Cruise Review - MSC Orchestra - MSC Cruises

MSC Orchestra
Reviewed by Chris Dikmen and Rickee Richardson
Jan 2009
Reviewer rating: 3

As a relative newcomer to the cruise industry, it is a safe bet that many CruiseReport.com members and passers-by have never even heard of MSC Cruises. However, if you have traveled to just about any port anywhere in the world, you have probably seen containers with "MSC" plastered all over the sides. Well, that is the parent company of MSC Cruises, and it just happens to be one of the largest shipping companies in the world operating over 400 shipping vessels!

The family-owned MSC Cruises is quickly establishing itself as a major player in the cruise industry, growing in only a few years from a small company specializing in Mediterranean cruises to 36 offices worldwide. The distinctive European style and ambiance of the line’s beautiful ships, its service and authentically Italian cuisine have become the company’s hallmarks.

Formerly called "Mediterranean Shipping Cruises", MSC Cruises now operates nine ships, eight of which have been built since 2000. Even though MSC Cruises' primary market is European, they are expanding more and more in the Caribbean and reaching out to North American clientele. We felt like the time was right to pay MSC Cruises a visit and see for ourselves what this "young" cruise line is up to.

At 90,000+ tons, Orchestra is the latest "Musica-class" ship from MSC. The larger MSC Fantasia at 133,000 tons was launched in December and is being touted by its owners as “The Most Beautiful Ship In The World”. While there is definitely some bias in that claim, if MSC Orchestra is any indication, they may not be exaggerating.

EMBARKATION

Soon after embarkation, Rickee checks out the pool deck

While spending the night before our cruise in Ft. Lauderdale, we learned that our hotel offered a shuttle transfer to Port Everglades at 12 noon. The thought of sitting around a port boarding area until the 4pm stated boarding time was not an appealing one. However, when we arrived at the pier, our luggage was taken by the baggage folks and within ten minutes we were boarding MSC Orchestra. In fact, it was perhaps the fastest and most efficient embarkation for a ship this size we have experienced.

We entered the ship on Deck 6, Violino Deck. All of Orchestra's decks are named for musical instruments of the orchestra, in Italian, of course. The deck names are not the only hint that this cruise line's roots are in Italy. Much of the staff on board are Italian and greet guests with traditional warm Italian hospitality. After stepping on board, we immediately headed to Deck 10 (Lira Deck) to check out our stateroom, 10176.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

Since this is a brand new ship, everything in our stateroom was shiny and new. Our Superior w/balcony stateroom was tastefully decorated and very liveable for a 7-night cruise. There is adequate closet space and lots of drawer space for storage. A desk unit includes two US-style electrical 110 outlets and two European (2 prong) 220 outlets. I always carry two Euro-to-US adapters, so I had four outlets, more than enough for all my chargers and laptop. Those who travel through Europe will be familiar with the way the stateroom’s electrical system works. When you enter your stateroom, you must place your room key/security card in a slot by the door to turn on all of the lights in the stateroom. This serves a couple of purposes. First, it conserves energy as all lights are automatically turned off when you leave your stateroom and remove the key from the slot. Second, when the key is in the slot, a small light outside your stateroom is lit, indicating to your room steward a “Do Not Disturb” condition. Another small benefit is you will always know where your room key is!

For some reason, MSC includes the room number on the room key card (10176)

One interesting security lapse I noticed was that MSC prints the stateroom number on the room key. From a security standpoint, that is not good. As a result, if you were to lose your key onboard (something Rickee is famous for), anyone who finds the key knows which door it will open.

The ship’s designers did an outstanding job on the balcony door. The sliding glass doors are easy to open and close and remove the problem inherent with those room-shaking slamming balcony doors. The balcony itself is small at 49 sq. ft. but has nice, comfortable wicker furniture.

We found the room to be very quiet, overall, with good sound insulation. The A/C and hot water all worked as expected. This is a brand new ship, after all. Even the stateroom doors were designed to reduce the ability to slam the door shut. However, one of our neighbors was able to overcome this design feature.

