Children on the MSC Magnifica

[drblue]

We are travelling on the MSC Magnifica in January 2011. I am looking for parents who recently travelled on this ship to provide some practical information regarding children facilities and programs (food menus, the kids club, games on board, activities for kids, etc).

 

1. What did you all think of the experience onthe Magnifica?

2. Were the staff attentive to children?

3. Did they organize activites for them, or just let them play at the kid's club?

4. Any suggestions for the Main Dining Room? THey do not have a cassual option for dinner.

 

Thank you.

[drblue]

We are travelling on the MSC Magnifica in January 2011. I am looking for parents who recently travelled on this ship to provide some practical information regarding children facilities and programs (food menus, the kids club, games on board, activities for kids, etc).

 

1. What did you all think of the experience onthe Magnifica?

2. Were the staff attentive to children?

3. Did they organize activites for them, or just let them play at the kid's club?

4. Any suggestions for the Main Dining Room? THey do not have a cassual option for dinner.

 

Thank you.

Oops. I forget ot mention that our boy is 3.5 years old.

So, any RECENT information will be appreciated.

[Love2TravelEurope]

We just returned last night from our cruise, and I regret to inform you that we were terribly disappointed. Our kids, ages 7 and 4, were bored out of their minds while on the ship, they cancelled half of our ports of call, and there was literally nothing for the kids to do. They closed the pools and hot tubs, and the kids club was considered "punishment" to my 4 yr old--the mere mention of going there brought him to tears. There were a handful of children's books in the library, but when I took my kids there, the librarian told us to be quiet, even though I was whispering to them. The ports we did make were cut short (in Egypt we were called and told to return 2 hrs early as the captain wanted to get out of there, and in Israel we were supposed to arrive at 7 a.m. but didn't arrive until after 1 p.m., and couldn't disembark until after 2), we didn't go to Rhodes, Cyprus, or Dubrovnik, and didn't arrive in Trieste until 7 p.m. but weren't allowed off the ship until after 8, and departed at midnight, which didn't work at all for our kids.

The kid's club was not always open, and they only had on a movie in Italian with no activities for the kids to do. Our friends' kids went one afternoon, and said it was "the worst hour of my life" (ages 6 and 9).

The dining room had a kids menu, but it was pretty limited to the typical kid menu of hamburgers, pizza, spaghetti, etc. Our friend's daughter said she "likes pizza but not every day". Unfortunately there is no other opportunity to dine in the evening, so the kids had to endure a long dinner in the dining room. They would order off of the adult menu because they were sick of eating the same thing. The buffet had the same food for every breakfast. If you want pancakes, you must go to the sit down restaurant for breakfast (this is my daughter's favorite breakfast food, but she only ate it once on board because they were terrible).

It was a lifesaver to have our Ipods with us so they could watch a podcast/play a game. We also had brought our own books/colored pencils, notebooks, etc, so that was what occupied our children's time. There was a small outdoor play area, but it was so wet and windy that it was not usable most of the time.

I would highly recommend that you arrange your own excursions if you haven't already. The only saving grace to this cruise was that we did our own excursions in Egypt and Israel, which were the highlights of our trip, though in Israel we were unable to go to Jerusalem as planned because of our super late arrival. (The people that did the cruise excursions in these 2 ports were incredibly disappointed--they had 15 minutes at the pyramids and 15 minutes in Jerusalem--not exactly what anyone had in mind, especially after the long bus rides they endured). We ended up going to see the sights around Haifa, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and the Jordan River, and though it was extrememly rushed to do this, we were at least able to see some things of interest instead of the inside of a bus. The pyramids and Egyptian museum were fabulous, and the kids loved that! They were exhausted by the end of the day, but said it was their favorite day of the cruise.

I would never sail with MSC again, and plan to write to them, my travel agent, and post a review on this site and trip advisor. It wasn't just our family that was disappointed--there was nearly a mutany on board, all nationalities were outraged at the poor service, lack of ports, and lack of entertainment on board. I met numerous English speaking and German speaking people who were all incredibly frustrated, threatening law suits, and absolutely appalled by the service.

There was a small "bowling alley" on board, but after we put in our token (4 euro to play 5 frames), the ball never came--when we asked to get our money back, they just gave us another token. Thanks for nothing--just what I need, another token for a broken game.

