Just Back from Musica Christening!

Hi,

I'm one of Cruise Critic's writers. I was just in Venice to take part in the inaugural of the beautiful, new (and different!) MSC Musica. It was a fast trip and somewhat of a madhouse, but I'll be happy to answer any questions that I can.

I see Walt posted the link to the Webcast of the christening. I hope some of you got to see it. I have some photos that I'll put up, too.

The ship is BIG. Originally supposed to come in at 83,000 GRT, it grew to 89,000 GRT and 2550 passengers. The layout and decor is similar to Opera and Lirica but the biggest difference is... balconies! Tons of them.

The buffet area has been expanded and casual dining is now available in the evenings. There's a new sushi bar (!) --additional charge-- and a wine bar where you can order cheese plates, fruit and a couple of other items for an additional charge.

The hotel director is Antonio Cuccara, not 100% sure of the last name, who had been hotel director on Opera.

Staterooms are still "cozy," but well-lit and well laid-out. The flat-screen TV is AWESOME! It's big, at least 19 inches (compared to Holland America's 15) and sharp and clear and doesn't take up too much room. The only quibble I have with the balcony room is that the desk area is tiny, about 17 inches by 22 inches. Standard staterooms still have the angled desk configuration. They've substituted cube-shaped stools instead of those desk chairs that get in the way of everything.

Please, feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to answer them!

Jana

My husband and I are planning a 25th wedding anniversary cruise in Europe and are interested in Venice and Istanbul. Can you give me Musica's itinerary?

Venice, Bari, Katakolon, Ismir, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Venice.

A dream itinerary!

Jana

The Webcast is still up on the MSC site. It's the whole thing, so it's pretty long... includes the (short) speeches and the (long) Cirque de Soleil-typoe entertainment, and at the end, Sofia Loren.

I have cable broadband and found it hard to watch -it kept stopping, but give it a try!

http://www.msccrociere.it/flotta/varomusica.asp?ship_id=8&page_id=1845

Jana

Some of the photos I have seen of Musica are stunning. I managed to watch a bit of the webcast live, they certainly built up the usual Italian 'over excitement':) but it was fun. [it's Cuccaro, at least if it's the same chap we've had on Lirica; & I expect so].

Hi Magwa,

You were up early!

Yep, Cuccaro. Antonio. I was so happy to see him, a familiar MSC face! He's fabulous, and the ideal person to bring out MSC's newest gem. One of the waitresses serving my cappuccino (the Blue Velvet bar, gorgeous) remembered me from Opera too.

Most of the ship is, as you say, stunning, but there are some odd quirks. The carpet throughout is that MSC-specific almost Escher-like print, and in some places it detracts from the overall jaw-dropping high-style Italian design. "Casino carpet," one of my colleagues said, but the carpet in the casino itself is really unpleasant. Brown and mustard-colored squares. I can only assume that they don't want you to look at the carpet while you're in the casino!

And by the way, it (the casino) is about three times the size as on the other ships (Lirica, Opera, Armonia and Sinfonia).

Jana

Hi Jana

I was at the christening also. Did you fly in from the US? I came over from the UK - there was a group of about 20 of us from the North. I agree the ship is lovely. The two main dining rooms are great, I love the way they are almost split down the middle to make the rooms seem less vast. The sushi restaurant is fab - we got a sneak preview of some sushi in there - delicious.

I agree the cabins are somewhat more snug than, say, Royal Caribbean with only a chair instead of a settee/sofa. But nonetheless, very well appointed. The furniture on the balconies is lovely and that huge mirror in our cabin was great - you can see what you are wearing (and also what you look like first thing when you wake up -aaarh!) Didn't like the stick to your body shower curtain. It's the first new ship I've been on in a while that didn't have a shower door.

The pools looked great as did all of the public lounges/bars. The theatre was stunning. The kids play area looked good too.

Now I see a lot of criticism being levelled at MSC for their food, but I can honestly say that everything I had was excellent.

Overall, a lovely ship which shouldn't offend anyone.

Hi TJ,

Yes, I knew you were going to be there, I had read it earlier.

There were six Yank writers who went, three from California. It made for a very, very long trip... we left Wednesday, arrived Thursday morning, and barely had time to shower before the sundry events took place.

I was SO GLAD that it cooled off and got less humid before the extravaganza! My "formal attire" is long-sleeved, black and polyester, but the weather cooperated nicely.

