A so-so cruise

Item: MSC Lirica
Rating: 3
Author: DonaldR4

MSC Lirica Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

DonaldR4

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 47

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 03, 2008

Ship: MSC Lirica

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 15 years ago

Review summary

Ship inself was clean. Exercise room convenient with sufficient equipment. Library built on trust in bulletinslocked but for 1 hr in am, 2 hrs in pm. Had to sign out usedbooks. MSC Club Members ignored when boarded. Told later weshould have registered, but no advance notice. Embarkationprocedure tiring, long lines, long waits. Daily entertainmentwas good and refreshing with variety. Nightly buffets inadequate content. Charge for iced tea at midnight buffet,when it's free all day. Cake portions at deck 11 buffet wereskimpy, small, and not appetizing. Sugar free Jello watereddown, as were some fruit drinks...apple, orange juice. Debarkation took long wait in theater w/hand luggage, butlocation baggage easy by color code.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food as said above was fine in dining room. Buffet was notacceptable to many unhappy passengers who voice their feelings in elevator, dining room, corridors, etc. Too many dishes with bacon or sausage mixed in (not everyone eatsthose foods). Desserts innovative and good. Number of courses more than adequate; limited dressings for salads.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Good variety, and daily shows helped sa salvage other poor performace in areas of ship.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Staff in buffet area helpful, pleasant. Same for dining room, although understanding some wait staff and their understanding passengers in English difficult. Always someoneelse to help.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

No complaint here. All were ok.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Stateroom attendance was good, fairly prompt. One cabinsteward asked night before docking, for their gratuity, spoiling whatever good feelings we had for person. Stewardshad to leave linen/towel wagons in corridor making it difficult to pass, especially when one or two staff stood by.Toilet flushing inconsistent. Asked for plumber, doubt oneshowed up, as problem occurred again. Long delay in flushing on occasion.

Ports of call

Samana, Dominican Republic

1 out of 5

Did not go ashore. Rain and heavy clouds caused tendersto cancel ashore trips.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: n/a

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

3 out of 5

Better bargains at markets.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: unable to determine

Castries, St. Lucia

3 out of 5

Market shopping. No excursions taken.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: unable to determine

St. John's, Antigua

3 out of 5

Same as Castries.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: unable to determine

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5

Lots of stores open. Appears friendly to tourists. Casinohas 1c slots as well as 2c slots, missing on Lirica. No restaurants used off-ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Friendliness of citizens, variety of shopping, layout of terrain.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5

Nothing of interest. Marigot shops closed...it was Sunday. Hardto avoid a port on 11 day cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: n/a

Pros: Entertainment, cabin stewards, wait staff in dining rooms excellent service

Cons: Much of experienced crew sent to new(er) MSC ships. Breaking in new staff, language difficulties. Buffet deck 11 tasteless. MSC Club members not given opportunity to attend club functions as we were not registered with ship. Duty-free store not MSC, so no discount for Club Members.

Recommends MSC Lirica? No.

1 Comment

glomarrone 7 years ago

So sorry to read that the cruise did not meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

WORST CRUISE SO FAR

Some Good Some Bad.

Bad Cruise