‘Live from Orchestra’ Christmas 2017 Cruise Review

[Kateann61414]

Really enjoying following along. We are on the same cruise March 18.

 

 

 

First time on MSC & since we status matched to Black I booked a Bella balcony. Saved a few bucks!

 

 

 

Question about Bella room service - are we paying for food & delivery or just delivery? Also trying to decide between the drink packages - how is the beer & wine selection on the all inclusive restaurant & bar package?

 

 

 

Love seeing the menus - food looks great!

 

 

 

It’s just $3.50 for delivery.

[Kateann61414]

The internet package you have, what apps does it allow?

[Beamafar]

GG............ The wine on the basic package is plonk! The reds are a merlot and a barbera - I'm drinking the latter. The whites are a grillo (which I have in front of me right now) and a chardonnay, which I haven't tried yet. They're all the same brand:

 

 

We usually have the premium package but we decided not to for this trip due to a number of factors:

 

1. We're keeping the budget tight on this one.

 

2. Although the per diem rate is cheaper on a 9+ night cruise (€21 and €40), MSC are charging €24 pppd to upgade - which is the difference in price between the packages for cruises of <9 nights (€26 and €50).

 

3. DH only drinks Heineken draught on the ship so the premium works out costly with only one of us using it.

 

The basic package covers bottled Heineken as well and, if this ship is the same as Magnifica, then there will be other beers on tap in the Savannah lounge. I'll check it out later for you and report back.

 

Kateann ........ I've forgotten your question. I'm on my phone and can't check back to see it. I'll get to it later when I've completed today's report.

 

We didn't go to Shanghai last night; I went down to the MDR to take a photo of the dinner menu so I could post it, when I saw that rib of beef was on, so we decided to have dinner there, instead. It really wasn't worth it! Here's last night's dinner menu:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

DH had the soup which he said was delicious

 

 

I chose the salmon for starters without the sides. It was a vast improvement on what I'd had on Magnifica a few weeks ago, though still nothing to write home about

 

 

We both chose the beef

 

 

DH had the ever-popular Opera cake; I had apple strudel without the custard but with a side of whipped cream instead (presented in a tub which you can see just in front of the dessert plate)

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

Sea was very rough again last night and we didn't sleep very well. As a result I'm tired this morning so it was back to bed after our 7.30am breakfast and 9am visit to the Cruise Consultant for a printout of the list of Voyagers Club members' discounts; there wasn't one provided in the cabin. When I pointed this out, I was told that it wasn't necessary as the discounts are already on your cruisecard. So I asked how one was supposed to know what the discounts are unless a list is given. I'll post a photo later of the list. For now I'll post today's daily planner and specials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

Today's lunch menu

 

 

 

I had prosciutto and DH had the salad

 

 

 

For mains, I had the tilapia(without sauce); DH had the curry. We both enjoyed our choices

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

The internet package you have, what apps does it allow?

We have the social package included. I believe it gives access to the likes of Facebook, etc. It didn't give me access to the CruiseCritic app so I'm using mobile data in EU ports to post.

 

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[Beamafar]

We've just returned to the ship after a lovely afternoon strolling through the old town of Corfu with another couple we met as we were heading off in the direction of town. Turns out they're our next door neighbours and he's from Dublin, too (though living in England). The day was a bit cloudy but dry and mild.

 

There's a port shuttle that brings you to the terminal where you can get a taxi, local bus or the ship's shuttle into town.

 

 

 

 

There was also a stand where they were selling hop-on/hop-off bus tickets. I didn't get a price; I overheard the rep say that there was a 20 minute wait and that traffic was bad, so we decided to give it a miss. We shared a taxi back, which cost €10 for the 4 of us.

 

We're now getting ready for dinner which, this time, we're going to Shanghai for.

 

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[girlguide]

Another question.... We are hoping to use the hop on hop off bus in Heraklion but can’t find current info if it runs in March. Their website indicates the season starts in April & I didn’t get a response to my email. Any info you can find out would be appreciated.

