MSC Armonia Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I would do MSC again but the bigger ships. Not to impressed with the small ship Armonia.

I would do this cruise again might even upgrade to larger cabin

for a older ship it’s fine i would book again if the dest and price suited.but not that cabin .

Ship is older and small, food/entertainment ok. We are used to entertainment and food being better. Not the MSC we are used too. Ports were wonderful as well as crew and staff.

MSC Armonia 12-24-18 Cuba Cruise Review The MSC Armonia is an old lady when it comes to cruise ships. Originally from 2001, she was refurbished in 2014. She does not offer the glitz of the new ships, but is in very good shape. Armonia still offers plenty of things to do, including space on the pool deck, even at full capacity. MSC is very popular in the European and Asian markets, so expect the passengers to reflect this mix. Embarkation/Disembarkation: Fast and efficient. It took us about 30 minutes from being dropped off at the port until our first cocktail at the pool bar. We walked off with our luggage and again the entire process took about 30 minutes from ship, through customs, to uber. Cabin We were located on the 9th floor in a forward facing Ocean View cabin, Fantastica Experience. Our cabin was very roomy and clean. There was plenty of storage space. Cabin service was offered twice a day. Our cabin stewart was very friendly and kept our cabin in top shape. We did not care for the very small shower, with clingy shower curtain. Shower gel and shampoo were offered and of nice quality. Note that the higher and forward your cabin is, the more you can feel the ship move. Food & Beverage We enjoyed all our dinners in the Marco Polo Main Dining Room. Our service team was very kind and efficient. Meals were well prepared and seasoned. Some did not look attractive, but had great flavors. It was nice to have meals matched to the ports of call. Choices are geared more towards European clientele. Do not expect traditional cruise fare. MDR Breakfast service was good, but not the always friendly. Again, meals were well prepared. We missed variety on the buffet for breakfast and lunch. All offered items were good, but they repeated every day. Pizza is probably the best at sea. It was always fresh and delicious. Burgers from the Grill were good as well. For one night we treated ourselves to specialty dining at Surf and Turf. The steaks were cooked to perfection. Appetizers, sauces and desserts were wonderful. Sides however lacked flavor. Service was friendly, but could have been more refined for the upcharge. MSC does a wonderful job with cocktails. They are always served in the proper stemware and with the right garnish. Bar service was very friendly. Remember that on MSC you should always order with a bar waiter, not the bartender. Pool cocktail service on the seaday was slow and more staff should have been servicing the area. Bars ran out of certain mixers during the cruise. Maybe the purchasing department is still getting used to the American market. Specialty Coffee is once again best at sea. Cappuccino’s, Lattes etc. are just perfect. Large format still and sparkling water bottles are a refreshing service element as well. Entertainment MSC is known for their lavish Vegas Style revues, and Armonia did not disappoint. There was also a small movie theatre. Live Music is being played in all venues. On this itinerary it was almost exclusive latin and we wished for a little more variety. Kevin and his team of entertainers really made this cruise so much more fun. They were friendly and engaging without being obnoxious. There were games during the day and nightly theme parties with matching décor and dances. The White Party was an absolute highlight for us. I don’t think I can ever dance on a ship in the middle of the ocean without a snow machine ever again. So much fun!!! Christmas on a ship Armonia offered subtle Holiday décor. Nice touches were the Christmas cookies being delivered to our cabin on Christmas eve and the entire staff in Santa hats. Cute. Santa Claus visiting the 500 kids on board and having a lego or chicco gift for each was impressive. The gala dinner in the MDR on Christmas Day offered a champagne toast and upgraded menu and décor. That night a special, very good show, was offered in the theatre. This was our fourth Christmas cruise, first on MSC, and we felt they did a very good job with this special Holiday. Cuba Most cruisers probably choose this ship because of the overnight stay in Havana. MSC arranges the visa for you. Your on board account is billed the appropriate fee. Very convenient. Getting off and on the ship was fast and easy. You can enter and exit as often as you wish. After your passport is stamped the first time the process is even faster. You do NOT need to arrange for a shore excursion through MSC. You also do not need to book a shore excursion for each day in Cuba. Upon entry back in the USA you will need to provide proof of one excursion. This can be a ticket stub, email confirmation number etc. We arranged our excursions through a third party. Havana was an amazing experience and we hope to return some day. Overall We had a wonderful time on Armonia with her global flair. Service was friendly. Food was good. The ship was very clean and entertainment was fun. Think about her as a well lived in resort, not new and shiny, but comfortable. We are looking forward to another adventure with MSC. Actually, we are already booked on the MSC Meraviglia for New Years. Happy cruising everyone!

