MSC Orchestra Eastern Mediterranean Live Trip Report

[postmanmac]

Great pictures can I ask did you book ships excursion to beach & how much was it

Thank you

[Love2Cruz2015]

Great pictures can I ask did you book ships excursion to beach & how much was it

 

Thank you

 

 

 

Yes I booked 3 excursions with ship including a beach day in Katakalon at Kourouta beach-I don't recall price at the moment I'll have to check my docs-it is on MSC website however. 30 minute coach ride from port- beautiful beach. You can see pics n the review.

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

Tonight's dinner at Shanghai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited June 18, 2016 by Love2Cruz2015

[yvet]

Is this the sample dinner because of black status (in other words, free)??

[Love2Cruz2015]

This is the fixed dinner for those who got 2 included specialty dinners with their booking.

 

 

We are now waiting to disembark-our time is 10:00.

 

One more goodbye to beautiful Venice

 

 

 

Starwalker- the Michael Jackson tribute show-his moves were right on-he got a standing ovation.

 

The shows are not to be missed. They were all spectacular-totally beats carnival by a long shot.

 

Disney shows are huge productions so on a different scale.

 

We will take a cab to airport now to Lisbon for an overnight stay in a hotel before flying back to Miami tomorrow. What an adventure this has been for us. Lasting memories for sure for my DD.

 

 

 

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[yvet]

So sad that the cruise is over because i loved the photos and reviews.

But then again i know when you get home (take your time because life gets in the way again) there is more info to come!!

[Love2Cruz2015]

Well we made it to Portugal-not thrilled with my hotel choice-very limited dining options-no soda vending machines-but it was a 10 minute 10 euro drive from airport and it does include a breakfast. The rooms are large and beds are comfy-free wifi-not too bad for a 15 hour layover for $100 for 3 people.

 

Btw lunch on tap Portugal, a 2 hour 40 minute flight from Venuce was a delicious cheese tortellini in pesto sauce. Best plane food I've ever had and didn't even get a pic.

 

Tonight looks like Chinese as it's the only restaurant within walking distance. The hotel dinner options aren't appetizing and no nearby restaurants deliver.

 

Anyway here is our room at Radisson Blu.

 

 

 

I decided to not bother with luggage and send them straight to Miami. The important stuff is in my carry on. I hope I see them AT MIA tomorrow.[emoji848]

 

 

 

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[rednose]

Thank you for a wonderful and informative insight to your cruise. We are on a very similar one next year on Msc Musica with the only change being Brindisi instead of Bari.

One question we have is regarding the ports of call. Is it easy just to walk from where the ship is docked (or where the tenders dock) into the local town?

[Love2Cruz2015]

Thank you for a wonderful and informative insight to your cruise. We are on a very similar one next year on Msc Musica with the only change being Brindisi instead of Bari.

 

One question we have is regarding the ports of call. Is it easy just to walk from where the ship is docked (or where the tenders dock) into the local town?

 

 

 

Corfu and Kotor yes. Katakalon no, Athens no, Santorini yes, Bari.

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

We are home and well rested. I will finish the review and then give my opinion on the different categories as well as some more pics and menu and price lists in the coming days.[emoji41]

 

 

Here was breakfast at the Radisson Blu Lisbn. They had a very nice spread. We did end up getting food at the Chinese restaurant a few steps away but I wouldn't recommend it. I had shrimp curry, it was okay but the wonton soup and spring rolls were pretty bad.

 

Anyway here was breakfast-included with booking. I booked a triple for $100 on Expedia. However at the front desk prices were listed as 200 euros for a standard room-which is what we had. So considerable savings using a discount website.

 

 

 

 

Lobby

 

 

Taxi ride to airport was 7 euros-not bad

 

 

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

I got a these pastries at the airport for the plane ride home. Portuguese pastries are very tasty

 

 

Plane food-pretty good

 

1st meal

 

 

2nd

 

 

Welcome gift for kids-my DD was happy

 

 

 

I highly recommend Tap Portugal. Service was attentive, flights were on time or early. Plane food was good with generous portions. They fly all over Europe with stops in Portugal. I booked directly with them on website and got the best deals.

