MSC Orchestra Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Great cruise on a smaller Ship, but i would prefer the bigger ships like the Divina.

As Americans, this was a very European experience. We took our five children on this cruise and were pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the bed, courtesy of the staff, and the diversity of the guests. However, if you prefer a ship that is a Americanized safe haven bubble going around Europe, it is not. It is 100% European including how The lines were handled, the food, customs, language, bathing attire, the taste and caliber of the shows, all very European. We wanted that but if it’s your first taste of Europe, you might want to search for a more American type ship. The beds were fantastic as was the service and food. The coffee was good and strong. . I’ve seen reviews where people complain about the coffee. Truly, these people just don’t like European coffee.

Before I start my review, I’d like to share a little background about myself. I was born in Germany and lived there until I was 21, so I am well familiar with European customs etc. My husband and I enjoy cruising. We have sailed on Royal, Disney, Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian. We chose the 7-Day Northern European Cruise on MSC Opera because of itinerary and price. Embarkation and Disembarkation Easy, fast and comfortable. We enjoyed having beverages available when getting on the ship. The MSC tents and flags were a cute touch. Cabin Compact and very clean. Our interior cabin was located on the 14th floor. Very convenient to the pool and bar area. Cabin service was done in the mornings and evenings. Our steward did a wonderful job. Storage space was just enough. Luggage could be stored under the bed. The shower is very compact and might not be comfortable for larger guests. Shower gel and Shampoo are available in the shower. In-Room-Dining We opted for the Fantastica Experience, which includes complimentary In-Room-Dining. We ordered coffee, croissants and juice every morning. All was delivered on time and fresh & delicious. Breakfast We truly enjoyed breakfast in the Main Dining Room every day. In addition to a menu, which features the same items daily (eggs benedict, pancakes, waffles etc.) there is also a buffet. The buffet features the best bread selection we have encountered at sea, European breakfast meats and cheeses, fresh fruit etc. On the hot side there is a omelet station, a daily selection of potatoes, sausages and scrambled eggs. Coffee is being served at the table. At times coffee service can be a little slow. In addition to the Main Dining Room, breakfast is also offered at the buffet, plus there is a gluten free option in one of the coffee bars. Nice touch. Lunch For lunch we stuck with the buffet. There was always a wide selection of dishes available catering to the multicultural guests on this sailing. A variety of burgers and pizzas were offered as well. The salad bar was just wonderful and we also enjoyed the pre-made delicious little sandwiches. We found the food to be tasty and fresh. Beverage service was once again a little slow. Dinner We loved our daily dinner experience, which was truly European. Our service team was very friendly and efficient. By dinner night #2 they already had our drinks waiting for us. Water service is included if you booked your cruise through the US. Otherwise you will have to purchase drinks, including water, coffee or tea. The food selection changed daily and was always interesting and delicious. Definitely not what you would find on American lines. Dishes included lamb, veal and of course pasta and risotto. Bread was once again outstanding, so were the desserts. Dinner is a very relaxed affair, so expect to dine for 2+ hours. Families and friends gathered over food, wine and cocktails and truly seemed to enjoy themselves. So did we. Note that beer and wine are available in the dining room. If you prefer a cocktail, make sure to bring it with you. Bar Service Here things get a little interesting. Bar orders need to be placed with the cocktail waiters, not the bartenders. We wish we would have known this from the beginning. The moment we figured this out it was easy. Cocktails were well presented, tasty and appropriately strong. All coffees were wonderful. The wine and beer selection was nice and of great quality and value. We loved the little nibbles, like chips, nuts or olives, which were served alongside our beverages. Very nice, high end touch. Entertainment We were thrilled not to be bombarded with the Electric Slide, Hip Hop etc. on a daily basis. Pool music was more chill. There were daily games in the morning hours. For the rest of the day guests were able to entertain themselves. No hairy chest contests etc. What a relief! Daily shows were Vegas style and consisted of dancers, acrobats and singers. They were very enjoyable and always had one or two breathtaking moments. Think upscale variety show. Live music was offered in all lounges. Genres definitely catered to music popular in the 80s in Europe. It would have been nice if one of the lounges would have offered a little fresher take on music. The disco is a beautiful space, but was visited very little. Spa Only disappointment of the trip. Appointments cannot be made pre-cruise, so we made one the moment we got on the ship. The spa doctor seemed a little flighty and actual made our appointment for the wrong date. When we showed for the appointment we thought we had, we were told it was not available. The staff tried to help and was able to get us in for an hour later. When we showed back up our couples massage room was given away by accident. Again, the staff tried to help and was able to create a make shift space for us. The massages were good and the staff was nice, but after the initial experience it was hard to relax. We will not use MSC Spa services again. Overall We would go back on a MSC Cruise in a heartbeat. (we are actually already booked for one to go to Cuba this December.) If you enjoy a true European experience, with people from all over the world, this might be the right fit for you. If you are expecting to find the same as on Carnival, Royal etc. you will probably be disappointed and frustrated, as food, beverages, entertainment and service are different and you will not be surrounded by English speakers at all times. We found the MSC Orchestra to be in top shape. It was very clean and well maintained. The pool deck, including pools, was deep cleaned almost every night. Hopefully this review is helpful to some. We are looking forward to our next adventure on MSC.

