MSC Armonia A most enjoyable cruise |
| Reviewed By: Campbell, Ealing, London on 26th Nov 2008 |
| Cruise Line: MSC Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: MSC Armonia |
Sailed:
October,
2008 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 56-65 |
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Having read many adverse reviews on this website, it was with some trepidation that we embarked on our cruise aboard MSC Armonia on 18 October. We are delighted to report that our fears were completely unfounded. We had a wonderful cruise and cannot understand the vitriolic comments we have been reading recently.
We stayed one night in Genoa pre-cruise in the Hotel Continental - a very nice hotel close to the port and took a taxi to the cruise terminal – not cheap at 15 euros for a 10 minute ride but no real alternative. Embarkation was well organised and we were on board in around an hour – our luggage arriving in our cabin (a balcony suite) about 15 minutes after we did. We liked the fact that we were escorted to our suite by a member of staff – something which many cruise lines no longer do. The suite was lovely - clean and although not as large as some we have had, it was extremely well designed with lots of storage space. As a comparison, it was about the same size as an AA grade mini-suite on Princess. We had a decent sized balcony which would have been improved if it had recliner chairs rather than the somewhat uncomfortable fixed back ones provided.
We were allocated a table for two which we had requested and ate in ‘La Pergola’ (second sitting) – the smaller of the two main restaurants. We enjoyed every meal. The food, whilst not piping hot, was hot enough. Both our waiters were very friendly and efficient, often offering to bring an alternative dish if we did not finish something. We only ever ate three or four courses but noticed that others were working their way through all seven. We were also delighted that the second dinner sitting was always on time at 8.30pm and sometimes even a few minutes before. Our experience with some cruise lines is that we often have to wait up to 10-15 minutes as the first sitting has been running late. However we much prefer the ‘open’ or ‘anytime’ dining arrangements recently introduced by Princess and customary on Oceania and NCL cruise ships and possibly others. On the cost of drinks, though there were carafes of wine available at 9 euros for half a litre. The bottles were quite expensive and we were pleased that we had purchased a wine package in the UK. This had to be done through our Travel Agent and cost £73.50 for 3 red, 3 white, I rosé and also 7 bottles of water. If you bought the same package onboard, it cost 129 euros (around £108 at current exchange rates)!! The exchange rate can make a big difference to the cost of drinks and excursions. On Coral Princess last Spring, the dollar was two to the pound and is now less than $1.50. That constitutes a 25% increase for us Brits in the cost of everything. Equally the euro has increased in value against the pound and drinks etc. are consequently around 16% more expensive than they were earlier in the year. However, when comparing prices with other cruise lines, it is worth bearing in mind that MSC do not add a 15% charge to the drinks bill. Most days we ate lunch in the buffet restaurant and although generally busy, we always managed to get a table. It probably helped that the weather was good and the outside tables were usable. If not, then it could get quite crowded. However, this is no different to other ships we have been on.
Our Cabin Steward and his assistant were excellent and we found all the staff (including Reception) to be always friendly and helpful. It’s just nonsense to complain about the security staff not smiling and not appearing friendly as some have done recently – who cares as long as they concentrate on ensuring that no terrorist gets on board. There were of course the announcements in several languages but we did not find this intrusive. Indeed, we were surprised to note that virtually all the announcements were in English first although there were only around 100 English speaking passengers on board. (This was not our experience on Costa where (we think understandably) Italian was always first.)
We cruised from Genoa to Genoa, calling at Naples, Catania, Katakolon, Limassol, Alexandria, Heraklion and Civitavecchia. We initially thought that the times in most of the ports (around 5 hours) might be too short but found that it was enough for us just to stroll around. However, if we had wanted to explore further afield in some places, time might have been an issue. The one disappointment we had was the cancellation of our excursion in Alexandria (the only one we had booked) due to the lack of enough English speaking people. Most, we understand, preferred the trip to Cairo and Giza which we had already visited. However, this wasn’t really a major problem as we just arranged our own trip with one of the many tourist taxis available from inside the port for approximately the same price.
A couple of other minor moans were the lack of a daily newsheet (in any language) and only one (not particularly good) English speaking TV news channel (Euro News) and we hope MSC address this for the future.
Just to respond briefly to some general comments made by others:
• The lifeboat drill was held spot on time before departure. We understand that lifeboat drill must be held within 24 hours of leaving the embarkation port.
• We were surprised there was no alternative dining option in the evening other than the two main restaurants (except for a limited menu room service).
• Dress – there were three formal nights in eleven and our judgement was that 90% of the men wore a jacket but in our dining room at least 50% took it off and hung it over their chair. My husband doesn’t believe in eating with a jacket on but did condescend to wear a tie. Our preference is for ‘freestyle’ cruising as on NCL or better still ‘Country Club Casual – Tuxedos and gowns never required’ – which is the dress code on Oceania Cruise ships and, we understand, on Regent Seven Seas ships which we are currently considering. Having worn a jacket almost every day of his working life, my husband only reluctantly wears one these days. He prefers to dine in comfort but always in a clean, smart shirt and trousers. We do not wish in any sense to deprive those who want to dress up from doing so. We just can’t understand why they want everybody else to do so as well. We were however surprised to note that a number of the younger cruisers wore ‘smart’ jeans in the evening, even on formal nights (though most teamed them with a jacket!).
• We accept the current convention of adding gratuities to the bill at the end of the cruise and we have no problem with this. We have never felt the need, nor indeed looked for reasons, to withhold gratuities. We also have a note issued by MSC about their tipping procedure which clearly states their policy of equally dividing the received tips between all staff who provide services on board. We cannot believe, as has been suggested by somebody, that MSC would not do so and consequently risk everything they are trying to achieve.
• Disembarkation was relatively smooth and much the same as on our other cruises.
Would we go again with MSC – yes indeed. We are somewhat puzzled by the amount of adverse criticism this cruise company receives as this was absolutely not our experience. This was our 13th cruise, having cruised before with Princess, NCL, Costa, Oceania Cruises , Orient Lines (now defunct) and Voyages of Discovery and whilst it was not as good as Oceania (on Insignia), in our view it compares very favourably with all the others, Princess included. Were we just lucky – we don’t think so.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Plenty of variety and generally well cooked. Especially enjoyed the pasta and risottos | | Entertainment |  |
| Only went to two shows - a classical performance and a talent show - enjoyed both. | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| The only shore excursion we had booked was cancelled so unable to comment. | | Staff | |
| Everyone we encountered was efficient and friendly. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| There were plenty of onboard activities but we didn't join in. We generally prefer to do our own thing. | | Cabins |  |
| Our balcony 'suite' was very clean, spacious and well designed. | | Overall Rating | |
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