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Magnificent, only by Name – MSC Magnifica Review & Pictures


RicardoC

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Magnificent not only by Name – MSC Magnifica Review & Pictures

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I’m 17 and, as my parents, love traveling and cruising. For spring break this year we decided to do something that would be somehow new, and so booked an 8 night cruise in the Mediterranean only going to new places and with a new line, MSC. Even thought we had previously cruised in the Mediterranean, our port of departure Venice and all stops in Greece, Croatia, and Egypt were going to be new to us and Alexandria(Cairo) was our focus stop, the purpose of the trip. We initially considered both MSC and Costa because of the itineraries, but ended up choosing MSC’s new ship, the Magnifica, because of the higher number of new calls for us. Unfortunately the political crisis in Egypt altered our plans and instead the Magnifica was scheduled to stop in Athens and Izmir, not bad but both places weren’t new for us. It was Tuesday, March 22nd when we boarded the Lufthansa flight from Orlando(where I live) to Frankfurt and then Venice. It was our first time flying with them and could not be more satisfied: check-in was fast and empty, very good service, and arrived early in Frankfurt which gave us extra time in our 1 hour stop. Differently than the older but spacious, full 747 which flew us over the Atlantic, our second and very short flight was onboard a brand new A321 that landed at 2pm at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport.

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VENEZIA

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When the three of us said we had never been to Venice people were impressed since we travel a lot. Those who read my review on the Baltic know how I always wanted to visit London and when I got there was disappointed…well this time was the opposite. The city that many describe as messy and smelly I found to be different, but extremely unique and, maybe because it was still cold, not worse in smell than any big city. We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard by the airport because it was a much better price and easier to get from/to the airport with a lot of luggage. The rooms are very good in size and very modern and public buses can take you to Venice the 10 and 40 of every hour(both ways) in 20 minutes(you can buy 12, 24, or 36hour passes that you use for both buses and vapporetos - the public transportation by boat in Venice and islands around). We took a quick shower and headed to the city to walk around, explore, do some shopping(off course), and have dinner. Getting to Piazza San Marco at the end of sunset was amazing, and I found a totally different city than what I expected which is good. It is to me the perfect city to explore around for a couple days and just see "life pass" like me dad says while dining or having an espresso, cappuccino, ice cream...and the list goes on hahaha. We were told a street called Strada Nova was the place to dine so we headed there and had a great dinner. After that we headed back to the hotel(very safe even after 10pm) and woke up early next day to visit around by vapporeto(boat) and enter San Marc’s Cathedral, a must go since it combines eastern and western, European and Byzantine styles, amazing! The check-in started at 10:30am but we got to the port at around 1:30 to board that ship that dominated the view from far, the MSC Magnifica.

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EMBARKATION

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Because we cruised in both the US and Brazil we know the two extremes of organization and total mess when talking about boarding a cruise ship. However, in our past cruises from Europe the embarkation was as fast (Barcelona) or even faster (Copenhagen) than let’s say Port Canaveral or Ft. Lauderdale (our “home” ports). Venice was different though, and I suspect it is because of the company’s rules of order of embarkation. Anyways, the line to check-in itself wasn’t long(No, I did not do the online check-in because my three weeks before the cruise were really busy – the night before we left I went to sleep at 4 to wake up at 6….yeah…), the problem was that after check-in we got a number to actually board (ours was 11 and it was still at 8). It took around 30-40 minutes for us to be called and, after x-rays and pictures, we boarded “la nave”, as Italians say. The sailaway from Venice, as I had previously heard, is one of the best! Besides the great views of the city from our balcony there are people watching from everywhere, including Piazza San Marco that was full of people when we left…a great experience.

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Enjoying your report so far...looking forward to the rest!

 

One question...your thread title says "Magnificent, only by Name", but the heading of your first post is "Magnificent, not only by Name". Should the NOT be there, or not? :confused: Or do we have to keep reading along to find out? ;)

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Enjoying your report so far...looking forward to the rest!

