MSC Orchestra - plan to post "live" on E. Mediterranean cruise

[moveup]

If the internet connection is fast enough that it won't cost me too much, I'm planning to post live each day from the MSC Orchestra March 3-14 Eastern Mediterranean cruise. If you have any questions, post them here and I'll try to answer them. Here's the itinerary:

 

Mon Mar 3 leave Genoa, Italy 4:00pm

Tue Mar 4 At Sea

Wed Mar 5 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece 9:00am to 5:00pm

Thu Mar 6 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 9:00am to 5:00pm

Fri Mar 7 Rhodes, Greece 7:00am to 2:00pm

Sat Mar 8 Cairo / Giza (Alexandria), Egypt 8:00am to 10:00pm

Sun Mar 9 Limassol, Cyprus 1:00pm to 7:00pm

Mon Mar 10 Marmaris, Turkey 11:00am to 11:00pm

Tue Mar 11 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 1:00pm to 7:00pm

Wed Mar 12 At Sea

Thu Mar 13 Naples, Italy 8:00am to 3:00pm

Fri Mar 14 Genoa, Italy

[electro]

Hi Moveup,

 

You're more ambitious than me. I won't go near a computer while I'm on a cruise.

It's really coming up fast.

I got most of my packing done today.

I leave on Thursday for Barcelona.:D

I'll be running the Barcelona marathon on Sunday and then flying to Geona very early Monday morning.

So if I'm walking kinda funny when we meet, you'll know why.:o

See you soon

 

Lois

[American-in-Belgium]

Moveup,

That would be great and fun to read. We'll be on the Orchestra in April on the 7 day western Med Circuit.

 

First Question. I have searched these forums and found conflicting information on Room Service on MSC... some saying free, some saying not. Can you post samples from the room service menu and prices (if any)? My teenage son often doesn't want to wait for meal time!

 

We will be living close with 4 people in a balcony stateroom... it really kept the price under control since the third and fourth pay port fees and taxes (and gratuity) only.

[moveup]

This is live from the MSC Orchestra, 3-14 March 2008 cruise from Genoa to Katakolon (Olympia), Athens, Rhodes, Alexandria (Cairo), Lymassol Cyprus, Marmaris Turkey, Crete, and Naples, returning to Genoa. Please excuse any typos as I'm composing this on my tiny tablet PC. That way I only have to pay for a couple of minutes of wifi connection when I'm ready to upload my posting. I'll try to post daily when we're at sea, depending on how quick the wifi signal is. If you have specific questions reply to this post and I'll try to answer.

Flights -- We made our own travel arrangements. We flew nonstop from Washington (DC) Dulles Airport to Paris Saturday night, arriving at Charles De Gaulle before noon on Sunday. We had time for a delicious 3 course lunch at a chain restaurant called Hippopotamus. Then we connected on a small jet to Genoa, arriving before 6 p.m. The alternative is to fly to Milan and take the MSC transfer, or a train to Genoa.

Genoa Accommodations -- We spent Sunday night at the Hotel Bellevue in Genoa, which is right across from the main Genoa train station with hourly bus service to/from the airport (Volabus #100). We had a lot of luggage so we took a taxi. The meter read 18 euro but the driver said there were extra charges for airport pickup, second passenger, baggage, yadda yadda yadda and he insisted on 30 euro. Probably we were overcharged. The hotel was only $105 for the night, including breakfast, which was Continental plus yogurt, thin sliced ham and processed cheese. The room was large, about 15 x 15, with a nice bathroom. We had a corner room with huge windows overlooking the harbor. Given the price and location, I highly recommend the hotel. With the windows closed, the trains didn't bother us.

Sightseeing -- Monday morning we did some sightseeing in Genoa. In retrospect we should have allowed an additional day in Genoa, either before or after the cruise. Still, we had time to visit the Staglione cemetery, which is not to be missed. We bought bus tickets from a tabac (tobacco shop) for 1.2 euro. The #42 bus left from the front of the Principe train station and took 25 minutes to get to the cemetery. Don't bother with a taxi; the roads are too narrow for any taxi to pass the bus! The cemetery is fabulous, sculpture, monuments, landscaping. On our return, we got off the bus near the middle of town, a 5 minute walk to the Genoa aquarium, which costs 18euro per person but is well worth it. The hummingbird forest was not worth another 2 euros per person. Then we walked through the old port city, caught a taxi, picked up our suitcases which were being held at the desk, and headed to the cruise terminal.

Embarkation -- out taxi (18 euros with the yadda yadda add ons) knew where to drop us off so that a porter took our bar code labelled suitcases and we didn't have to carry them. Checkin was well organized and took an hour. We were shown right to our cabin. Our bags showed up 10 minutes later.

Passengers -- 300 English speakers. Many Germans. The rest were from all over.

