MSC Splendida - Final Thoughts...

This ship was beautiful in every way and we really enjoyed our trip but I think I would like something a bit smaller next time. Not for any major reason...but just personal preference.

For my son's first cruise and our first time in the Med. I think this was perfect as we were out exploring the ports everyday. It wasn't that type of cruise where you settle in and hang by the pool and get to know your entertainment staff. It was a busy trip.

With this being my husband's last leave from Afghanistan, we just wanted to be together...we weren't looking to socialize. I think if we had been looking to do that we might have been disappointed. This felt more like a big, beautiful resort...as opposed to an intimate hide-away.

I think our next cruise will be in warm weather...beaches, lounging, etc...most likely on MSC

This was just what we wanted and expected for this trip...

MSC Splendida - Marseilles, France

We took the ships shuttle bus into town for 10 Euro each

It drops you 2 blocks from the view port…very convenient!
You just walk towards the water.

We got in line for the Petite Train even though it wasn’t to start running for about 15-20 min. It was a good decision as the line grew very quickly! The suggestion we read to sit on the right side for good picture taking was true. There were two trips…we took the tour that went to Notre Dame De La Garde.

Ours was a tour of the city and the church. Amazing! I would say it is a do not miss. There were services going on because it was Sunday but that made it special to see it in working action. The inside is beautiful and so colorful. Worth the walk up! There is a small café too.

We took the train back down and explore the town on foot. We went to the Espace De Mode (Fashion Museum) which I had read about. They had a wonderful exhibit that we toured.

Across the street was a beautiful old carousel that we rode. It seemed like a lot of locals out with their children. After we walked about a block down towards the water and found a entire alley filled with cafes. We chose one randomly and had a wonderful lunch.

On the way back to the shuttle bus we found a small shop that was open and I purchased some soaps for gifts at 6 for 10 Euro. They smelled yummy!

Then we took the shuttle bus back to the ship. Another wonderful half day.

MSC Splendida - Genoa, Italy

We were on a budget so we had to limit our ship excursions. From all we read about Genoa it seemed easy to tour on our own. Everyone talked about the aquarium…which I am sure is wonderful…but we live in “the ocean state” and have visited many large, amazing aquariums…so we choose not to go there.

This is what we did…

After getting off the ship, there is really no guidance. We walked towards the large building facing us which we found out was the cruise terminal. We were looking to get a map but it was almost empty…in a spooky sort of way. It is not obvious how to walk into the city.

We headed towards an escalator that went up…and was working. We found a small shop and a large rotunda. Straight ahead were two big doors and through them we saw a large fountain. Next to the fountain on a bridge was one of those topless tour buses that were at every port.

We decided to hop on and take a tour of the city. It was 10 Euro for each adult and 5 Euro for our son (which he ended up not charging us for). We had comfortable seats and headsets to hear the tour in our language. It was perfect and very informative. We saw a lot of the city.

After the tour there was a street called Via September that we wanted visit so we grabbed a taxi and headed back there. We walked around and bought some gifts to bring home. We also visited the Oriental Mercat open market. We had a great lunch outside at a place called Tim’s Café on one of the side streets up near the Plaza Ferrari.

We took a taxi back to the aquarium to see the pirate ship and walked through their shops. We walked back towards the ship, up some industrial looking stairs and ended up right on the bridge where we originally took the bus tour. We went back through the cruise terminal and bought some stamps at the small store. There was a mail slot so we sent off our post cards right there. We headed back to the ship…it was another great day!

MSC Splendida - Civitiveccia, Rome, Italy

After the stress of getting back to the ship in Tunisia we decided to cancel our privately booked tour of Rome and book a ship sponsored one. There was one listed onboard that seemed different from the ones on the website that I looked at before we left on the trip.

“The Grand Tour of Rome”
It had an internal tour of the Coliseum which was important to us and was the main reason we originally didn’t want to do a ship excursion. All of the others you just saw it from the outside.

It was a great decision!! It ended up being cheaper and was a wonderful tour. The bus was very comfortable, clean and perfectly on time. The bonus was a fantastic, Italian lunch that was hassle free and included in the price of the tour. (Papa Rex near the Vatican)

We had a great overview of the city and the Vatican…which was amazing. We would highly recommend this!

