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Great time with MSC - first time cruiser by
Stephanie B from Albany, NY Sailing date: Sep 2011Pros: Staff Cons: Closing time of all public rooms This was our first cruise: husband, my parents and myself. Chose a non-American cruise line for more European experience, which was fine. The only caveat to that choice is if you don't speak fluent Italian it is hard to meet other cruisers. But all staff spoke English and was very accomodating and pleasant. Itineray was great, the only day we did not go into port was at Tunisia - no thanks :-)
Food was fine, I have heard all cruise lines have mediocre food unless you spend a lot of money and choose a true luxury line. But for the price of the cruise the food was just fine and we never went hungry.
Drink prices were very reasonable - we are heavy drinkers when on vacation and spent significantly less than original estimates and never questioned whether or not we should skip an alcoholic beverage because we thought it was too pricey. The only issue as mentioned above is that all the public rooms closed at 1 AM - now there was a slightly older (average) crowd and sometimes we arrived at ports around 8 AM but my husband and I are in our 30s and if on vacation we plan on staying out some nights after 1 AM. We closed the pubs on more than one occasion so if you are like us you may find the same issue.
If you like to gamble this is not the cruise ship for you (unless you just play slots). They only had 1 blackjack table, 2 roulette tables and NO POKER! We became as friendly as one can get with one of the dealers and he said if you like to gamble this was not the choice. We are not heavy gamblers but went into the casino 3-4 nights out of the 7 and didn't stay long. Again, not a big deal to us but thought it was worth noting for others.
Would have like a little more time in the ports, the longest we had was 8 hours. But we knew that when we booked. As mentioned, the ports were beautiful overall and there were plenty of ship excursions available. Hubby and I chose to skip excursions but my parents took 3 and said they fully enjoyed them all. They are great because the ship waits for the excursions and leaves much less to worry about in terms of getting back in time for departure. This was our preference not to spend the money on the excursions but if you choose this route DEFINITELY research the ports in depth, including public transportation options and what sites you want to see ahead of time. Most ports had taxis - I fully recommend this even though they typically are the most expensive option because the taxi drivers mostly speak English and know where to go. Finding the correct bus routes and/or subway lines you need may be hard and time consuming if you don't speak the language and you could end up wasting time going the wrong way. Of course several of the ports you could just get off and walk around the city or the cruise line had a shuttle bus (for a fee) to the city center, which was nice because they take you right in and back easily.
One thing I must mention is if you embark at Civitavecchia be very careful if taking the train from the airport and transferring at Travastere train station. We were standing all together and a group of men caught our attention by throwing some kind of liquid on us then slashed my purse strap and took off. I was told this is known to be a very dangerous train station and it happens all the time. These are professionals who probably run this routine daily so please just hold on tight to your bags and keep passports and other important things in your pockets or somewhere safe.
I read many many reviews before choosing this cruise - some good and some bad, overall very mixed. My entire party fully enjoyed our cruise and would consider this line again if we wanted a European destination. Again, we were a little disappointed in the average age of the crowd but were very happy with the service and product overall.
Thank you for reading my review and enjoy your next cruise! Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom QualitySmall but we went with the outside cabin and not the suite with balcony. Didn't spend much time in the cabin Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesCould have used younger activities like trivia contests, etc. Lots of broadway shows - great for those who enjoy them as my parents did.  
Collapse List of Ports
Ajaccio, Corsicabeaches are beautiful - water crystal clear and very swimmable. Great restaurants along the port
Don't Miss: Napolean's birthplace Genoa, ItalyWe took a train to Comagli and walked around, went to the rocky beaches. Had great seafood and focaccia
Don't Miss: focaccia Marseille (Provence), FranceWalked around the city, lots of sites to see so you may want a tour to get to them all as they are spread out throughout the city
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic IslandsSuch a beautiful and rich city. The yachts were huge in the port and the city streets all wind in different directions (heard it was a strategic development due to armies invading, in order to confuse them). Great port!
