LONG Review of Orchestra Review 2/21 Sailing - GREAT CRUISE!

We just returned from the 2/21 Western Caribbean ORCHESTRA cruise. We had a great time!

This is my review and my opinion. We are a married couple 38 and 41 years old - NO KIDS. We have been on 40 cruises. We have been on every cruise major cruise line with the majority being Celebrity. The majority of the cruises have been to the Caribbean and Europe. I am also a travel agent and the main reason we tried MSC is to be more knowledgeable on the brand. We love Europe and Italy and their culture.

Here is what is important to us: Warm weather, good pool area, good drinks, good entertainment, good service, a clean ship with modern amenities. We enjoy good food but we feel getting a tan and enjoying the outside deck is more important than gorging at a buffet, we could all use to lose a few pounds. We also like to disconnect from the real world, no emails, no blackberry, and no phone. We don’t sweat the small stuff and we don’t let little things or other’s attitude ruin the fun of our cruise. We are also NON-smokers and cigarette smoke bothers me.

To be honest, I failed above and I let the prior reviews get to me and was insecure about our upcoming vacation. I was VERY nervous. We enjoy talking to the staff and getting to know them. While onboard I brought up the bad reviews and the management knew exactly what I was talking about. They said they printed out all of the emails and made copies for the staff to read. The first 4 cruises were “misses”, they understand that and it was EXTREMELY unfortunate. It was a domino effect of many problems. I am happy to say that we had no issues and had a great cruise. My review may be long but I wanted to answer as many questions up front as possible.

Here is the review of ship and day to day account of our cruise…..

Weather – SUNNY and 80 Degrees each day.

2/21 – Embarkation

We arrived at FLL airport at 11 am. We had nothing to do so we went to the ship hoping to get on prior to the 4pm boarding time. We arrived at the Terminal 4 at 11:45 and were on board and in our room by 12:30pm.

2/22 – Key West

We arrived at 7 am and left at 2 pm. We had been to Key West 5 times so we decided to sleep in and hang by the pool. It was great; we had the ship all to ourselves.

2/23- Cozumel

We arrived at 9 am in DOWNTOWN. The pier is VERY long but they now have “rickshaw” (sp?) for $3 they will take you from the gangway to the pier exit. We have been to Cozumel 12 times so we slept in then went to town for an authentic lunch at PANCHOS BACKYARD

2/24 – Grand Cayman

We arrived at 10 am. We had to get tender tickets at 8:30. We were ticket number 2 and were on land by 10:15. We wanted a lazy day at 7 Mile Beach so we found a shuttle for $5 person to the Royal Palms Beach. Great Beach! Clean and cute beachside café. AWESOME Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwiches and believe it or not, the best pepperoni pizza in the Caribbean. We came back to the ship at 3 pm.

2/25 – At sea

2/26 – Cayo Levantado

We arrived at 8 am and they changed departure to 2 pm. We don’t know why but we didn’t care either. We had to get up at 6:30 am to get tender tickets. We were ashore at 8:30 and a tropical storm came and washed the island away. We sat at a bar and drank Pina Coladas and by 11 am the storm was gone and it was a perfect beach day. Everything is extra at Cayo. Beach Chairs are $3, Drinks are $5 – Lobster Lunch is $20.

The Scenery is gorgeous but you share the beach with NCL and PRINCESS and it was very crowded.

2/27 – At sea

2/28 – Disemabarkation

We decided to try self assist exit. WOW! That is fast! We were off the ship by 7 am and in cab for a 9 am flight. So convenient! They DO NOT HELP WITH LUGGAGE so be prepared to carry your own bags.

Room – Category 7 – AFT BALCONY CABIN – FLAUTO DECK

The room is VERY small. In Europe the hotel rooms are even smaller so we knew what to expect. The room was very tastefully decorated, modern and clean. We had 4 pillows on our bed and we always had wash cloths and towels. It was an AFT balcony. YES the back of the ship VIBRATES! WOW! Once again, I am on a ship and I did not design it, I chose to travel this way and I wasn’t going to complain about it. If you are a light sleeper, try to change your cabin prior as our ship was 100% full. The TV has 3 English channels, TNT, CNN and a pay movie station. That’s it. I didn’t come on the ship to watch TV so I could care less. Yes, we could access our onboard account and it was always correct. Another nice feature is that you can book your Shore Excursions via the television as well. But, I would recommend that you book them prior to the cruise because the good ones sell out very quickly.

