Just got back from MSC Lirica med cruise

[ellamalta]

If you need to ask anything, fire away! If you are still thinking about booking, go ahead, but if you have already cruised on Fantasia Class, lower your expectations or you will ruin the first 2 days of your cruise like I did, but all in all from the 3rd day onwards I had a really good time! I will post a review when I get back to reality!

[Beamafar]

If you have already cruised on Fantasia Class, lower your expectations or you will ruin the first 2 days of your cruise like I did, but all in all from the 3rd day onwards I had a really good time!

 

I'm intrigued. Having only sailed on the Fantasia class ships I've been considering trying the smaller vessels due to comments about them being a more intimate experience.

 

I hope you'll include a "compare and contrast" element in you review. I would imagine it'll be of interest to many who have either sailed only smaller or only larger ships. I look forward to reading it.

[ellamalta]

I'm intrigued. Having only sailed on the Fantasia class ships I've been considering trying the smaller vessels due to comments about them being a more intimate experience.

 

I hope you'll include a "compare and contrast" element in you review. I would imagine it'll be of interest to many who have either sailed only smaller or only larger ships. I look forward to reading it.

 

The main differences which disappointed us were:

1. The ship has no atrium. There is just a staircase in front of the reception.

2. The selection of food in the buffet is so small. Sometimes we did not find anything we liked to eat, therefore we had to stick to pizza, which I must say must be the best pizza at sea (same thing on the Splendida). The choice of food on Splendida was unlimited. We could find anything we wanted.

 

The differences we knew about were:

1.There was no pool with retractable roof.

2. The outside cabins were small (around the same size of inside cabins on Splendida).

 

Otherwise, I cant think of any other differences apart from the size of the ship. At least I think it had almost the same size of common areas as Splendida which made the ship feel bigger than it really is.

 

Do not expect better service either. We asked to change the MDR but our request was not accommodated even though we had booked Fantastica. We were assigned to L'Ippocampo which had something wrong with the ac system and was so warm, so we gave up on MDR in the evening by the third night. No one cared about this! We did enjoy a couple of lovely lunches at La Bussola though.

 

Other than this we had no problem on this cruise. The ports of call were fantastic!

[Beamafar]

Thank you for giving such an insightful comparison.

 

I would imagine I'd have the same reaction regarding the atrium - it's like the heart of the Fantasia class ship and has a great buzz, especially on Gala nights.

 

I only discovered the wonderful array of food at the buffet last Feb on my 4th Fantasia class cruise - I'd always dined in the MDR previously. As a picky eater, I've become a fan of the buffet (I always get there early to avoid the crowds). I think I'd be sticking to the MDRs on the smaller ships. I don't eat pizza (or pasta, come to that) :rolleyes:

 

Overall, you've given me something to think about, so again, thank you for taking the time.

[KirkNC]

Welcome back, hope you enjoyed your cruise!

[Keith1010]

Look forward to your review.

 

Keith

[ellamalta]

Welcome back, hope you enjoyed your cruise!

 

Yes thanks, I loved it!

[ellamalta]

Thank you for giving such an insightful comparison.

 

I would imagine I'd have the same reaction regarding the atrium - it's like the heart of the Fantasia class ship and has a great buzz, especially on Gala nights.

 

I only discovered the wonderful array of food at the buffet last Feb on my 4th Fantasia class cruise - I'd always dined in the MDR previously. As a picky eater, I've become a fan of the buffet (I always get there early to avoid the crowds). I think I'd be sticking to the MDRs on the smaller ships. I don't eat pizza (or pasta, come to that) :rolleyes:

 

Overall, you've given me something to think about, so again, thank you for taking the time.

 

Well, the buffet on the Fantasia class hasn't always been as great. I cruised twice in 2012, and I saw a big difference from our June cruise to our November one.

You are so lucky to be going on the Preziosa. Wish I could try that! Enjoy.

[Beamafar]

Well, the buffet on the Fantasia class hasn't always been as great. I cruised twice in 2012, and I saw a big difference from our June cruise to our November one.

You are so lucky to be going on the Preziosa. Wish I could try that! Enjoy.

 

Thank you - I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be our first MSC cruise without my (elderly) parents so we're anticipating having a great time free from having to look after them.

[ellamalta]

Thank you - I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be our first MSC cruise without my (elderly) parents so we're anticipating having a great time free from having to look after them.