 

One question...your thread title says "Magnificent, only by Name", but the heading of your first post is "Magnificent, not only by Name". Should the NOT be there, or not? :confused: Or do we have to keep reading along to find out? ;)

 

Hahaha actually first it was supposed to be with no "not" (my mom told me to put it like that), but after I thought it should have not as you will see later...the thing is I wrote it the first day of the cruise or so and I forgot to fix it...then I could edit the post but not the title of the Page(is there a way I can?)....sorry for the inconvenience :p

 

Fabulous review so far! Loving the photos. Please don't stop there! I'm waiting to read more. :D

 

Thanks! I'll work on finishing it :)

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MAGNIFICA?

 

I always thought of MSC ships as…normal, I think is the word. They never had anything that caught our attentions until they launched the Fantasia class, the one I wanted to try, but because of the itinerary we chose the Magnifica. It is a very beautiful ship from the outside and certainly looks bigger than I thought it would, and I admit the inside also surprised me. It has some touches that for us reminded Carnival ships but overall looks very modern. Loved the pool areas, especially the covered one.

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The rooms(we had a balcony on deck 9) are average size, very few space with small drawers( at least for 3 of us and with lots of heavy jackets that took a lot of space – yes, we were expecting more cold than we found that was between 15-20 degrees Celsius everyday, bit colder in Venice and at night). The bathroom is also normal size but hated the curtains instead of doors for shower. A nice feature was the sofa bed instead of an extra pullman or, worse, a small sofa as the third bed; both the sofa bed and bed had bad mattresses that messed up our back though….love traveling but nothing like home for those times.

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SORRY FOR THE MESS...

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I had read several complains about MSC before the cruise so let’s say I was prepared for the difference from American lines and in some points it turned out to be better than my expectations, some to be worse. The fact there is no free tea, water, or lemonade or an option to buy an unlimited package for soda was a weird thing we found out the beginning of our cruise (you can only buy tickets that are cheaper than pay as you go, but hated this idea). However, we found the food actually ok for our tastes, very light and not spicy at all. We did think there were few choices and certainly the MDRs(Decks 5/6) are much better than the Buffet on Deck 13. The appetizers were always good as well as the risottos but desserts were horrible, especially for an Italian line (good, a few less pounds to gain lol). We had sushi at Oriental Plaza as a snack a few times but it was nothing exceptional (I’m addicted to it so needed to have it even though it wasn’t that good)…maybe that’s why we were always the only ones there. The gelatos by the indoor pool were amazing as well as the espressos and cappuccinos at all bars (my mom loves coffee and I guess I learned with her). Service was either amazing with very attentive and friendly people or very rude and careless. Unfortunately we did not try the spa because of busy ports but It did look very nice. The ship was always clean and looked brand new so that was very good.

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BARI

 

We didn’t really know about any of our stops because the few weeks before our cruise were busy so we just decided to relax and enjoy, and decide each day according to how we felt like, which I actually believe worked out really well. We got to Bari at 1pm so slept till 11 and had lunch at the MDR so all ship excursions could leave (never do those, too expensive). As soon as we left the ship we found a taxi driver and negotiated to go visit both the old town(close to port) and Alberobello(Unesco Heritage Site – 40 minutes away) for 120 Euros in a private taxi. The small town is great and was a nice place to spend an hour or so in the afternoon, do some shopping, and grab a cappuccino.

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On the way back we stopped quickly in the old town and headed back to the Magnifica.

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Carabinineri officers (cops) in Bari

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RHODOS

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It was our second time in Greece but first in the island of Rhodes. Besides the several resorts, restaurants, and clubs that get full every summer, the island has a lot of history from the old fortress and town to the 1940s Fascist buildings to the ancient Agora.