We played Bingo out of desperation for something to do, but it was outrageously expensive--40 euro for the 4 of us to play for 30 minutes.

There were smokers everywhere, and our friends' cabin had a smoker next door and the smoke would come into their room every day.

The cruise staff in the dining room and that took care of our cabin were great, very kind and helpful, but the rest of the staff was not. We had to beg for information about when and where we were going to be in port, they didn't tell us anything when we would ask, and didn't give very helpful advice or accurate information. This isn't necessarily the information desk staff's fault--they might not have been given info themselves--but they were never apologetic or willing to try to get information. Our dining room server said that everyone on the ship was angry and frustrated by the "terrible cruise".

I would highly discourage anyone from taking this cruise with MSC--it was a terrible experience, and it was without a doubt the biggest waste of time and money ever. I never paid so much money to sleep and read books in my life--I would have rather stayed home, and I am an avid traveler! Especially with children it was challenging--so make sure you bring plenty of things to entertain your child. We had a Leapster, Ipods, books, and paper/colored pencils. Also, be forewarned, the pools are icy cold seawater, so that won't last long for the little ones. Even the "kids pool" was freezing cold. Bring along goggles and floats/swimmies/life jacket as the water is deep in the pools as well, and my kids didn't like the salt water in their eyes. Granted, the pool was closed most of our cruise, but they did use it when it was open--just not for long, it was too cold. There were only 57 children total on our sailing, so maybe that is why there was nothing for them to do, but it was disappointing to say the least. There was nothing for the adults to do, either, so I guess that is par for the course.

I truly hope that you have a better experience! Good luck! If I knew then what I know now, I would have cancelled my cruise and just flown to Egypt and Israel on my own--it would have been far more enjoyable!

[drblue]

We just returned last night from our cruise, and I regret to inform you that we were terribly disappointed. Our kids, ages 7 and 4, were bored out of their minds while on the ship, they cancelled half of our ports of call, and there was literally nothing for the kids to do. They closed the pools and hot tubs, and the kids club was considered "punishment" to my 4 yr old--the mere mention of going there brought him to tears. There were a handful of children's books in the library, but when I took my kids there, the librarian told us to be quiet, even though I was whispering to them. The ports we did make were cut short (in Egypt we were called and told to return 2 hrs early as the captain wanted to get out of there, and in Israel we were supposed to arrive at 7 a.m. but didn't arrive until after 1 p.m., and couldn't disembark until after 2), we didn't go to Rhodes, Cyprus, or Dubrovnik, and didn't arrive in Trieste until 7 p.m. but weren't allowed off the ship until after 8, and departed at midnight, which didn't work at all for our kids.

The kid's club was not always open, and they only had on a movie in Italian with no activities for the kids to do. Our friends' kids went one afternoon, and said it was "the worst hour of my life" (ages 6 and 9).

The dining room had a kids menu, but it was pretty limited to the typical kid menu of hamburgers, pizza, spaghetti, etc. Our friend's daughter said she "likes pizza but not every day". Unfortunately there is no other opportunity to dine in the evening, so the kids had to endure a long dinner in the dining room. They would order off of the adult menu because they were sick of eating the same thing. The buffet had the same food for every breakfast. If you want pancakes, you must go to the sit down restaurant for breakfast (this is my daughter's favorite breakfast food, but she only ate it once on board because they were terrible).

It was a lifesaver to have our Ipods with us so they could watch a podcast/play a game. We also had brought our own books/colored pencils, notebooks, etc, so that was what occupied our children's time. There was a small outdoor play area, but it was so wet and windy that it was not usable most of the time.

I would highly recommend that you arrange your own excursions if you haven't already. The only saving grace to this cruise was that we did our own excursions in Egypt and Israel, which were the highlights of our trip, though in Israel we were unable to go to Jerusalem as planned because of our super late arrival. (The people that did the cruise excursions in these 2 ports were incredibly disappointed--they had 15 minutes at the pyramids and 15 minutes in Jerusalem--not exactly what anyone had in mind, especially after the long bus rides they endured). We ended up going to see the sights around Haifa, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and the Jordan River, and though it was extrememly rushed to do this, we were at least able to see some things of interest instead of the inside of a bus. The pyramids and Egyptian museum were fabulous, and the kids loved that! They were exhausted by the end of the day, but said it was their favorite day of the cruise.