 

Phew, know exactly what you mean. We cruise with our 2 young boys (3 and 6 now) and obviously have to look after them all the time, except for the few hours they spend at the mini club. We also look forward to a cruise when we can sit back and relax!

[MavisCruet]

We are going on the Lirica from Marseille on 3rd August, we were on the splendida last August so will lower my expectations, am really concerned about the size of the rooms as we have an outside for a family of 4 so think it may be a bit of a squash !

 

Are there any excursions you can recommend?

 

Thanks

 

T

[ellamalta]

We are going on the Lirica from Marseille on 3rd August, we were on the splendida last August so will lower my expectations, am really concerned about the size of the rooms as we have an outside for a family of 4 so think it may be a bit of a squash !

 

Are there any excursions you can recommend?

 

Thanks

 

T

 

Hi,

 

Yes please do lower your expectations. The common areas of the ship are beautiful and stylish except for the hideous reception area which was supposed to be an atrium! Apart from that, there wont be such a good choice in the buffet as there was on Splendida.

We were also a family of 4 in an outside fantastica cabin. My 6 and 3 year old sons used the pull down beds. The cabin is small for an outside, ie compared to an outside on Splendida, so I think it must be the same size of an inside on Splendida. It felt just a bit bigger than an inside on the Costa Favolosa. Anyway, we never felt claustrophobic. The window is big and the views are amazing....... obviously, nothing will beat the view of the Grand Harbour in Malta (our tiny island). The view in Trapani Harbour was quite nice as well, since the ship docks in the centre of the city.

We did not take any excursion cause we prefer 'do it yourself'. The only tips I can give you are these:

We saved Eur 50 in Marseilles by not taking the ship's expensive shuttle, we just walked on the green line and took the free shuttle organised by the port. Do not bother walking in the Le Panier District in Marseilles because it all looks very run down and is totally quiet on a Sunday with all shops closed. Go straight to the Old Harbour area which is very pretty.

We saved another Eur 50 in Palma by taking the public bus. Buses run very frequent and only cost Eur1.50 per person one way. If you are doing any shopping save it for Palma as it is a shopper's heaven and quite cheap.

If you like markets, there is a market in Trapani, just keep walking to the right when you disembark the ship. They sell all sort of things and food.

The other ports do not require a shuttle apart from La Spezia which is also run by the port and is free of charge.

If you need to ask anything else, let me know.

I'm sure you will enjoy it if you cruise with an open mind!

 

There it is....... you just might have saved me writing a full review!

[AmoMondo]

My Divina cruise next year calls at la Spezia and like you I like to DIY so good to hear there is a free shuttle. What is there to do in town or do most folk head out to Cinque Terre?

[Got2Cruise]

Thank you so much for this review. I'm seriously considering MSC for our next cruise because of the itinerary and price point. Some of the CC reviews are downright scary. lol But from your review the food was more than edible; and since you ate at the buffet several times, I guess the reports that the people acted crazy in there were exaggerated too.:)

 

What about embarkation? Was it orderly?

 

The other line that has the itinerary I want is Costa. I'm thinking MSC is better than Costa. Have you ever tried Costa?

Edited July 30, 2014 by Got2Cruise

[earn]

Port buses is one of the areas where I think all cruise lines rip off their customers. We never use them, and certainly in Europe there is usually a cheap local alternative. Often there is a long queue for the ship's bus and virtually none for the local one.

 

The only place we came a bit unstuck was Valencia, which has a free bus to the port entrance and then not very obvious where to go next for a bus. In fact it is not is not too far, and you do get to walk around the Grand Prix track, but I would probably take the ship's bus if I was less able.

[ellamalta]

My Divina cruise next year calls at la Spezia and like you I like to DIY so good to hear there is a free shuttle. What is there to do in town or do most folk head out to Cinque Terre?

 

Hello Amomondo,

So good to hear from you, and an honour to give tips to a professional like you! Yes, most people do go to Cinque Terre, but being our first time in La Spezia, we wanted to walk around town. And from what we saw, we might stay there as well when we next visit! It is such a pretty town and so chic! There are two pedestrianized streets, lined with shops, Via Del Prione and Corso Cavour, and there is a food market in Piazza Cavour as well. We passed a full 2 hours walking these two streets and looking at the shops, and only left because we had to collect the kids from the Kids Club which closes at 1pm.

