0208 248 2355
Questions about your booking? Contact Us
Login
Travelled with: Family (husband, 1 year old + 3 year old daughters, parents, sister, aunts, ...) Cabin: Fantastica Drinks: Easy package I confess I wanted to give up from this cruise before entering because of coments I read here. So I swore I would write an fair comment (from my point of view) to balance those ones. Overall, I recommend this cruise. Had a lot of fun, zero anxiety, nothing that would really upset me happened. Food: La Piazzetta (buffet restaurant) - AMAZING food at breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and night snack. Truly. I never got sick of it. Fresh, sweet and juicy fruit, handmade whipped cream at breakfast, warm didhes felt like made by grandma, fresh and delicious pizzas, great cookies. TIP: Food can be different at each side of buffet, so make sure you pass on both. Dining: Ibiscus Restaurant ("a la carte", I just went here for dinner) - sincerely, never loved food here. Service was nice but not amazing. Just went here because was a "family time" and we could talk with each other better, at the same table. Daily there's a menu and you should ask (each person) 1 appetizer, 1 main dish and 1 desert. Activities/Service: daily several activities (dance classes, games, ...). Service was always ok, not amazing, but to me was important to feel nowone was in a rush or stressed about. Even always working, employees really smiley and calm. REALLY DISLIKED how loud the music frequently was - and trust me, I love parties. Absurdly high volume, specially at the afternoon pool activities. NOTE: Outdoors floor was cleaned everyday (compressors and all). Pools emptied every 2 days. Jacuzzis always working. BARS: Savannah bar - our favourite!! Decoration and waiters. And music - on the first 3 to 5 days; after I couldn't hear it anymore. Amber Bar - my personal favourite, loved the song choice and the blonde singer's voice/interpretation - Congratulations!!! Actually I know there was at least 1 or 2 more bars but never really went there. DISCO: the room and bar are great in decoration, size and bar tenders - the music could go from amazing to below horrible. Wish this could be improved. Also, some nights I saw people asking specific songs and (at least) 1 DJ would really say NO, quite rude in my opinion. Night shows: in short: GO for all the "many artists" shows, dismiss the "one artist" ones - except for the Ventriloquist (my husband cried of laughter). Malabarists, contorcionist, ... AMAZING!! Great show!! Dancers are good, some better than others. Single artist show - a bit hard to see (choice of songs and interpretation falls short). TIP: just get in 10min after the beggining time (see below why). Children's club: I know daily there were schedules for "with parents" and "no parents" that, as far as I understood, you could use for free. Never went there myself, my parents told the kids had lots of fun (1 and 3 year old) with lots of toys. They would be there for no longer than 1h - 1h 30m. NOTE: 2 pools for really tiny children that I really enjoyed (maybe 15cm high) - one near jacuzzis and one near children's club. Toddler had lots of fun and, even though you have to be there watching them, you feel "secure". Cabin: I would say an overall ok. Double bed was actually 2 single beds. Ok area, ok cleaning, ok confort. 2 cribs fitted there (when we arrived, there was just 1, they quickly assembled the 2nd after requested). As I imagined, never went to balcony, I was afraid toddlers would put some hand/feet/whatever throw the tiny gap between the floor and the protection. As expected, not many places to dry clothes/bikinis - but it worked fine. There's a expandable wire in the shower, helpful for this. We could fit 2 "Ryanair size" trolleys under the bed and 2 "medium" size trolleys leaning against the wall. Corridors (carpet) apparently well cleaned. Disembarkation: always smooth and simple. I never went on cruise expeditions (maybe slower on that case?). NOTE: at the final disembarkation, luggage are simply left at the port, no one inspects who lifts the luggage, so if that's a problem for you, disembark as soon as possible. (On other 2 cruises I went on from other company, was the exact same thing.) I agree that de overall decor of the ship is old, but it is impeccably cared for. I also saw a "FULLY BOOKED" sign - you can decide what it means for yourself. DID NOT USED: Shops (but some people told me some great promotions, you should buy on the day you see it because most of it last only that day), Casino, Cigar room, Spa. What I disliked (again, nothing really important): - Mehon, Menorca - 1 day before, Captain informed we wouldn't stop here due to wheather conditions. Ok, I get it (and like to be 1 more day at the ship), but would prefer an alternative destination - Always, everyday and at every activity, they would speak 4 languages (spanish, english, italian, german). I really think it's unnecessary and tiring - The music!! I looove music. After 3 days, we feel like the music repeats itself everywhere... at the bars, at the pool, at the disco... Please, you could at least have 10 different Playlists