 

I would definitely include them in my flight search for the next time I do a European cruise.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this live review. I had a good time writing it and sharing my pics-I think it enhanced my vacation.

 

More info to come....stay tuned[emoji41]

[Love2Cruz2015]

Not the same as the one on the MSC Orchestra but pretty close[emoji4]

 

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

Ok...now that I have had a couple of days to recuperate from my 2 week land and sea vacation and have re-aquainted myself with US time...I'd like to give my review of the ship and I'll separate by categories. As promised, I do have more photos to share, and I shall, but my internet at home is a bit slow today and I can probably upload faster at work. Also, the only other cruiselines I can compare this MSC ship to is Carnival and Disney....I can't really count RCCL as that was their smallest, oldest ship and it wouldn't be a fair comparison.

 

The ship itself-public areas:

 

I thought the ship was a class act. The design of the ship is clearly European/Italian. Modern but understated with nice pops of color where appropriate. The waterfall in the entrance lobby is very understated but still beautiful and makes quite an impact. The acrylic piano is also a nod to understated modern design. The chairs were all comfortable and arranged in a way that make conversation easy.

The lounges were all different and what amazed me is the soundproofing...the music from one lounge to another was indeed separated even though the entertainment lounges were adjacent to each other. Well done. They also had different themes and all tastefully decorated. A far cry from the Farcus designs in CCL. My favorite place to be after their dinner shows was the Savanna Lounge/Bar. It was the most hopping place, with dancing and the main entertainment venue. The other lounges all had music. The emerald lounge for instance had a harp player and an acoustic guitar player who sang international music. The ship is kept impeccable and they are constantly cleaning an touching up paint. Our balcony was cleaned twice in the 7 days in the early morning.

 

The Entertainment:

 

Again, comparing it to CCL, MSC FAR beats out CCL in entertainment. I thought their shows were amazing. I liked everything from their acrobats and gymnast style shows to their Opera singing. They stuck to the themes of each show and the dancers were indeed talented. I can't even pick a favorite because I truly enjoyed all of them. The shows on our sailing were: Gotham; Venetian (Opera), Samurai, Grease, Star walker(Michael Jackson-the dancer was spot on with his moves) and another French variety show that I missed. The music was also varied and live throughout the ship. The piano guys were great, the harp player, the dancers and even the Cruise director had an engaging personality. Everyone spoke several languages and I thought it was a good cultural learning experience for my DD.

 

Cabin:

As you know I had an Aft Balcony cabin. I try to get these when I cruise as being an avid boater most of my life, I always liked watching the wake boats leave behind...it really connects me to the ocean. I read reviews about awful vibrations and while yes, we did experience them during docking, other than that it was not different than other part of the boat in my experience. I slept well every night, I never got sea sick (I normally never do) and the early morning port calls were like wake up calls for me...though I always managed to miss a sunrise! :-(. The elevators were not too far away and it was a quick ride up to the buffet/pool deck and a quick ride down to the main dining room. Location wise, it was perfect for us. The bed was firm so I slept well as I typically like firm beds for my back. The pillows were a bit lumpy, but no where as bad as the reviews I read. I slept fine every night. The cabin had enough storage space for the 3 of us. The bathroom, was small but enough storage space for our supplies. The weird thing about the cabin was the placement of the shower head in the shower. it faces out, where there is only a flimsy curtain. So if you forget to turn it all around (as I did the first time I used it), you have a flood in the bathroom...luckily, ample towels are provided. The steward was friendly and we had morning and turn down service. The room was kept clean. We snacked out in the balcony a lot and he always cleaned up after us.