Yes, there was Room Service; the menu is in the Blue Guestbook in desk drawer. The Room Service extension is 2871 and someone always answered and our food was delivered in 10 minutes or less and for free. Limited menu. When you walk into the room on the wall is slot for your key, it works the electricity and air-conditioning in the room. It also activates a light for your steward to know if you are in the room. It is wonderful, our steward was a mystery to us, she was so cute when we met her on the first day and we saw her on the last day. She was great and elusive. They also delivered a fresh fruit basket each day.

We were off to explore the rest of the ship. WOW! It is gorgeous, by far the most beautifully decorated ship. It was also SPOTLESS. It was the cleanest ship we have ever been on. They take pride in their ship and it shows. We are still talking about how clean it was. Yes, there are hand sanitizers everywhere. One side of the ship is smoking but we were shocked by how little we noticed. We even laughed about always sitting in the smoking section and not noticing the smoke, great ventilation.

Public Rooms:

All of the bars are huge and have plenty of seating. Each day we found a new bar to explore and people watch. The Savannah Bar was our favorite with great flow and lighting. The disco is so futuristic but it was never used until 12 am each night. The disco hosts the teen group prior to midnight.

Spa:

The Body and Mind Spa is huge! We did use the gym daily and you did not have to make a reservation. You do have to sign a waiver to use the equipment. The spa prices are VERY expensive with limited specials. A 60 minute massage is $140. The indoor Jacuzzis are peaceful and quiet and the steam is like a Turkish bath. The staff is from BALI.

The Pool.

The pool area is gorgeous but tight. It is more appropriate for a ship of 2000. At sea days it can be VERY crowed and cramped but at 10 am, we always found 2 chairs in a prime location. I love the sun chairs, each has a mini-awning to block the sun from your head if needed. For a very special place to relax and break from the crowds, find the disco and go out the back door there is a secluded deck that nobody goes to and you sleep and relax like never before under the warm sun.

The Dining Room

We were assigned to a table for 2, late seating (8pm) in Villa Borgese. It was very loud, but in Europe, dining is a social hour. Every table was laughing and having a good time.

L’Ibiscus is a much more gorgeous dining room. Most of the tables are booths and very tight.

The Atrium is beautiful and stands 3 floors. It has a gorgeous lighted wall, spiral staircases and center stage for rotating entertainment.The shops are great with great selection of goods. Their prices were pretty competitive and very reasonable. There are 7 shops. The internet café has 16 computers and I never saw anyone use it. It was $5 per 10 minutes.

The Gelato Bar – it was like a cute sidewalk café in Italy. They had special menus and the quality of gelato was fabulous. It was only $2. Some people think this should be included, but I disagree. This is homemade gelato, not frozen powdered soft serve. It is hand crafted with unusual flavors. Worth every penny of the $2!

The Buffet area –

The area is beautiful with gorgeous floor to ceiling glass windows the views of the ocean are breathtaking. The sunsets are unreal from this area. It is VERY confusing in design. There 6 different buffets / Salad Bars and each have different food. 4 buffets are very European and the food selections resemble a sidewalk deli in Italy or Croatia. The other buffets are more American with standard American fare. Keep walking around, I bet you find things you can eat. For good seating, go ALL the way in the back, as far as you can go, there was always a table for us.

The Entertainment / Theater –

The MSC Orchestra has by far the BEST shows at sea. Each night was dazzling and sometimes sexy. Don’t miss…A Night in Paris, Circusland, and Singing under the Moon. The costumes, sound and lighting were incredible. The Theater is gorgeous too. We also LOVED the “ EXCELLENT ENTERTAINMENT” TEAM. They always scream that! There were 8 of them and they were in charge of all the daily activities. They were always funny, always on time and always a riot. They are very funny so make sure you see them in action by the pool or in the lounges. We miss them already. We love them hiding in the trees or behind lamps and scaring passengers as they walk by. I laughed so hard I was crying!

The ship had great energy and each bar had different entertainment. Each bar had a different vibe. There was ALWAYS something going on.