 

 

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[Beamafar]

I mentioned that there were no negatives, apart from the slot machines in the casino. Well, that all changed last night when, not only did I win back what I'd lost over the first couple of days, but I also came out €135 ahead! I went straight to Guest Services to lodge the cash to our on-board account to cover what I'd charged to it.

 

Speaking of the casino, a question came up on a thread on the subject of withdrawing OBC. I was able to withdraw my €100 included OBC from a slot machine; I registered my cruisecard and charged €100 to the room; when it transferred to the machine I cashed out and brought the €100 voucher to the cashier where she duly handed me 5 x €20 notes in exchange. So no charge imposed like on other cruiselines.

 

 

 

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[Darcy15]

Really enjoying your review Bea, thanks for taking the time to do it :)

[LuCruise]

Great review so far. Seems like you are enjoying.

 

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[TravelinGert]

Looks wonderful so far and the pictures of the food with the menus are a treat! Thanks so much for posting this. We're considering a booking with the Orchestra for our next cruise. I saw where you said so many things looked new like they've done an update to the ship. How are the mattresses?

[Beamafar]

Thanks folks!

 

The mattress is fantastic, as always, TG. I've yet to have a problem and I would know immediately as my back gives me trouble if I sleep on a bad mattress.

 

So ..... last night we went to Shanghai; the menu is identical to the one they have in Oriental Plaza on Magnifica. I posted it (and the food items we again chose last night) in my Magnifica report. (I can't post a link here).

 

I made another donation to MSC's casino and then spent the rest of the evening in the Savannah lounge. Again the music was only suited for couples but we got chatting to a very lovely German couple so we had a few drinks in their company.

 

We slept in this morning so we had breakfast in the buffet. There was plenty of seating at 10.30 as we had arrived in Katakolon earlier on.

 

 

We're planning to go ashore for a stroll after lunch as it is a beautiful day here, although there's a cool breeze.

 

Here's today's lunch menu

 

 

 

 

I passed on having a starter; DH had the salad

 

 

 

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[Captain-John]

The food looks great! On the subject of Shanghai, I think I read in your previous review you asked to swap items out for those on the main menu without a problem. Also, do you know if they have the '4 Seasons' restaurant on board still (the bit of the buffet they close off at night) - and could I use the Black Card benefit there instead? (I am quite fussy when it comes to Chinese food).

 

Enjoy your afternoon in Katakolon and again I appreciate your detailed review.

[Beamafar]

We both ordered the lamb. I also got a helping of sprouts and roast spuds from the buffet area. It was like having Sunday lunch at home!

 

 

DH passed on dessert as they didn't have vanilla gelato. I had the raspberry cream cake

 

 

Tonight is the second Gala night. I'm a little disappointed as I had anticipated that it would fall on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and was geared more towards that.

 

The Black Card event is also taking place tonight - in the disco, I think; must check the planner. It'll be our first time to attend one at night. We've only ever been to daytime events, before.

 

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[Beamafar]

The food looks great! On the subject of Shanghai, I think I read in your previous review you asked to swap items out for those on the main menu without a problem. Also, do you know if they have the '4 Seasons' restaurant on board still (the bit of the buffet they close off at night) - and could I use the Black Card benefit there instead? (I am quite fussy when it comes to Chinese food).

 

Enjoy your afternoon in Katakolon and again I appreciate your detailed review.

We were able to switch out again, no problem. Shanghai is the only Speciality Restaurant onboard now. AFAIK they did away with the set-up in the sectioned-off buffet some time ago.

 

I'm with you regarding Asian food generally. Both DH and myself felt the food wasn't quite as good as in Magnifica' s Oriental Plaza. We may even pass on a second visit - though it's a very beautiful venue

 

 

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[Beamafar]

Today's program and specials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[sverigecruiser]

Hi Bea!

