which has open seating for breakfast and lunch.
Entertainment
Magic show was the best. Least enjoyable was the contemporary dance show.
Shore Excursions	n/a
We didn't use the chip's excurions. Apart from St Petersburg, we did our own thing and explored the ports of call, armed with a good guide book. For St Petersburg we we booked a tour through www.travel-stpetersburg.com.
Staff
All the staff were excellent - very friendly and professional - even the Reception/ Guest Relations staff, which is very rare indeed.
Children's Facilities
The kids club was disappointing, as it was one club for all ages - from toddlers to teens. My 11 yr old daughter didn't go to the club as the kids were very young and not in her age group.
Onboard Activities

Cabins

Overall Rating

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Comment by lee, norwich norfolk (11 Feb 10 20:55) about this REVIEW

I am about to book a cruise on the Sinfonia w.We have never cruised with this line before ,so would like some tips please on dress codes and formal or informal dining do you have to pay ffor the sauna and spa.Any hints would be appreciated thanks.

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Comment by Bryan, Rayleigh (12 Feb 10 11:57) about a COMMENT by lee (11 Feb 10 20:55)

Hi there I haven't been on the Sinfonia, but on the Lirica you have to pay to use the sauna and spa. During the cruise they advertise offers on the daily newsletter - such as discounts of treatments, saunas etc, so worth looking out for those rather than booking a treatment package at the start of the cruise. For our 11 night cruise there were 3 formal nights and nearly everyone dressed up - suit and tie, and some in Dinner Jackets, for the men, and evening/ cocktail dresses for the women. Rest of the time it was pretty casual, though didn't see anyone really casual, such as in shorts at dinner. However, for the formal afternoon tea in the dining room (which is v nice), they did enforce the dress code and didn't allow anyone in with shorts, flip flops, t-shirts etc as it was smart occasion. Finally, its worth getting a drinks package - you get a book of coupons for drinks - soft drinks, beers, wines etc and works out to be good value for money. Hope you have enjoy your cruise!

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Comment by Greenwood, Maldon (09 Feb 10 17:35) about this REVIEW

This review sounds exactly the Opposite of the dreadful MSC cruise we've experienced, aboard the MSC Splendida this Christmas and we both agree with everything Barnes stated below............. What helps to make for a good cruise ..... good food, good organisation, respectful attentive staff that anticipate its customers needs, who then help provide a stress free, relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Do not expect that to happen with MSC, like Barnes, I would never recommend MSC cruises either. If you want a good cruise and not feel you have paid more in onboard extras, than your holiday deal cost, then find another cruise line, as MSC SPLENDIDA sure is not for you.

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Opinion: Agree Comment by Driscoll, PRESTATYN (09 Feb 10 16:37) about this REVIEW

We also sailed Lirica from Dover. Like you, we found them superior to RCI, especially in the matter of food. RCI does of course cater for American tastes, so menus and ingredients are not what we expect this side of the Atlantic. Will definitely go MSC again.

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Comment by Barnes, Coventry (09 Feb 10 15:58) about this REVIEW

We sailed with MSC Splendida for Christmas it was the worst cruise we have ever been on. The food was terrible ( cold and not cooked properly) the staff on reception and the tour desk were so rude at one stage about 40 English people were in reception complaining. There was no entertainment for teenagers except for a Formulor 1 simulator that was £10 for two laps and a 4D cinema which was £8 for 6 minutes. As for Christmas there wasn't one it was just another day. We would never go with MSC again.

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Comment by Mifsud, Sliema (09 Feb 10 18:22) about a COMMENT by Barnes (09 Feb 10 15:58)

It's strange, we were on the Splendida in November (the last cruise from Barcelona before it repositioned to Genoa). I can't understand how the food became so terrible in just a few weeks. The Italians are very critical if food is not up to standard and they were all satisfied in the MDR. We were in a large group and we all enjoyed the food. It was all cooked well and hot. We didn't have teenagers with us - but there was a disco for the younger ones.

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Comment by Bosscat, Argolida, Greece (07 Feb 10 19:29) about this REVIEW

Yes, this review sounds exactly like the four MSC cruises we've experienced.

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Comment by plows, wallsend (07 Feb 10 19:24) about this REVIEW

what a great review of msc. we have sailed with them before and find as you did. i like seeing a good review as there is more negative than positive about them on most sites.

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