It was a great experience. We love it! Everything was very well organised.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Took only 5 minutes. No queue. We were given the MSC cruise card and F&B vouchers at the embarkation counter. Free drinks are available at the port. We left our bags with the staff before embarking the ship and it was deliver shortly after. Our hand luggages were scanned. We had some dry food in there. No issues. We can have our buffet as soon as we board the ship. Yay!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We were allocated Waves restaurant for dinner. Its a 3 course dinner. Menus are the same for all complimentary restaurants, but changes daily.
We're never hungry. Buffet open most of the time.
It's easy to get hot or cold water. Just bring a bottle along and fill it up at the Marketplace buffet.
Of course, the Marketplace buffet restaurant is crowded. It has so much variety! We can always find a seat.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Free theatre shows every night. Different ones. 7.15pm, 8.45pm, 10.30pm. Never 100% full. You can just walk in.
We bought Cirque de Soleil (Sonor) ticket for EUR15. Its just an acrobatic show. We prefer the free theatre shows.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most staff are friendly. Except those in Marketplace buffet restaurant. Poor customer service. Never see a smile on their face.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Fantastic. Love it! The ship is beautiful and very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Good size Cabin with sofa, well designed bathroom and large balcony with 2 chairs. No complaints. Daily housekeeping.
What's provided in the cabin: Shampoo, body wash, Towels, Hair dryer, Safe (best to keep passports inside to avoid it being pick pocketed ashore). No kettle (no coffee/tea making facilities) though.
Ship tip
Reception desk (for bill dispute and lost and found). Long queue but its pretty quick. 5-6 counters. I requested for the EUR10 daily service charge to be waived. Done. No questions asked.
Its our embarkation and disembarkation port. 1 hour drive from Rome city. We ordered private transfer from Civitavecchia Shuttle Express (drivers are always early and help with our luggages).
There are many stands right at port exit selling tickets. No need to buy in advance. Can pay with credit card. There's a promotion for City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off bus (EUR15 only). City Sightseeing offers a free shuttle bus to stop no.1. City Sightseeing HOHO has lousy commentary. No extra info provided. Very old worn out seats. There's actually nothing much to see.
You can just walk from port, straight up the road, Via Settimo (shopping street), Via Maqueda (pedestrian street), to the Cathedral and back.
We took the cruise bus right in front of the terminal (EUR4) which stops at Columbus at the end of La Rambla, instead of MSC transfer (EUR8.90), which stops at World Trade Centre, which is a bit of a walk from La Ramblas.
This is the most inconvenient port. We docked at Terminal A (very far from the city). There's a 1.5km green walkway to the free shuttle stop (to La Joliette - city centre). Walk across the road to the Metro station. We took the free shuttle bus back but it departed only at 4.15pm. So everyone on the bus was late for the 4.30pm all aboard time, making us run for the ship. On hindsight, I would rather take the MSC shuttle (EUR15.90) right in front of the terminal to Marseille town. Rather than walk the 1.5km, then take free shuttle, then metro. Such a waste of time and energy. The 1.5km walk to and fro was just too much. Not recommended for the elderly.
This is the most convenient port. Free Wifi access at the port terminal. There's a tourist info desk, Tram/bus/metro right in front of the terminal. We bought "Genoa pass" for EUR4.50. Took bus 18 to Castelletto, took a lift up (included in the Genoa pass), for a birds eye view of the city. Then walked around the small pedestrian streets, and the Old Port before taking the metro back to the ship.
I'm surprised MSC sells the Aquarium ticket for EUR22.90 (vs EUR26 at the Aquarium).
We were given the disembarkation info sheet the night before (we werent given a choice of early or late departure, but you can always disembark later than your assigned time). We were at Deck 9, the third in the queue, 8.50am disembarkation. MSC Yatch club, tour agencies and MSC transfers leave first.
By 1am, we had to put our luggages outside the cabin. In the morning, we brought along our hand luggages for breakfast till it was time to disembark.
The night before, I went to the reception desk. There's always a long queue but its pretty quick. 5-6 counters. I requested for the EUR10 daily service charge to be waived. Done. No questions asked.
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