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A refined style, precious materials and attention to detail make MSC Opera a cruise ship that really is something to sing about! She is built along more classic lines than her sisters in the Musica and Fantasia classes, making for a special atmosphere on board while enabling you to visit those destinations that are inaccessible to larger vessels.
I'm giving this 4 stars because they absolutely delivered on the itinerary, and that is the top priority for me. We sailed out of Venice, visiting Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Bari, and Zadar, with one sea day. The port days were full days, arriving morning, leaving late afternoon. We arrived in Venice 2 days before the cruise, stayed a boutique hotel 5 mins walk from Piazzale di Roma, visited San Marco square, Rialto Bridge, enjoyed a 45 minute gondola ride, dined at 2 great restaurants 5 min walk from our hotel. We booked one ship's tour, the Caves of Castellano in Bari, Italy. The caves were amazing! Discovered in the 1930s, the main cavern actually opens upward to the ground, like a skylight. We booked our own tours in Dubrovnik (HOHO Bus), Corfu (HOHO Bus). In Kotor and Zadar, it's very easy to get a shuttle to the Old Town, and Seafront, respectively. The Old Town areas of both Dubrovnik and Kotor are absolutely worth spending some time walking around, though we also traveled up in the mountains above the city and across the Franjo Tuđman Bridge, with plenty of photo stops along the way. In Dubrovnik I was impressed by the cleanliness of Old Town, with its polished marble pavers. In Kotor I climbed stairs to part of the walls, well worth the effort! The walled city is very walkable, with many interesting side streets filled with shops, cafes, etc. We even came across the "famous" Cat Museum, which we visited. In Zadar, we walked around the seafront, listening to the amazing Sea Organ (Google it), and visiting the Forum and other historical sites. We had previously visited Corfu, but not the Old Town, so we made it a priority to spend time there, hopping off the bus and walking around. Very pleasant people, shops, cafes, etc. About the ship, it is why I can't give 5 stars. They did many things right, service as usual was "can-do", friendly like every MSC ship we've cruised on. Embarkation was easy, minimal wait time in Venice Cruise terminal, with a ferry over to Marghera to board the ship. One area needing improvement: when we got off the People-Mover tram, which is supposed to put people near the Cruise terminal, there was nobody from MSC to direct people. We had to walk around a bit with our luggage to find them, and there is more than 1 terminal in this area. If you take a cab from Piazzale di Roma, it's 20 euros, the tram is less than 5. The passenger mix was about 60% Italian, the rest a combination of German, British, Spanish, American, Canadian. our first day, we met a Canadian couple, who informed us we were one of the handful of Americans on the ship. We like to talk with others at dinner in the MDR, and were lucky to be placed at a table next to a British couple, and a French couple who spoke enough English that we could visit with them as well. The food was pretty average, nothing memorable. We had breakfast in the buffet, which was lacking what choices we are used to: omelets, eggs benedict, etc. They had scrambled, and their fried eggs were "over-too-easy", i.e., the whites were runny as well as the yolks. The entertainment was good, our favorites were the "Duo" a man & woman playing popular 80s-90s, and a slo pianist, who had wonderful gravelly vocals, playing jazz tunes. The only thing I thought was odd, they would mix in dance exercise class in the lounges, which meant there was a lot of turnover at tables, since there wasn't a lot of cross-over in audience. Most ships have that in one location during the evenings, in addition to the pool deck during the day. They also had a male opera singer, who was very well-known in Europe, and he was fantastic. One evening in the theater, he did a one-man show. Our cabin was smaller than other balcony cabins we've had on MSC cruises, I suppose this and other shortcomings are due to the small size of the Opera. To be fair, the small size was also an advantage, Kotor was originally scheduled as a tender port, but we were docked, hooray! Disembarkation was also efficient. The bus dropped us at the same cruise terminal, where we picked up our luggage, maybe 30 minutes, from being called to outside our terminal, with luggage. There was no shuttle, so we enjoyed a 20 euro taxi ride back to Piazzale di Roma, where we stored our luggage to spend most of our day in Venice, before catching a late afternoon flight to Cairo. We toured the Doge Palace, and enjoyed a pleasant hour in San Marco square, sipping drinks and appetizers, listening to live classical music being played 20 feet away from our table.