MSC Splendida - Messina, Italy

The time was short so we decided to walk and explore the town. We got a map for free in the terminal that had two walking tours on it.

We used it as a guide but just sort of wandered around. We saw the Duomo Plaza and the church. It was so different from all we had seen but still beautiful. We walked the side streets then back to the plaza.

We sat outside at a cafe called Dolce Vita and has coffee and a snack. We had our small laptop with us and were able to get free wifi there with a code from the cafe. It was warm and sunny and very nice.

The church bells chimed and the gold figures rotated in the bell tower. It was a short walk back to the ship...a nice relaxing day.

The ship is so big you could see it over all of the buildings!

MSC Splendida - Malta

We LOVED Malta!!! The Maltese we toured with the day before gave us some tips which were great.

We got off the ship and walked into the city…a bit of a walk and it was raining but it was fun to see the city before it was awake. You walk off the ship towards the right and just keep going until you see the big gate opening. Then up some stairs and narrow streets. The first place we went was St. Johns Co Cathedral…all I can say was AMAZING.

The perfect place to take a 10 year old boy…you are walking over the marble mosaic tombs of 400 Knights! What could be cooler than that. It was beautiful…breathtaking. There was a very long line that scared us but then we realized that was for tours and took the shorter on to the right for singles. They gave you an audio tour device to use with the cost of your ticket. No hats or high heels! I think this is a MUST SEE.

We wandered around town and went to the Armory in the Palace of the Masters. Again perfect place for young boys…all old armor and weapons. It was a little expensive but we thought it was worth it.

Then we walked towards the buses…we just asked someone the directions. It wasn’t far at all. We took a bus to Mdina for a couple of euro. We just asked which one to get on…I think there were three going there (#’s 80, 81 and 84 I think)

The bus drops you about two blocks from Mdina’s walls. Mdina was very pretty and interesting. Another beautiful church. We did it quick as it was raining but I think it is worth seeing. The bus back to Valetta is about a block away…we just asked which one to take. That dropped us back where we started.

Then we took another bus back to the port. It was very easy, very cheap and convenient. I think we paid under 2 euro for all three of us.

It was great…even with the rain!

MSC Splendida - Tunis, Tunisia

We didn’t book a ship excursion as were trying to save money…so we weren’t sure what we were going to do here. We had read some posts on this site about just finding a cab outside and going it alone. As we walked out of the terminal there was a line of cabs with a woman matching people up with the cabs.

We stood there for a minute to see how it was all working and to read the fares and she yelled out that they were looking for a foursome…we said we were three. It turned out that there was a foursome from Malta looking to share a tour with another foursome to bring the price down per person…so we went with them. They spoke English so that was great. I think it ended up being about $20 per person with the tip.

They took us to Sidi Bou Said and we walked around and shopped for about an hour. Pretty to see the white buildings and blue trim…but the vendors were very pushy and that was unpleasant. It was also raining on and off. We drove by Carthage…was too quick and then on to Mdina which I would have preferred to miss altogether. It was getting late and dark and there was a ton of city traffic. We were all concerned about not making it back to the ship…that we could see in the distance. We ended up making it back with no problem but the stress of that last hour or so prompted us to go right in and cancel our private excursion in Rome and to book a ship sponsored one! I did not want to be an hour and a half away from the ship and have some unforeseen thing happen to make us miss it.

We really felt like the best part of Tunis for us, was getting the Africa stamp on our passports! We had a good time but it was not one of my favorite ports.

MSC Splendida - About the Ship

There were a few (VERY few) negatives for us…

Now I know I am a little wimpy when it comes to cold pool water but their pools were even to cold for my husband and son! My husband ice dives and my son will go swimming ANYTIME. My son went in the indoor pool once and we didn’t go in at all. Too cold.

Along the same lines…the hot tubs were not hot. They were warmer than the pool but we only used them once. It would have been nice after all the walking to come back to a “hot” hot tub.

The ships stores did not have a big selection of sundries and personal items that guests might forget or run out of. Only the pool shop had Band-Aids and seemed to have odd open hours. I needed some bobby pins or any kind of hair accessory and they didn’t have any.

We thought the ships photos were expensive. We didn’t remember them being that much on the Lirica but maybe they were. The actual pictures weren’t great so maybe the price stood our more.

Other than that we had a beautiful vacation and would…and will…sail with MSC again!