I would never sail with MSC again, and plan to write to them, my travel agent, and post a review on this site and trip advisor. It wasn't just our family that was disappointed--there was nearly a mutany on board, all nationalities were outraged at the poor service, lack of ports, and lack of entertainment on board. I met numerous English speaking and German speaking people who were all incredibly frustrated, threatening law suits, and absolutely appalled by the service.

There was a small "bowling alley" on board, but after we put in our token (4 euro to play 5 frames), the ball never came--when we asked to get our money back, they just gave us another token. Thanks for nothing--just what I need, another token for a broken game.

We played Bingo out of desperation for something to do, but it was outrageously expensive--40 euro for the 4 of us to play for 30 minutes.

There were smokers everywhere, and our friends' cabin had a smoker next door and the smoke would come into their room every day.

The cruise staff in the dining room and that took care of our cabin were great, very kind and helpful, but the rest of the staff was not. We had to beg for information about when and where we were going to be in port, they didn't tell us anything when we would ask, and didn't give very helpful advice or accurate information. This isn't necessarily the information desk staff's fault--they might not have been given info themselves--but they were never apologetic or willing to try to get information. Our dining room server said that everyone on the ship was angry and frustrated by the "terrible cruise".

I would highly discourage anyone from taking this cruise with MSC--it was a terrible experience, and it was without a doubt the biggest waste of time and money ever. I never paid so much money to sleep and read books in my life--I would have rather stayed home, and I am an avid traveler! Especially with children it was challenging--so make sure you bring plenty of things to entertain your child. We had a Leapster, Ipods, books, and paper/colored pencils. Also, be forewarned, the pools are icy cold seawater, so that won't last long for the little ones. Even the "kids pool" was freezing cold. Bring along goggles and floats/swimmies/life jacket as the water is deep in the pools as well, and my kids didn't like the salt water in their eyes. Granted, the pool was closed most of our cruise, but they did use it when it was open--just not for long, it was too cold. There were only 57 children total on our sailing, so maybe that is why there was nothing for them to do, but it was disappointing to say the least. There was nothing for the adults to do, either, so I guess that is par for the course.

I truly hope that you have a better experience! Good luck! If I knew then what I know now, I would have cancelled my cruise and just flown to Egypt and Israel on my own--it would have been far more enjoyable!

Thank you for your clear explanations and opinions. This is exactly what I needed to hear. After you rsuggestions, I am definitely taking many items to entertain my son (ipod, portable DVD player, leapster, and coloring books).

SERVICE. Too bad about the service, but it seems to be a common complaint. I hope they at least did not charge you the daily service charge.

EXCURSIONS. As far as excursions goes, I only booked independent excursions in Haifa and Alexandria. We've been to the pyramids already, so I booked a short excursion of Alexandria alone. The rest of hte ports, we plan on doing them on our own. So, we'll see how that turns out.

POOLS. I am glad you told me about the cold and salty pools. I most likely will not let my son use them, not in January anyways.

You are offereing confirmation of my fears about this cruiseship line. I only hope that it turns out a little bit better. I was initially attracted by the itinerary, and not the cruise company itself. I will also post a review when I come back. I think it is importatnt to express a point of view of parents because this crusieline sells itself as family friendly, and it does not seem to remotely compare to other major cruiselines that promote similar experiences.

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

What was the reason for cancelling all the ports of call? Maybe it was the weather? RCCL's Brilliance Of The Seas experienced a terrible storm in excactly the same area as you were sailing. The result was a lot of damage onboard as well as passenger injuries. If the weather was the reason for the early departure in Egypt you should be happy because the RCCL passengers had a terrible night.

[drblue]

What was the reason for cancelling all the ports of call? Maybe it was the weather? RCCL's Brilliance Of The Seas experienced a terrible storm in excactly the same area as you were sailing. The result was a lot of damage onboard as well as passenger injuries. If the weather was the reason for the early departure in Egypt you should be happy because the RCCL passengers had a terrible night.

It sounds as if there were rough seas around that part of the world. However, I guess passengers can become even more irritated when they do not receive any information regarding their condition that is obviously out of their control. This is when customer service skills become important, which do not seem to be MSC's forte.