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The main beauty of the island is, however, its nature mountains and cliffs that overlook the ocean, beautiful. Nikos, our driver, drove us to the beautiful small town of Lindos where old-fashioned Greek houses remain. After stopping at the Anthony Quinn Bay where several of his movies were filmed we had to buy some Baklavas at a local bakery chosen by Nikos and to finish it all have some octopus, wine, and shopping at the old town.

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This was a very nice and relaxing day with a nice weather like pretty much everyday this trip, however we felt bad for Nikos because of Greece’s situation…especially these islands that don’t see any tourists for months and literally don’t sleep during high season to make up for the rest of the year…very sad.

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IZMIR

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Most of the people onboard decided to visit the ruins of Ephesus near Kusadasi instead of spending the day at the frenetic Izmir, we did the opposite since we went to Kusadasi three years ago. We, once again with a private taxi, drove all the way to the top of the mountain where there is an old castle or fortress and you can have a beautiful view of Izmir, city that somehow reminded me of Rio de Janeiro…who knows why…

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After we stopped at a Mosque which was an interesting visit and finally after driving around the city we spent hours at the Bazaar buying souvenirs, food, having some nice apple tea, and just looking around. It was a very relaxing day and Izmir did not disappoint besides the ruins of Smyrna that I expected to occupy a larger area in downtown….I still wish MSC had chosen Istanbul instead but it was all good.

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ATHINA

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Athens was another stop we had previously been but did not prevent us from getting to know more of it. We took a taxi around an hour and a half from the Port of Pireus to Sounion, the temple of Poseidon. It is located in a peninsula with breathtaking views…a shame this was the only cloudy day in our trip but the fact it was empty made it especial. On the way back we stopped, off course, in the shopping district of Plaka which we did not have time the first time in Athens and after walking around had some lamb kebab while it rained for the only 5 minutes the entire trip, then back to the ship. It feels really weird to now see on tv that the city we saw so calm on that weekend is now in the middle of rebellions and what not…weird world we live in…

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Ricardo, i popped back today to check out your latest report. Those photos are great. We are planning a trip to Europe next year, and will include a Med. cruise. MSC is one of the cruise lines we're considering. :D

I like your itinerary too, and am looking forward to the rest of your review.

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Ricardo, i popped back today to check out your latest report. Those photos are great. We are planning a trip to Europe next year, and will include a Med. cruise. MSC is one of the cruise lines we're considering. :D

I like your itinerary too, and am looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Thanks I'm glad you're enjoying...I'm sure you'll love it any questions just ask me (I love planning trips :D)....for Europe I'd suggest Celebrity Solstice's class ships (it's our favorite ship and i think its perfect for an European cruise)

 

I'll try to finish posting asap....been busy this week cause we're leaving for Asia on saturday (so excited :D:cool:)

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KATAKOLON

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I have to admit Katakolon was the stop I liked the least…maybe because I was already not expecting much from what I had heard. The port itself has only two streets full of stores and some waterfront restaurants (one which we had an appetizer before boarding the ship). Olympia was a short ride on our taxi (20-30 minutes) and after finding a chaos to buy tickets (tour guides fighting and screeming Greek style, including the ones hired by the ship) we got to the ruins that were interesting but nothing exceptional.

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I actually liked the museum better since it showed how everything used to be and had a nice collection of statues and other findings. I believe the ruins themselves might get more interesting if you visit the museum first.

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DUBROVNIK

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Now after the “worst”, there is always the best, and Dubrovnik was far ahead of our expectations that were high. The geography seen from the ship was already amazing, with the contrast between old villages and the new bridge is even more stunning, all that from our balcony. After we stepped out the day only got better and better with our brief taxi ride over the bridge for pictures and then the actual tour.

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We drove all the way to the top of the mountain where, besides the Adriatic and views of the entire old town, the neighboring country of Bosnia could be seen. The weather was so amazing that I, who love views and heights, did not want to go back down. Our taxi driver left us at the gate of the old town where we explored around, bought some nice hand made candles, and went on a long walk around the wall (a must do see stunning views of the Adriatic, the town, and the famous fortress surrounded by the water that for me wins over any other color I’ve seen…A shame we left so early (around lunch time in most ports, something really bothered me with MSC) because Dubrovnik and Croatia deserved an entire trip just for them…I will be back for sure!

