MSC Opera -- 12-day Eastern Med. Cruise
Dec 23rd, 2009, 09:08 PM
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MSC Opera -- 12-day Eastern Med. Cruise
My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary next summer and we are looking into an eastern Med. cruise. We are very interested in a reasonably priced cruise that stops in Greece and especially Istanbul, as I have friends there, and that seems to narrow things down to MSC. There are other cruise lines that stop in Turkey, but not in Istanbul, or if they do, they are only 7 day cruises or they are too expensive.
I was wondering if anyone on the board has cruised with MSC lately, and I'm particularly interested in knowing if anyone has taken this itinerary -- which also includes Odessa and Yalta. It's a 12-day cruise on the MSC Opera that begins and ends in Venice. I don't have all the information readily accessible, so I appologize for the incomplete details.
We are looking at September 2010.
Any insight would be welcome.
Thank you!
I was wondering if anyone on the board has cruised with MSC lately, and I'm particularly interested in knowing if anyone has taken this itinerary -- which also includes Odessa and Yalta. It's a 12-day cruise on the MSC Opera that begins and ends in Venice. I don't have all the information readily accessible, so I appologize for the incomplete details.
We are looking at September 2010.
Any insight would be welcome.
Thank you!
Dec 27th, 2009, 03:36 AM
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I just returned from a Mediterranean cruise. I have many, many issues with MSC and will never take another cruise with them. The communications and competency were extremely lacking. At dinner, I sat with very experienced cruisers who said that they were experiencing many unusual things on this ship, for example, no dinner buffet.
I/they almost lost my passport. Before boarding the ship someone took my passport to get a VISA for Egypt. They returned it to my room the day before Egypt. Afterwards, reception insisted on taking the passport back saying it was required by Italy and that I would get the passport back upon final disembarking. I didn’t like it, but since the first time they took it was okay I gave them my passport. Major mistake. It was not returned to me. I disembarked expecting to receive it only to experience the final bit of total incompetence. Nobody had a clue where the passport may be and I had to drag my bags back on the ship and go to reception. My passport was sitting there on their counter along with many others.
Communication Issues:
The time changed the first and last day. The only notice on the first day was a line in the daily program. I missed it and missed the day-tour presentation which was the main thing I went for. There was no notice the last day. You had to look at the time on the telephone.
There was probably a total of four announcements by the ship captain. There were none by the cruise director.
When the ship was docked there was nothing telling you when you could exit the ship and several times the signs for where to exit were incorrect.
When asking about excursions, the only communication you could get from the staff was about how you must take one so you make sure you get back to the ship on time. Only the manager was able to provide any information whatsoever on what the tours were about.
The first and about the only clear communication I received was that I wasn’t allowed in the gym with jeans on. You had to enter with gym clothes on no matter what.
When going to the gym and spa area there were always six to ten Thai people bowing. Apparently that was MSC’s idea of creating a relaxing atmosphere.
It is a very confusing ship to get around in so more signs and clear signs need posted.
Though smoking areas were designated, smokers were allowed everywhere in the solarium smoking up the entire place and gathered near both deck entrances where it was warmer.
Ridiculously expensive. Massages ranged from 190-250 Euro per hour. Just to use the sauna was 16 Euro per hour or 30 Euro for a day. You couldn’t even get a drink of water at dinner, you had to buy a bottle.
The ship had about five public hot tubs, all small and the temperature tepid at best. They were very popular and crowded since the cruise was in December. The swimming pools were not heated.
The food in the individual menu/pay restaurants was exceptionally better than the food in the main dining halls.
The trip is designed for Europeans. As stated above, English was a major issue. There was also only news TV channels in English. I also found that all the Europeans I spoke to paid a much lower price than I, an American, up to 60% lower, even after accounting for the exchange rate.
When in port until mid-day, the lunch buffet would close prior to or at the time required to return to the ship.
On the last day, for some reason, some of us didn’t get a colored bag tag for disembarking. When I asked about it I was told I had to go to reception and get the tag. They would not deliver it. I also did not get a customer survey form.
I/they almost lost my passport. Before boarding the ship someone took my passport to get a VISA for Egypt. They returned it to my room the day before Egypt. Afterwards, reception insisted on taking the passport back saying it was required by Italy and that I would get the passport back upon final disembarking. I didn’t like it, but since the first time they took it was okay I gave them my passport. Major mistake. It was not returned to me. I disembarked expecting to receive it only to experience the final bit of total incompetence. Nobody had a clue where the passport may be and I had to drag my bags back on the ship and go to reception. My passport was sitting there on their counter along with many others.
