Nunagoras

Many thanks for the very useful info!... Have a nice day!...

Wonderful review, congrats!... Permit me perhaps a silly question, but again, just because I have some friends booked on that ship. Once the Sinfonia is one of the older ships in MSC's fleet, was her sort of showing her age, or was the ship really well maintained? Thanks in advance and have a wonderful day!...

Well: Actually I can understand what you're asking about. Somewhere after the pandemic there was a time when, at least from where I live, the real unique way to purchase an MSC cruise was actually within those "all inclusive" combos. They have changed their mind on that early this year though and on the current website version it is now possible to book a classic cruise ticket again with them. Don't know how things run on the US market, but if it were the Portuguese market, then I'd say: Yes; they did effectively to change their policies on "Free drinks and Wi-Fi".

Other than possibly some crew shortage and the possible supply chain shortage on a few specific items, nothing would be really that different. Same ship, same company. Never heard about stretching a Fantasia class ship, only for the Musica class but the project seems to have been aborted for good reasons. Have a wonderful weekend!...

Full UE countries loops like the ones on the Oasis class ships are considered domestic cruises, like if a cruise started and ended with only US ports on an US sailing. No passport or customs there. If you have a non EU port on your sailing then yes. Regularly Barcelona permits debarkation from 6AM or so, as far as the ships docks. No worries. It's usually a quick experience!...

Once I'm a non alcohol drinker; just a non alcoholic strawberry daiquiri or something iced coffee and chocolate concoction from the coffee place aboard!...

Wonderful review that I fully subscribe. Wonderful to see some US citizens now understanding the cultural barriers that sometimes happen with MSC. Its not on whether they're better or worse, it is that they're definitely different. Hope this haven't been your last MSC cruises!... Have a nice day!...

This! And once MSC practices multi porting, for the mostly US crowd that reads CC, I highly suggest them to simply find a cruise that starts and finishes in Rome, instead of Barcelona. The most I enjoy Barcelona myself as my 2nd city, once I lived there for some 2 years back in the day, and Barcelona is as great city as it can be; Rome has simply far more things to do, see, and appreciate than Barcelona itself. You can basically to explore most of the main attractions in a single Barcelona cruise day, with the HOHO picking up cruisers at the terminal or by doing it independently with the help of maps and a reliable public transportation scheme plus taxis or a reliable port bus shuttle. Rome is not the case! To have a single glimpse of what Rome has to offer one needs some 3 days at full speed, I'd say 4 days at the most desirable time frame. And one would to consider the logistics: It's a good 70-90 minutes each way to make it from Civitavecchia. You'll need some 3 hours just for transportation logistics! If Rome is your "once in a lifetime" place to visit don't hesitate! Starting in Rome is the way to go, despite being slightly more expensive in occasion.

Have your answers in blue and have a nice day!...

It is lovely. Bear in mind that your dates will be a Christmas and possibly new years cruise. There will likely to be some festivities onboard. The Opera is an older ship, no bells & whistles whatsoever, but a nice more intimate ship environment if that is your cup of tea. MSC excursions are relatively well priced generally, but they may be more expensive than usual considering your dates. Ask away if you have more specific questions, have a nice day and a nice sailing!...

Thanks to the wonderful review. Understaffed ships is a common thread these days round the industry, especially on the 4* (mainstream) part of it where MSC markets itself. It will improve with the time. And so true: MSC does far better desserts than RCI, at least on their European sailings. It's like to make the main ingredients to be the star instead of sugar itself. On RCI plain sugar is the main flavor of whatever dessert you may think Have a nice day and nice sailing!...

Let's see from where I see it. In Europe MSC practices multiple porting, meaning that pretty much every port would to be a partial turnaround day, and they tend to seat people in the MDR according to the port they entered in. That said; if you're on your last night at sea, chances are your peers at MDR will also to be. Needless to say that all your section will be on last night cruise mood. Consequently comfortable cloths will be no problem. According to the descriptions plainly available on CC I believe that formal nights in the med are far more followed than on the UK or US sailings, but that won't affect directly you. Have a nice day!...

Have my answers in green and have a nice day!...

It might to be a licensing thing in the US. All cruises I had with MSC had the song being played everyday for sail away, except on the middle east, again for licensing problems?...