Public areas of the ship -- The pictures on the MSC website don't do the ship justice. Last year we cruised the Holland America Noordam, which was built in the same shipyards. The ships are almost identical, like boutique hotels. First rate.

Cabin -- We booked the least expensive inside cabin, which turned out to be very attractive. Inside cabins measure 150 square feet, outside cabins are 183 square feet, while balcony cabins range in size from 164 square feet to 191 square feet. Suites are 269 square feet. I recommend a suite for a family of three or four, or even for just a couple if you are crossing the ocean (which the Orchestra does on repositioning cruises) and spending more time in the cabin than we will be spending on this cruise (which has port calls eight of the ten days).

Food -- They were still serving a full lunch buffet at 3 pm. It was comparable to Holland America's Noordam, contrary to some posts on Cruisecritic.com. Dinner exceeded expectations, given the comments posted by others on this site. Wide variety of traditional Italian food, each night featuring one region. Presentation and quality compared favorably with trattorias in Italy. If you don't like European food, or your idea of Italian cuisine is Olive Garden, you should pick a differnt cruise line. If you enjoy slow paced typical European dining, you should be very happy with the Orchestra. Breakfast in the diningroom was identical to Holland America, except the smoked salmon portion on the Orchestra was immense. Room service menu: soup of the day 2.25 euro. Club sandwich 3.1 euro. Smoked salmon sandwich 3.2 euro. Mozzarella, tomatoes + basil, 3.1 euro. Mediterranean salad with tuna and hard boiled eggs 3 euro. Mixed cheese platter 2.8 euro. Fresh fruit platter 2.6 euro. Dessert of the day 3.1 euro.

Service -- So far the service has been excellnt, no different from Holland America.

Value -- Considering the price point of MSC, we expected to find cut corners. Instead, we have found the Orchestra to be first rate.

Sent via handheld Nokia N80

 

