Can anyone help me with suggestions for a Med cruise on a MSC cruise liner. We are thinking of going in Sept/Oct 2010, trying to decide which Musica, Splendia or Magnifica or any other suggestions please? At this stage Venice seems to be the most convenient departure, but not confirmed yet. About 7-10 days.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out.
Pachet

I am surprised that there has not been any comments to date. I am not familar with MSC so I can't comment on what you asked. Have you consider other cruise liens such as Louis, Princess, Celebrity etc?

I'm not surprised Eschew. MSC does not have a big USA Fan base & most travel on Poesia to the Carib in winter.

Pachet I can address the Splendida which I was on last fall.
A huge ship altho one never feels crowded w/Italian cuisine
& mostly Italian crew. Pax mix was 60% Italians, 20% French,
20% German.

This line is not conducive to the usual American passenger who is accustomed to our liners who cater to same. Totally
different atmosphere, announcements & menus in 5 languages,
personnel who do not speak English, front office lack of hospitality,etc.

Strongly suggest you cruise over to www.cruisecritic.com &
read pax comments where you may glean much info. Strong negativity re the Magnifica.

Rhea58, I guess I should avoid MSC if I enjoyed the North American mass market cruise lines?

Well, Eschew MSC is a totally different experience, IMO from NA mass market lines I have sailed (Full disclosure: Norwegian, HAL and a couple of no-names).

MSC doesn't cut it when it comes to hospitality & no matter the ship, the front desk personnel do not enjoy interaction w/the cruisees. And then of course, there is the language barrier unless you are bi or multi-lingual.

1 major complaint I have is that their excursions are not always in 1 language. Ex: One I took was in German & English so we only really got info for half the tour & then not as clear as it could have been. They double up on language as most of their pax are Europeans who are bi-lingual.

While I made the most of my cruise, I would hesitate to sail her again unless it was a rock-bottom price, altho I would have to factor in the major nickel & diming* aboard to compensate for loss cabin revenue.
*In Europe (not Carib) one HAS to pay for water w/meals, coffee for lunch & dinner. No free port lectures or maps,
& since the Splendida is too large to dock in some ports, MSC charges for shuttle buses to get into ports!

Good info. I'll take MSC off my list for sure. Any experience with Louis?

Yup -- just one from Cyprus To Israel & Egypt- definitely scratch that one off your list. True bunk beds!!! I'm too old for camping & s'mores are not supplied - LOL!! They do not begin to resemble NA cruises.

BTW, Costa is a direct competitor of MSC & while I have not sailed them, I strongly suspect they suffer from some of the same maladies from my readings on Cruise Critic.

Have you been to Cruise Critic yet Eschew?...they are truly
a font of info, & are esp. helpful in the forums where one may pose any question & see replies from those that cruised
on whatever ship AND in whatever cabin, etc.