MSC Sinfonia ~ Portuguese Island, Mozambique

[cruiser101101]

Hi guys

 

What are the cruises like on the MSC Sinfonia to Portuguese Islands? And what is it like on the actual island itself?

 

Thanks

 

:) :) :)

[AmoMondo]

The Sinfonia is one of the older smaller ships in the fleet. It's quite attractive and very well maintained. It has the nicest spa area of all the fleet and is one of the few that allows drinks innthe theatre. Other than that it's pretty similar to any other Lirica class ship(Lirica, Opera, Armonia).

 

Can't comment on the Portuguese Islands as my on cruise on the Sinfonia was on the downward trip from Livorno to Durban.

[All aboard??]

Hi guys

 

What are the cruises like on the MSC Sinfonia to Portuguese Islands? And what is it like on the actual island itself?

 

Thanks

 

:) :) :)

 

As can be seen from my signature I am proficient in the Portuguese Island, which over the years has evolved beautifully from a mere sandbank in Maputo Bay to a sandbank in Maputo Bay with a lapa and flushing toilets.

 

The short three night cruises that they do are really great. If you like to party the cruise is a party, if you like to relax the cruise is relaxing.

 

The waters are warm and clear and if you like the beach that is nice too.

 

Are you South African - there is a reason why I ask this.

[cruiser101101]

Thanks for your help. :)

 

Yes I am South African

 

Thanks Again:)

[Birder1]

I have booked a March 2013 Sinfonia 7D r/t Durban that stops in Portuguese Island as well. I have not been to Southern Africa yet & am curious to learn @ all the ports of call (Durban, Anakao (Madagascar), PI, Maputo). My interests revolve around nature. Many thx for any advice!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

I have booked a March 2013 Sinfonia 7D r/t Durban that stops in Portuguese Island as well. I have not been to Southern Africa yet & am curious to learn @ all the ports of call (Durban, Anakao (Madagascar), PI, Maputo). My interests revolve around nature. Many thx for any advice!

 

Birder1, I am sure the posters here would be happy to help, ask any questions you have. I am originally from Durban, and have to been to Maputo (just the city) last year on MSC Sinfonia. My parents do a lot of MSC cruises there, so I could ask them about the other places if no one else here can answer.

[Birder1]

Hi, Starlight!

 

Thank you for your post!

 

I'm very much looking forward to South Africa & venturing to Madagascar. I am very interested in birding in either country; any advice for birding around Durban that time of year? I understand the right whales shan't be around that time of year.

 

Any advice on the Sinfonia itself? I booked a balcony suite; I read it might be fairly small if my sister accompanies me.

 

I hear the entertainment is mostly classical music (love). If my sister is unable to go with (I travel solo mostly), I'd stay on the balcony most of the time.

 

For this itinerary, is English the main language?

 

Is it easy (I.e., inexpensive) to travel pre-/post-cruise r/t Madagascar? This is a "big" birthday for me& wanted to make the best of it. ;-)

 

Linda

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

I have booked a March 2013 Sinfonia 7D r/t Durban that stops in Portuguese Island as well. I have not been to Southern Africa yet & am curious to learn @ all the ports of call (Durban, Anakao (Madagascar), PI, Maputo). My interests revolve around nature. Many thx for any advice!

 

I'm very much looking forward to South Africa & venturing to Madagascar. I am very interested in birding in either country; any advice for birding around Durban that time of year? I understand the right whales shan't be around that time of year. Any advice on the Sinfonia itself? I booked a balcony suite; I read it might be fairly small if my sister accompanies me.

 

I hear the entertainment is mostly classical music (love). If my sister is unable to go with (I travel solo mostly), I'd stay on the balcony most of the time. For this itinerary, is English the main language?

Is it easy (I.e., inexpensive) to travel pre-/post-cruise r/t Madagascar? This is a "big" birthday for me& wanted to make the best of it. ;-)

 

Birder1.

Durban in March is similar in climate to Florida most of the year round. Hot and humid from January through early April in Durban. But perhaps not as excessively humid as Florida though. It is a Summer rainfall region on the east coast, but NOT monsoonal and certainly no likelihood of a hurricane - so that is probably the biggest difference from Florida. As you go up the coast towards Mozambique/Madagascar it will get more tropical.

 

There is a large variety of birdlife in SA, although I would find the more interesting birdlife in the inland/northern areas such as game parks in northern KwaZulu-Natal, or in Kruger National Park and similar game parks (north or east of Johannesburg). It really depends on how long you are there, if part of a tour group etc. I don't typically know the birding attractions, but let me know which areas you think you will visit and I can ask some of the people I know on FB who could recommend some ideas. It sounds like you may travel by yourself. I would not recommend a single person to travel alone to remote areas. As a male (who is originally from SA) I would not travel alone to some areas in SA, and I would not recommend a female foreign tourist to do this. While crime has decreased in many areas in SA, I would recommend that you carefully consider any travel to remote areas as it should rather be done in a group, or part of a tour. But if you want a more detailed opinion, then let me know what general areas you are thinking of, and I can give some opinions.