Service –

We read stories that the staff was rude or “stared”. We found them very unobtrusive. We found them always happy and willing to do whatever. They don’t push drinks in your face, they don’t stand around and do nothing. They are always cleaning or organizing. The staff is 60% Indonesian and 30% Bulgarian and 10% Italian. The Indonesians are cute and sweet. They always asked how we were and if we were having a good day. I find Bulgarians to be very formal. They don’t speak unless spoken to and very robotic. I think it is a cultural thing, but when I smiled and asked how they were doing they were very nice and shocked that I cared. I loved the Italian staff and their style. They are very professional, and look good doing it. Most staff can speak more than one language. I never encountered any staff member that did not know what I was talking about. MSC does not do things in excess. If you don’t see something or need something, ASK. They always got what we needed with pleasure.

The Food – We were never hungry! It appears people that complained are ones that don’t like try new things or are stuck in their ways. We saw one passenger complaining they had no chicken fingers. Embarrassing! MSC is Italian so order what they are known for..Pastas, Rissottos. We were always satisfied. For Example…you don’t order a Hot Dog in a Sushi restaurant.

Breakfast - Food was always hot, we loved the sliced ham. Breakfast in the dining room was super fast and always hot. Hours 7 am – 11 am.

Lunch – Great salad bar with fresh items, Great hamburgers, skip the pizza (advice for later) 12 pm – 3 pm

Iced Tea – It was fabulous and FREE. It was available from 7 am – 9 pm. The glasses are also huge at 10 oz. LOVED IT! Yes, they had Sweet n’ Low, Equal and Splenda.

PIZZERIA – 5 pm to 9pm each night – this is not the same pizza at lunch time. There is an older Italian male making pizza pies from scratch and singing opera music. We loved it so much we skipped dinner in the restaurant 2 nights. What other ship can you eat amazing pizza from scratch with views of Cuba out the window while the chef is singing opera music. It was awesome and there was NO CHARGE

Dinner – Service was a little slow. Our food was always hot and salads were always crisp but our poor waiter had 6 tables. Dinners took 90 -120 minutes. We enjoyed each others company and were not in a rush to go anywhere so we could care less.

The Wine Bar – this bar is beautiful and they serve you Italian antipasto appetizers while sipping wine.

Coffee – the coffee was great in all bars, cappuccinos and espressos were fabulous as well.

Shanghai – We ate here 2 times. The food was amazing. Service was very formal and the vibe of the room is very quiet. We did Stir Fry dishes one night and we did Dim Sum with 8 different items another day. Our bill was $35 for both of us, both times.

In the end, we were sad to leave the Orchestra. We had a great time! We feel that the passengers that complain should direct it to their Travel Agent and not MSC. Travel Agents should educate their customers on the product. MSC should not change. Some passengers who book online with no agent advice and have no clue what type of ship they are going on and do no research. We already have a Carnival, and a Princess and Celebrity, etc. I appreciated almost every aspect of our cruise and I enjoyed the customer base. The passengers were 50 % Italian, 20 % French, 10% German, 10% Spanish and 10% American. We enjoyed meeting people from around the world, seeing their fashion style, hearing their languages and embracing their culture if it was only for a week but would have loved it forever.

UGGH..my hand is asleep. Did I miss anything? LOL!

Thanks for sharing. Your opinion of the ship & cruise seems to closely mirror ours.

Looking forward to our next one...

Wow... thank you for the wonderful review of the Orchestra. We are sailing on April 18Th.

Glad to hear you had an amazing time, sad to know we won't be travelling on this ship anymore due to conflicts with our schedule. Hope the Lirica will be as beautiful as the Orchestra.

Thanks very much for your well-written review. We are sailing 3/21 and are thrilled to read about your experience. We were on the Opera for a week in 2005 and you hit on many of the attributes that made us fall in love with MSC.

MSC is a special cruise line and I believe they fill a niche in the US market that will attract those that may not otherwise choose to cruise. I know of many people that have never cruised due to the idea they have that cruising is like a hokey, all-you-can-eat buffet with nothing but the "over fed, the newly wed, and the nearly dead".

Thanks for your review. I am really looking forward to ours in 1 week:D

Thank you! Your review was wonderful- well thought out, honest and to the point. I, as a fellow TA, completely appreciate your view point and the things you have mentioned about the ship are exactly what I have told my friends and clients about MSC......even though I do not sail until April! I was fortunate enough to have been a part of the January TA overnight tour and it left me wanting more! I am so excited about my upcoming April 4th cruise! Thanks again for sharing!