I don't mind the small shower; what thrills me is that --unlike every newbuild I have been on in the past two years-- MSC's designers used real tile in the bathroom instead of those pre-molded plastic things. It costs more, it weighs more, it's harder to maintain, and they did it anyway because it's so classy.

My 10x zoom camera did a good job; I'll post some of my pics. Were you able to stay up long enough to see the fireworks? They were fantastic; I got to watch them from my balcony. I can't imagine a stateside display, today, our Independence Day, that's more spectacular.

Jana

Here are photos as we took a shuttle boat to the ship, which was located in the center of Venice. We rounded a curve, and there was the bow of Musica. The second photo shows us getting closer.

Okay, this is a busman's holiday, so to speak :)) -- but I'd love to hear more about the restaurants on board....

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn

Thanks for checking in! (That's "the boss," folks.)

There are four restaurants on board MSC Musica (four and a half if you count the back half of the buffet, which isn't really separate... it just has a different name).

The most impressive is Le Maxim's, a kind-of replica of the French Beaux Arts decor. It's gorgeous, deep crimson chairs and appointments, it looks like a restaurant you'd go to for an anniversary or special occasion. It's located on the main promenade deck, Brilliante, aft of midship. One deck down on Grazioso Deck is L'Oleandro, the other main dining room. It's decorated in tones of golds.

The buffet is large and well laid out. It doesn't use stations but food items seem to be separated by type. There are two sections, Gli Archi, which is the actual cafeteria, and Il Giardino, which at night becomes an a la cart alternate (casual) restaurant. During the day, when the cafeteria is open, you can use the tables in Il Giardino, which is closer to the aft deck.

One interesting difference on this ship compared to MSC's four other contemporary ships (Lirica, Opera, Sinfonia and Armonia) is that the "grill," (hamburgers, hot dogs etc.) is located INSIDE instead of out by the pool.

The sushi restaurant had a private party in it the three times I was able to get to it so I only saw it from the hallway. Maybe TeeJayEss can fill us in, since he was probably one of those "private parties."

Jana

Jana

Thanks for all the useful information.

My husband & I are booked on the Musica for the first week in September. It is our first time with MSC but the mix of a new ship and the itinerary made this a must.

We are both currently trying to learn a bit of Italian before we go, but if we don't get too far will we survive without it?

 

 

 

We are both currently trying to learn a bit of Italian before we go, but if we don't get too far will we survive without it?

Hi A&A,

ABSOLUTELY!

Although the officers are Italian, the crew itself is a mix of nationalities and almost all speak English.

My Italian consists of "grazzi" and "prego." The only place you might have a problem is in the restaurants, where I don't think they will have menus in English during the European sailings. (I'll find out though.) Just ask your waiter to interpret it for you.

(They'll also seat you with other English speakers, by the way, so request that through your TA or when you board. They're really quite accommodating.)

I'm already jealous. Isn't that a to-die-for itinerary?

Jana

Yes, all the menus are in English, no worries there; just occasionally some of the items are not quite translated correctly:)

You're right. I just got a response from MSC. Menus are available in English even on European itineraries.

Ours were in Italian only on the second night of the preview, so I wasn't sure.

Thanks!

Jana

And...A&A, you can going on learning Italian during the Italian lessons on board. This is really fun:D and helps a lot.

They will love it (like all other people from other countries) when you try to speak some words, phrases in Italian.

B.t.w....for all the Indonesian/Malaysian people on board, here are some words, phrases to use for them (they will be very pleased, as they are very sensitive, emotional people, long way/time from home) :

Good morning --- Selemat pagi. (05:00-09:00)

Good day --- Selemat siang. (09:00-16:00)

Good afternoon --- Selemat sore. (16:00-18:00)

Good evening --- Selemat malam. (18:00-midnight)

Eat(ing) --- Makan(an).

Drink(ing) --- Minum(an).

Thank you --- Terima kassih.

Please --- Silakan.

How do you do ? --- Apa kabar ?

I am allright ! --- Kabar baik !.

My name is Henri --- nama saya Henri.

This is my wife/husband -- Ini istri saya/suami saya.

My wifes name is Maria -- Nama istri saya Maria.

What is your name ? --- Nama bapak siapa ?

I come from England/USA -- Saya dari Inggris / Amerika Serikat.

I am Englishman/American -- Saya orang Inggris / orang Amerika.

Goodbye --- Sampai bertemu lagi.

;)

Henri.

Thanks to you all, we are feeling a little better should our progress not be as good as we hope! Particular thanks to Henri, we will practice your phrases as well:)

Hi TJ,

 

Yes, I knew you were going to be there, I had read it earlier.