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Bosnia is right there!

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MURANO/BURANO

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When I said our hotel in Venice was great I still didn’t know how much better it would get. The day we got back from the cruise was the day Italy’s public transportation system decided to have a national strike, which means Venice stopped. After calmly taking a taxi to drop our bags off and finding out about the strike, we took another taxi over the bridge to Piazza di Roma in Venice and went to buy our train tickets to Milan. We found the station a chaos with long lines and stressed passengers and workers…welcome back to Italia! The vapporetos were also stuck with only the main lines working, which did affect our plans for the day but for sure affected much more the tourists staying in Venice, most who had to carry their own luggage through the narrow streets and canals of the city. After having lunch we walked a lot and waited for one of the only vapporetos working, the one to the island of Murano. It is closer to Venice and less of a place than what I expected, but the several stores do sell amazing glass products…the only problem is the price (people kept offering us amazing chandeliers that cost “only” 60 Thousand Euros…no shipping charges to anywhere in the world…ok…).

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Because it was late and the strike messed up everything we only had time to visit one glass factory and some stores before the city “closed”, but we still wanted to visit Burano, 30-40 minutes by boat from Murano and, I’m telling you, a different world from Venice. It has the same style with canals and small bridges, but the houses are much smaller and simpler in a way it’s just amazing…for those who had been to Buenos Aires, Argentina they look like the famous colorful houses at “Caminito”…just a silly comparison I made after a tired day while we waited for our vapporeto back to Venice where we talked with three ladies from Barcelona “spending the weekend” in Venice...and before having another amazing dinner at another restaurant in Strada Nova…gotta love European life!

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MILANO

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For our last day we decided to take the 2 hour train ride to Milano and spend the day there. As I recently heard somewhere and remembered of my own hometown of Sao Paulo, Milan is not the pretty Italian city full of roman monuments, canals, and fountains, it’s a huge city full of modern buildings, and a very rush life. At first I didn’t like the city and even thought how my cousin could have spent 6 months living there, but then I figured that like Sao Paulo what is appealing there is the small things: the fashion block where all major stores are located and most were created, the models walking around all full of themselves (not that it’s a good thing, but I hadn’t seen so many of them in one city anywhere before), the restaurants that seriously all look good, the nice cars, cafes, and different people walking around….It’s different but I seriously recognized my own town there. It’s like the city is not that beautiful but the people make it appealing and sophisticated to a point it’s nowadays one of the most important to the world…interesting.

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Possible Future Working Place??? AMEN!!

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We were short of time so did a quick city tour and decided to spend some time to visit the Duomo (amazing, especially inside…a shame you can’t take pictures) and walk around the fashion district and the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (Prada, Louis Vuitton, Versace, McDonalds….McDonalds!? yess…). We also had ice cream at the famous(and VERY crowded) Chocolate and had dinner at a very good but expensive restaurant (we were looking for one my cousin said but had not more time left but it was a great last meal) – Ristorante Il Via Madonnina, 27, 20121 Milano, Italy +39 02 8646 0146

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OVERALL this trip was pretty amazing for “only” 10 days on spring break. We did visit a lot of different places but did not rush at all, only relaxed and enjoyed the present. MSC was different for us but a great experience. Would I recommend MSC to friends? NO because there are other better companies. Would I try it again? FOR SURE because I’m still curious about the Fantasia class haahah. Anyways, the stops were the most important for this trip and I’m sure we enjoyed it in a very calm way either visiting places of interest, walking around with no exact destination, or simply sitting at a café or restaurant eating, drinking wine or only a cappuccino, and always watching life going by, cause that’s the best way, in our opinion, to really know the place you visit: just sit down, relax, and watch. Thanks for reading. Any questions you have just ask!

Ricardo

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