document.getElementById("MsgContainer").innerHTML='\x0d\x0a\x3cmeta http-equiv\x3dContent-Type content\x3d\x22text\x2fhtml\x3b charset\x3dunicode\x22\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cmeta name\x3dGenerator content\x3d\x22Microsoft SafeHTML\x22\x3e\x3ctitle\x3e\x3c\x2ftitle\x3e\x3cstyle\x3e\x0d\x0a.ExternalClass\x0d\x0a\x7bfont-family\x3a\x27Sans\x27\x3b\x7d\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fstyle\x3eThis is live from the MSC Orchestra, 3-14 March 2008 cruise from Genoa to Katakolon \x28Olympia\x29, Athens, Rhodes, Alexandria \x28Cairo\x29, Lymassol Cyprus, Marmaris Turkey, Crete, and Naples, returning to Genoa.\u00a0 Please excuse any typos as I\x27m composing this on my tiny tablet PC.\u00a0 That way I only have to pay for a couple of minutes of wifi connection when I\x27m ready to upload my posting.\u00a0 I\x27ll try to post daily when we\x27re at sea, depending on how quick the wifi signal is.\u00a0 If you have specific questions reply to this post and I\x27ll try to answer.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flights -- We made our own travel arrangements.\u00a0 We flew nonstop from Washington \x28DC\x29 Dulles Airport to Paris Saturday night, arriving at Charles De Gaulle before noon on Sunday.\u00a0 We had time for a delicious 3 course lunch at a chain restaurant called Hippopotamus.\u00a0 Then we connected on a small jet to Genoa, arriving before 6 p.m.\u00a0 The alternative is to fly to Milan and take the MSC transfer, or a train to Genoa.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Genoa Accommodations -- We spent Sunday night at the Hotel Bellevue in Genoa, which is right across from the main Genoa train station with hourly bus service to\x2ffrom the airport\u00a0 \x28Volabus \x23100\x29. We had a lot of luggage so we took a taxi.\u00a0 The meter read 18 euro but the driver said there were extra charges for airport pickup, second passenger, baggage, yadda yadda yadda and he insisted on 30 euro.\u00a0 Probably we were overcharged. The hotel was only \x24105 for the night, including breakfast, which was Continental plus yogurt, thin sliced ham and processed cheese.\u00a0 The room was large, about 15 x 15, with a nice bathroom.\u00a0 We had a corner room with huge windows overlooking the harbor. Given the price and location, I highly recommend the hotel. With the windows closed, the trains didn\x27t bother us.\u00a0 \x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sightseeing -- Monday morning we did some sightseeing in Genoa.\u00a0 In retrospect we should have allowed an additional day in Genoa, either before or after the cruise.\u00a0 Still, we had time to visit the Staglione cemetery, which is not to be missed.\u00a0 We bought bus tickets from a tabac \x28tobacco shop\x29 for 1.2 euro.\u00a0 The \x2342 bus left from the front of the Principe train station and took 25 minutes to get to the cemetery. Don\x27t bother with a taxi\x3b the roads are too narrow for any taxi to pass the bus\x21\u00a0 The cemetery is fabulous, sculpture, monuments, landscaping.\u00a0 On our return, we got off the bus near the middle of town, a 5 minute walk to the Genoa aquarium, which costs 18euro per person but is well worth it.\u00a0 The hummingbird forest was not worth another 2 euros per person.\u00a0 Then we walked through the old port city, caught a taxi, picked up our suitcases which were being held at the desk, and headed to the\x0d\x0a cruise terminal.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Embarkation -- out taxi \x2818 euros with the yadda yadda add ons\x29 knew where to drop us off so that a porter took our bar code labelled suitcases and we didn\x27t have to carry them.\u00a0 Checkin was well organized and took an hour.\u00a0 We were shown right to our cabin.\u00a0 Our bags showed up 10 minutes later.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Passengers -- 300 English speakers.\u00a0 Many Germans.\u00a0 The rest were from all over.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Public areas of the ship -- The pictures on the MSC website don\x27t do the ship justice.\u00a0 Last year we cruised the Holland America Noordam, which was built in the same shipyards.\u00a0 The ships are almost identical, like boutique hotels. First rate.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cabin -- We booked the least expensive inside cabin, which turned out to be very attractive.\u00a0\u00a0 Inside cabins measure 150 square feet, outside cabins are 183 square feet, while balcony cabins range in size from 164 square feet to 191 square feet. Suites are 269 square feet. I recommend a suite for a family of three or four, or even for just a couple if you are crossing the ocean \x28which the Orchestra does on repositioning cruises\x29 and spending more time in the cabin than we will be spending on this cruise \x28which has port calls eight of the ten days\x29.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Food -- They were still serving a full lunch buffet at 3 pm.\u00a0 It was comparable to Holland America\x27s Noordam, contrary to some posts on Cruisecritic.com. Dinner exceeded expectations, given the comments posted by others on this site. Wide variety of traditional Italian food, each night featuring one region.\u00a0 Presentation and quality compared favorably with trattorias in Italy.\u00a0 If you don\x27t like European food, or your idea of Italian cuisine is Olive Garden, you should pick a differnt cruise line.\u00a0 If you enjoy slow paced typical European dining, you should be very happy with the Orchestra. Breakfast in the diningroom was identical to Holland America, except the smoked salmon portion on the Orchestra was immense.\u00a0 Room service menu\x3a\u00a0 soup of the day 2.25 euro.\u00a0 Club sandwich 3.1 euro.\u00a0 Smoked salmon sandwich 3.2 euro.\u00a0 Mozzarella, tomatoes \x2b basil, 3.1 euro.\u00a0 Mediterranean salad with tuna and\x0d\x0a hard boiled eggs 3 euro.\u00a0 Mixed cheese platter 2.8 euro.\u00a0 Fresh fruit platter 2.6 euro. Dessert of the day 3.1 euro.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Service -- So far the service has been excellnt, no different from Holland America.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Value -- Considering the price point of MSC, we expected to find cut corners.\u00a0 Instead, we have found the Orchestra to be first rate.\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0aSent\u00a0 via handheld Nokia N80\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a';

[sea-explorer]

Well done moveup.

 

Glad it is a success so far.

[moveup]

Here's my report on our day at sea:

Internet and phone: The ship has an internet cafe. You put your room card in the slot and you are charged 4 euro for the first 10 minutes, then .40 euro per minute. No discount packages. If you have a laptop or wifi enabled PDA you can buy 30 minutes of wifi for 12 euro, 60 minutes for 24 euro, 120 minutes for 40 euro or 250 minutes for 80 euro. You go to the registration desk, give them your room card, and they give you an envelope with instructions and your logon id and password. The ship has various wifi hotspots. If you want wifi in your cabin, apparently you can get a network cable. I don't know the price of that. The wifi was fast enough for email, but when I used it for Skype VOIP calls, a lot of words got dropped. Still, it's a relatively cheap way to check your home or office voice mail, or to check on the family at home. The information booklet in the cabin said that satellite phone calls from the cabin are 3.99 euro per minute. Someone calling you from the states might have to pay a high per minute rate to reach the ship; best to ask the long distance carrier in advance. I saw some people using their cell phones. MSC doesn't charge for that, but your cellphone company may charge you for roaming at sea. Mine quoted $5.00 per minute.

Gym: The gym is adequate. There are treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, and one circuit of weight machines. Limit of 25 minutes on the cardio machines. Some exercise classes for a fee. No water fountain. Fabulous panoramic view in the front of the ship. The gym got fairly hot with the sun shining on all of the glass.

Atmosphere. Overall, the public areas of the ship are quiet, which suits us fine but may disappoint passengers expecting a lot of organized shipboard activities.

Food. On the ''sea day'' we sampled the 4pm tea, which consisted of small sandwiches and pastries. The Orchestra does not serve dinner on a buffet, which may disappoint passengers who lack the patience for a 2 hour seated dinner or who want to dine at different times each night. However, you can get pizza or kebabs for about 7 euro until 10 pm.