There is a flat screen LCD television, (my guess is about 21" diagonal), on top of the mini-bar cabinet at one corner at the foot of the bed. The TV is perfectly placed for viewing from anywhere on the bed. The satellite programming included CNN International, TCM, TNT, Boomerang, Cartoon Network and several closed-circuit channels promoting various venues around the ship. There is also a pay-per-view movie channel with a good selection of first-run movies at about $10.99 a pop. One nice feature is the iTV Interactive Television system. With iTV you can do all sorts of cool things like check your onboard account balance, reserve shore excursions, order room service (more on this later) and check the myriad of messages from various departments around the ship trying to sell you something.

The bathroom decor does not quite live up to that of the stateroom. Linoleum floors, basic shower curtain (the kind that sticks to you as you shower!) and faux marble harken memories of Motel 6. Nevertheless, there is ample shelf space for all your toiletries both above and below the vanity. The ship provides shampoo, soap and a shower cap. We found ourselves shopping for hair conditioner and body lotion at CVS in Key West, so if you use either, remember to bring your own!

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PUBLIC SPACES

Lounges feature attractive and comfortable seating

The design of MSC Orchestra is virtually identical to several other ships currently sailing. We recently sailed aboard Holland America's Eurodam and the similarities are too many to be pure coincidence. The hull is basically the same design. The interior spaces, on the other hand, are quite different. MSC Orchestra's designers have done a decent job of designing the public areas to accommodate close to 900 more passengers than the HAL ship of the same design. Nevertheless, these efforts fail in some key traffic areas. When the ship is at capacity, as it was on our voyage, long lines form in front of the two main dining rooms and the buffet restaurant. Crowds exiting the theatre after a show, heading forward to dinner, must slowly wind their way through the Savannah Lounge, which only offers one thoroughfare portside. It is quicker to exit the theatre, go up two flights of stairs, then walk forward on a passenger cabin deck.

Beautiful 3-level staircase is the centerpiece of the lobby

That being said, the ubiquitous lounges and bars are beautifully decorated with appealing works of art and comfortable seating. We counted at least 11 bars/lounges where you can enjoy a cocktail or your favorite soft drink. Drink prices are on the expensive side. Rickee's Mojito, ordered at Barracuda Bar poolside, was served in a tiny 6-ounce plastic glass and cost $6.90! Our favorite pre-dinner watering hole soon became La Cantinella Wine Bar on Deck 7. The ship has a nice selection of Italian wines and we enjoyed the delicious bread sticks and cheeses they served here with the wine. Wines by the glass are available from $4.50.

The Palm Beach Casino is also located on Deck 7 and was surprisingly unpopular during our cruise. There is a large selection of slot machines of varying denominations as well as table games. The Library was extremely small and poorly stocked, mostly with paperback books that look like they may have been left on board by previous passengers. Trying to get a book here can test your patience. The Library is only "open" a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon to check out and return books. A large Photo Gallery on Deck 7 aft is open in the evenings displaying all of the pictures taken by the staff of photographers during the cruise. There is also a Photo Shop where you can buy digital cameras, film and accessories.

The Reception Desk is located on Deck 5 and was well staffed at all times. We found the Reception staff to be very pleasant and helpful. Perhaps our bigger concern was the number of times we were forced to go to Reception to deal with things. We had at least three incorrect charges show up on our account that needed adjustment plus an issue with the Internet Cafe (see below).