Some personal notes…

We realized that we didn’t drink enough beer (my husband) or eat enough ice cream to warrant purchasing the packages. We had tickets left over and probably wouldn’t buy those packages again in the future.


The entertainment…

Some was really fun and some just wasn’t out cup of tea. Others seemed to enjoy it so it might just be us…or a cultural thing. Maybe some of it wasn’t great because the ship is so new. Overall we had a great time.

MSC Spendida - Onboard

The ship:

The ship was as beautiful as we thought she would be. Spotless and elegant. We had booked our cabin based on wanting an outside and the lowest price. We were really pleased. It was larger than we expected and had great storage. The bunk was down for our son and he was very excited. Our cabin # was 5023 which was on the same level as the main lobby. WE found this to be a perfect location as it was easy to get to everything…and to find your way around. The stairs with the Swarovski crystals are spectacular…we just kept finding reasons to walk up and down them. They sparkled like diamonds and took my breath away.

Dinning Room:

When we arrived we were told we had seating in Il Reggio for the first seating but later that afternoon we received a note in our cabin saying our table had been changed to Villa Verde dinning room. We were a little upset because Il Reggio was on the same level as our cabin…but figured we would try the new one out for the night. For us, it was a little hard to get to and our service was not great. We were also surrounded by crying babies…so we went right to the Matre’d at Il Reggio and asked to be moved back and they did it immediately, without question. It was a great thing too…we had the most wonderful service and the room was beautiful.

note - My son and I have several food allergies including wheat, eggs and dairy. We were so pleased that they we able to adjust the meals to suit our needs and we loved the food. They had many options for bread and pasta that would fit our plan. They never minded all of the questions we needed to ask to make sure food was safe for us and they often offered suggestions that we wouldn’t have thought of.

MSC Spendida - Embarkation in Barcelona

After a brief stay in Switzerland with some friends…we flew to Barcelona and stayed over night at a hotel in Plaza Catalunya called the Oliva Plaza. A great feature was that we could take the Areo Bus from the airport to the plaza right in front of the hotel for about $5 each. The bus was right there waiting and very clean and comfortable.

We thought the hotel location was excellent…right on Las Ramblas and in the middle of everything…perfect for our short stay. Walk to most and all of the tourist buses stop right in front. In the plaza was a large department store and the entire lower level was a huge market and pharmacy which was handy for last minute items. It was closed on Sunday but I was able to run over there on Monday before taking a cab to the port. (the cab was about $10 + $10 for luggage…about 8 minutes)

The hotel was very modern and pretty but privacy could be an issue. The bathroom was a little different…the toilet and the shower share a sliding door and the “walls” are frosted glass. It was fine for us for one night but any longer (while traveling with our 10 year old) would have been difficult. It would have been fine if we were alone…then not as much need for that privacy.

We arrived at the port at about 11:30 a.m. to no line or wait. We checked in and when right on.

MSC Spendida - A Few Pre-Cruise Travel Tips

If you are traveling to Europe from the US and if it is possible in your schedule/budget I highly recommend that you arrive a few days prior to sailing to adjust to the time change. We gave ourselves 4 days to visit some friends and adjust. It really helped us enjoy the entire cruise from day 1. We got on the ship rested and ready to go.

Knowing we would be on several flights for long periods of time I decided to invest a little time and energy in finding a good travel pillow and not just pick up one at the airport. Boy was this a great use of my time! I highly recommend the “Core” travel pillow from Core Products…you can Google them. It was the most comfortable pillow I have ever used. I used it for the entire flight and arrived with no stiff neck after sleeping most of it. Worth every penny! And it slid into my carry-on. It is filled with that memory foam and not the little beads.

For the ladies, I also recommend a lightweight Pashmina type wrap. I can’t use wool so mine is made from natural fibers. It rolled up and fit in my purse but was great to lay over me when it was chilly on the plane. I used it everyday on the trip…as a scarf, a shoulder wrap, to block the wind, a blanket…a small thing…but very useful.

Allergies: My son and I have several food allergies…including everyday foods like wheat and eggs. I was a little concerned about the language barrier and being able to order food that is safe for us. I found a website (https://www.allergytranslation.com/Home/home.php) where you can purchase custom food allergy translation cards. You check off your allergic foods and the languages for where you will be visiting, pay online and then receive it instantly. I printed them out and had them laminated. I only needed to use them a few times and our allergies aren’t severe…but something like this might come in handy for anyone on a special diet.