~Debbie

Thank you so much for taking the time to reassure us future cruisers! Your detailed and articulate review was amazing!! You should consider going into the field of Mass Communications and work for a publication that deals with reviews! Thank you!!

Sure puts a little more into perspective than those "Hillbillies" from Ohio complaining about the lack of Catsup and running out of "Miwaukee's Best" beer.......

The passengers were 50 % Italian, 20 % French, 10% German, 10% Spanish and 10% American.

 

Thank you - your review was exceptionally helpful.

But that statistic seems unlikely. 9 Europeans to every American, and no Canadians, on a cruise out of Lauderdale ???

Thanks for the great review! It relieved some, no, make that ALL of the angst we felt after reading the early reviews of the ship. We sail March 7 with our son, his wife and our 4 year old granddaughter! Looking forward to a great time.

Thank you - your review was exceptionally helpful.

 

But that statistic seems unlikely. 9 Europeans to every American, and no Canadians, on a cruise out of Lauderdale ???

Hi Rumball

I apologize, I meant to say French Canadian. We met lots of fun people from Montreal. It made us wanting to visit that city very soon.

Does that help?

YEA!! I like the above posters am very thrilled regarding your review! I was waiting for it all night last night!!

I would like to ask if the tendering to Cayo was good? Where the boats rough? Our dd is recovering with a broken arm, and I am hoping for no bounce... also was there any snorkeling at Cayo?

Thanks-

Thank you for a wonderful review of your cruise. You definitely have helped ease our minds a lot. I am happy to hear you had a wonderful time.

We are first time cruisers so I do have a couple questions for you. Sorry - hope you don't mind.

1) Are all guests (including teenagers) dressed in pants every evening -- did you see any in shorts? (My son is not thrilled with being on vacation and having to put pants on and dress up!)

2) What do you mean by having to get a tender ticket? Do you have to get on another boat to get to the port?

Thank you so much for your help - greatly appreciated.:)

Sure puts a little more into perspective than those "Hillbillies" from Ohio complaining about the lack of Catsup and running out of "Miwaukee's Best" beer.......

Not all people from Ohio are hillbillies!

The Body and Mind Spa is huge! We did use the gym daily and you did not have to make a reservation. You do have to sign a waiver to use the equipment. The spa prices are VERY expensive with limited specials. A 60 minute massage is $140. The indoor Jacuzzis are peaceful and quiet and the steam is like a Turkish bath. The staff is from BALI.

Are there charges to use the indoor jacuzzis or the steam room?

I really enjoyed your review...thanks for taking the time to share your opinions & experience!

Did they show any movies on the poolside movie screen?? Thanks!

Here we go.....

1. There is no charge for steam room and jacuzzis, go to the spa receptoon desk, give them your room key and they will give you a key to a locker in the men's or womens dressing room.

2. The big screen does not play movies, it plays MSC commercials all day and night - VERY annoying - bring your IPOD with Videos if possible if you want to watch movies/videos outside

3. I am from Ohio and they are not hilbillies, I never said that

4. In order to go ashore in Grand Cayman and Cayo Lev, you need to get tickets for the tender. 800 people per hour can go ashore, the boat carries 2800 people. It takes about 3.5 hours to get everyone off. If you want ALLOT of land time make sure you are the first to get tender tickets.

We were first off in both places. We got out tickets at 8:30 am in Grand Cayman and 6:30 am in Cayo Lev. You get them at the shore excurson desk on the day of arrival

5. The tender was smooth in Cayo, even in the storm.

6. There is not good snorkeling in Cayo because is all white sand with no shallow coral reef. The real snorkeling is out in the deep far from shore. The beach is gorgeous.....the water is clear. The beach chairs are DIRTY.

Yes, pants are required for dining room. SHHHHHHH, don't tell anyone- we wore fashionable designer jeans on casual nights. 2 nights we didn't feel like going to dinner so we wore shorts and ate in the pizzeria on deck 13

Sounds like MSC has gotten the message.

Are you so arrogant that you think they changed for you? NO! It has been my pleasure to sail on the nicest ship I have ever sailed on and service spendid and food wonderful, Like the op of this review, nothing has compared to our trip on Orchestra. I think AMericans are going on and understanding there is a difference and instead of whining and asking for the same things (that I left the cookie cutter lines for) they are welcoming and understanding differences. NO cruise line is going to change for its passengers. If you do not want what they have, go somewhere else.I think it is the jobof each passenger to understand what they are getting when they book a cruise. I loved our cruise so much(even with the 1300 complainers from the superbowl..ugh!)that we booked on Poesia for 10 days in Nov. I miss everything we experienced on MSC Orchestra and cannot imagine how people can complain. The beauty, the wonderful staff, the fantastic shows that took our breath away night after night, and the charming staff of the entertainment staff;11 of them, made our vacation a trip to remember and to cherish.