The well-equipped Internet Cafe unfortunately suffered from speed issues

The Internet Cafe, located amidships on Deck 7, was a real disappointment. A sign was posted indicating that Internet connections were temporarily slow. They weren't kidding! The cafe itself is very nicely designed with 19 computer stations. Each station has a card reader where you can simply insert your room key and have Internet charges billed to your account. The cost for this service is $5 for ten minutes, or 50 cents per minute with a $5 minimum. Therefore, if you are on for only 5 minutes, you will still be charged $5. After 10 minutes, the per minute rate drops to 40 cents per minute. We used the Internet Cafe a few times and found it to be the slowest Internet service we've experienced on any ship to date. Basically, it was unusable. To open our Hotmail account and reply to a single email required using the entire 10 minute minimum. There are signs warning you that there are no refunds for Internet service, but to contact Reception if the system freezes. On one visit, I was connected for just over 3 minutes when the browser window suddenly closed and, no matter what I did, I was unable to get another browser window to open. I ejected my room key and, of course, was charged the $5 minimum. I contacted Reception and explained the situation. I was told that the matter would be turned over to the IT Manager and our account would be credited for the $5 charge. I am sad to report that even after three subsequent visits to Reception, each time being reassured that we would receive the credit, the credit never appeared on our account.

MSC Orchestra Review

There are also some pre-paid Internet packages you can purchase offering 60 minutes for $30 or 250 minutes for $84 that will get your per-minute charges as low as 33 cents. With the pre-paid cards you can also access the ship's Wi-Fi wireless service using your laptop. I tried this service on the last day of the cruise and was only able to access the Wi-Fi from the Internet Cafe area.

The Convent Garden Theatre is located forward on Deck 6 and 7. The theatre is decorated in rich maroon tones with lots of fiber-optic lighting that changes color throughout the shows. The main floor of the theater is nicely designed with excellent sightlines. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the balcony seats. Tall glass walls and railings block the views of all but the tallest patrons. Once nice feature is that drinks are not allowed in the theatre, so unlike many large ships, you are not constantly being approached to purchase drinks before and during the show. The stage lighting and sound are first rate.

There are a variety of shops located on Deck 6 which sell jewelry, liquor, logo items, perfumes and clothing. The Purple Bar on Deck 6 and the L'incontro Bar on Deck 5 are similar in their layout and nicely decorated; however, both suffer from heavy traffic. It is difficult to find a quiet place to enjoy a drink in either of these bars when passerbys are moving about from one end of the ship to the other.

The beautiful, and often crowded, pool deck on MSC Orchestra

The Mandolino Deck (13) is where you will find the ship's two large and sparkling swimming pools, as well as most passengers during sea days. The pool deck has been designed to offer maximum space for sun-lovers to bake themselves in the Caribbean sun. There are plenty of loungers, many with adjustable sun shades to protect your face from the sun, a very nice feature. Towels must be "checked out" (and in) from an attendant on Deck 13. Both pools are beautiful and there are plenty of shower stations where you can wash off the salt water. There is also ample deck space on Deck 14 as well. Deck 14 also features a very nice and wide jogging track and a children's pool and game area. Even though not as extensive as some ships this size, MSC does offer kid's programs. The Jungle Adventure Children's Playroom is on Deck 14 and attended by MSC staff.

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MSC Orchestra is equipped with an enormous color video screen overlooking the pool deck. While their website talks about "Movies Under The Stars", there were none on our cruise. It is only used to play video advertisements for onboard services (spa, beauty salon, casino, etc.). What a waste! Someone commented that because of the various languages spoken on board that movies were not feasible, but I am not buying that. Have you ever heard of subtitles?

Editor's Note: We have received updated information from MSC that movies are now being shown in the Caribbean on MSC Orchestra.

ENTERTAINMENT

One of the MSC Orchestra dancers knows a hot guy when she sees him!

Midnight in Paris was the first evening's entertainment and it was definitely one of the most interesting and entertaining shows I have ever seen on a ship. The recorded music and lip-synching was a bit disappointing on a ship this size. It is interesting that a ship named “Orchestra” does not have one. Nevertheless, the dance choreography and execution was first rate. The MSC Orchestra Dancers is a group of 12 dancers whose energy and precision of performance was as good as we have seen on any ship. The costumes for the show were also very impressive. The variety show included an excellent juggler and a troupe of acrobats that, in themselves, were worth the trip to the theater.