 

Madagascar has had some issues in the last few years (political), and if I recall correctly from my parents, some of the cruises there have cancelled the port of call to Madagascar on occasion. It is certainly not a country to travel/fly to by yourself unless you are part of a tour group. Also I don't know if you could fly direct from Durban to Madagascar. I think you would have to route back to Johannesburg, and then do an international flight to Madagascar if you wanted to fly there. Flights from/in SA can be expensive as the volume of flight activity is not a much as we have here in the US.

 

We really enjoyed Sinfonia last year. But I must admit that I did not partake too much of the entertainment as I had only just flown in from LA two days before, so I was totally jetlagged when the cruise started. I was asleep by about 9pm, and awake at 5am. So I did not see many of the shows. As far as I know most of the shows are variety type shows, and less likely to be "classical" music concert-type entertainment in the main theater. There might be some classical music in the main public areas or some of the bars at certain times. On-deck parties are more upbeat, as the cruises there are more akin to Caribbean type cruises in the US, i.e. more party-oriented. But you can avoid that if you are not into the whole party scene. Remember that while we have lots of cruise-lines here in the US, MSC is the ONLY option for cruisers in the SA market. I would cruise it quite happily if going out there to visit the family again - even though I am not looking for the party-scene when I go.

 

What is done on occasion is that some of the cruises are focussed on a particular group e.g. some can be a radio station's listeners who book on a group cruise, others can be a TV show cruise where many of the people on the cruise will be fans of that TV show (and they will have performers from that show who do some entertainment onboard for their loyal fans). Did not really impact us on our cruise - even though the one we were on was a theme-cruise for one of the TV shows. Not sure if you booked with the agents in SA, or if you just did an online booking from here, but if you want my mom to ask her local booking agent if your particular cruise is a theme cruise, then just let me know the cruise date and she can ask. (My mom is leaving for a New Zealand holiday in about a week, so let me know a.s.a.p if you would like her to find this out for you).

 

We stayed in the suites on deck 12 (1219) and it was quite comfortable for 3 adults. There are only about 28 cabins up there so really nice and quiet. The cabins are a little larger than regular Balcony cabins on Carnival in the US, but not as large as suites on Carnival. As far as I could determine on the Sinfonia (when comparing to a balcony cabin on Carnival), Sinfonia suite is really a balcony cabin with a larger balcony space, a bigger walk-in wardrobe, and a bath vs. other balcony cabins which may just have a shower. I have photos of 1219, just go to the pictures section on this site and search for MSC Sinfonia and you will find my photos.

 

English is typically spoken on the cruises, but being an Italian line you will find that senior crew is Italian, cabin/restaurant crew will be from Asia, and entertainment staff mostly young local SA entertainers. Guests will be English speaking, or will speak to you in English the moment they hear your foreign accent :). Overall I think you would have a fun time. Let me know if you need more info, or if you have specific questions that my mom can ask her booking agent at MSC in Durban for you. (My parents cruise a lot on MSC, and my mom works at the cruise terminal so she can find answers from her contacts).

[Birder1]

W O W! Thank you so very much, Starlight! All wonderful info & advice to heed.

 

Indeed, I've traveled 6 continents alone (including Greenland, Russian cosmodromes, & Chernobyl), though these do not have personal crime issues.

 

I have a colleague who'd traveled extensively throughout Madagascar (after alone in Papua New Guinea), but he is male -- after a hippo attack in Botswana(?) & evacuation to mitigate amputation, I'm not sure he's the best from whom to solicit advice. ;-). I am keen to visit Madagascar as I've heard 90% of all fauna will be extinct in 10 yrs.

 

I am adventurous, but not that much! My past successes are based upon heeding good advice, such as you've provided.

 

As for MSC, I love the itinerary options. So nice of you & your mom to offer advice on the cruises. I would be very disappointed if Madagascar would be removed as a POC. I am not interested in themed-cruises & tend to stay in my balcony, watching the sea, weather, fauna while following change-of-location.

 

I will study the birding areas you mentioned; group, organized tours (at least those advertised in the US) are cost prohibitive (~ $6K USD for 10 days). I need to find a "local" (other than Rockjumper) for lower fares(?).

 

I'll write more later...again, TY!!!!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

There are many things that you could do by yourself e.g. hire a car and go to a game reserve. Once there they usually have morning and evening game drives although most tourists are there to see the other animals on the game drive. But there might be walks that look for birding activity.