 

There were six Yank writers who went, three from California. It made for a very, very long trip... we left Wednesday, arrived Thursday morning, and barely had time to shower before the sundry events took place.

 

I was SO GLAD that it cooled off and got less humid before the extravaganza! My "formal attire" is long-sleeved, black and polyester, but the weather cooperated nicely.

 

Were you able to stay up long enough to see the fireworks? They were fantastic; I got to watch them from my balcony. I can't imagine a stateside display, today, our Independence Day, that's more spectacular.

 

Jana

Hi Jana

Yes, I managed to stay up for the fireworks (just!) they were fantastic, but we retired shortly afterwards. The latest of our party stayed up till about 4.30 I think (and still looked healthy the next day).

We were really worried about the weather earlier in the day as it looked like it would rain at one point. Oddly, the British contingent were advised to wear 'business attire' - so our gents, and most of the ladies wore business suits - I just wore a linen dress, and felt a little out of place when mingling.

I wasn't at a private party in the Sushi bar - it was just open. We had a wander inside and the maitre d' said that although the restaurant wasn't officially open, we were welcome to sit and watch the chefs making the sushi which we could then sample!

Le Maxim was definately my favourite of the two main dining rooms, we were told by the MSC rep sat at our table that the higher grade staterooms would get priority at this restaurant and the lower grades would be allocated L'Oleandro - dont know how true that is, but I would definately request Maxim if I was sailing on her.

In answer to a later question, the staff in the restaurant that I spoke to all understood English very well and were very eager to please.

Tracey.

Hello all,

This ( We were told by the MSC rep sat at our table that the higher grade staterooms would get priority at this restaurant and the lower grades would be allocated L'Oleandro - dont know how true that is, but I would definately request Maxim if I was sailing on her ) will probably be the beginning of the "2(or more) -classes system" where leading MCS-ers were talking about lately !!!:confused:

Personally I think this is a bad idea. It begins with apart restaurant, then special entrance for certain bars, to no entrance to 2,3,4 decks.

We all know where this apartheid can lead to !:mad:

It should be a pitty (or much worse) to pay full price and not allowed to use whole ship !!!:eek:

Henri.

Here's a photo of Le Maxim, the restaurant Tracey and I are discussing. The photo makes the chairs and walls look more orange than they actually are, but you get the idea.

Hello all,

 

 

Personally I think this is a bad idea. It begins with apart restaurant, then special entrance for certain bars, to no entrance to 2,3,4 decks.

We all know where this apartheid can lead to !:mad:

 

It should be a pitty (or much worse) to pay full price and not allowed to use whole ship !!!:eek:

 

Henri.

Henri,

I don't think it's going to happen. Maybe on Lirica, with an entire deck of suites, but on all of Musica, there are only 18 suites.

They'd have a hard time sorting out "higher level" cabins anyway. I was on deck 14 forward, right below the suites, and my room is designated a category 8. One of the other American journalists was midship on deck eight, and his cabin is designated category 10. He was jealous of my higher location and I was a little jealous of his mid-ship convenience.

I just don't think it's going to happen.

Jana

Jana

We have booked a category 8 cabin, can you give us a bit more information on what they were like? By the way, thank you for the review, it was excellent.

Alison

Alison,

Thanks for the kind words. For those of you who have not yet seen it, my "sneak preview" has been published in the editorial section of Cruise Critic, http://cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=361. It's not really a review but I'm praying that "the boss," Carolyn Spencer Brown, will assign ME when the time comes to do the full-blown ship review.

Category 8 rooms are small, but adequate. I know that the 10s that two of the journalists in my group had were bigger, with little sofas instead of just a chair (hint: book a room for three, they have the sofas). There were some rooms open for the press to examine, but unfortunately, while I was waiting for my camera batteries to recharge, they (the rooms) were locked up again. Very frustrating to me.

My only real complaint (if you can call it that) is that the desk/vanity area in my room was miniscule. Remember, though, that I am working on these trips, and need room for my laptop, camera, battery charger, notepads and reference material that the cruiseline hands out. Not everyone has the same requirement for space.

Here are two photos that I took of my room. Sorry about the lighting in the first one, but you will probably get the idea.

Jana

Jana

Thanks very much for the descriptions and the photographs, and Carolyn, I really think that you should get Jana to do the full review!:D

Jana

 

Carolyn, I really think that you should get Jana to do the full review!:D

ME TOO! ME TOO! ME TOO!