Impressive acrobatics are part of MSC Orchestra's entertainment package

Another popular show during the cruise was Jorgos the magician. This was not your typical cruise ship magic show. Assisted by the beautiful MSC Orchestra dancers, Jorgos puts on an impressive performance full of “how’d he do that?” moments.

It was only in the last show we attended that there were any actual vocals, and the vocalists were quite good. So, it is a mystery why most of the acts rely on lip-sync to recorded music. Nevertheless, all of the shows we attended were above average, something we cannot say about many ships. I mean, after 70+ cruises you sort of get numb to cruise ship entertainment. Yet, we enjoyed every show we attended. MSC Orchestra also has a variety of excellent entertainers that perform in various lounges throughout the ship. We found these to be some of the best lounge performers we have seen! All in all, one of MSC Orchestra's high points is entertainment.

FOOD AND DINING

Disclaimer: Food is probably the most difficult area to critique objectively. Everyone's tastes are different. Even Rickee and I rarely agree on anything regarding food. It is safe to say that on any cruise ship, or in any restaurant for that matter, if you ask 10 people their opinion of a certain dish you may get 10 different responses.

L'Ibiscus/Villa Borghese

There are two main dining rooms on MSC Orchestra: L'Ibiscus, located on Deck 6 aft and Villa Borghese located aft on Deck 5. Every guest is assigned to one of these dining rooms in one of two assigned dining times. On our cruise, early seating was at 5:30pm and late seating was 8:00pm. These times can vary from one cruise to the next. We were assigned to late seating in L'Ibiscus.

Both dining rooms are well designed and beautifully decorated. The waiter's work stations have been intelligently placed away from the tables to reduce the distraction of clattering dishes during service. L'Ibiscus dining room is adorned in gold fabrics and carpeting. Our table for two was comfortable; however, it was located next to a table for eight which, of course, was used for a large family with three small children. Oh, and did I mention three noisy children? This sort of defeats the purpose of a table for two where couples usually want some peace and quiet when dining.

The service in L'Ibiscus was friendly, albeit a little unpolished. Rickee’s main course of spaghetti with tomato sauce arrived at least ten minutes before my roasted loin of beef. Since I eat about twice as fast as she does, it was not a big deal, but I can see where some would be put off by that slipup, especially when dining at a larger table with others. The food we had in L'Ibiscus was good. My beef dish was served hot and was very tasty. Rickee’s spaghetti was cooked al dente, perfect in my opinion, but she likes her noodles "Boyardee" mushy. Presentation was lacking, however. Both dishes appeared to be hastily arranged on the plate right before being sent out of the kitchen.

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Only Villa Borghese is open for breakfast and lunch. We ate here one day at lunch and found the service to be excellent, in spite of a packed, noisy restaurant. The food, on the other hand, which should have been hot, was served cold and really missed the mark. Try to imagine a cold, stiff piece of Dover Sole with corn flake crust and cold french fries. Also, not once during the cruise did anyone ever refill our water glasses, regardless of the venue. I am not sure if this is the typical European water-conservation thing, or a covert attempt to get people to purchase bottled water.

La Piazetta/4 Seasons Buffet Restaurants

CruiseReport.com Tip

Walk past everyone in line at La Piazetta until you see 4 Seasons. You will have shorter lines and the dining room is nicer to boot!

There are two buffet restaurants open for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as afternoon tea. 4 Seasons is located aft on Deck 13 and La Piazetta, is located just forward of 4 Seasons. The two restaurants are separated only by the aft staircase/elevators. Each restaurant has two serving lines, one portside and one starboard. Most guests enter the buffet line from the pool area and, therefore, naturally queue up at La Piazetta. As with most guests, I was completely unaware that 4 Seasons even existed until I accidentally took the aft staircase to Deck 13 for breakfast on the third day. While La Piazetta was packed, 4 Seasons was virtually empty! Even by the end of the cruise, most guests had not discovered 4 Seasons.