We have a problem that in the cabin there was a lot of noise about the motors of the ship, also the reception was horrible

Fine cultural cruise in calm sea on board very fine vessel with good service.

This was our 29 th Cruise, one of the best. All was nearly perefect: the embarkation in Warnemünde, the Ship, the cabin, the Housekeepers, the waiters in the Restaurants and in Deck 13 (Selfservice), and very Nice Trip in norwegian Fjords, a very clean Ship. The Cruise Consultant, the hotel Direktor, the Chef (Grad Chef/ Exekutive Chef) are German, and the Cruise Direktor Petra Fromm Austria. All in all a very fine Cruise. If you have questions about the ship, the Trip, the stops or something else, don't hesitate to contact me.

Great food, nice staff and everyone is so excited about having a little baby boy on board. Only the television could be a little bit more state-of-the-art and with true colors - but I’m not here for watching telly.

I would do this cruise every year if I could afford it! The food, staff and entertainment was a "10". This is a must, if you want to see Europe in an affordable fashion. It all started with our wonderful travel consultant, Connor Cross. He left no stone unturned. Connor Cross | Travel Consultant/World Travel Holdings | (617) 424-7990 (ext. 38426) | ccross@wth.com I joined my parents late and he worked so hard to get me on their "sold out" cruise. We just experienced a TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

We had the most wonderful experience by going on this ship! We have through the years been on MANY overseas trips but this was by far the most exciting and rewarding. We would love to go on another cruise next year God willing!

MSC is not even close to other cruises I have taken with Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Holland America in terms of service, value and entertainment

Very clean ship inside and out well kept as all MSC ships are Food in buffet is very repetitive Food in main restaurants are ok Food in the specialist place is very good and not too expensive Over all good cruise However the ship dose move a lot in only semi rough weather We have been on many ships and this one seems to move a lot More than most

Very nice ship. It was always clean with a friendly staff. We did this cruise for 2 reasons: price and itinerary which were both amazing. This boat was great for a port intensive cruise, however if you are doing a cruise for the boat, I’d pick one of their newer/bigger ships. There wasn’t a whole lot of activities on board (this may be partially because it’s January in the Med. so they can’t do a lot of the outdoor activities you normally see.) The food was nothing to get excited about either. I would have liked to see a bit more variety since we were onboard 11 nights. They seem to try to go a bit fancier than they can handle. They should do simpler dishes well instead of subpar fancy ones.

Cruise surpassed our expectations having read not great reviews! Extremely good value and cannot fault the ship or staff. We have a fantastic holiday!

Very cool ship,amazing crew, very good entertainment, good for families, good food,lots of activities clean rooms,and very much fun,good stopes fun excertions

great day trips , clean ship , good all inclusive deal ,lots to do and get involved, poor service, average food , over crowded ship. would go with MSC again but not on that ship.

Our first with MSC, and we were pleasantly surprised and happy with the ship, service, food and ports of call. Was a nice clean ship, well ran and a very good first experience with MSC.

all in all not satisfied cause of the above written points, will never do it again bad no conhdfjkhjkdjkhjfhjkhjhasdjlh sdhafhkjhfhkh dsasljfhlh djhfhhl

This is the first time cruising with MSC and last.  I will start with the good.  The room was always clean and room porter was nice.  Plenty of food in the buffet. 

The bad:  Customer service doesn't come close to American cruise companies..specifically our experience (Carnival).  1. We followed the instructions for laundry service per document in room...put the clothes in bag and take to customer service...we get to customer service and response "Not my job"...I responded "the paper states..... again "Its not my job, take it back to the room"

2.  We saw employees arguing with customers at the buffet

3.  We were told to make our massage appointments within 2  days of boarding (which we did)...the night before our massage we get a notice that we have to be at the debarkation briefing at 9:15 same time as our massage...needless to say we skipped the briefing as their were no other massage appointments available. 