Enjoy....... I am so hoping MSC Divina or Preziosa alter their schedule a bit and call in Malta so we can try one of them next year!

[ellamalta]

Thank you so much for this review. I'm seriously considering MSC for our next cruise because of the itinerary and price point. Some of the CC reviews are downright scary. lol But from your review the food was more than edible; and since you ate at the buffet several times, I guess the reports that the people acted crazy in there were exaggerated too.:)

 

What about embarkation? Was it orderly?

 

The other line that has the itinerary I want is Costa. I'm thinking MSC is better than Costa. Have you ever tried Costa?

 

Hello,

Yes we cruised Costa last year. We prefer MSC ships because they are so stylish compared to Costa! The food in the MDR is better on MSC as well, and the buffet is better on MSC on large ships, not on the Lirica class though, though yes, it was more than edible (especially the pizza and burgers)! The buffets are more well organised on MSC ships, whereas you have to wait in a long line on Costa since there is only one queue to everything. No, I have never seen people acting crazy in any buffet!

We checked in on the ship itself in the Reception and it was very orderly, since there were about 70 of us embarking in Malta.

I would suggest one of the MSC Fantasia class ships. They are the best.

[Beamafar]

The only tips I can give you are these:

We saved Eur 50 in Marseilles by not taking the ship's expensive shuttle, we just walked on the green line and took the free shuttle organised by the port. Do not bother walking in the Le Panier District in Marseilles because it all looks very run down and is totally quiet on a Sunday with all shops closed. Go straight to the Old Harbour area which is very pretty.

We saved another Eur 50 in Palma by taking the public bus. Buses run very frequent and only cost Eur1.50 per person one way. If you are doing any shopping save it for Palma as it is a shopper's heaven and quite cheap.

If you like markets, there is a market in Trapani, just keep walking to the right when you disembark the ship. They sell all sort of things and food.

The other ports do not require a shuttle apart from La Spezia which is also run by the port and is free of charge.

 

Wonderful tips, Ella. I've actually copied them to my Port Tips file for future reference.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Beamafar

[earn]

Ella,

 

We visited Malta for this time on Preziosa's return trip from Brazil to Venice this year. People talk about sailing in to Venice as being a great experience and it is, but for us sailing in to Valetta was even better. The cannons were fired , the band was playing and the city was beautiful. We will definitely be back for a longer visit.

[AmoMondo]

Hello Amomondo,

So good to hear from you, and an honour to give tips to a professional like you! Yes, most people do go to Cinque Terre, but being our first time in La Spezia, we wanted to walk around town. And from what we saw, we might stay there as well when we next visit! It is such a pretty town and so chic! There are two pedestrianized streets, lined with shops, Via Del Prione and Corso Cavour, and there is a food market in Piazza Cavour as well. We passed a full 2 hours walking these two streets and looking at the shops, and only left because we had to collect the kids from the Kids Club which closes at 1pm.

Enjoy....... I am so hoping MSC Divina or Preziosa alter their schedule a bit and call in Malta so we can try one of them next year!

 

Perfect, thank you, that sounds like my sort of town.

 

Absolutely adore calling at Valetta. That harbour is just so beautiful. Also love the public lift which saves my legs from that step gradient, and only 1€!

 

It would be good if they had more cruise embarking in Malta. I'd love to join there and have the chance for a pre or post cruise stay to see more of the Island as I only really know Valetta.

[ellamalta]

Perfect, thank you, that sounds like my sort of town.

 

Absolutely adore calling at Valetta. That harbour is just so beautiful. Also love the public lift which saves my legs from that step gradient, and only 1€!

 

It would be good if they had more cruise embarking in Malta. I'd love to join there and have the chance for a pre or post cruise stay to see more of the Island as I only really know Valetta.

 

Hello Amomondo,

 

Just wanted to let you know that we have cruises embarking from Valletta every year but the problem is that you wouldn't be able to book them online. We have to book from a local travel agent, and the prices are normally nearly double the price they can be found online, but at least we do not have to take a flight, and we can board the ship with as much luggage as we want. Its very easy for people with young kids like us. This year we had MSC Lirica, Costa Favolosa and Costa Neo Riviera, and CDF Zenith. The only ship that can be booked online is Mein Schiff. We also had a visit from NCL Jade this year, and some people embarked and other disembarked here. Should you need any other info to help you book a holiday in Malta, let me know.