Upgrade to Yacht Club! You won't regret it.

Item: MSC Grandiosa
Rating: 4.5
Author: GeorgiaBoy

MSC Grandiosa Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

GeorgiaBoy

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 49

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 09, 2020

Ship: MSC Grandiosa

Cabin number: 15007

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

We were a bit leary about even going on the cruise given the crisis which was only occurring in China at the time. MSC was clearly concerned about keeping all of the guests safe and sound and were on the ball with sanitation. They had employees spraying hand sanitizer on each person's hands as they got back on to the ship after each port of call. And also when you went to a show each evening. The key factor was us upgrading to Yacht Club. It just made the entire experience that much better. I personally felt like I was a movie star the entire cruise. I do not think I could ever go on another cruise without the ability to upgrade to a similar package if on another cruise line.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We skipped all lines and were offered a glass of champagne as they inspected our passports. Could not have been any better.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Again, we were in the Yacht Club and had a private dining room for fellow Yacht Club members. Food was good but not great. Service was impeccable for each meal.

Yacht Club Restaurant

5 out of 5

Food was always top notch. Only to be outdone by the service. Different three course meal selection every night of the cruise. A couple of nights I wasn't interested in the main entree selections and was offered a wide array of other off of the menu choices. Breads and desserts were really good. Again, the service was impeccable.

Yacht Club Sun Deck & Bar

5 out of 5

I had lunch here a couple of times. Wonderful red snapper that was grilled to order. Very good cheeses each day offered. It was located steps from the pool.

Main Restaurants

3 out of 5

We only went there late at night after leaving the casino. It was a very limited menu at this time of the night. It was decent. We rarely went there to eat because we had the private Yacht Club restaurant.

Le Grand Casino

5 out of 5

They were very prompt keeping my drink always filled while I was gambling.

Yacht Club Grill & Bar

5 out of 5

Super convenient place for us to just grab a drink or a snack and hang out

Butcher's Cut

4 out of 5

Steaks were great. Skip the bone marrow appetizer. Yikes!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

No complaints at all. We had a private pool and hot tub exclusive to Yacht Club members. Fitness center was a bit small for the size ship in my opinion.

Casino

5 out of 5

Dealers and pit bosses were great. Super friendly and eager to chat. They all greeted me name each evening. I did lose a ton of money but I won't hold that against them.

Yacht Club Pool

5 out of 5

I do not think I ever saw more than 20 people at one given time. Super private to say the least.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

All of the shows were different each night. Very entertaining but every show was very short. We were a bit disappointed that there was not a comedy show.

Cirque du Soleil

5 out of 5

They had two Cirque shows on the ship. Both were highly entertaining. We had front row seats for each show. But there is not a bad seat in the theater.

Children's Programs

Children were not with us on the cruise

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

We had a 24 hour butler for the duration of the cruise. Again, another amenity with upgrading to Yacht Club. We did not wait in a single line during the entire cruise. We were escorted to all shows, getting off and on the ship at all ports etc. We couldn't walk more than 100' without one of the butlers or concierges offering a warm and inviting smile.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship was spotless! Impressive in every facet.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Huge cabin with ample storage space. I believe we were in 15007 on the port size of the ship. Four large suitcases fit underneath the bed. Much larger bathroom than I expected. Wonderful balcony

Ship tip

Upgrade to Yacht Club, you won't regret it. We loved the ability to go to the private parts of the ship when we felt overwhelmed while traversing the public portions.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

We had a private tour of Rome. We saw as much as one could see in nine hours. We would love to go back for several days and see more.

Thumbs Up 0

Palermo, Sicily

1 out of 5

It was very dirty and had little to offer. We did not do an excursion. We should have stayed on the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Valletta, Malta

5 out of 5

We had a private tour of Valletta. It is a very clean and beautiful city. We would definitely go back again if given the chance.

Thumbs Up 0

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

We had a private tour of Barcelona. Again, a very clean and beautiful city. The people were very friendly. Definitely a place I would visit again.

Thumbs Up 1

Marseille (Provence), France

4 out of 5

We just walked around the city and did not have an excursion planned. It was very windy that day. Like 30 knots windy! People were friendly and the city was charming.

Thumbs Up 0

Genoa, Italy

5 out of 5

We did not have an excursion planned so we just hoped in a taxi and went to Portofino. What a charming little coastal community it was. Our taxi driver was almost as good as a private tour guide. We ate pizza while overlooking the beautiful blue and green colored water. Again, another place I would love to visit again.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Yacht Club again to the rescue. We were the first people off of the boat! Our butler escorted us all the way the where our luggage was sitting for us and hailed a taxi for us and off we went to the train station.

4 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for your review.

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GerryBCruisin 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your review of the MSC Grandiosa.

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Thanks for the review and so glad you enjoyed.

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Cruiserike0322 4 years ago

Thanks for a nice review, Can't wait for everything is back to normal!

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