The buffet line in La Piazetta can get crowded

The ship’s designers seemed to have placed form over function when creating these two buffet dining venues. Both are beautiful, but they both become chaotic during peak dining periods. Rather than individual food stations or “islands”, the buffet is set up as single serving lines. This means you have to start at the beginning of a line and go all the way through to the end of the line. While in the buffet line, you are being met by people with full platters of food heading “upstream” looking for a place to sit. And, there are those who are just checking out the buffet to see what is being offered on the day’s fare. Needless to say, this can become a traffic nightmare on a ship with 3,000+ passengers. There is a separate salad bar area, but due to its placement, it only adds to the traffic problem. To add to the confusion, if you want a hamburger ot hot dog, you have to queue up at La Piazetta portside, as that is the only line that has these items. Consequently, if you want pizza, you have to queue up at La Piazetta starboard. If you want a hamburger and pizza, you are in for a long wait in two separate lines. If you want a hamburger or pizza in 4 Seasons, you are out of luck, only La Piazetta offers these items.

One of the only four self-serve drink stations in the buffet area

It gets worse. The drink stations (coffee, tea, fruit juice, water) are located at the beginning of the serving lines instead of at the end, or away from the lines altogether. People entering the buffet line for breakfast or lunch often end up at the end of a line of people who are simply trying to get a cup of coffee or a glass of juice.

There are only two self-serve coffee machines per buffet restaurant, one on each side of the ship. That’s only four machines for the entire ship! A wait in line of five minutes or more for coffee is not uncommon. The only alternative for a free cup of "joe" is to go to the Villa Borghese Restaurant for the full menu breakfast. Alternately, you can pay $1.80 for a cup of Americano at one of the bars, but the cup is about ½ the size of the standard cup. For me, that would cost about $10 a day just for coffee. Now,for the good news. The free coffee coming out of the coffee machines is the best coffee I have had on any cruise ship...anywhere! So, your patience will be rewarded.

In my opinion, a better design would have been to get rid of the bar area between the two serving lines in La Piazetta and make that one large drink station. Also, adding self-serve coffee and pastries to another area of the ship (i.e. Purple Bar, L’Incontro, etc.) would offload a lot of traffic away from the two crowded buffet venues in the morning.

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This design, unfortunately, is not exclusive to MSC Orchestra. The same basic design can be found on some Holland America ships (which we suspect used the same ship builder/designer). However, MSC Orchestra carries 500 more passengers than a similar-sized HAL ship and that is the real root of what makes the buffet lines nearly intolerable at peak periods.

4 Seasons Restaurant

4 Seasons is the ship’s fixed price menu restaurant (even though they refer to it as a' la carte). The restaurant, open only at night, is located on Deck 13 aft behind the buffet serving line of La Piazetta. Tablecloths, soft lighting, faux candlelight and soft music do little to hide the fact that this area is a buffet venue during the day, but transformed at night, it is a much quieter and more romantic setting than either dining room or La Piazetta. The $25 per person cover charge allows guests to select an appetizer, a soup, a main course, sides and dessert from a set menu that does not change from one night to the next. The menu can best be described as an upscale steakhouse menu. A selection of items including thick cut steaks, lamb chops, and a huge veal chop are complemented by a couple of pasta dishes to satisfy vegetarian tastes.

The service at 4 Seasons was warm and personable, yet some of the same timing issue we experienced in the L'Ibiscus restaurant reared it's ugly head here. All of our dishes were delivered in sync and in a reasonable amount of time until the end of the meal when I ordered coffee and Rickee ordered an ice cream dessert dish. I received my coffee within about five minutes. It took an additional fifteen minutes for Rickee’s ice cream to arrive. We were told that the delay was due to the ice cream dish having to be brought up from the main galley on Deck 5. No refill was offered for my coffee.