If anyone wants me to share info on Poesia, pls email me. I have some great info to pass along if you are looking at sailing on Nov 30, 2009.

I am total agreement of Johnken's review. I was going to write my own review but I had pretty much the same experience so thought I would just add some of my comments since I was with 2 children and wife.

We did not arrive to the airport till 330pm and was on the ship and in the cabin within 1 hour. I took a taxi with 4 people and the cab fare was 15.00.

No problems getting on the ship and was escorted to our room on Deck 5.

Once on the ship we hit the buffet on Deck13. Deck 13 is the spot for food. There is food on this deck all day at least till 9pm. The left side always had hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and fish. The end of the buffet changed everyday so we always would check it out. The right side always had pizza and at night the pizza was hand tossed and specialty pizza. (Excellant!!!)

My children feel in love with the Kids Programs. Francesa is the kids director and she has a team of 3 other workers. They are awesome and take special care of children. You can sign them in or allow them to go on their own. I decided to sign them in but by day 3 felt safe to let them come and go. My children are both 9 and I must admit they enjoyed going to the programs than being with the parents. On sea days they played savenger hunts, visited the bridge and captain, olympic pool games, dodge ball, basketball, minigolf, video games, movies and much more. During the evenings after dinner they also had activities for the children and took them to the shows. There were a small amount of children on board. I would estimate 50-75 children from ages 5-12 but only 15-20 in their group most of the time. I am not sure about the teenagers as they had a separate director.

The only problem we had on the ship the entire week was tendering in Grand Cayman. I woke up at 7am and went to get my Tender Ticket. I had Tender Ticket 2 and was told to be ready between 1030-1045. The announcement was made for Tender tickets 1,2, 3, 4 to exit on Deck 5 and once this happened 500 people overcrowed Deck 5 causing a major line. This lasted for approx 1 hour and I saw and heard alot of pushing and shoving as the tender boats were small and people were not being patient. We finally made it off the boat around 1115-1130. I made a complaint to the front desk and was advised they called to many numbers in error and this would be corrected.

On Day 6 we purchased the excursion for horseback riding and the waterfall in Samona. MSc sent one of the crew members with us and had us off the ship at 745am before any other groups. Kinda of felt like VIP as the first boat off and not just a normal boat. This boat was a open speed boat that flew across the Bay to the Samona. I can add any details if anyone is interested and send pictures of the waterfall. IT was amazing.

NO problems with this cruise. Never had any issues and the price for two adults with 2 free children can not be matched by any other cruise line. Gotta go for now but we will also respond to this tread if any questions re children or what I did in Key West, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

I am so glad that you decided to post. Each traveler has a different experience and has something unique to offer. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and that of your children. You are about the 3rd one to say the children were taken to the bridge and to see the captain. How awesome is that?!?? Thanks again!

~Debbie

Thank you so much for your review. We very recently booked the 4/18 cruise even after reading the first poor reviews. We took everything into consideration and decided to judge for ourselves. Your review confirmed what we were thinking. Everything you said applied to our philosophy on cruising. Thanks again

On Day 6 we purchased the excursion for horseback riding and the waterfall in Samona. MSc sent one of the crew members with us and had us off the ship at 745am before any other groups. Kinda of felt like VIP as the first boat off and not just a normal boat. This boat was a open speed boat that flew across the Bay to the Samona. I can add any details if anyone is interested and send pictures of the waterfall. IT was amazing.

Hi cxp0104...I would love any other details you can provide about the horseback riding/waterfall tour- especially regarding:

*what time did you get back to the ship?

*were you able to be dropped off at Cayo on the way back?

*how many people were in the group on the way to the falls?

*were there guides/paradas w/ each horse? If not, then 1 guide per how many people?

*did you have to wear the rubber boots & helmets?

*did your kids have any troubles w/ the horses on the paths or climbing back up from the falls to the horses?

Thanks so much for the information...glad you enjoyed your cruise!!