[Norwegian Cruiser 73]

It sounds as if there were rough seas around that part of the world. However, I guess passengers can become even more irritated when they do not receive any information regarding their condition that is obviously out of their control. This is when customer service skills become important, which do not seem to be MSC's forte.

 

If there is no information there is no information to give the passengers. Some passengers demand information before decisions have been made. Just look at some "Snowy" airports in Europe theese days, same problem.

[Capricruiser]

My immediate question when reading Love2travel's report was "what caused the captain to cancel all those port stops?" The obvious answer though had to be sea & climatic conditions. If the sea is too rough (as it frequently is in winter) to enter a port, the captain's decision to cancel is sacrosanct and in the best interests of the safety of his passengers. Rough seas also mean the ship has to sail slower, at the expense of her programmed itinerary. I was on a January cruise aboard the MSC Splendida last year when we couldn't enter the port of Alexandria due to gale winds and high seas. Certainly disappointing to all those planning on excursions to Cairo but I'd rather be safe than sorry as the saying goes.

I don't have kids but I sympathize with her. Wintertime cruises aren't for everyone, especially the little guys. Regarding the cold water pools, I think only the most courageous northerners would undress and attempt to swim at that time of year!

[woodofpine]

Hey drblue... We've passed notes before.

 

I am always skeptical of 'carte blanche' denunications like love2's. I don't doubt they were disappointed - given the seas and port cancellations, etc. But a 'for example' basis of my skepticism is the complaint of the children's menue and that the kids ended up ordering off the adult menue. How is the experience complained different from virtually every cruise line. They have no evening buffet - that's a given. Kid's menues everywhere are limited to what kids eat repititiously - then they order some from the adult menue. On MSC, I thought the kid's menue was interesting in that it had a few things that euro-kids go for that US kids may not have tried (as well as the international classics, MSC's kid's menue had slightly bigger selection than HAL's for instance). That is one kid oriented example of love2's 'my cup runneth over' with derision. On our cruise, the MDR servers were pretty flexible in catering to kids.

 

BUT - My kids are older now (11 and up) and they don't need or use the club's much. I heard disappointing comments from an english couple concerning the kids club. It wouldn't surprise me. If catering to multi-lingual multi-cultural adults is tough, imagine the difficulty in doing a kids club in 3+ languages (receipe for boredom). Kids clubs are one of the trickier and comparatively newer offerings in cruising (as in 10-20 years) and MSC is still playing catch up in some areas - this being one - a product area they face greater challenges in. I would take the cruise planning zero reliance on the kids club, then if is helps out having it from time to time so much the better.

 

I'm not trying to be an MSC apologist here - just a suggestion as to what you'll likely face. BTW after Magnifica in March-April, my tribe did HAL Ryndam (the 'anchor's away' voyage) over Thankgiving. HAL's dining was definately a notch or two or three above Magnifica (IMHO); but I wouldn't trade that MSC cruise - great itinerary (and I'd say MDR dining and other hotel service between the lines was pretty comparable standard overall).

 

You must be getting excited - hope you have a great cruise.

[drblue]

Hey drblue... We've passed notes before.

 

I am always skeptical of 'carte blanche' denunications like love2's. I don't doubt they were disappointed - given the seas and port cancellations, etc. But a 'for example' basis of my skepticism is the complaint of the children's menue and that the kids ended up ordering off the adult menue. How is the experience complained different from virtually every cruise line. They have no evening buffet - that's a given. Kid's menues everywhere are limited to what kids eat repititiously - then they order some from the adult menue. On MSC, I thought the kid's menue was interesting in that it had a few things that euro-kids go for that US kids may not have tried (as well as the international classics, MSC's kid's menue had slightly bigger selection than HAL's for instance). That is one kid oriented example of love2's 'my cup runneth over' with derision. On our cruise, the MDR servers were pretty flexible in catering to kids.

 

BUT - My kids are older now (11 and up) and they don't need or use the club's much. I heard disappointing comments from an english couple concerning the kids club. It wouldn't surprise me. If catering to multi-lingual multi-cultural adults is tough, imagine the difficulty in doing a kids club in 3+ languages (receipe for boredom). Kids clubs are one of the trickier and comparatively newer offerings in cruising (as in 10-20 years) and MSC is still playing catch up in some areas - this being one - a product area they face greater challenges in. I would take the cruise planning zero reliance on the kids club, then if is helps out having it from time to time so much the better.