Captain's welcome party. The wait in line for the captain's welcome cocktail party was 30-45 minutes due to the fact that the ship's photographer took everyone's picture on the way into the lounge. Free cocktails and champagne and some hot appetizers. The captain was very friendly and willing to answer questions.

Dinner: Excellent. Puff pastry appetizer, pesto pasta, 3 nice lamb chops as a main course, Opera cake for dessert. As good as any food I've had on any ship.

Entertainment. The first full show was a Moulin Rouge inspired revue with energetic dancers, a gymnast and tumblers; very high energy. Recorded music with lip synching in those numbers that had lyrics.

 

Sent via handheld Nokia N800

[babygirl722]

I'm enjoying your posts, especially since I just booked her for the 2/14/09 Caribbean sailing. I just sailed on the Noordam and absolutely loved the ship and food so I'm particulary interested in hearing your opinions on the Orchestra and how she compares.

 

Thanks!

[cruzinmom]

:) Thanks for the info.

[moveup]

Katakolon is a small tourist town that is used as an access point for Olympia. Rather than taking a bus tour, we took the train to and from Olympia. The train is only a couple of euro roundtrip. Our ship docked on schedule at 9:00, which was too late for the 8:36 train. We took the 10:13 train which ended in Pirog. We walked through that town until the 11:26 train to Olympia, which turned out to be the same train that leaves Katakolon at 11:06 and gets to Olympia at 11:52 a.m. After walking 10 minutes to the archeological site, we gave ourselves a walking tour for about an hour and a half, then walked back to the train depot for the 1:46 p.m. train that arrived in Katakolon at 2:32 p.m. The next return train, which leaves Olympia at 3:42 p.m., does not get back to Katakolon until 4:30 p.m., would have missed our ship. So we settled for the short visit to Olympia. Fee for the archeological site or the museum is 6 euro; combined ticket for both is 9 euro. There also are taxis in Katakolon but if you take the train you get some contact with the locals, like the old woman we saw waiting at the Pirog train station with the three kids (baby goats) that she had bought in town. We enjoyed a late lunch (pork, not goat) at a seaside cafe in Katakolon.

Sent via handheld Nokia N800

[Inshape]

We are thinking of trying this line . We are platinum cruisers from RCI looking to try something different. And when this ship comes to the caribbean the prices are low enough to give it a try. I am wondering though and you can clarify pls. You mention money exchanged for pizza and room service. The food is not included in the price of the cruise? Pls explain this.

Also, according to what I read there are many restuarants onboard, including a chinesse one. Is this a specialty restaurant and do they charge for this too? Is it one price like Chops or Portofino on RCI, or is it like a regular restaurant where you pay for each item you order.

 

is this true in the regular dining room, do they charge you for each menu item you order? If not, is the food unlimited, where by you can order more than one of an appetizer or dessert...

 

How are the turkish baths? coed? Also, how is tennis court on a ship.... and the mini golf? Are there charges for using these ammenities? If so, how much?

thanks so much for the info and hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.We live in williamsburg, va..so hi neighbor!!

[Inshape]

Wow i just did a lot of reading and came away with the feeling that nothing is included in this ship as I am use to on rci. The room service does charge per item of what you order. The buffet/dining venues at night charge for pizza and kebbobs and the price fixed menu at the restuarant there. Also the chinesse is a restuarant that seems to have different prices attached to different items on the menu as if going on locally. The ice cream there is a charge for unless you get it at dinner or lunch. The movies under the stars are being used as a forum to show the videographers highlights of the cruise. They did say they would like to start using it for movies, AT A CHARGE for headphones to hear the movie. I could not find anything about the tennis, mini golf or turkish bath. Pls let me know when you can about that.

Also, do you feel like you are nickeled and dimed?

[babygirl722]

It is my understanding that in Europe they charge for room service but in the Caribbean they don't.

[moveup]

This posting includes more information on the MSC Orchestra in response to questions posted over the past few days, as well as information on our port calls in Piraes/Athens and Rhodes.

Pireas/Athens: Having made some friends on the cruise, six of us decided to visit the Acropolis on our own. From the ship terminal, we walked about 45 minutes, mostly along the harbor road, to the metro/train station. That is the end of the line for the #1 train, which costs 1.4 euro roundtrip to Monastirakiou (the 7th stop). The train took about 20 minutes, then it was about a 20 minute pleasant walk to the Acropolis, which you can see from the train station. Admission to the Acropolis was free today in honor or memory of a government official or his wife, so we don't know the usual admission price. We paid an official guide 85 euro for a private tour (about 75 minutes) that combined history, sociology and politics. Then we walked through the parking lot and up the adjacent hill, about a 10 minute climb via the stairs (it would take about 20 minutes if you take the sloping pathway). The view looking over to the Acropolis was fantastic. We reversed our course and got back to the ship around 3:00. The Orchestra obligingly served buffet lunch until 3:30 including lamb stew and pork stew with prunes, both of which were excellent.