 

Nice to see a New live review from you!

 

Thanks for all the pictures!

 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

(y):champagne-toast:

[Beamafar]

Hi Bea!

 

Nice to see a New live review from you!

 

Thanks for all the pictures!

 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

(y):champagne-toast:

Thank you, SC ............ and many happy returns to you, too!

 

Our chocolate ships were delivered to the cabin earlier today; it's unusual to get them before the Black Card event. We haven't received our 'gifts,' yet.

 

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[Beamafar]

The Captain has just come over the tannoy to say that we will not be going to Heraklion tomorrow due to winds and high seas. Instead, we'll arrive in Piraeus at 12.30pm.

 

 

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[minn55441]

The Captain has just come over the tannoy to say that we will not be going to Heraklion tomorrow due to winds and high seas. Instead, we'll arrive in Piraeus at 12.30pm.

 

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Sorry to hear that you will be missing your second port this trip. Will you be spending two days in Piraeus? Is this fairly common during this time of year or have you just caught some bad weather?

 

Thank you for the updates, we have enjoyed your photos and commentary.

[OceansOfTravels]

Thank you for posting your report. I will be cruising the Seaview in July and I am looking for some help with finding a tour operator for our day on Genoa. We would like to spend the day at Portofino. Do you have any tour operator recommendations that would work for us as cruise passengers? Are there any other port activity suggestions for Marseille, Naples or Malta? We want to make the most out of our trip. Thank you so much!

 

 

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[Beamafar]

With Heraklion cancelled we are now in Piraeus with an overnight stop here. It's a lovely sunny day but I imagine it's cold out. No sign of the force 8 winds and 6 metre-high seas which were the cause of the itinerary change. We weren't affected by it as we've been before and had no plans for the port, anyway.

 

I don't know if I'll be able to convince DH to go ashore; we're a bit under the weather. It's noticeable how many people are coughing and blowing noses around the ship this morning.

 

I'm sorry to report that Gala night last night was a huge disappointment. DH had decided that he was going to have the T-bone steak (for extra charge). He ordered it medium but it came out very rare and cold - as though it had only been seared on each side. He sent it back and when they brought it out again it was obvious that the sides hadn't been replaced. They were cold as a result of being left on the plate while the steak was being cooked further. Unfortunately it wasn't a good cut of meat, either and DH didn't enjoy it at all. Bear in mind that he not only demolished his own when we had it on Magnifica in September; he also polished off mine as I couldn't finish it.

 

I had ordered the fillet beef without the sauce; it was a nice piece of meat but it really did need a sauce or some gravy. The problem I had was with the side of potato that came with it; it was dried out and cold. When our Capitan came by the table to ask of everything was ok, we let him know just how bad it was. (The thing is, we go to the trouble of dressing up for the occasion; MSC really needs to up their game on Gala nights. It all seems to be style over substance. I find Gala nights a real let-down, consistently).

 

On top of that, our waiter had to work from a different station which was further away; this led to him not having the time to give decent service as he was constantly rushing back and forth and was very harried. The reason being, apparently, there was a special table being set up in our area and his station was set-aside to attend to whomever the special guests were. I could see that better quality glasses were being laid out and everyone from the ship's m'D down were fussing over the table settings. We left the dining room before anybody arrived so I didn't get to find out who was going to dine there. Our waiter didn't know, either.

 

Here's last night's 'Elegant' dinner menu

 

 

 

DH had the soup ( which he didn't comment on!) and I had the salad (which consisted of a bowl of leaves with a few cherry tomatoes thrown in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

For dessert, DH had the icecream and I had the parfait, which was not what it usually is, it was just a chocolate mousse

 

 

 

I'm really struggling to get a decent signal to post any further. There's more that I'd like to share, but it's a bit of a challenge to even do as much as I am. I had a similar problem in Katakolon, yesterday, even when we were ashore.

 

 

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