Venice embarkation Very easy indeed. We had check-in time of 1000 and were staying on Venice Lido island. Got the number 1 vaporetti to Place Roma which took an hour. Was a sunday so not too busy but if a Saturday expect the service to be busy. Could be an issue if have lots of luggage. People Mover: Fairly easy to find if you know where! Come away from the vaporetti stops to the bus station,walk straight across and then across the road on zebra crossing. Turn left follow 100 yards and entrance is to the right. Costs €1.50 and is included on ACTV tickets. There is a lift to the platform. Go one stop , lift again to ground level. Walk straight and you come to the terminal gates, ship listed which terminal at the gate, then just follow the signs. EMBARKATION: We arrived @ 0945 and there are 3 levels of check in. First they check your boarding pass and passport. 2nd they take your luggage and it disappears to the ship. You then go to 3rd area where you are issued a group number. We are diamond so had priority. Check-in takes a few minutes, new photos done despite doing beforehand. Then through security. This takes you to holding area where you await transfer to another vaporetti. As we were priority straight onto first shuttle. We departed about 1020 and it’s about 30 minutes to the ship waiting in the docks. Once on board its explore, we had lunch in the restaurant rather than the buffet. Discovered on day 1 good idea as buffet is ok but not brilliant. Very average indeed. Main restaurants however are very good indeed and a credit to MSC. Rooms available from 1400 but what you do is go to your cabin on boarding and your sea passes are in envelope outside on the door. You need to do this for getting drinks etc so this is your first task once on board. Lifts are ok but obviously get busy and not quick. Note download the MSC App as it’s essential on board via ships internal WiFi for menus, drink choices etc. You don’t need to purchase WiFi for this but it’s not for internet usage just for the app. If you want to browse the internet you have to purchase a package or make use of your own phone services whilst in port. Each country is different for charges or no charges depending on your service provider. SUITE: We had booked Aurea level suite on floor 12. Excellent location, nothing else on deck except outside space and these cabins. Basic balcony but large room. Bathroom has bath tub with shower. Highest level of room on ship but very reasonable price. Check out the facilities included. Bed was very very comfortable and slept really well. Wash basin old and marked, needed replacing. Agus our suite guy looked after us very well indeed. Plenty of coffee tabs for our machine in the suite, and everywhere kept very clean and tidy. Twice a day makeup times. BARS / RESTAURANTS: No speciality restaurants on Opera. We had my time dining in L’Approdo on deck 6 and it was excellent. Never had to wait and we eat at various times to suit us. Just turn up. Special mention to head of sections Norman Eka Pradipta and Carlos who were a delight to have around. They made our restaurant experience special. Food was good quality. Menus changed every day but something for most. Big Note take your smart phone with you as all menus are via QR codes and you have to use your phone. This applies in bars across the ship as well. We had premium drinks package included and the drinks are very good indeed. Cocktails made to order, decent wines etc. Wait staff always friendly and genuine smiles. Various bars have live music and most are good depending on taste. Coffee throughout the ship apart from buffet/room service is excellent. The latter is sourced differently and is for masses whereas in the bars is from a good coffee machine with beans ground at the bar. Pizza next to buffet is extremely good. Buffet is buffet fairly average and obviously busy. EXCURSIONS: We had booked 3 for the cruise. Straight off the one at Zadar was cancelled due to lack of interest. The money was refunded onto cruise account the same day after visiting Shore Excursions desk to tell them our wishes. In Corfu we did a tour of the villages and view points to the north and west of the island. Excellent trip, guide was very good. Be mindful the cruise has few English speaking passengers so you will be mixed in with other nations on excursions. Bad weather diverted us to Brindisi instead of Bari. We had an excursion booked but it was very badly handled by MSC. No tickets night before, no advice it was still going till I rang them but it was too late. However after a day of discussion Customer Service rose to the occasion and I received a full refund and apology. ChrisPus on the desk kept going with the discussions with the Excursions department until it was settled. Full marks to him and he deserved a pat on the back for going above and beyond. Allow money for shuttle buses which are NOT included and on average €14 return trip per person. DISEMBARKING: We had a trip on morning of our departure which included a trip to Murano and Venice. All well organised and coincided with our trip. We then picked up our luggage and the transfer bus to the airport. Very smooth. OVERALL: The ship is smaller and if you have children from 8-17 consider if for them as apart from swimming pool areas everything else is slanted towards older adults. If you like a cruise where you make your own entertainment this is for you. There is stuff going on but not for all. We loved it and this is our 4th MSC cruise and 13th cruise overall. I have noted the other reviews some of which I don’t feel show a true reflection of MSC cruises. I do wonder if some are ever satisfied and just like to moan. My other gripe of the cruise is some of the other passengers who are rude, ignorant and selfish towards both staff and the rest of us. Maybe they should have a ship of their own, the MV Voyager of the Damned! We did meet some lovely people also from various parts of the globe and got to hear their stories. I rate this cruise as very good indeed despite excursion issues.
Guests can choose from a wide variety of elegant accommodation, including family options, suites and cabins with a balcony or ocean view.
The gourmet dining on board is out of this world, offering an ever-changing array of Mediterranean and international specialties, not forgetting authentic Italian pizza, freshly prepared from the finest ingredients to delight your palate.
Seek the extraordinary and make your cruise holiday an unforgettable adventure.
We offer an incredible choice of shore excursions to suit every taste: whether you prefer adventure, nature, culture or history, we’ve designed something for you and the whole family.
From Culture & History and our breathtaking Scenic Routes, to our Active & Adventure tours and the discovery of Natural Wonders, to Sea & Sun’s relax, our Something Special experiences and our Accessible Tours, you can enjoy the treasures of each destination in your preferred way.
We’ve also established the MSC Family Explorer Club, Excursions Explorer Package and MSC Bike Adventours, which are unique to our line and available on selected MSC Cruises' itineraries.
Choose from a superb selection of leisure and entertainment options throughout each day and night of your cruise. Whatever your preference, from watching spectacular shows or playing video games to shopping or working out, you’ll always be able to find the ideal activity to satisfy your desire.
Relaxing, feeling healthy and looking your best is all part of the MSC Cruises experience.
Treat yourself to a soothing sauna, a traditional Balinese massage or a high-tech beauty treatment during your cruise in our MSC Aurea Spa.
Book one of our Spa & Beauty Packages now and take advantage of our pre-boarding rates.
MSC family cruises are designed for parents and children to enjoy fun times together and quality time separately. That's why we’re proud to have built a renowned reputation as a company that knows how to create the best cruises for kids.
Today we continue to deliver on that reputation by paying extra attention to the needs of children, tweens, teens and their parents: so book your cruise and immerse in a World of Discovery!