Rhodes: We walked through the Medieval old city (including interesting side streets that are free of souvenir shops), and we toured the Palace of the Knights (6 euro). We then enjoyed lunch on the square (9.5 euro for a Greek sampler platter that two of us shared; drinks 4 to 6 euro).

More about the food on board: We have not experienced pushing/shoving at the buffet, and we have always found a table. The dinners in the diningroom continue to meet or exceed our expectations. The cuisine is typical rustic Italian. The pasta and risotto courses are huge; the meat and fish courses not so large. Typical fish fillet or meat serving is about 6 ounces. Desserts are not the huge portions served in chain restaurants in the US but you can order two if you want, as did tonight because I couldn't choose between the panna cotta and the coffee gelato (both of which were excellent). There is more than enough to eat, sized appropriately so that you can enjoy 6 or more courses if you want. There is no charge for food in the diningroom or the buffets at breakfast, lunch, or midnight. The Shanghai restaurant charges approx. 3.5 euro for soup, and 6 to 8 euro for main dishes. The Four Seasons restaurant also charges extra. The night we looked at the menu, the charge was 18 euro per person for the entire dinner. There were some upscale choices on that menu but we didn't eat there or at the Shanghai so I can't say whether it's worth the extra charge. There is also a charge for gelato (ice cream) other than in the diningroom.

Tennis: There is one tennis court that appears to be full size.

Miniature golf: There is a typical miniature golf course.

Turkish bath: I don't know what the questioner meant by Turkish bath. The spa on the ship is run by a Balinese company and has sauna and steam rooms, which I think are shared by men and women. There also are thermal baths, which may be individual. There are fees (I think 15 euro per hour) for those spa facilities. There are hot tubs on the pool deck that are free.

No posting tomorrow, as we have a 12 hour bus tour from Alexandria to Cairo/Giza.

 

Sent via handheld Nokia N800

[Inshape]

In the description of the ship it says, turkish bath. I was wondering what that is? Is it part of the spa which usually do charge? But on RCI ships there is a steam room in the spa that is open for all, no charge.

[gracecarmo]

Thanks Moveup....I just joined this forum and your posts are most informative.

 

The "extra" charges for pizza, chinese food, and gelatto are not what we are use to on Celebrity, but we do plan to book Orchestra for 09. It is good to know about these items before we sail....no surprises!

[moveup]

The spa does have a turkish bath. It is 15 euro per hour.

[moveup]

My Nokia handheld died so I don't know how many more times I can afford to post during this cruise.

Alexandria (Cairo, etc.) Egypt: We assembled in one of the ship's lounges at 8:00 a.m to get our identifying stickers for our 12 hour bus tour to Sakkara, Memphis and Giza. By 8:30 we were on a new, air conditioned bus with a tiny bathroom (toilet and sink), with an excellent English speaking guide, driver, and armed guard. Our bus and about 40 others drove in a convoy with police/security excort on the desert road, a fairly uninteresting 3 hour drive to the outskirts of Cairo.The buses then went different directions depending on the tour. There were tours of the Egyptian museum and Giza; Egyptian museum and Roman amphitheatre; Cairo and Giza with lunch on a cruise boat on the Nile. Each of these tours was between 106 and 118 euro. As you will se as your read this posting, the price is a good value and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to sightsee in Cairo safely on your own, and be sure of returning in time for the ship to sail). Our bus continued to Sakkara, arriving about 12:20 p.m. We hada 40 minute visit to the ancient stepped pyramid (the oldest pyramid in Egypt), followed by a 20 minute drive to Memphis. There we had a 20 minute stop to visit the alabaster sphinx and a large statue of Ramses II. At both of these stops, peddlars swarmed the tourists trying to sell souveniers and inviting picture taking (one of them taking your picture with one of them and a statute, etc.). The scam is they then expect money, especially to give you back your own camera. This happened to us in Memphis and it was the Tourist Police themsleves who tried to shake us down. At Sakkara one of our group ignored the guide's advice to stay away from the camel drivers. Once they were on the camel there was a disagreement about the price to get down. Anyone sightseeing in Egypt should avoid eye contact, much less conversation, with anyone selling or offering anything, including people offering to have their pictures taken for free (it's just not true). After our stop in Memphis, we went to lunch at a hotel in Giza. Although the buffet was included in the tour, we had heard from friends who had traveled to Egypt that North Americans often get sick from Egyptian food, so we ate only what we had brought from home (pasta/tuna salad in poptop cans, nutrition bars, cheese/peanut butter crackers). We also brought our own bottled water because we had been warned that Egyptian bottled water can be contaminated. After the 45-minute lunch stop, we left the hotel around 3:15 and drove to Giza for a quick tour of the pyramids and sphinx (very impressive). Those attractions close at 4:30. Then we went to a papyrus "factory" to see how the plant is turned into paper, followed by 15 minutes to browse the artwork (ink and paints on papyrus rolls). We bought a small one for $11, which they rolled into an attractive carrying tube. THen we had 20 minutes at a gift shop where the prices were supposed to be non-negotiable, but we got 15% off two gold charms. We think our guide got a percentage of what we bought at both places. Back on the bus we fought our way through Cairo traffic, which includes foolhardy pedestrians, beasts of burden, and reckless drivers. Back on the desert road, arriving at the ship at 8:30 p.m. The ship had an open seating for dinner for all who had been on tours. Our overall reaction to the day in Egypt was that the sights were woth the 12-hour bus trip but we would not want to return to Egypt.

