My Special Cruise – MSC!

Well I have been cruising for quite a number of years now as you will see from my page of ‘Ships I’ve been on’ but my most recent cruise holiday was extra special because I went with my partner Adam (he has cruised with me before) but I took my daughter Kimberley (Kim) for the 1st time.

Most of the cruises I have been on are for work purposes, which include ship visits for the day or an overnight stay to get a feel for the ship. I have been on a few ‘educational trips’ where a group of agents go on a particular cruise for the duration of the itinerary to experience & learn about cruising, the ship, the itineraries, food, excursions, activities, entertainment, the spa & much much more!

Kim was quite dubious about going on a cruise ship for the first time even though I’ve raved about them for years (I bored her silly sometimes with some of my tales) but she listened intently & as teenagers do, pretended to be interested. Kim’s fears as per a lot of 1st time cruisers included:-

(Don’t forget to read these as if a stroppy teenager is saying them!)

I’ll be bored.
What is there to do?
Stuck on a boat for 8 days.
What do we do at night?
Cabins will be small.
I won’t like the food.
What do I wear? – This was the big one so I had to take her shopping for nice dresses etc., this part she didn’t mind.

These are just a few of the fears Kim had. I talked to her about all the aspects of cruising, what there is to do during the day & at night (for a teenager) such as:-

Daytime

Sunbathe by the pool & swimming.
Use the spa – have a massage or beauty treatment.
Join in the teen club to meet up with kids your age.
Come on excursions to see the places we visit, buy souvenirs for your friends.
Join in activities by the pool or around the ship – always something going on.

Night-time

Dress up for dinner in your new clothes.
Have a pre – dinner drink in one of the bars.
Have dinner – usually 5/6 courses so can take a couple of hours depending how much you want to eat.
Have some professional photos taken – check the next night in gallery if you wish to buy any.
Watch a show in the Theatre.
A quiet drink in the piano bar.
Listen to a band/singer in another bar.
Go to the nightclub for a bit of dancing.

Kim thought about these options & started to get excited about going on the cruise.

On departure day we arrived in Southampton to board MSC Opera. I will never forget the look on her face when she saw the ship. Her words were – ‘Oh WOW – we going to live on there for 8 nights?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we checked in which was very easy & straight forward we boarded the ship. Kim was concerned about our luggage so I explained that the cabin steward would bring it to our cabin. Kim thought that was ‘cool’ (in teenager words). She couldn’t wait to explore so we found our way around – 1^st stop – Food! We had lunch & Kim couldn’t understand why we didn’t pay. We were on ‘All Inclusive’ so food which is included anyway  & drinks were included. She had her own key card so loved to go to the bar & order her own drink then just hand over the card.

We received our luggage in the cabin a couple of hours later & unpacked. We were in a balcony suite cabin so Kim went out to check it out – I could see by the look on her face she was excited. As was I,  which is always the same & don’t think will ever change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ship sailed approx. 5pm so we went up on deck.  A smooth sail away & we were off; Kim couldn’t wait to get changed for the 1^st night’s dinner but wondered how we’d know which restaurant to go to. It is on your key card which is also your charge card for the bar. Kim wanted to find the restaurant so we followed, found where we needed to be & went for a drink in a nearby bar.

Once in the restaurant, that was it – Kim had a string of admirers, the waiters adored her. She is quite a fussy eater so I explained to her about the service on board a cruise ship; just ask for what you want & they will make it for you, which is what happened most nights. At least she ate well for the duration, the waiters even joked about what she would order each night. They made her flowers out of paper napkins & roses from cotton napkins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sat with another couple who had a teenage son, a bit younger than Kim but they got on really well as did we with the adults. Kim asked – will we sit with them every night so I explained that we would.  It turned out we didn’t as they had to re-arrange all tables after 2 nights so we ended up just the 3 of us at a table.