 

I'm not trying to be an MSC apologist here - just a suggestion as to what you'll likely face. BTW after Magnifica in March-April, my tribe did HAL Ryndam (the 'anchor's away' voyage) over Thankgiving. HAL's dining was definately a notch or two or three above Magnifica (IMHO); but I wouldn't trade that MSC cruise - great itinerary (and I'd say MDR dining and other hotel service between the lines was pretty comparable standard overall).

 

You must be getting excited - hope you have a great cruise.

Hello Woodofpine,

Nice to hear from you again. I remember you provided me with info regarding the MSC Magnifica. I always like your balanced opinions, and I certainly appreciate getting information from multiple CC cruisers. That way, I can be better prepared.

MSC KIDS CLUB. I am following your suggestions regarding the kids club. I am not expecting much and plan to entertain my son by ourselves. We take our son with us in all our vacations because we like spending time together as a family. So, that is no problem. If they have some activities that my son can enjoy is a plus, but not a deal breaker. He is bilingual in English and Spanish, so maybe he will find additional friends to chat and play. We'll see. However, MSC is advertising itself as family friendly (due to their 'Kids Are Free" promotions), but they still have a way to go to persuade more travellers away from other cruiselines.

MSC and HAL. That is funny that you mentioned HAL. We are planning a cruise on HAL Noordam (Southern Caribbean Seafarer) for 10 days for next year. It should be a different experience. Like you, we also picked MSC because of the Mediterranean itinerary. I could not do the same itinerary on our own for the same amount of money. So, I am not expecting one company to be better than the other - just different.

OTHER TIPS? Any other tips or words of wisdom you can offer regarding the MSC Magnifica? We're sailin on January 4, 2011. Due to the recent snowstorms in Europe, I hope we can make it to the Venice airport OK.

[woodofpine]

As much as life and kids allow.:)

 

If your family is multi-cultural (and lingual) many of the things that chaffe at Anglo cruisers may barely be noticed. That's an interesting time to travel; hopefully, the weather will give you a break. Your timing may be right for a let up. I've had some fun with younger kids in Europe during ski season - with mixed weather. We're one of those... 'family that travels together, unravels together':D (but usually not - unless hunger sets in, so bring aboard both your favorite and local bought snacks).

 

As far as the ship, one of the pool areas is covered so you might have some time there. The gellatto ought to go over well with a tike (good stuff) and if so, buy a pack of tickets to it doesn't feel like an added charge. Activities: as a linguistic 'Inspector Clouseau' - I got a big kick out of just listening to Bingo, being called in 5 languages. Funny! They tended to do that in a large aft lounge with a nice rear view and we'd order ice cream drinks for the kids and take it in. I recollect the staff being pretty friendly about concocting some special drinks.

 

Our embarkation was pretty insane. You'll want to walk ahead of the throng (if that's the case) and inquire to see if there is an under-used 'online pre-registered' counter rather than mix it up with the mob. There probably will be - if you know to assert yourself (when in Rome eh!).

 

Have fun!:)

[MATTEO MANCINI]

Hi This is Matt, chief kids club on MSC Magnifica...I'm glad to know that you 'll be here with us in January. I just would like to give you my personal welcome and to clarify something.

On Magnifica we have an excellent youth staff and a great planner full of activities for kids. We never let them play cause the ll be busy all time long with us. The club will be open from 9am to 9 pm everyday and 3/4 times each cruise we also have "kids casual dinner with the youth staff".

I saw that a parent wrote bad about our last cruise but i have to say was an emergency situation because of the storm and btw no a kids cruise ...btw yes we did change planner: we are lucky to have a great Master and a Great Staff. (totally not true about movies in italian , prob was a time in 7 days!)

Looking forward to see you and don't worry u don't need to entertain ur kids...we will take care of that!

 

Regards

Matt

 

"MSC Magnifica...The ship of the children"

 

We are travelling on the MSC Magnifica in January 2011. I am looking for parents who recently travelled on this ship to provide some practical information regarding children facilities and programs (food menus, the kids club, games on board, activities for kids, etc).

 

1. What did you all think of the experience onthe Magnifica?

2. Were the staff attentive to children?

3. Did they organize activites for them, or just let them play at the kid's club?

4. Any suggestions for the Main Dining Room? THey do not have a cassual option for dinner.

 

Thank you.