I also used their laundry service. 50 euros for 40 pieces. I split it into two, the clothes were returned clean, pressed (or drycleaned) and hung in our wardrobe. Mini fridge kept drinks cold, we kept our waterbottles in there.

The balcony was a normal size. I expected it to be larger being aft, and it was in fact larger than the balconies on port and starboard side, but not as large as I had hoped....still sufficient to enjoy, nonetheless. I liked having breakfast out there and afternoon fruit snacks. BTW, this was a Bella cabin. 8220.

[Love2Cruz2015]

The Pool Deck:

 

I really liked the pool deck. There were two pools separated by two hot tubs by each one. They had wide walk around decks if you just wanted to wet your feet. Both had showers and one had a pretty waterfall as well as a jumping deck. The pools were 5 feet 9 inches deep. They were salt water. The hot tubs were freshwater but they were not hot which was disappointing. The jets were strong though, but again luke warm water defeats the purpose. I tried all of them to see if maybe it was just one, but they were all kept that way. The pools were not heated, but since the weather was warm, it was comfortable swimming temperature. Also, not so crowded. I am used to CCL where you feel like you're in a sardine can in their pools...but not so with MSC Orchestra.

The other thing I wished they had was some shading over the hot tub, but Carnival doesn't have that either. There are also lifeguards always at the pools...same as Disney. Carnival does not have lifeguards. It was difficult to find an empty chair at peak times, but I always managed to snag on on the pool deck...they were usually easily available on the upper decks. Towels, you bring from your stateroom, and it's replaced by your steward. There is no towel service on deck. There are also two bars serving the pool. One has gelato... The other pool also has an attached kiddie pool about 1 1/2 foot deep for the little ones.

All in all, I enjoyed the pool deck on the Orchestra.

 

Service:

In general, I thought service was great. You never had to search for a waiter...they were ALL OVER..it was very easy to get table service in the lounges and on the pool deck. Everyone was polite, attentive and fast. I thought they outshined Carnival in this department. I read about them being indifferent or that you had to chase them down to get a drink. My experience was opposite this. From the cabin steward, to the dining room servers, lounge servers, reception desk....awesome. They get an A plus in this category.

 

Spa:

I got two spa services during their "discount" 49 euros for 30 minutes. I got a hot stone massage and a bali massage. It was good, but not the best I've gotten. I also liked there was NO sales pressure at the end...not even a mention of buying their products. I liked that because some have a high pressure sales technigues at the end, and I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that. The spa itself was beautiful and if I didn't have such a port intensive itinerary, I would have considered 1-2 spa days, which were just 20 euros a day.

[Love2Cruz2015]

Kids Club:

Again A + for their counselors. My DD normally likes to stay with me on cruises though I try to push her to make friends. I didn't have to push her on this cruise. She always begged to go and she wanted to stay up until they closed. I found it ironic as not many english speaking kids, mostly italian, but she made friends easily as I suppose they can still find a way to play together even with the language barrier. Another difference is that the kids go all over the ship, they have "parades", perform on stage, get face painting, do arts and crafts...You name it...my daughter had a ball and this is someone who didn't much care for the DCL kids club on the Dream. Though we are booked on one in 8 weeks and she told me she would try it again. Anyway, the counselors were great, they really knew how to bring out the enthusiasm in the kids, they had these chants they would scream out during their cruise "parades". The mascot is Doremi, a smiling sun and he made appearances with them as well throughout the ship.

 

Gym:

I don't do gyms on cruises but I did take pics...looks like your average gym with treadmills, bikes, weights etc. They had workout room for yoga and dance as well.

 

Food:

Dining Room:

Food was hit or miss here. I had great meals, and so so meals. Portions were good, the dining room itself L'Ibiscus was beautiful. We had a table by the porthole, so nice views. Thier desserts were all good. Food is subjective though.