After dinner we went to a bar called ‘Sottovento’ – it was a lovely bar with a man playing keyboard/guitar & singing. Kim named this ‘The Happy Club’ as we had such a good night in there. We had a lovely night just listening to him but we were all quite tired so retired to bed. Kim was excited to sleep in our cabin for the 1^st time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did go to some of the shows in the evenings too but the entertainment was more for the younger children so we went to other bars that had singers or bands on as more our style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we walked around the ship in the evening there were photographers everywhere. They take your picture then you can buy them the next eveing from the photo gallery were they are on sale. The one photogtapher called Kim a princess so took her picture all the time. A whole row of Kim’s pictures were in the gallery every eveing. She loved to be the centre of attention as most teenage girls do. Here is one of photos taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cruise itinerary:-

Monday                15^th August 2011 – Southampton
Tuesday               16^th August 2011 – Amsterdam, Holland
Wednesday        17^th August 2011 – Day at Sea
Thursday             18^th August 2011 – La Rochelle, France
Friday                   19^th August 2011 – Bilbao, Spain
Saturday              20^th August 2011 – La Coruna, Spain
Sunday                 21^st   August 2011 – Day at Sea
Monday                22^nd August 2011 – Cherbourg, France
Tuesday               23^rd August 2011 – Southampton

We stayed on board in Amsterdam as the weather was lovely & Kim wanted to relax by the pool which sounded like a great idea. I wasn’t going to force her to do anything she didn’t want to, it was her holiday as well. So relax we did for the day.  Adam went off to explore the ship & check out the casino for later on.

 

 

 

 

 

We relaxed quite a bit on the ship as Adam & I had been to La Rochelle before & Kim didn’t want to go off the ship anyway so everyone was happy.

Part of the cruise we had 2 free excursions, 1 in Bilbao & 1 in La Coruna. Kim came with us to Bilbao but found it quite boring & couldn’t wait to get back to the ship so she could sunbathe by the pool. I think she liked being on the ship that much she didn’t want to get off.  So, on the next excursion she stayed on board with friends that she had met.  The adults went off to explore Santiago de Compostela  which was a lovely Spanish town with an enormous cathedral & main square. We wandered through the narrow streets & had tapas in one of the local bars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tours are led by local guides who know all about the destination and can speak extremely good English. The coach collects you at port then you head off for a city tour with regular stops to see the sights & take photos.

The day at sea was not the best weather so we played Bingo in one of bars rather than by the pool. Kim won 100 Euros which she was really happy with & treated herself in the shops.

We stayed on the ship for the rest of the duration as we just wanted to relax during the day, myself & Kim headed off to the spa & left Adam chilling by the pool, we had a massage and relaxed in the Thermal Zone which was so relaxing – this is a definate must for mums & daughters, perfect catch up time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the week – I asked Kim if she had enjoyed her cruise. I bet you can guess what her response was ‘I loved it, don’t want to get off, can we do another one next year?’ So all my worries about how she was going to enjoy it were in vain. Kim said it was the best holiday she had ever been on & is looking forward to her next cruise where she wants to take a friend.

MSC – My Special Cruise – was made extremely special as I got to spend quality time with my favourite person on board a fantastic cruise ship. Thank you Kim! (and Adam of course). Here’s to the next one!

MSC Cruise  – overview

MSC are an Italian cruise line with over 40 years experience.
12 beautiful ships.
Offer fly cruise from various ports in Europe along with Southampton Departures.
Kids upto 18 years old travel free if sharing with 2 adults (port taxes & flights if applicable are payable).
4* cruise line with luxurious ships. Young, modern & sophisticated fleet.
Exciting & Original Itineraries
Sumptuous Menus but if you don’t like whats on the menu they will make whatever you want.
Spacious cabins which are very comfortable.
Excellent staff who tend to your requirements & all speak very good English.
Various entertainment venues on board each ship including theatre, piano bars, coffee bars, ballroom dancing, nightclub & many more.

Top Tips for sailing with MSC:-

Dress for dinner if you wish but the Italians, French, Spanish etc didn’t really wear Tuxedo/cocktail dresses.
Don’t queue for the buffet as they won’t – you’ll be stood there all day.
Don’t expect Broadway shows – entertainment a little to be desired.
Always do the All Inclusive package as drinks can be pricy so better value for money!

Overall I love MSC cruises as bit querky & different to other ships I have been on. I would definately go on another MSC cruise & the next ship I’d like to sail on is MSC Divina as she is the biggest in the fleet so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For anymore information on MSC or to book call me on 0800 408 6108 or email [email protected]