Americans on MSC Splendida - November 2009

Well, I guess we will be categorized as one of the “MSC Cheerleaders”…and that is OK with us.

We returned about a week ago from our second MSC vacation. Our first was on the Lirica in the Caribbean last year. We posted a review for that one too.

We are still trying to get settled back in …in the midst of Thanksgiving and the impending holiday season.

I will be posting in segments and would be happy to try and answer any questions.
We are an American couple in our 40’s. We traveled with our 10 year old son for his first cruise. I have been on many of the American lines and this was the second cruise for my husband who has only been on MSC…and I think is now spoiled!

MSC Lirica - Extra Tips...

We stayed one night prior to cruising...at the Ramada Inn Airport/Cruiseport. we paid $115 before tax and booked directly though the hotel. They had a free airport and cruiseport shuttle which we found to be great. The hotel was fine for one night. Old but clean. The room was very large. We had a room on the first floor in the back facing the parking lot...don't know how comfortable I would have felt in that location without my husband. If I were traveling with other women or children I would ask to be near the font desk. Has an ok pool area...but we didn't use it. We booked the cruise shuttle for 11am and it went smooth. Had free breakfast too.

On our return we stayed over one more night because we couldn't get flights late enough. I knew we would end up having the majority of Sunday left so I decided to find a nicer hotel that the Ramada. I played around on priceline and ended up with the Bahia Mar Yacht Hotel for $145 ($175 with taxes). Boy was I glad I did that. We hopped in a cab from the port (around $10 with tip) and pulled up to this beautiful location! A lovely way to end our trip...I think it would have been depressing to get off that beautiful ship and go to that old run down hotel for the day and night. We checked in and were upgraded to a balcony room. We ate, got settled and decided to take a water taxi ($12 each for all day with on and off privileges). It was only about 2 so we spent the day slowly riding the water taxi through the canals getting a tour of the huge private yachts and mega mansions. We stopped at Las Olas Blvd. and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Hopped back on the water taxi and as we were headed back to the hotel we saw the Lirica all lit up...it was magical! We got back to our room just in time to see it from our balcony...slowly pulling out for it's next voyage. The room was great. huge bathroom, comfy beds, beautiful view. They offer a personal car service to the airport for $20 for up to 4 people. It was worth every penny!

Drinks: we aren't big drinkers but thought the prices were very good. My husband got the beer tickets and they lasted the whole trip.

Smoking: we are not smokers and I am very sensitive to the smell...I was concerned with this being a European line that there would be smoke everywhere but that wasn't the case. I learned to steer clear of the Lord Nelson Pub which was a smokers paradise. All of the other public areas were fine...no problems.

Captains welcome and farewell receptions: they were held in two locations...Lord nelson Pub and the Lirica Lounge...we didn't know where to go so we went to the pub...big mistake...Smokey and crowded...and the captain was at the other location...the farewell night we went to the Lirica Lounge early and waited outside the door...got very crowded but we were glad we went about 20 minutes early...got great seats.

Cruise Pictures: we took a bunch of pictures with the ships photographer (on formal nights) but only ended up buying 2. they were expensive (like on most ships) they also had a "your cruise in review" dvd that was great if you were involved with activities...they show it on the TV throughout your trip and you can see if you are in it.

Onboard shops: We found the main gift shop to have great prices on souvenirs. We bought heavy Lirica mugs for around $6...which anywhere else's could have easily been $12-15. They had specials on evening bags, pareos, hats, purses, jewelry, etc...different each day...kind of like a sidewalk sale.

Kids: there were some kids onboard and they seemed to be having a good time. I didn't check the kids club in detail. The kids mixed with the adults and it worked. We will bring ours next time.

Dress: there were three formal nights which we loved...we like dressing up. The other nights were listed as casual...there was a mix. Some women were more dressed in fun, billowy, colorful cruise wear...others were more conservative. Shorts and caps are not allowed in the dining room for dinner. I wore sundresses or light pants with pretty tops and felt totally comfortable. My husband wore kakis or cargo pants and camp shirts and looked good too. He didn't bring a tux...just a suit and a sportcoat.

Mailing: the front desk will mail your postcards...$1 each and charge it to your account.