[drblue]

Hi This is Matt, chief kids club on MSC Magnifica...I'm glad to know that you 'll be here with us in January. I just would like to give you my personal welcome and to clarify something.

On Magnifica we have an excellent youth staff and a great planner full of activities for kids. We never let them play cause the ll be busy all time long with us. The club will be open from 9am to 9 pm everyday and 3/4 times each cruise we also have "kids casual dinner with the youth staff".

I saw that a parent wrote bad about our last cruise but i have to say was an emergency situation because of the storm and btw no a kids cruise ...btw yes we did change planner: we are lucky to have a great Master and a Great Staff. (totally not true about movies in italian , prob was a time in 7 days!)

Looking forward to see you and don't worry u don't need to entertain ur kids...we will take care of that!

 

Regards

Matt

 

"MSC Magnifica...The ship of the children"

Hello Matteo,

I am glad to hear from you, as the coordinator of the MSC kids club on the Magnifica. We are looking forward to our trip. Naturally, I have a few questions for you regarding my son (4 years old):

1. My son speaks both Spanish and English (not Italian, sorry). Does the staff in the kids club work using these languages?

2. Do you have toys that kids can check out of the room during the 10 days we'll be cruising?

3. What are some of the activities that the staff does with children?

4. Does the ship provide any activities for kids like Bridge Tours, theater visits, special meals, cooking demostrations, etc.?

5. Any additional suggestions/tips for making the trip enjoyable for children?

 

I will certainly appreciate all the help you can give me. See you soon on the Magnifica. We board on January 4, 2010 from Venice. Hopefully the weather will be good.

Javier and Marco

[mom2b41]

Hi dr blue and Matteo Mancini,

 

First I wanted to say how impressed I am Matteo that you review the posts on this forum...that says alot about you, and MSC!!

 

dr blue, my husband and 5 of our children will be sailing Magnifica for the Mediteranian on March 8, so I would really appreciate your review...and honest opinion....

 

I would just like to ask ....that you form your own opinions with an Open mind....We last cruised with MSC on the Lirica...though we took no children that time...our son 8 will be in the childrens program this time....and I am excited to see what he thinks....when we were on the Lirica I noticed that the counselors were always very commited to the kids having fun...the few parents we spoke with had nothing but RAVE REVIEWS to speak about the program....that is why we decided to take our children on this cruise...

 

So many times we will take a cruise and read a review that is the opposite of what we ourselves experienced....

 

I have fond memories of our MSC Cruise and I am really looking forward to this one....

 

p.s. as far as the food...WHAT CHILD HATES SPAGHETTI>..It is an Italian line...and they have sooooo many differant types of pasta...we loved the food...but that is us....

[woodofpine]

With all the line bashing on this forum, I never...

 

Good Man Matteo!!

[MATTEO MANCINI]

Here i am....and is a pleasure to meet you here.

1-All the girls of the youth staff do speak fluently english. For all the activities we speak first in english then italian and spanish. One of the girls is mother tongue cause she is South african. And i do speak spanish too. So no prob for your son!

2-We have some toys,puzzle, color book and stuff that your son can bring in the cabin. So definitly yes.

3-Every days at sea we do art & Craft, sport tournament, group games, movietime, dance contest and live show with the kids. We do the bridge tour (kids will meet the officers too and will ask them everything they want to know about the ship); we go to the theatre with te kids every night and before the end of the cruise they will meet the artists and dancers (the singers will perform just for the kids). We will also have a special dinner (youth staff with the kids) 3 times during the cruise!

 

I'll be at your disposal and looking forward to meet you Nov 4th!

 

Matteo.

 

Hello Matteo,

I am glad to hear from you, as the coordinator of the MSC kids club on the Magnifica. We are looking forward to our trip. Naturally, I have a few questions for you regarding my son (4 years old):

1. My son speaks both Spanish and English (not Italian, sorry). Does the staff in the kids club work using these languages?

2. Do you have toys that kids can check out of the room during the 10 days we'll be cruising?

3. What are some of the activities that the staff does with children?

4. Does the ship provide any activities for kids like Bridge Tours, theater visits, special meals, cooking demostrations, etc.?

5. Any additional suggestions/tips for making the trip enjoyable for children?

 

I will certainly appreciate all the help you can give me. See you soon on the Magnifica. We board on January 4, 2010 from Venice. Hopefully the weather will be good.

