Have you tried an MSC cruise yet ?

If you haven’t yet booked your cruise this year you should take a look at what MSC have to offer. I am always being asked what the best deals are because we all like a bargain and I can honestly say that MSC are hard to beat, especially for families. They still offer FREE child places for any child under 18 sharing a cabin with 2 full fare paying adults. All you will have to pay are the port taxes ( £120.00 ) and the flights to get you there and this even applies in school holidays. Occasionally other cruise lines have offered free child places or even cruise for a £1 but not in peak summer holidays. They also have free flights and free drinks offers so there is a bargain to be had whether you are travelling with children or not.

There are a lot of misconceptions about MSC and until I cruised with them I also felt the same. All of that disappeared the moment I stepped foot on the stunning Preziosa in Barcelona. Their ships are beautifully designed and the fixtures and fittings and décor are amongst the best I have seen. Many people are concerned with the language barrier as they are a Mediterranean shipping company but this is completely unjustified. All of the crew spoke excellent English and there were many other English speaking passengers. There were hardly any announcements and in fact the only ones that were repeated in all languages were the lifeboat drills because it is mandatory. Everything else was in the daily programme and they didn’t feel the need to repeat it all over annoying announcements which made a refreshing change compared to come other cruise lines.

There was a really nice atmosphere on our cruise. Many of the bars had live bands and lots of people were up dancing and the theatre had excellent shows including acts such as acrobats so there was no issue with different languages. If they have a tribute act they sang in the relevant language so they were mostly in English too. On some cruises I have been on everyone is in bed after dinner so there is no atmosphere but this is not the case with MSC.

One of the high points to me was dinner in the main restaurant. The food was very good but not 5* so there was no lobster on the menu but there were 7 courses and plenty to choose from. What I particularly enjoyed about the dining experience was the relaxed and friendly manner of the waiters. I found that all levels of staff on board were treated very well and all seemed to mix together so there was not the pressure on the waiting staff that you often find. Also they have longer between sittings which meant we never once felt rushed and was able to take our time over dinner and enjoy any after dinner coffee’s or liquors without watching the clock for the next sitting.

They also offer one of the best drinks packages at sea from only £22 per person per night. This is excellent value as it includes wine, beer, prosecco, most premium spirits and cocktails, speciality tea’s and coffee and of course the delicious gelato ice cream which is made on board ship. The kids will love the ice-cream which is unlimited and there is a huge choice of flavours for then to work their way through.

The only down side for me was that they didn’t enforce any dress codes and unfortunately not may people dressed appropriately. I would say if you are cruising with MSC leave the tuxedo at home and take smart/casual clothing for the evenings. I would still dress up because it easier for ladies but my husband felt out of place in his suit. If you still aren’t sure give me a call and I will be happy to talk you through this.