Communication Issues:
The time changed the first and last day. The only notice on the first day was a line in the daily program. I missed it and missed the day-tour presentation which was the main thing I went for. There was no notice the last day. You had to look at the time on the telephone.
There was probably a total of four announcements by the ship captain. There were none by the cruise director.
When the ship was docked there was nothing telling you when you could exit the ship and several times the signs for where to exit were incorrect.
When asking about excursions, the only communication you could get from the staff was about how you must take one so you make sure you get back to the ship on time. Only the manager was able to provide any information whatsoever on what the tours were about.
The first and about the only clear communication I received was that I wasn’t allowed in the gym with jeans on. You had to enter with gym clothes on no matter what.
When going to the gym and spa area there were always six to ten Thai people bowing. Apparently that was MSC’s idea of creating a relaxing atmosphere.
It is a very confusing ship to get around in so more signs and clear signs need posted.
Though smoking areas were designated, smokers were allowed everywhere in the solarium smoking up the entire place and gathered near both deck entrances where it was warmer.
Ridiculously expensive. Massages ranged from 190-250 Euro per hour. Just to use the sauna was 16 Euro per hour or 30 Euro for a day. You couldn’t even get a drink of water at dinner, you had to buy a bottle.
The ship had about five public hot tubs, all small and the temperature tepid at best. They were very popular and crowded since the cruise was in December. The swimming pools were not heated.
The food in the individual menu/pay restaurants was exceptionally better than the food in the main dining halls.
The trip is designed for Europeans. As stated above, English was a major issue. There was also only news TV channels in English. I also found that all the Europeans I spoke to paid a much lower price than I, an American, up to 60% lower, even after accounting for the exchange rate.
When in port until mid-day, the lunch buffet would close prior to or at the time required to return to the ship.
On the last day, for some reason, some of us didn’t get a colored bag tag for disembarking. When I asked about it I was told I had to go to reception and get the tag. They would not deliver it. I also did not get a customer survey form.
Dec 27th, 2009, 10:52 PM
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Unlike Mwag, I took my first MSC cruise in Nov (see my post under Trip reports).
I doubt I will take another MSC cruise. Reasons? They are
seriously campaigning for the US/Canadian audience to take European cruises but are doing naught to ensure a good experience. English is not universally spoken which is a major handicap. Cabins are discounted which means nickel & diming commences once onboard. The touted Italian cuisine is only marginally good. No maps or other info at each port to ensure their excursions are booked.
I do understand from CruiseCritic that when the ships that sail the Carib out of Ft Lauderdale, they adjust some of their
policies to fit the US audience.
I doubt I will take another MSC cruise. Reasons? They are
seriously campaigning for the US/Canadian audience to take European cruises but are doing naught to ensure a good experience. English is not universally spoken which is a major handicap. Cabins are discounted which means nickel & diming commences once onboard. The touted Italian cuisine is only marginally good. No maps or other info at each port to ensure their excursions are booked.
I do understand from CruiseCritic that when the ships that sail the Carib out of Ft Lauderdale, they adjust some of their
policies to fit the US audience.
Dec 29th, 2009, 06:56 AM
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I recently took a cruise on the MSC Orchestra from Genoa to several ports in Spain as well as Lisbon and Gibraltar. It was a very pleasant experience. My friend and I, two widows, took the trip because it visited ports we wanted to see and because the promotional rate was too good to pass up. Granted English was not generally spoken, but almost 75% of the passengers were European. The food was good, not spectacular, but our cabin was larger than on most ships and very comfortable with a lovely big balcony. The ship was spotlessly clean, the entertainment first rate. We asked for and received a pitcher of tap water in the dining room at no cost. You could also get half carafes of house wine at a very reasonable rate. We were seated first at a table by ourselves, but upon our request were moved immediately to a table with a charming couple from Canada with whom we had many enjoyable dinners. If you had a complaint about the food, alternate choices were offered. The tipping expectations were well below other cruise lines and were added to your account, but could be reduced or added to upon request. No, this was not the best cruise I ever took, but research will do much to make your trip pleasant. We came with our own Streetwise Maps, asked questions at the hospitality desk when necessary and changed our clocks as directed in the English papers provided daily. We enjoyed the ports we visited, usually on our own, and felt the price, itinerary, comfort and cleanliness of the ship were adequate to our expectations. We went, aware that we would be a minority of English speaking people on board and would have to adjust accordingly.