Limmasol, Cyprus: The ship docks in the new port which is about 3 miles from the old port/town center. The ship offered a bus shuttle for 5 euro per person, but four of us shared a cab for a (negotiated in advance) rate of 10 euro. Then we walked the streets. It was Greek Orthodox festival (the day before Greek Orthodox Lent) so the Castle and the cathedral, etc. were closed, but we enjoyed the small zoo and then we stood on the parade route for the town parade which was great fun.

Again, this may be my last posting on this cruise due to the cost of typing while paying for internet connection (40 euro cents per minute, minimum of 10 minutes). Also, the ship's internet connection has been up and down. They were nice about refunding the 4 euro minimum charge the time that the internet didn't work at all. If I don't have a chance to post again, our overall impression is that the Orchestra, and MSC, are first rate. If you have stayed in First Class hotels in Europe, and you have been satisfied with neighborhood trattorias in Italy, you should be very happy with an MSC cruise.

[gracecarmo]

Moveup....thank you so much for taking the time to report. Your information is just what we are looking for.

[moveup]

If I can't resuscitate my handheld device while on the cruise I will try to post my experiences from 10-14 March, including disembarkation, after I return to the US. So please bookmark this site and look about a week after, when I've caught up on urgent matters at home and at work. Responding to the various complaints about the additional charges for things that are included on other cruise lines: Consider the price point. If you don't frequently use the steam room, room service, etc. or eat between dinner and the (free) midnight buffet, do you really want to be subsidizing people who do? If it's "included" in the cruise fare, it means that you are paying whether you use those facilities/services or not. I have found the value of the MSC Orchestra cruise to be outstanding and I would rather not have those other things bundled into my price. Just a thought.

[marciaP]

"Consider the price point. If you don't frequently use the steam room, room service, etc. or eat between dinner and the (free) midnight buffet, do you really want to be subsidizing people who do? If it's "included" in the cruise fare, it means that you are paying whether you use those facilities/services or not. I have found the value of the MSC Orchestra cruise to be outstanding and I would rather not have those other things bundled into my price. Just a thought."

 

moveup,

Thanks so much for your postings. Your trip sounds amazing!! I very much agree with you about the extra charges. I would much rather pay less and choose what things I want to spend extra money on! Especially traveling with kids.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, and safe travels back to the states.

[moveup]

Disembarkation was smooth. We got to the airport at 10:00 a.m. for our 1:30 p.m. flight. Another nice touch is that MSC has a private lounge at the airport with couches, free internet, etc. However, I will wait until I get home to post my comments on the last 4 days of the cruise, as there is much to tell (including the story of a passenger who almost got left behind in Pompei). So be sure to check this board again next Monday or Tuesday.

[babygirl722]

Disembarkation was smooth. We got to the airport at 10:00 a.m. for our 1:30 p.m. flight. Another nice touch is that MSC has a private lounge at the airport with couches, free internet, etc. However, I will wait until I get home to post my comments on the last 4 days of the cruise, as there is much to tell (including the story of a passenger who almost got left behind in Pompei). So be sure to check this board again next Monday or Tuesday.

 

Welcome home! I look forward to hearing the rest of your review. Just booked a B2B for next February and I'm anxious to hear all of the details about the ship, especially how she compares to the Noordam.

[moveup]

I got my handheld device working again and was able to compose this on my flight(s) home.

This post includes comments about entertainment, activities while at sea, noise issues, and disembarkation. This post also covers port calls in Marmaris, Heraklion (Crete) and Naples/Pompei, including the story of a passenger who got left behind on an excursion in Pompei.