Buffet:

Excellent. Their pizza was the best I've ever had at sea, and better than most on land. It was NY style pizza...they usually had 3 or 4 different pies you could choose from white pizza, to margerita, to pizza with veggies, pizza with sausage etc. I had pizza every day, either with lunch or as a late night snack. It was just that good.

Their bread-omg..thier focaccia was also amazing...again, they changed it up. Their pasta- mostly fresh pasta and always 3-4 varieties. Their childrens section had a nice variety as well, and adults went there all the time. They had a great cheese spread and cold cut spread, prosciutto or pancetta available daily. They always had meat and fish dishes. They had a grill with burgers fries, hot dogs and some kind o veggie fritter. Salad bar was huge with ready made salads and also make your own with a ALOT of options. Same with fruit salad, fruits were always brought out.

Same with breakfast. Dessert options plentiful. I just can't see how anyone would complain about MSC food....Believe me when I say it's them and not MSC..:cool: All the bars had espresso machines, and their cappuccinos were amazing. Their gelato was awesome, different flavors every day. I can go on and on...but I think my pics are self-explanatory and I have more to post.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Love2Cruz2015

[Love2Cruz2015]

There is one other critique and that is in a certain part of the ship, there is this foul odor that comes out of the vents, luckily it was always confined to one area, and you knew you were in area as it hit you pretty quickly. It was a sewage kind of smell. It was on deck 6 in the elevator landing close to the Receptionist area...not a good area as this is where all guests pass through...it must come from the galley, they need to figure out a better way to get rid of that smell. The rest of the ship scent is very pleasing with the MSC MED brand, which has a spa/with a hint of eucalyptus scent... but try to avoid that area, if you can....though it's nearly impossible.

 

Finally, I will say, I am looking forward to sailing MSC in the future and will be booking Seaside for 2018. I would also like to try the Divina, just not sure I can accrue more vacation time for it as I'm already booked on other cruises...hopefully I can before she changes ports.

When I sail Europe again, I will certainly do it with MSC. They have a new fan in me.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions.

[Love2Cruz2015]

Cabin pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

Price lists-sorry I didn't get that much as we didn't pay for our drinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

 

 

 

Buffet stations

 

 

 

 

 

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[Love2Cruz2015]

 

 

 

Menu examples

 

 

 

 

 

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[SeeUsoon@Sea]

Thank You for the nice review! Love the pictures. Your hotel in Venice....was it far away from all the central places? Was your room the only one with a terrace or is it every room? Did you book thru the hotel or a travel site? Sorry for all the questions.

 

 

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[trogmd]

I would just like to say a big thank you for such a superb review, and I look forward to hearing more about your travels in the future. :):):)

 

I am considering going on MSC in 2018, hopefully as I can only afford one cruise a year :(.

 

Take care,

Mark.:D

[Love2Cruz2015]

Thank You for the nice review! Love the pictures. Your hotel in Venice....was it far away from all the central places? Was your room the only one with a terrace or is it every room? Did you book thru the hotel or a travel site? Sorry for all the questions.

 

 

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My hotel was close to everything, it's a 3 minute walk from Hotel Daniele which is the famous 1G/night hotel. 5 minute walk to st. mark's cathedral.

 

Not all rooms have terraces. We booked a triple. All the rooms are different, it's not a typical hotel, it was a private residence at one point. You can check out their website for more examples of their rooms. We didn't know which room we were going to end up with and were very pleasantly surprised. Hotel Bisanzio. I booked through Travelocity or Expedia, can't remember which. It was 285/night.

Edited June 23, 2016 by Love2Cruz2015

[Love2Cruz2015]

I would just like to say a big thank you for such a superb review, and I look forward to hearing more about your travels in the future. :):):)

 

I am considering going on MSC in 2018, hopefully as I can only afford one cruise a year :(.

 

Take care,

Mark.:D

 

Thanks Mark, MSC will not disappoint. I will be uploading more pics in the coming days.:)

[Love2Cruz2015]

Some random food pics. Sorry if some are repeats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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