Salerno (Naples), ItalyAlmafi coast was beautiful. Don't bother going to Naples, dirty crowded city and heard lots of crime there
Don't Miss: Almafi coast 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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  Some Good Some Bad. by
Jason S from Charlotte, NC Sailing date: Dec 2008Pros: The ship was clean and well laid out. The fellow passengers were interesting and friendly. The ship reached destinations on time and the destinations were great. The kid's club staff was fantastic! Cons: The food was horrible (one would expect better from Shoney's). Entertainment was minimal and the entertainment staff did not speak english (in general, the staff spoke and understood little english). The Kid's Club closes at 10:00 p.m. and if you have second seating you are unable to see the shows The ship is very pretty, and with a little work could be wonderful. We cruised just after a shift change (most crew were new --- did not speak english). The food was almost all completely pre-packaged, frozen, microwaved and just plain terrible. Julian and the staff at the pool bar (Yani....) were wonderful. The kid's club staff (Matteo, Maria, and Leila were fantastic) however, if more than 30 kids, who were on our cruise, showed up they would be stretched thin. Ship QualityNice ship. Very pretty. No washer and dryer available, though. So pack what you need, because the onboard laundry is extremely expensive; you can't do it yourself. Stateroom QualityOurs was an inside stateroom - very small. Ship Staff QualitySome staff were wonderful... some were not. Entertainment & ActivitiesLimited. They tried on the deck, however, it was only for an hour a day. No band at the pool... Children's ProgramsThe staff was wonderful... However, if more than 40 kids were to cruise they would be in trouble.
Collapse List of Ports
St. John's, AntiguaSo-So.
Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.See the Baths at Virgin Gorda.
Don't Miss: Baths Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican RepublicSea Lions- very cool.
San Juan, Puerto RicoFascinating history, forts, and food.
Don't Miss: El Morro fort Castries, St. LuciaBeautiful.
Philipsburg, St. MaartenVery cute...shopping..liittle bars along the beach.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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The MSC Lirica was fabulous! by
Karen G. from Nashville, TN Sailing date: Sep 2008Pros: Clean, beautiful ship and wonderful staff Cons: Not quite enough activities while on the boat We recently sailed the MSC Lirica from Citivecchia on a Western Mediterrean cruise. The boat was clean, the staff welcoming and a different show every night for entertainment. This was our first cruise ever and it was exciting just trying to figure out which restaurant we would eat at next. Not many folks from the USA on board and English not the primary language, however, the staff was fluent in at least four languages, including English. It was easy to get on and off the boat when the ship ported and information was easy to obtain about local interests. I loved it so much that I am already planning a Baltic Cruise for next year... during the warm months. Obviously I would cruise again... a good value and well worth the time and money. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom QualityWe had a small interior room...it was sufficient as we spent most of our time out of the room on deck or on excusions when at the various ports. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesThe show each night was excellent but not much going on in the lounges or casino. Lots of families on holiday during my cruise.
Collapse List of Ports
Malaga, SpainDid not do the excursion but ventured out by ourselves. It was clean and we went to a little church close to the port. Had a cappuccino and watched the locals.
Genoa, ItalyWent out on our own... watch out for the taxis as they can rip you off. Otherwise, Genoa is pretty compact and you can walk and walk for awhile and see all of the little shops.
Marseille (Provence), FranceMarseille is a very despressed area. Not worth the time. I visited about 12 years ago and something has happened and not an attractive city once you leave the little tourist area.
Tangier, MoroccoI lived in Morocco as a child and I specifically wanted to go back there. It was entertaining, but got dark and a bit scary by the Kasbah. Everyone trying to sell their local handmades, but don't touch as they will follow you all the way back to the bus. If you want a lower price... keep walking... they will follow you and the price will continue to drop!
Valencia, SpainValencia was impressive. We took the shore excursion which was interesting. This part of Spain was very clean and modern.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
Ilse from California Sailing date: Feb 2006Pros: I would never recommend this ship to anybody and in fact have told passengers on other ships, that I have gone on recently, how little I liked this ship.
Entertainment & ActivitiesActivities: To few activities, e.g. Golf, tennis, png pong( not enough tables).
8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Bad from Boarding. by
A Traveler from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sailing date: Dec 2006Pros: The cleanliness of the ship and the friendliness of most of the crew especially the Casino staff. Dining room Manager and Maitre'de were non-existent, bus boys and waiters were good. Ordered special 5 bottle Red wine for dinner only after the first bottle were we told they had run out of the others on list. Entertainment & Activities
28 out of 35 people found this review helpful.
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