For dinner, Rickee and I each ordered a different appetizer and both were very good. The French Onion Soup, which was our second course, was less enjoyable. We both agreed that it had an odd color and an "off" taste. For my main course, I had a ribeye steak with creamed spinach. The steak was very large, probably 12 – 14 oz., and cooked perfectly. The flavor and tenderness of the beef did not rise to the level of USDA Prime, but it was good. Rickee’s filet was ordered medium and was delivered just under medium rare, but edible. Her cut was very tender, but not very flavorful. Her accompanying french fries were ice cold and stale. My creamed spinach side dish was actually sauteed spinach and underseasoned.

The real question is, was the meal worth the $25 per person charge? Absolutely. 4 Seasons is a venue that every guest should book at least once during a cruise on Orchestra. It is well worth it for the quiet, relaxed atmosphere alone and the food is a notch above that served in the larger dining rooms.

Shanghai Chinese

Traditional Chinese dishes like pork & chicken fried rice can be enjoyed at Shanghai

Located on Deck 7, just across from the ship’s library, is Shanghai, a Chinese restaurant that has accomplished at least two distinctions. One, it is the best dining venue on board MS Orchestra and, two, it is the best execution of a theme-restaurant on any cruise ship, with Palo on Disney being a very close second. There are three elements that make Shanghai so special: (1) Atmosphere – Shanghai feels like a real, traditional Chinese restaurant. The decorators did an amazing job of transforming this space with Chinese works of art and even Chinese music playing in the background. Placing the restaurant along the centerline of the ship means there are no windows. But think about it, when was the last time you ate in a Chinese restaurant and watched the ocean going by? They really did think of everything. (2) Staff - The wait staff at Shanghai are Asian and are dressed in traditional Chinese uniforms. We recently dined in another cruise line’s Italian-themed restaurant only to be waited on by an Indian waiter with a thick Indian accent. It just does not work. (3) Menu – The menu at Shanghai is varied with offerings from the four regions of China. To add to the authenticity, the menu offers true a' la carte pricing, just like you would find in a restaurant on land. So, there is no cover charge to eat at Shanghai. Oh, and you will need to make reservations.

The food in Shanghai was very good, notwithstanding the somewhat watery Hot and Sour Soup which tasted like hot water with chili oil. The Mongolian Lamb ($11) was a rich broth laced with sauteed scallions and chunks of perfectly cooked meat. They also added some chili to spice it up for me, as requested. The Orange Beef ($10) did not resemble any that I have had in the past, but it was good nonetheless. The Lemon Chicken ($8) was a tender fried chicken breast drenched in sweet lemon sauce…perfect! The pork and chicken fried rice ($6.50) was a large bowl full of this perfectly-prepared Chinese standby. A “dim-sum” appetizer plate ($6) containing 2 spring rolls and 2 pork dumplings (Shu mei) was a mixed blessing. The spring rolls were tiny and tasteless while the dumplings were delicious. On a return visit, I had them prepare a plate of 4 dumplings without the spring rolls. There are several dim sum appetizer selections from which to choose. Our lunch with soup, dim-sum and main course totalled $36. By comparison, we paid $33 in Key West the day before for cheeseburgers and onion rings!

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We were so impressed with our lunch at Shanghai that we immediately made reservations for dinner later in the cruise. You should know that Shanghai was virtually empty the first couple of days of the cruise and, by the end of the cruise, reservations are all but impossible to get. That makes sense as people get “tired” of all the traditional cruise ship food and want something more familiar or exotic. Our suggestion is to make your Shanghai reservations early in your cruise and enjoy the peace and quiet of this quaint, beautiful dining venue.

Overall, dining on MSC Orchestra is hit and miss. Unfortunately, we experienced more misses than hits. But then again, this cruise is a real bargain vacation overall.

SERVICES

MSC Orchestra looks impressive when anchored in Grand Cayman

Housekeeping

Put quite simply, the entire ship is spotless. We regularly saw crew members busily cleaning and polishing allover the ship. The ship's interior decorators did not make this an easy task with their liberal use of mirrors and polished brass accents. Even though we were never formally introduced to him, our room steward did an admirable job throughout the cruise. We often do not vacate the room until after 10am or even 11 am, and we never returned to our room to find it not made up.