4. We received a letter stating our Barcelona excursion was cancelled then we receive another envelope with our excursion tickets...I decided to read the entire letter and at the bottom it stated if tickets were not returned we would not receive a refund (MSC cancelled, not us)..also why would you send letter then send tickets (doesn't make sense)

5.  Finally, we saw a manager and employee having a discussion (well sort of)...the manager tells employee to get back to work....employee states she is off...Manager "I don't care"...employee:  "but I'm tired, I worked my shift....Manager "I don't care, get back to work....employee goes back to work...all this right in front of us.....

I understand MSC is trying to garner the American market, but this is not how to win U.S. customers....If European travelers are use to  this style of service then you are on point.....MSC needs to invest in customer relations, management training,and  employee training.

Very nice ship, big and with a lot of facilities. The star and entertainment was beyond avarage and the food was extremely nice and variate. The one down side is the dimensions of the whirlpools, they could be bigger Strongly recommended this ship

My cabin was 12169 so this will give my identity away to MSC. This is a review of the boat itself not the experience of attending a memorable event in life of any Australian or New Zealander the 100 year anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. Nothing could spoil this experience. Also we were blessed with the smoothest sailing and finest weather.

Luggage distribution: Delivered 8h after stepping aboard. We had purchased an on board travel iron and whilst some were lucky to receive them others weren't allowed them.

Cabin itself: If you don't know what to expect, don't believe the marketing pictures you look and dream at with anticipation. Its far smaller. The location of 12169 was ideal in that you could get to the buffet & deck levels 13 & 14 easily or take the lift to level 5 the restaurant easily. There was a bit of scraping noise from the buffet floor above but not enough to concern. It was any easy stagger home from the wine bar as well on level 7. Our room person was amazing and very helpful and attentive.

Food: Extremely disappointing to at times pathetic. Its hard to imagine who they believed they were catering for but when people spend the type of money we spent (note it was a charter) you'd expect a level of sophistication of the pallet. The only thing I can think of that may excuse the chefs were the fact it was a charter and that the Travel Superstore signed on for a cheaper quality menu. The dinning room staff were attentive during dinner times, but by two thirds of the way through they became very disinterested at breakfast and lunch in the dinning area.

Drinks: Aussie's love a drink and when bored at sea for two 7 day stretches surely it's not rocket science to know that beer wine and spirits would be consumed in liberal quantities. We purchased the highest drinks package from MSC direct and the wine allowed to be consumed with out paying extra was abysmal. The sommelier for MSC needs to be brought in for questioning. Then they ran out of the drinkable stuff 3 days away from the first port and never restocked the wine. The draught beer ran out the day before that along with some of the spirits. Was the drinks package value for money - rating 0 - 10 (0). This running out was to become a feature of the cruise.

Entertainment: The live performances of the artist and historians were the highlight of the trip. The in-house free movies an absolute insult. B&W 1930s and 40s, and some no one had ever heard of. The paid movies were not much better - blockbuster - you have to be kidding.

Shore Excursions: These were pre paid rip offs by Travel Superstore. After the first attempt by Travel Superstore to get the people off the ship MSC came to the rescue and things went far smoother from that point.

Services: Wifi this is so pathetic that MSC should like any hotel throw it in for free. It was far better late at night and early in the morning when less people were using the band width. However most cabins had it available but the strongest signals were on deck 7.

Medical Staff: The boat was a sick boat when it left Dubai for Australia and by the time it reached Adelaide on the way to picking us up in Fremantle, supposedly people were presenting themselves to the Hospitals in Adelaide. The virus what ever it was knocked people out of action for between 4 to 10 days in general - 3 weeks later I'm still coughing. So if you have a sick boat surely it would obvious to stock up on panadol Nurofen and the like as it would be in demand. By the time we reached Canakkale in Turkey shore excursion buses were being diverted to chemist shops where 40 people would buy the shop out pain killers and decongestants. Some of the on board medical staff were just down right rude. They made Doc Martin look like Florence Nightingale. They were that rude! Hygiene was harped on and liquid hand cleansers were everywhere. But what hope do you have you see staff obviously ill carrying trays of food with two hands coughing over an uncovered tray, or people walking into the buffet sanitising their hands on the way in coughing into their hands and then picking up the tongs. Or as in my instance an inconsiderate passenger coughing and sneezing over the back of you whilst on a bus in Egypt. This could almost be case of negligence that should have been controlled. 

In summary the combination of MSC poor quality food and wine along with the illness and the very obvious grab for cash buy the Travel Superstore made this an over priced extremely poor value cruise. The entertainers and historians were the highlights along with some of the MSC staff. None of this could spoil the fact of standing on the shores where 100 years before the spirit of Australia was born.