MSC Sinfonia - Feb 2012

Taking our first short cruise in Feb on the Sinfonia. Some first timer questions:

1. Do the windows open. I like sleeping with open windows for fresh air but couldnt get a room with a balcony, so might seem like a silly question.

2. Casino, aparently cash only but what is the average costs i.e for black jack, poker, roulette etc. Difficult to budget how much money to convert or even if its worth converting if its too expensive.

3. Drinks prices, anybody have recent drinks prices?

This is a short cruise to Mozambique and back. Anybody been on this to comment. all reviews i have seen for Sinfonia thus far has been for Northern Hemisphere cruises, nothing round Africa

Taking our first short cruise in Feb on the Sinfonia. Some first timer questions:

1. Do the windows open. I like sleeping with open windows for fresh air but couldnt get a room with a balcony, so might seem like a silly question.

2. Casino, aparently cash only but what is the average costs i.e for black jack, poker, roulette etc. Difficult to budget how much money to convert or even if its worth converting if its too expensive.

3. Drinks prices, anybody have recent drinks prices?

 

This is a short cruise to Mozambique and back. Anybody been on this to comment. all reviews i have seen for Sinfonia thus far has been for Northern Hemisphere cruises, nothing round Africa

Albeit I have never stayed in anything but a balcony suite on the Sinfonia, I am informed that the windows in the other accomodations do not open - so tough luck in that respect.

Casino runs $5 and $10 blackjack tables and $1 and $2 roulette.....the machines range anything from a a dime to a dollar.

Drinks prices - hmmm I havnt been this season becuase I am starting to venture more abroad than just to Mozambique but what I have noticed over the years is that the drink prices change according to exchange rate - the best would be to budget for the same prices as you would pay at a Sandton Resturant / Night Club...........I do find teh Moet quite cheap though.

Other tips I have for you is:

1. Get Priority Boarding if you can - trust me on this one you can be onbaord by 10:30 if you have this.

2. Luggage takes a while to get to yoru cabin so make sure in your carry on you have your swim wear etc so you can start enjoying your cruise from the moment you get onboard.

3. Play Bingo - I have won over $3000 in the last three cruises.

4. I always give my credit card details for my on board credit as opposed to handing over cash at the cash desk - what they do is they block your credit card in incriments of $250 and then a week later deduct your OBC final value and the blocks are automatically reversed after 7 days - why I prefer this is based on how your account is finalised at the end of the cruise - as opposed to standing in a line your final bill gets delivered under your door durring the course of teh final evening and all you do is check it sign it and drop it - much better.

Go to the spa area, the Sinfonia has the nicest one in the fleet. Love the re IFAD um area as well for lounging around in.

This is a short cruise to Mozambique and back. Anybody been on this to comment. all reviews i have seen for Sinfonia thus far has been for Northern Hemisphere cruises, nothing round Africa

We did the 5 day to Maputo & Barra last year March and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were in the suites on deck 12, so we had sliding door/balcony. OV (window) is only a sealed window.

Sorry I can't answer your specific questions, but maybe others can. Not too sure what your itinerary is, but we found land-based tour guides to be helpful, proud of their country, and always concerned for the safety of their guests. We did the 3 hour "train" tour around Maputo (not through the ship - you just get off and you will see the train there in the harbour, and you pay cash to the conductor). Very reasonable price for the tour. Very interesting to see the city and hear all about its history and what is being done to improve things.

In Barra I did the short snorkel tour. It is very close to the main area, and not too much to see - I understand that if one goes scuba diving (further away ???), then one will see more marine life. Just be aware that sometimes there are bluebottles, but they do have stuff to take away any stings. After that we did the bus tour to Inhambane. It is a lovely (bumpy) bus ride there through the countryside, and once in Inhambane you will see some really interesting old Portuguese architecture. An important thing is it will be even more humid in February than Durban/Richards Bay, so wear cool clothing. If you do Inhambane tour and if there are people who complain that "it is soooo hot, I want to go back to the ship", then don't feel embarrassed to tell them, "sorry, the rest of us paid a lot for this tour, and we want to do the full tour". Especially with Inhambane, one really wants to get to see the town, and some inconsiderate people will moan and groan that they want to go back, even before the bus gets there. You will have paid quite a bit of $$ for the tour, so it is rude of others to expect you to waste your money because they are hot/tired. They should have then stayed on the ship. (These busses are NOT air-conditioned and I have to say I REALLY ENJOYED SEEING INHAMBANE, after we told the moaners that we are not cutting the tour short).

Remember wherever you go in the markets - bargain, bargain, bargain. And make sure you have smaller US$ notes, because plenty of vendors will tell you "sorry I don't have change", although when you then pay in $1 notes they say "no 1's, no 1's". That is when you say that that is all you have, and start to walk off. If they have seen that you only have 1's left then they will quickly take them. Try to buy local things such as crafts and cashews in the markets. My parents love the cashews.

If you have other questions then feel free to ask. Nice ship, great food, fun time. Enjoy.

All aboard??

Thanks, bummer about the windows, guess that happens when you get that impulsive, "lets go on a cruise" thing in your head!!

I looked at the Maputo Express website and jip would like to hop on, like the local flavour look of it and have a passion for old buildings.

Casino - Thanks makes a bit more sense.

Drinks - thanks

The other tips

Priority boarding, asked for this but apparently that has all been taken already. Guess if i wasnt impulsive to book last minute he...

Luggage - thanks good tip!