Reception and Purser’s Office

All of the Reception staff we dealt with throughout the week were pleasant and helpful. There is a slight language barrier which makes it difficult to know if they understand what you are trying to describe, but it never seemed to get in the way of getting assistance.

We noticed a $4.50 charge we did not recognize on our account from L'Ibiscus Restaurant. We had ordered one glass of wine for $4 which also showed up on the account, but had no idea what the $4.50 was for. The second night we dined in 4 Seasons and, when the waiter brought our check, it was for $54.50 and he indicated that an additional $4.50 had been added for Pelegrino water. We told the waiter that we only had tap water so he took our check and returned with another check for $50.

The next morning when I checked our account via the interactive TV system in our room, I noticed we had been charged for $54.50 and $50.00 for the night before! I brought this to the attention of the Accounting Desk (Purser’s Office) and within a few hours, the $54.50 charge was removed from our bill. The valid $4.00 charge in L'Ibiscus was removed instead of the questioned $4.50, but I was not going to do battle over 50 cents. And, as mentioned previously, we were never credited for the $5 Internet charge as was promised by the Reception Desk.

One area that could use some improvement is the daily cruise newsletter. MSC could really use the services of a good graphic designer. The newsletter is very confusing and hard to read. Also, there is no hour-by-hour breakdown of activities around the ship.

Gratuities

MSC automatically adds $12 per day/per person in gratuities to the stateroom account. For two people, that comes to $168 for a 7-night sailing. The gratuities are shared among the housekeeping staff, dining room staff, and bar staff. The policy of automatically adding gratuities is becoming common throughout the industry. I don't like the practice, but I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it. I still prefer the "old school" method of giving cash on the last day of the cruise. I can swear that you get better service throughout the week when gratuities are not "guaranteed" to the crew. But, since I traditionally used to tip more than $12 a day, I come out on the winning end of the deal.

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SUMMARY

With so many cruise lines operating in the mass-market space right now, our initial question was “what distinguishes MSC from the competition?” In other words, what compels someone to go on an MSC cruise instead of one of the other mainstream cruise lines? We even asked this question of many guests we met throughout the week, tactfully of course. The general consensus seems to be value. MSC was offering inside cabins on our cruise for as low as $599 per person. That’s only $1,200 for 7-nights’ accommodations, all meals and entertainment for two people. Even if you figure in $168 gratuities, that's under $1,400.

Another consideration is the European feel of the ship and her crew. Even in the Caribbean, you really get the Italian flavor and almost feel as though you are on a European vacation.

Pluses

Beautiful ship
Warm Italian hospitality
Excellent entertainment
Nice staterooms
Kids 17 and under sail free
Great value

Minuses

Can be crowded when ship is at capacity
Food quality in buffet and dining rooms is hit or miss
Poor Internet connectivity