Entertainment and onboard activities: There is an "animation" team of about 8 high energy young people who organize and lead daily games and activities. For example, on our second "sea day" (no port of call) the ship offered the following activities (none of which I attended so I can't comment): minigolf tournament, yoga, stretching/relaxation exercises, aerobics, Italian lesson (last of a series), trivia contest, bingo, and Latin dancing lesson (last of a series). In addition, the sommelier gave a one-hour talk on Italian wines that I found very informative, and the magician demonstrated "micro magic" in two one-hour sessions where you could see his moves close up and still be tricked. (A separate session of the wine lecture was held in English.) So I don't understand the previous posts complaining of the lack of activities. The "animation" team members dance with passengers at night, when the ship's 6 or 7 musical groups are performing in the various lounges. Each night there also is an after dinner show that runs about 45 minutes in a theatre where no food or drinks are served. The three shows I attended were variety shows, with an excellent dance troupe and unusual specialty acts including jugglers, contortionists, a magician, a gymnast who rolls around in a wheel rim and does flips and turns while rolling across the stage, and a guy who throws knives from his mouth, his belt, his armpits, etc. These shows are non-verbal due to the many languages spoken on board. We found the shows very entertaining. Shows I skipped included opera selections, a classical piano concert, topless revues at midnight, and a late-night 60's and 70's disco. 12 March was our sea day, and the ship held the captain's farewell reception and gala dinner (with the parade of baked Alaska) on that day rather than the 13th which was the last night of the cruise.

Noise issues: Overall we found our cabin to be very quiet. We did hear children running in the hallway, but we didn't hear any voices. Several times we did hear loud music/bass on the other side of our cabin wall. The third time, we called the desk. Within 5 minutes a ship officer came to our cabin to hear the music, and within about 2 minutes after that it was quiet. Our table mates had a similar problem with noise from neighbors, which the staff resolved promptly.

Disembarkation: Mid-cruise, a form is put in your cabin for you to complete, indicating your travel plans at the end of the cruise. Near the end of the cruise, the assistant cruise directors conducted language-specific briefings on disembarkation. On the last night of the cruise, they put color coded labels in your cabin for you to put on your luggage. You need to leave your large suitcases outside your cabin door by midnight, keeping your hand luggage. Early in the morning, the ship delivers two copies of your final bill for onboard charges (including excursions, wine, bar drinks, the standard 6-euro per day per passenger tip/gratuity for the waiters, cabin stewards, et al.). If you are satisfied with the bill, you sign one copy and bring it to the registration/information desk or the accounting desk, keeping the copy. If there is an error or you want to delete the standard tip and give tips directlly, go to the accounting desk. On the morning of disembarkation, all passengers have to vacate their cabins by 7:30 a.m. Breakfast is available and the lounges are open. The daily program indicates which lounge you should wait in, based on the color of your baggage tags. After the ship docks and is cleared by the authorities, you claim your passports at the accounting desk (around 9:15 in our case, although no announcement was made). You disembark when they call your color code, with first priority to those with early flights. We had an early flight out of Genoa, so we were in the first group off the ship, around 9:30. All passengers, even those with prepaid transfers to an airport, must claim their own suitcases in the terminal. Luggage carts are provided.

Now, about the last 3 port calls.

Marmaris: The ship offered a shuttle to and from the town for 5 euro (roundtrip). However, you can walk to the town center in about 20 minutes on a well marked path thriugh the yacht club. From the town center, it's a 5 minute uphill walk to the castle which has fabulous views. (I'm going to send Cruisecritic a photo of the MSC Orchestra that I took from, and framed by, the castle battlements.) Warning: If you aren't on a prepaid excursion, you have to pay 2 Turkish Lira (about 1.10 euros or about $1.70) for admission to the castle, and unlike the shops, the castle does not accept euros or dollars. The change bureaus won't change euro coins. So you may want to buy a half litre bottle of water from a shop, pay with a 2-euro coin, and accept 2 Turkish Lira as your change. Marmaris' seaside promenade is about a 45 minute roundtrip walk from the town center. So if you walked from the ship to the end of the promenade and back to the ship, with a visit to the castle, it would take about two hours. You might want to stop for Turkish coffee, lunch or dinner at one of the dozens of waterfront restaurants or cafes in town. Because the port call is a full 12 hours, you may want to take one the tours like the trip to the hillside cave tombs in Dalyon, as you still will have plenty of time to explore Marmaris. Caution: Whatever the official exchange rate, the restaurants and shops are likely to give you much less for your euro or dollar. They also declined to accept my credit card, probably so they could profit from the exchange on currency. But if you change money into Turkish Lira at a bank or money exchange, you can't exchange what you have left over back to euros or dollars.

