My Cruise On MSC Musica

My family holiday this year was on MSC Musica
I have had a lovely cruise before with MSC but on the Preziosa which is a newer ship so wasn;t sure what to expect with the Musica.
We chose this cruise because of the itinerary. I have always wanted to go to Santorini and Venice so ticked both off the list with a stay in Venice before and after. Also the price was very good with a free drinks package for all the family which was a huge saving. MSC offer free child places when sharing with 2 adults so it makes it a lot more affordable than most other cruise lines.
The cruise also visited Kotor which really appealed to me. I will tell you more about the ports of call next time.
My first impression of Musica was very good. I expected the ship to be more dated and tired than it was but the ship itself was in very good condition.

There was no Swarovski staircase in the reception area but the décor was still very nice.
Our cabin was available when we boarded the ship so we dropped off our bags before heading for lunch. We had a 4 berth inside cabin which had the upper berths made up when we arrived and a double underneath. Most cruise lines don’t allow this when upper berths are in use so this was a nice surprise.

Space is always limited in any standard cabin but the storage space was very good and we hardly spent any time in there anyway so it wasn’t a problem for us.
It was school holiday season so given that MSC offer free child places this cruise was packed with families of all nationalities.
It was world cup final day and they were showing the match in all venues inside the ship and on the outdoor movie screen. It was a great atmosphere even though we were gutted that England never made it.
There were a few things that disappointed me with this ship. The main one being the buffet. Most ships do struggle with seating people at peak times but this was like nothing I have experienced before. It was virtually impossible to get a table unless you stalked other people and hung around tables that looked like people were going to be finishing soon. You can walk round and round in circles trying to find somewhere to sit which isn’t much fun and very frustrating. They also had a button to press for waiter service but nobody ever responded to this so can’t see the point in having that either as that just made the situation worse.
I do think that this wouldn’t be such a problem when not cruising in school holidays so I am sure if you are not travelling in high season you wouldn’t have the same issues.
The pool towels are now provided in your cabin rather than collecting from the pool side. This is not great when there are 4 of you in an inside cabin with nowhere to dry them overnight.
The final thing was the drinks package has been reduced and now only includes Heineken. It was ok for us because I don’t drink beer and my husband tends to drink wine and spirits but there would be people who would have an issue with this . I can’t understand why there were not a few more options. However the rest of the drinks package was excellent with a huge choice of cocktails, spirits, liquers and house wine etc. We certainly didn’t go without and would not hesitate in taking a drinks package with them on a future cruise. The kids had the non alcohol package and they also had a good choice of mocktails and shakes etc.

What I really love about MSC is the atmosphere on board. The staff are so attentive and friendly.
I have cruised with many different cruise lines but I really feel that the crew are much more friendly than a lot of their competitors. They also had great deck parties including a white night and an 80’s night which was great fun ( kids didn’t enjoy that one as much !! )
However they did love the dancing and the sailaway parties which did get very lively

If its not for you there are plenty of quiet areas on the ship to escape to.
We had a great time on this ship and I would go back on board again but maybe when it’s a little less busy.