 

Common sense is the key thing when it comes to crime issues - just like one would not walk around most major cities in the world at 2am alone, so the same applies in SA. I took a quick look at a few sites there and found this info, but it is very generic:

http://birdingroutes.co.za/zululand/ If links get broken then google "Zululand Birding Route". Zululand is easily reachable from Durban - about 2 to 3 hours drive.

http://www.southafrica.info/about/animals/birding.htm This is one of the official tourism sites and this page has info about the birding regions in SA.

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/SouthAfrica/ibas.html for the African Bird CLub.

 

When looking at prices for anything take the exchange to be about US $1.00 = SA R8.00 (Rand is the currency) at 2012.

[cruiser101101]

I have booked a March 2013 Sinfonia 7D r/t Durban that stops in Portuguese Island as well. I have not been to Southern Africa yet & am curious to learn @ all the ports of call (Durban, Anakao (Madagascar), PI, Maputo). My interests revolve around nature. Many thx for any advice!

 

 

The Sinfonia itself is a fantastic ship. I cruised on it from Cape Town to Durban in November 2011. You made a good choice booking a balcony cabin.

 

You should try and see Cape Town before you embark in Durban and you should also try and get priority embarkation. Many people have said that embarkation in Durban can be extremely awful!

 

Good Luck! :)

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise :)

[Birder1]

Thank you for the advice, cruiser10101!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

As for MSC, I love the itinerary options. So nice of you & your mom to offer advice on the cruises. I would be very disappointed if Madagascar would be removed as a POC. I am not interested in themed-cruises & tend to stay in my balcony, watching the sea, weather, fauna while following change-of-location.

 

Birder1, My mom checked with MSC contact and at this point the cruise is not booked for a Theme-cruise for any of the radio or TV station fan-groups. Could happen still, but unlikely because if such a group does schedule it then they would need some months to advertise it to their fans, get bookings, and then leave the balance of cabins for MSC to sell to others.

 

When I mentioned the port cancellations for Madagascar that was apparently when the ship used to visit the capital at the north end of this (large) island. The place you will visit is at the south end so you should be ok. Portuguese Island, Barra Lodge (which is not on your itinerary), and potentially Anakoa, will be wet-landings from Zodiacs. Fun to do, but not easy for anyone with mobility issues to do if the sea is rough. It is Summer time when you will be there, but the sea can change "mood" very quickly. At Barra Lodge last year I got to the gangplank to take a zodiac to the beach and they stopped disembarkation as seas had gotten too rough. Had to wait 40 minutes then they restarted zodiacs to beach. Hopefully yours will be ok.

 

Maputo is nice, very old, and has some quaint colonial architecture. You could do a ship's tour there, or just get off the ship and take the "train" that will be parked on the wharf for a 3 hour drive around town. We enjoyed the "train" and the guide was very informative and they stopped at market, station, and a few more spots. When at the market try the cashews - my parents love those.

[Birder1]

Hi, Starlight Durban!

 

Thank you again for going the extra mile! TY to your mom as well. :-). I checked-out your links (wonderful; great birding ideas). I thankfully have no mobility issues & look forward to the wet landings & hope & expect that those deemed too dangerous will be delayed/cancelled.

 

My sister can only travel w me in Feb 2013. Though I have the March 25th booked, I may switch to the 12D r/t Durban in Feb. That one includes Mauritius & Reunion! We'll see...that one is pushing my budget (as I'd have to pay her portion).

[AmoMondo]

Hi, Starlight Durban!

 

Thank you again for going the extra mile! TY to your mom as well. :-). I checked-out your links (wonderful; great birding ideas). I thankfully have no mobility issues & look forward to the wet landings & hope & expect that those deemed too dangerous will be delayed/cancelled.

 

My sister can only travel w me in Feb 2013. Though I have the March 25th booked, I may switch to the 12D r/t Durban in Feb. That one includes Mauritius & Reunion! We'll see...that one is pushing my budget (as I'd have to pay her portion).

 

Oh Mauritius and Reunion are well worth a visit. Really lovely. I'd happily go back to either Island in a heartbeat.

[Birder1]

Hi, AmoMondo,

 

Great! I love remote islands; new to those & sounds as if I won't be disappointed.

[Yoyo123]

I can't wait to visit Mozambique in 2014, It will be my first time cruising...I dont have any answers but enjoying reading most reviews.

[AmoMondo]

I can't wait to visit Mozambique in 2014, It will be my first time cruising...I dont have any answers but enjoying reading most reviews.

 

Welcome to cruise critic!

 

Hope you enjoy your time on these boards. Lots igpf great information to be had.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Yoyo123, welcome to Cruise Critic.

You will enjoy the trip up to Mozambique. Do the Choo-Choo train in Maputo as it will give you all the sights in about 3 hours travelling around the city. It will be stopped right there as you get off the ship and it is great fun. Google "Maputo Express train tour" and you will see it.