As I remember they'll give you a time to leave your cabin later than the usual and store your hand belongings elsewhere if you need. I don't remember about pools sadly, once on those days I used to be inside ship.

Had 2 cruises on similar circumstances. Ship will operate as usual on these days, though the shops will be closed as well as the casino. Back in the day when physical money accounts were a large share they used to let you to pay in cash for any drink at that day in bars. Not anymore as far as I know. There will be plenty of bars to chose from, the MDR for breakfast and buffet for breakfast and lunch.

Wonderful to read this!... We may have our challenges as well (this whole week here has been what you know from Republic President (R) to Prime Minister (D). Plenty of place to discuss that outside of cruising platforms, but things are what they are and I said this to put things in perspective), but we're effectively a great and diverse country indeed, and a very safe place to stay where you can send your kids to school knowing that at the end of the day they'll as safe as when they went! I lived in Lisbon for most of my life. Now I'm retired near Holly Mother of Fatima Shrine and I feel very blessed for being so here!... Both wonderful places to live. I wouldn't to exchange this for anything in this world despite the challenges!... Lisbon is now growing as a cruise destination as well despite being sort of secondary on that one due to distance from main med cruising places, but that shows that one doesn't need only quantity, we need quality, and Lisbon delivers!... Be welcome all of you CC community whom wants to visit Lisbon for a wonderful cruise day!... PS for the Catholics or the ones interested on Holly Mother of Fatima Shrine for a cruise day: Fatima is doable on a given regular cruise day, but due to distance from the port, some 90 minutes drive and another 90 return, I strongly suggest you to go with a cruise line's sponsored shore excursion. Somewhat more expensive, but safer to say the least. Surely the central train station is right in front of the ship, but you'd need 2 trains most of the time and a taxi to reach Fatima. With our relatively unreliable train system that won't be any practical. Have a nice day!...

Grato por ver mais um Português por cá! Seja bem-vindo ao fórum!... Deve ser o pacote de restaurante de especialidade de que falaram acima e que talvez faça parte do seu pacote contratado com a sua agência. Tenha um bom dia!... (Grateful to see one more Portuguese here! Be welcome to the boards!... It might to be the specialty dinning package they mentioned above and that perhaps maybe part of your contracted package with your Travel Agent. Have a nice day!...)

Hope to have helped a bit with my answers in blue. Have a wonderful day!...

The older ships are the same concept of the Preziosa, but smaller. No specialty restaurant other than a tiny sushi place. The ships are nice, even though the Lirica class may eventually to be showing their age.

All the shorter cruises trend to the party ship. The ones that can attract a larger international crowd will trend to be more civilized. The Magnifica is a smaller ship, so more bearable in the end of the day. The Seashore perhaps better for small kids due to the specific venues.

If the YC is within your budget line, go for the Seashore, once the Magnifica doesn't have one. The other way round, if the YC is not on your budget then choose the Magnifica. Less "bells & whistles", but surely a far more civilized pax environment. Sailing out of Miami, the Magnifica will enjoy a larger share of Europeans traveling for the Florida parks and a cruise joint together. While both will be "party ship" cruises, the Magnifica will be always better.

Yeah, on Musica class where the Poesia belongs to, the spa is as said very small. Nicely decorated and peaceful if with few attendance, but that's it really with nothing really to write home about. In contrast the gym, while relatively small, it is gorgeous and if you use the treadmills at the center of the ship you can feel kike you're the captain looking out from the bridge's window! In a day at sea go early once it usually fills out quickly by mid morning!

In a world where singles, divorcees and widowed individuals are growing up by the day it is pretty much understandable that cruise lines would need to adapt. Out of the mainstream, only NCL seems to have properly understood to an extent those growing challenges in our western societies by creating a proper singles area on their new ships. I'd bet MSC to rethink their policy on solos for the good of us all. They're losing a nice slice of the market, especially for out of season cruises. The World Class should have been a good opportunity. Seems they have loosen it...

In a not so long past it was usual on crossings from Brazil and Portugal to have the Brazilians using the ships as their definitive transportation way. Guess what? They used to fill their cabins with as many luggage as they could to transport their most valuable belongings across the ocean at a very affordable cost!... Then; MSC started to use a scheme similar to air transit ones to avoid abuse on those sailings. As per regular travel, I believe that once most would need a flight service, one would of course need to go by the airline standards, so no need to worry about those limits.