Bingo - heard rumours about there being Bingo and will def play!

Credit Card - Sounds like the easiest, and i havent seen anybody(other than usual moaners by the looks of it) complain about billing/accounting errors.

AmoMondo, thanks will look for it. L

Starlight - Thanks for the advise, I am alergic to moaners! Being a virgin cruiser i must say i have some concerns about getting stuck somewhere (bus break down etc) and missing the boat and this might just be because i havent done this before but the boat only leaves at 23H30 that night so we should be ok.

My office overlooks the harbour and saw the Queen Mary 2 depart again at 6 am this morning, just made me more excited about this new adventure.

Should i be concerned about Funso? Apparently this cyclone is now starting to move out of the Mozambique channel

All aboard??

I looked at the Maputo Express website and jip would like to hop on, like the local flavour look of it and have a passion for old buildings.

Priority boarding, asked for this but apparently that has all been taken already. Guess if i wasnt impulsive to book last minute he...

 

Starlight - Thanks for the advise, I am alergic to moaners! Being a virgin cruiser i must say i have some concerns about getting stuck somewhere (bus break down etc) and missing the boat and this might just be because i havent done this before but the boat only leaves at 23H30 that night so we should be ok.

Yes the Express is fantastic. I think it took about 3 hours to go around the city, and stops for about 20 mins at a few places: station, market, museum. You can hop off and back on again - but ONLY if it is gonna do a second circuit (not always done though). I wanted to hop-off and on, but changed my mind as we had such a fun driver, and it goes so slow that you can get great pictures while it moves along anyway. Also if you are walking around with a camera you are more likely to get bothered by police types saying "no photos here - government building" - <sigh>. Whereas if you are on this train no one really notices if you are taking architecture photos as you go along...

Priority boarding - sometimes when you arrive at Durban harbour you can go to the reception desk and ask if they can add you on and you just pay there and then for it. (Thats if they have capacity).

The Inhambane tour is an MSC-organized tour, so they will not leave you behind. If you take this tour, then when you get to the market in Inhambane, ask the driver where you can get some local cold-drinks/beer. There is a local store that you can buy reasonably priced items of this nature - safely bottled items at that.

much appreciated! great comfort to know i will not "miss the boat" :D will try the priority boarding thing. Are these cruises always fully booked? Guess it is sun season for the snowbirds as well

Are these cruises always fully booked? Guess it is sun season for the snowbirds as well

As there really is only one cruise line in the SA local market, I think it is more likely to sell-out - than perhaps cruise ships are here in the USA.

Is there a big port to dock at Inhambane or do they take you off with Zodiacs?

Is there a big port to dock at Inhambane or do they take you off with Zodiacs?

Zodiacs. Barra Lodge is a beach resort, and Inhambane is "up the river". The only thing that can go up-river are small fishing boats. Inhambane is quite some distance up-river too.

If the sea is rough then your tendering to the beach could get delayed/cancelled, but certainly safety is foremost. Last year on my trip tendering was delayed, then they stopped for almost an hour (right as I reached the gangplank), then continued again mid-morning. One of those things. But we still had fun.

but certainly safety is foremost. .

Absolutely was just curious about the transfer. It looks like Cyclone Funso is out of the way now as well so it should be all good.

I know you are not allowed to take liquor onboard but is there a policy in terms of bottled water and sugar free coldrinks? If you are allowed to take it on is it best to do as "hand luggage" or check and tag with normal luggage?

I know you are not allowed to take liquor onboard but is there a policy in terms of bottled water and sugar free coldrinks? If you are allowed to take it on is it best to do as "hand luggage" or check and tag with normal luggage?

Not sure on that. If I'd cruised American lines before MSC then I would have known to ask (or try ;) ).

Not sure on that. If I'd cruised American lines before MSC then I would have known to ask (or try ;) ).

great source of information, these forums :) and just incase anybody else wondered, we gave them a call and the answer is.... no....

You are however allowed to take BABY FORMULA on board. Had to ponder that one for a second but nope we wont need that we are planning on celebrating a 50th birthday no baby formula required for that.

Cant wait to pop the bubbly and shout anchors away!

Hi Saffie,

Can't see when you are going on your cruise, and maybe my post will be too late to be of any assistance ?

Nevertheless, We went on the Mozambique/Portoguese island cruise in Feb. 2011 onboard the Sinfonia and thoroughly enjoyed it! In fact we enjoyed it so much that a week after we got home we booked and payed for the Sinfonia's Trans Atlantic cruise (Cape Town - Genoa, Italy) 18 days, departing 30 March 2012!

We also stayed in a balcony suite on deck 12 (loved the bath!) and were fortunate enough to get the very same suite again for our upcoming cruise, that said, our children and their friends + other family and friends, all stayed in inside cabins and they were all very happy with their respective cabins. The ship is very well airconditioned and the cabins are very comfortable to sleep in. Overall you don't spend much time couped up in your cabin anyway!

If you go with a positive attitude you will most certainly enjoy your time onboard. The ship is beautifull and the staff very polite and helpfull. Most definately play Bingo! We did not win anything on our last cruise but it is so much fun that we can't wait to play again! We have won on previous cruises with MSC so maybe we will be lucky again this time!

Please say if I can help with any other info, otherwise, if you have already been , then let us know how it went!

Bon Voyage!

Was absolutely fabulous!! Thanks to all the advice we were well prepared and enjoyed every minute of it. Will write more later, its back to the salt mines for now but it was fantabulous!