Javier and Marco

[drblue]

Here i am....and is a pleasure to meet you here.

1-All the girls of the youth staff do speak fluently english. For all the activities we speak first in english then italian and spanish. One of the girls is mother tongue cause she is South african. And i do speak spanish too. So no prob for your son!

2-We have some toys,puzzle, color book and stuff that your son can bring in the cabin. So definitly yes.

3-Every days at sea we do art & Craft, sport tournament, group games, movietime, dance contest and live show with the kids. We do the bridge tour (kids will meet the officers too and will ask them everything they want to know about the ship); we go to the theatre with te kids every night and before the end of the cruise they will meet the artists and dancers (the singers will perform just for the kids). We will also have a special dinner (youth staff with the kids) 3 times during the cruise!

 

I'll be at your disposal and looking forward to meet you Nov 4th!

 

Matteo.

Hello Matteo,

Thank you for all the specific information. It really gives me a better idea on what to expect from the kids club. I am impressed that you take the time to answer the questions of MSC cruisers (parents) directly. It is really beneficial to have as much information as possible before our departure. That way we can prepare accordingly.

 

We leave Los Angeles tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to our adventure on the MSC Magnifica. We'll see you soon.

Javier

[cruisingcanadian]

drblue,I hope your cruise will fulfill all your expectations-I know you have been preparing for it for many months.

Have a great one and Happy New Year!:)

[Pluto_fan]

drblue, I hope you had a wonderful cruise! Please let us know how it went!

[Mifftashjess]

I was on the same cruise as love2travel as I must say I don't agree entirely with what she has said. Yes, things didn't go exactly to plan and I'm not siding with msc however, the bad weather did have a hand with the fact that the itinerary was changed somewhat. We also found it disappointing that the time in most ports was insufficient. It's a long way to travel and to spend such a short amount of time in a port is just silly. This was really the only thing about the cruise you could really complain about.

We had two adult daughters with us, so I can't comment on the children's entertainment issue. Having said that, they were young once and I must admit I wouldn't have dreamt of letting them swim in the middle of winter, cruise or no cruise. As far as the food is concerned, I never really understood the "kids menu", my children always ate what we ate and there was definately enough variety for anybody's delicate palate.

I don't believe everyone on the ship was angry, we weren't angry just a little annoyed because although it was very good value, one makes a lot of sacrifices to go on these holidays. MSC really needs to read these reviews and take notice of what people are saying.

[cruisingcanadian]

drblue-how was your cruise? And how was traveling with your young son? Had he enjoyed himself (and the cruise)?

[drblue]

drblue-how was your cruise? And how was traveling with your young son? Had he enjoyed himself (and the cruise)?

Overall, we enjoyed our MSC cruise on the Magnifica. Our son also did OK. We enjoyed the itinerary, which was the first rason why we even considered MSC. We did not encounter many problems, just a few items we would improve, such as not enough activities on board (hence boring sea days). In general, the cabin and restaurant service were fine, but we would like the option for an informal buffet at dinner time (easier for families) rather than the long 1.5 hour meals. I would probably recommend MSC but with hesitation and a word of caution for families with children. I will post a comprehansive review soon, including positive and categories to be improved, as well as port information and activities on our own.

[cruisingcanadian]

drblue,thank you for your response.I asked you because I remember you coming to the boards with many questions and preparing for this cruise with amazing thoroughness.I think it must be difficult to travel with such a young child to Europe in winter,I personally wouldn't do it.But your way of preparing every single aspect of your cruise made me wondering how everything ended up. I am glad that you did not run into any major problem...and the little ones had to be expected;),right?:)

[chisanor]

With all the line bashing on this forum, I never...

 

Good Man Matteo!!

just curious if this is the same matteo who was with lirica in april 2007.

i had so much fun with the entertainment team that time. i was looking at the pictures not too long ago. matteo and laura were the ones i like the most. thanks for everything.

[chisanor]

With all the line bashing on this forum, I never...

 

Good Man Matteo!!

 

just curious if this is the same matteo who was with lirica in april 2007. cruise to cenral and south america plus jamaica. that was a fun cruise.

also, wondering if laura is still around.

i am thinking of going on another msc cruise. i had a blast withthe entertainment team last time.