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

Rickee was surprised and very pleased to learn that MSC Orchestra kept a stock of Dr. Pepper on hand. This is something you almost never find on a cruise ship!
You can get delicious hand-dipped gelato at the El Sombrero bar on the pool deck. You can choose from Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate Orange, Stracciatella, Pistachio, Hazelnut, Strawberry, Banana and Coconut. A small cup is only $1.50, a large cup or waffle cone is $2.00. Milk shakes range from $2.50 to $3.00, a sundae or banana split is $4.00. You won't find gelato this good anywhere else but Italy!
Soft serve ice cream is available at Barracuda pool bar for $2.
There are very few PA announcements, but they are lengthy as they are repeated in at least 4, and sometimes 5, languages.
Embarkation and disembarkation were very quick and efficient for a large ship.
MSC offers a "Kids sail free" opportunity and they provide a Kids Club and activities.
All bread items served throughout the ship are exceptional, even the small breadsticks.
The evening pizza buffet offers excellent fresh-made pizzas and it is some of the best pizza you will find on any ship.
Cocktails can be expensive and small. Rickee's Mojoito from El Sombrero Bar was served in a tiny plastic glass and was $6.90.
Every day on the lunch buffet there is a fresh pasta station with excellent pasta. I only saw this on the portside buffet line in La Piazetta.
While not as elaborate as the Midnight Buffets of yesteryear, MSC still clings to this tradition.
Tendering into port can be a lengthy process. MSC tries to manage this with numbered tickets that can be obtained from the Travel Agency desk on Deck 6. Announcements for tenders are only made in public areas, not in the cabins.
The dress codes are not strictly enforced. You do not need a tuxedo for formal night. We routinely saw bare feet and no shirt in the buffet and golf shirts on gala (formal) night.
Smoking is permitted on the port side of the ship in most lounges. You must walk through a gauntlet of cigarette smoke in the Amber bar to get to the logo shop on Deck 6.
There is a beautiful Mind and Body Spa and Salon on Deck 13 along with a well-equipped gym. I received an excellent haircut one day for a very reasonable $21 and Spa specials were offered throughout the voyage.
Art auctions are offered during the cruise.
The somewhat "sparse" cheese platter from room service

Room Service is confusing, at best. The ITV (Interactive Television) system implies that you can order room service through it, however, all we could find was chocolate covered strawberries for $12. The service book found in the desk drawer in the stateroom has a room service menu which includes club sandwiches, cheese platter, etc. The manual states that there is a $5 room service charge. One day we ordered two cheese platters and they were delivered within 15 minutes. The cheese platters were not what we were expecting from an Italian cruise line. However, we were not charged the $5 service fee for some reason.
There are no bathrobes, slippers or pillow chocolates.
The ship offers mini golf, basketball, tennis, shuffleboard, fusbol, table tennis
The main daytime activities focus heavily on dance lessons and poolside games. Bingo was offered on sea days.

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PORTS OF CALL

Key West – Although part of the US, Key West gives visitors the feeling of a small Caribbean island. This is an easy place to visit with lots of intersting shops, bars and restaurants. Our favorite activity in Key West is to get off the ship and just walk around; however, MSC offers several excursions. After some brisk walking through town and window shopping, we decided to have lunch at Cheeseburger In Paradise, a Hawaiian-themed burger place located right on Duval street, the main drag in Key West. There were long lines at the Conch Train depot to board the train back to the ship. The ship told guests to be sure to take photo ID ashore in Key West. On the way back to the ship, the Conch Train stopped at the entrance to the Naval base where the ship was docked and two private security guys checked everyone’s ID and cruise card. They also looked in your packages. Not sure what would happen if you did not have ID with you.

Cozumel – We have been to Cozumel so many times that I don’t think there is anything left for us to see. We were pleased to learn that the ship docked at the main pier allowing guests to walk right into town. There is another pier a few miles away that requires a shuttle or taxi to get to town.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

Georgetown, Grand Cayman – This is a tendering port and is always very crowded with several ships in port. MSC used a large local double-decker tender to get a lot of people off the ship at the same time. We walked around town, visited the Harley dealership and found an Internet cafe. We also had lunch at a little restaurant called "Paradise" and sat outside on a deck with a good view of all the ships at anchor.

Cayo Levantado – This was our first visit to this Dominican Republic island. I think most cruise ships visit Samana, which is nearby, and I think that's where most of the ship's excursions took place. Cayo Levantado is a small island with a beach and a resort hotel. You could take the tender to the beach. There were a few local vendors selling souvenirs. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day during our visit. However, the beach filled up anyway!

It is common in the travel industry for journalists to be provided with complimentary cruise accommodations, and in some cases, hotel accommodations, for the purpose of a review. While it has not influenced this review, CruiseReport.com adheres to a strict policy of full disclosure to all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, please refer to our Ethics Guidelines

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