Heraklion (Crete): We walked from the port to the street, turned right and walked about 20 minutes, past the first major intersection. In the next block on the left is the main bus station. In the back of the bus station we found the ticket kiosk for the bus to the palace of Knossos. Bus tickets cost 2.30 euro roundtrip. The bus leaves every 10 minutes and takes about 25 minutes. When you get off, look across the street to your left and you will see a sign pointing to the palace entrance. Admission is 6 euro. There are excellent information signs in English throughout the palace, so we did not hire a guide (which would have cost 120 euro). We spent about 90 minutes at the palace. There also is a museum which we did not visit. Returning to the town, we followed a walking tour from a guidebook. We visited the cathedral and two churches. We walked around the 1628 Morosini fountain on Plateia Venizelou. We got lunch at an excellent taverna, and we liked the local wine so well that we bought two bottles to share with our table mates at dinner on the ship. MSC allows small quantities of wine or beer to be brought aboard. In the dining room they charge a corkage fee of 2.50 euro per passenger who drinks the wine that you bring onboard. After lunch we continued our walking tour and picked up pastries at a pastry shop. Apparently Heraklion is well known for its pastries and the sidewalk cafes that serve them with Greek coffee. On our way back to the ship, we passed by the Venetian Loggia and the 16th century Venetian fortress at the end of the old harbor's jetty. We didn't have time to see if we could tour inside.

Naples: The Orchestra arrives in Naples at 8:00 a.m., and "all aboard" is 2:30 p.m., so you have to choose among touring Naples, Sorrento, Capri, or Pompei [their spelling]. We chose the ship's 4 hour excursion to Pompei, which cost about 45 euro. We decided to take the tour rather than public transportation because of the time constraint, as well as the reassurance that the ship would not leave without us if we were on one of "their" tours. The drive from the Naples port is about 30 minutes, followed by a 30 minute visit to a coral/shell cameo "factory" (shop) that is also the bathroom stop. Then our excellent guide gave us a 2 hour tour of Pompei. I can't possibly describe Pompei in this post except to say that it should not be missedand I plan to retirn when I have more time. Now the part about the passenger who got left behind. At the end of the tour, the guide showed us the meeting place and gave us 15 minutes to buy souveniers before walking to the bus, which had been moved to a parking lot. At the appointed time, our group walked with the guide to the bus. One woman ("Mary") was missing. Her traveling companion on the cruise ("Sheila") had not brought this to the attention of the tour guide either at the meeting point, nor during our walk to the bus. The guide and Sheila returned to the meeting point and looked for Mary for about ten minutes. Then they returned to the bus and we drove back to the ship. Enroute, the guide called the drivers of the other buses conducting Pompei tours from the ship, but Mary was not on their buses. The guide left word with the Pompei ticket office to have Mary take a taxi back to the ship. Mary, it turns out, had heard our guide gathering our group, but didn't see him. Rather than calling out to him, or to Sheila, Mary stayed behind and was with another group from our ship, but she did not ride with them. After waiting the better part of an hour, Mary took a (56 euro) taxi to the ship. Mary's and Sheila's point of view is that the guide should have continued looking for Mary even though she was not at the meeting point. Sheila took no responsibility for having left the meeting point without Mary, and without telling the guide until we got to the bus. Mary took no responsibility for leaving the meeting point when she heard but did not see the guide. The ship took no responsibility for anything related to the tour, and would have left without Sheila. Who was at fault? You be the judge.

[alexpress]

Moveup,

That would be great and fun to read. We'll be on the Orchestra in April on the 7 day western Med Circuit.

 

First Question. I have searched these forums and found conflicting information on Room Service on MSC... some saying free, some saying not. Can you post samples from the room service menu and prices (if any)? My teenage son often doesn't want to wait for meal time!

 

We will be living close with 4 people in a balcony stateroom... it really kept the price under control since the third and fourth pay port fees and taxes (and gratuity) only.

 

Hi

We have been on MSC Opera, MSC Lirica and MSC Orchestra last September out of Venice.

 

The room service has to be paid for. The menu is fairly limited and not as good as RCL which is "free."

 

Mostly there is not too long to wait for a meal time coming around.

 

On the plus side, Orchestra is a fabulous ship. Are you sailing from Venice?

 

Alex and Sue

[Oceans&Rivers]

I very much agree with you about the extra charges. I would much rather pay less and choose what things I want to spend extra money on! Especially traveling with kids.

 

I certainly understand your viewpoint. However, as we travel now as just a couple (husband and wife), we would prefer not to subsidize 3rd and 4th passengers in a room who pay less than full passage and sometimes even get FREE passage. Usually, but not always, those 3rd and 4th passengers with the deeply discounted or free tickets are children and/or teens who eat as much as we do (and don't drink expensive alcohol or gamble in casinos) and create at least as much wear and tear and pollution as adults.

 

It doesn't seem fair to me that singles and couples should have to subsidize the extremely low fares for extra people in a cabin. And the amount that we pay to subsidize 3rds and 4ths in a cabin adds up to a lot of money, more than enough to pay for some free room service or pizza, I think.

To be clear, I don't mind at all when 3rds or 4ths or seniors or military, etc. get a good discount, I do mind when their fare is literally only half or less of what we have to pay each to cruise on the same ship.

 

 

Now I would like to say a very big "thank you" to moveup for the numerous detailed reports from the ship and afterwards. We very much appreciate it.