to play on those 10 days we are at the ship... And than put it all over again (for the next guests). - Night shows: really apologize for saying this, but the Director of Entertainment, Lady who speaks everyday before and after the show, tries too hard, is not spontaneous at all and always ask for too many clap for no reason. Really tiring. I would enter at show 10-15min later just not to hear her. Tips: - Do NOT buy Marseille bus to the city - there are FREE SHUTTLES from the port to the city center. Travel distance is 20-30min (not 40min as announced) - When at the bars/pool, ask your drinks to the table waiters - spare time enjoying other activities while your drinks are prepared, as it won't be faster to ask them directly at the bar - REALLY advise you to buy Easy Drink Package as doing reservation - if you buy it onboard, will be much more expensive. Also, if you do this, the price of 1 or 2 drinks a day will be the same as this package. It includes white and red wine, quite a few cocktails and mocs (strawberry daiquiri, beer, mojito, caipiroska, whisky cola, ...), expresso coffee. Compared with other cruises and all included hotels, I found the quality of drinks quite accetable and always big portion - Silent Disco Party - just GO, best night of them all at the disco - Saw lots of people with disabilities (wheelchair, broken leg), so I assume is "disability friendly"; also notest daily "solo traveleres meeting" event and though is toughtfull
I must admit that I was very apprehensive after reading reviews on here, but was very pleasantly surprised. I can only conclude that some people only look for the worst in anything, rather than just enjoying the experience. We have cruised before with P&O and told myself that I should not try to compare as MSC were a cheaper end of the market, but we had a great time. Embarking: Málaga, no problems, minimum waiting time, cabin was ready so could leave our small bags and the suitcases arrived during the afternoon. Our cabin person was superb, nothing was too much trouble, cabin cleaned twice a day. Meals: we had first sitting (1900) for our evening meal, table was allocated and we shared with some lovely people, all our table were English speaking. We tried the buffet and the restaurant for lunches and breakfast, but preferred the restaurant as the buffet was a bit frantic! The food was good, not brilliant (what do you expect for catering for so many?), but plenty of choices and well cooked. I saw complaints that the food was just warm, but living in Spain, this is the norm. Those complaints that the portions were very small must be really greedy. No, not huge portions, but 3 courses twice a day plus whatever you want for breakfast, really!!! Entertainment: Ample choice of entertainment, plenty of bars each with their own music as well as the theatre giving a different show every night. Not everything maybe your style, but plenty of variety and very professionally performed. Cleanliness: superb, plenty of hand gel dispensers around and staff to administer when you go into the buffet. All public areas continually being cleaned. Staff: lovely, friendly, chatty, helpful. No waiting to be served, plenty of waiters and bar staff. What have I forgotten? Didn't go on any excursions as preferred to do our own thing, but everyone we spoke to enjoyed them. We thought they were pricey, so chose not to, but everyone has a choice. Hard sell: yes, there was always something to promote to get you to buy, but we didn't and felt no need to buy extras. All in all we had a fabulous holiday and a well deserved rest, and would recommend to anyone and we will be going again next year.
The elegant accommodation on MSC Orchestra includes interior and ocean-view cabins as well as balcony cabins and suites for even greater comfort.
MSC Orchestra will take you on an exciting culinary journey, ranging from the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant with its authentic Dim Sum specialties to the Four Seasons gourmet Italian dining experience and La Piazzetta, for the finest pizza outside Naples.
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.
Every moment you spend aboard MSC Orchestra is rich with possibility. The daytime hours offer a varied programme of activities, from arts & craft classes and dance lessons to sports tournaments. When evening comes, all kinds of fun awaits you in the ship’s theatre, its casino, its disco and bars.
If relaxation is your goal, there’s ample deck space on MSC Orchestra to unwind in the sun. And why not pay a visit to the lavish onboard spa? It offers a choice of Turkish baths, saunas and a myriad of magical massages to soothe and pamper you.
If you prefer to stay active even when you’re on holiday, you’ll enjoy the sports centre, the panoramic gym, the 5 stunning pools or perhaps the jogging track that lets you keep in shape at your own pace, out in the fresh sea breeze.
Kids can go wild to their heart’s content in the Jungle Adventure playroom, while teens get their own club too. Whatever your age and dreams, you can be sure they’ll come true for you, your friends and family on a cruise like no other with MSC Orchestra.
