Great Euro cruise

Item: MSC Grandiosa
Rating: 4.2
Author: Hellocrusing87

MSC Grandiosa Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Hellocrusing87

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 01, 2022

Ship: MSC Grandiosa

Cabin number: 14064

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

A really good cruise experience. Would highly recommend this itinerary and the MSC grandiosa. Friendly staff, great ports, and a very nice ship.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

A little frustrating, but mostly due to the ongoing pandemic and rules around getting tested. Kind of just felt overdone and tiring with the testing, however I doubt that's what MSC wanted for your experience and they are simply trying to follow the rules. Every employee was super friendly during the process.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The dining options on the ship were generally good. Home runs: dessert and breakfast were amazingly good. Found ourselves indulging way too much at just about every meal. Another highlight was the gelato on the ship. Food in the buffet was overall good, you could always find an option. Pizza was delish! Dining in the restaurants was hit or miss at least in the designated dining rooms. Some items just were not very good. Dining in the paid for restaurants was also hit or miss. We really enjoyed the French restaurant, however the hibachi was a seven out of 10.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

After being on many other ships, by far, MSC seems to offer the least amount of onboard options when it comes to activities, especially in respect to adult activities. We did participate in the bingo which was fun, but this doesn't seem to be an area that is really reflected well on their part and they could definitely add a lot more opportunities to be more engaged. The fitness center is great and the pools are actually very nice. However, we didn't get to enjoy them as much because weather was a a little chilly. Also the slides and rock climbing courses operated on very specific hours which was a little frustrating, especially when you went to do excursions and would not be able to participate on using them.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The highlights on the cruise are definitely the dome shows! They also had some really great bands and music acts. The theater shows are really mediocre. Well, the talent is great. The shows themselves are just not that great and leave a lot to be desired. This is not a Broadway experience for sure. Also was a little disappointed that the Cirque du Soleil shows we're not running.

Children's Programs

Don't have kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

I'm not really sure why people rate this ship poorly. In terms of the staff. Everyone was super friendly and speaks multiple languages to accommodate the many different nationalities on the ship. Are steward was excellent and said to her needs being met at any turn and overall thought that everyone put in extreme effort to make sure that we were enjoying our time

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

They were always cleaning and everything was very well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

A very good space and clean room for 2 to 3 people. The only annoying thing was that the balcony was obstructed and I think this is more a flaw. The way this ship was constructed then the MSC team not being able to deliver the balcony rooms sit inset from one of the top floors. So you do hear a lot of creaking and sound that echoes off of that floor.

Ship tip

Don't listen to the reviews that say that MSC is a poor experience. The food is good in the staff is super nice and I would highly recommend trying to ship out. If you're expecting celebrity cruises level of dining and experience, then you will be disappointed. However, keep in mind that this is also a much more budget friendly ship so you shouldn't expect to get celebrity cruise type experience. I think they've come a long way from their past reputation of being a very budget ship.

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