I want to hate MSC!!!

When I was told I was being sent to Dubai on an educational I was over the moon but then I discovered it was with MSC ! You see as a Brit I know that MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company and as such  has a multi-European flavour to it but why should this be bad? Let me take you through my experience and see what you think?

I flew to Dubai for the trip of a lifetime with 3 nights in Dubai, several hotel visits including Atlantis and a 6 night cruise on board MSC Orchestra sailing to Abu Dhabi, Khor Al Fakkan, Muscat and Khasab. Next weeks blog will cover the ports but for now lets concentrate on MSC.

MSC Orchestra was brought into service in May 2007 and carries just over 2550 passengers. She is 92409 tonnes and is classified as a 4* vessel in the Berlitz guide. First impressions of MSC were good as checking in was quick and efficient with lots of friendly smiles. We were also met by the Events Manager, Deborah, who is known by Darling by everyone on board the ship and is a force to be reckoned with. She is in charge of all groups on board and speaks 11 different languages!

My home for the 6 days was cabin number 12029 which was positioned forward on deck 12. It was very bright and welcoming and my lovely cabin steward was a lady called Brigitte from Madagascar. I was most impressed by the number of plug sockets as when I travel I have an iPad, iPhone, digital camera and in this instance a GoPro camera. The pillows on the bed were amazing and the balcony was extremely spacious.

Deck space was excellent with the forward pool being the noisiest and where all the entertainment such as the Beer Festival took place. There was plenty of deck space although you had to be up early to grab somewhere by the pool however if you just want a lounger and want to sunbathe then the upper decks either forward or aft had quiet areas with hardly anyone there.

Lounges on board were extremely colourful and pleasant to sit and enjoy an evening drink in and as you can see my favourite is the Savannah lounge which was designed by the wife of the owner of MSC cruises. I loved the leopard and elephant carpet.

Entertainment was excellent with lavish costumes and Broadway style productions. this image is from Gotham which was a tale of the fight between good and evil and starred Batman, the Joker and the Penguin.

Food on board was superb and I have to say was better than the food I encountered on my recent cruise with Cunard. For breakfast I tended to eat in the main dining room L’Hibiscus and dined on Eggs Benedict or fresh omelette, lunch was a buffet affair in La Piazetta and the pizza in here was amazing and dinner was again in the main dining room. Dinner is served in two sittings so either first at 6pm or second sitting at 9pm. It’s a long drawn out affair with a choice of the following courses every night- starter, salad, soup, pasta, main, dessert and then coffee. Our waiters Yousef and Pudan were from Indonesia and were entertaining and very good at their jobs. They never messed an order up once and added a few extras here and there.

The images from above are from the evening we dined in the speciality restaurant on board which was called Shanghai with a cover charge of less than 20 euros per person. It’ s mixture of Asian cuisine and I managed everything except the raw Octopus which nearly climbed back out of my mouth as it was so fresh!

MSC have an amazing drinks package that you can pre purchase called an Allegrissimo package and if you pre purchase it the package costs £22 per person per day (if you purchase on the ship a 15% gratuity is added). The package covers bottled water, teas, coffees, ice cream, spirits, beer and cocktails. It is well worth the money even if you don’t drink as teas and coffees and water can soon add up.

I think the best experience for me was travelling with so many different nationalities and never knowing what language would greet you in the elevator although in general English is the first language on board. MSC is different but it is good different and different is a change from the norm. I actually enjoyed the cruise so much I am looking at booking with them for my family and I next year.

Next week I will be talking about the destinations I visited and what there is to do in Dubai so watch this space.

Dor more information on Dubai Cruises with MSC click here – take me to Dubai!