We had very mixed reactions with MSC. Pros were the entertainment (i.e. acrobats in the theater, frequent theme parties, regular pool parties...etc). The food was good also...better than royal or Norwegian. The cons was bad service. MSC wouldn't speak to us about our excursions we pre booked through them...they would only provide info to our travel agent...although we booked directly with them. On the ship, we had to ask for simple things over and over. The bar service was bad, one had to order different drinks since they were out of ingredients...one time 4 times (didn't have ginger beer for a mule...curacao for their drink of the day...and then jack for a simple jack and diet...which they didn't have diet coke...lol). When we raised issues...they spun it to be our fault. They also lie constantly (u don't need to book excursions with msc to get off in Havana...mychoice dining wasn't a choice...the timing at the ports were always changing...to our benefit...but with no advance warning..etc). Ohhh...and the rules (they timed people in the hot tub, you couldn't lean in a chair, you couldn't stand at a gaming table...or sit if no one else was around...etc). The room was dirty and small (first time not having a sofa in the room...although we had a traditional cabin). Overall...MSC had some good basics but miss on execution. Sad.

Would never sail on MSC again. They need to train their staff better. Some were very rude. Yes we complained.

It was a wonderful Christmas at the Boat, the staff is really nice and they make our time special. Santa was also there and visit all the children with presents and Cuba was amazing.

We have just come back from a cruise to cuba on this ship most of the review s where really bad but for the price we paid we thought it was good value. Most of the staff were helpful and friendly the places we went were great the food was not good but you could make a.meal the cabin was one of the smallest I have been in we meet some lovely people and would probably try one of MSC newer ships one day

This wonderful Carribean cruise was an unforgettable experience for us. We are ready to advise this trip to all our friends. Our dream is to visit one of MSC ships again.

Havanna made our trip . Weather overall was bad.

This is my first time on a cruise. Was very good, I hope do more. For the next, we will certainly buy other Ship Cruise, for another experiences. Good experience!

Just back from fabulous med cruise. Not sure why people give staff bad reviews. We found staff friendly, helpful and attentive. They took time to get to know us and our preferences and took pleasure in providing us with what we wanted whether it be meals, drinks, photographs or information. We even met a crew member who was on one of our previous cruises on Magnifica. This was our first time on a smaller ship and prefer the mid size, but based on our experience we wouldn't hesitate to book Armonia again.

interesting and great people, great job, great sevice

Servizio molto scarso e lento. Animazione poco presente e coinvolgimento del pubblico pari a zero.

L'unica cosa che ci ha salvati è stato l'itinerario, altrimenti ci saremmo annoiati ancora di più di quanto già non lo fossimo.

Nota positiva il cibo davvero ottimo.

Non la rifarei

Beautiful ship,rooms,places............... Fantastic vacation,i wanna go back................Eating,animating is Excellent..........                  Thanks for all

The info regarding dinner times.  If you are later than 15 minutes it is closed - not communicated.

Ensuring that you have credit in your card before  the cruise and not going back to reception every day to rectify and reception still don't tell you!!!

They kept loading an excursion that we did not want every day til I when to the tour manager!

had a great time met some other English speaking people as the majority of passengers were Italian,French and German,when we docked at Malta we wasted an hour trying to get across to Valetta as another MSC cruise docked there also,be prepared not to dock at Valetta,it was school holidays so a lot of children on board also running up and down corridors,food was great,we only bought the water and wine pack as my husband doesn't drink and was cheaper for me to buy cocktails when I wanted 1 as everyone in cabin has to buy same drink pack and during the day your off the ship at ports anyway,would we do another MSC cruise...definitely :)....was great when leaving ports and they played "time to say goodbye"

just back from cruise first April till eighth.food was good but better to get room service for breakfast as there is not enough room in buffet .we booked a room on deck nine but moved to a room at back corner on deck seven. very noisy from drive motors and lots of vibration. I managed to get all noises away so next passengers in room 7173 will have a quieter cruise. next time I am taking a tool kit with tube of silicone.we did complane about room move and they say that they can move you if required..lots of children on this cruise with parents that sat at bar and ignored there running about and noise. we went to nice places.

The Armonia was my first cruise with MSC which was enjoyable. A couple of my complaints was more about the passengers then the cruise. Firstly the passenger who done the transatlantic crossing the week before smoked in the cabin for 21 days. So by the time I boarded everything inside the cabin smelt. I couldn’t even sleep in my cabin and the refused to change cabins because the cruise was full. I had to get them to deep clean the cabin three times before I was able to sleep in the cabin. Then, the passengers didn’t really participating in the activities. For example the white party had more spectators than participants, and there weren’t many spectators. But I had to make the most of it. The staff was really nice and the ports were amazing.