Tipping: we choose to do the automatic tipping of $12pp a day. It seemed fair (even cheap) for the amount of service we received and for the amount of people it was being split by. We did give a little extra to our waiter and busboy as we really liked them and the went out of their way to be helpful. We also left a thank you note and a small additional tip (as well as a bottle of champagne we won) for our two room stewards.

Bingo: we love bingo but only played a couple of times...it was $10 for 3 boards. They had it two times a day. loved hearing them cal the numbers in all 5 languages!!

Calling home: We used our cell phones in Cozumel (scared to see the bill) because we forgot to do it in town. In Costa Rica we called from inside the cruise terminal...you buy a calling card...$5 for 15 minutes I think...it worked well. In Columbia we also called from the terminal...was just as cheap and they had small private cubicles.

Weather: Breezy and chilly in Ft. Lauderdale but great while on the ship. The ports were hot and muggy. I really wished I had brought a light cotton shirt with sleeves because after a day or so my shoulders had enough sun. I searched in port for a shirt but ended up wearing one of my husbands and rolling up the sleeves. I would recommend a pool cover-up with light sleeves. I don't ever burn (olive skin) and I ALWAYS wear sunscreen...but I did burn a bit on this trip. BRING and WEAR lots of SUNSCREEN!! and a hat!

Waterproof Carrier: at the hiking store we got a waterproof carrier that you wear around your neck for about $5 and used it at all the ports. it fit our money, cruise card and IDs...next time we will get one large enough to fit our passports as well. We ended up putting them in plastic baggies to protect them. It would have been nice to keep them with us even in the water.

whew...I think that's it.

MSC Lirica - Our only minor complaints: (none of which made our trip bad!!)

* we didn't care for the buffet...but I don't think we are really buffet people so you might not be able to go by us.
* limited room service menu
* The pool was very cold and the hot tub wasn't hot
* could have been more TV options
* the internet was very slow and expensive...ended up requesting it be removed from our bill...which they did.
* didn't automatically offer "friends of Bill W" meetings

Overall we loved or trip. I have been on several other ships and have become a fan of this line. We will definitely go again and will talk all of our friends and family into coming with us. We loved the international flavor...all of the languages and people from other countries. It was much more free...most men in Speedos most women of any age in bikinis...very European...and we enjoyed that. The ship was spotless and beautifully decorated. The crew were warm and friendly...we can't wait to go back!
The ports were interesting and new to us.

MSC Lirica - Our Ports of Call

Cosumel: We chose not to do a ship excursion. We had breakfast in the dining room and then walked into town. it was only 9am their time and most things were closed...which was nice. It was very quite and we liked watching the city wake up. We needed snorkels and bought some nice ones for $15 each. after a little while we grabbed a cab to Chakanaab Park ($9 plus $2 tip) it was an 8-10 minute ride. We paid $16 each to get into the park. It was a lot of fun...my first time snorkeling! The water was really clear. The waves were a little rough and the sun kept hiding behind the clouds so we didn't stay in long...there were lots of chairs under little huts. It wasn't crowded at all. We swam a bit, servers brought drinks, we walked through the botanical gardens, met the local iguanas. We took a cab back to town...walked around a bit. With our park ticket we were eligible to get a free drink at Carlos and Charlie's...so we stopped in there and it was a fun and festive atmosphere. Back on the ship we swam, watched pool games and were grateful we had the 2nd seating!

 

Costa Rica: Also choose not to do a ship excursion. Walked around town in the morning...not much to see. Shopped in the cruise terminal. Went back on the ship for lunch and planned on getting a cab to a nearby beach (Playa Bonita) after...at lunch overheard some other passengers complaining about a bad cab experience...not following through with what was agreed on. So we decided to find a tour operator near the boat...we ended up with David Carnegie of Caribbean Coastaricans...there were other passengers from our ship and we ended up getting a city tour with them. Then he took us for a tour of the Tortugerro Canal by boat which was very cool! We saw Camins, Sloth, lots of birds, bats, lizards, etc...We paid $5 each for the bus tour and $10 each for the boat tour...plus a tip...it was wonderful. I have his card if anyone wants more info. Turned out that Playa Bonita was too rough.

Panama: We chose the ships excursion for Portobello and Gatun Locks. Great choice! We had a fabulous driver and the bus was really comfortable. We went to the locks and saw a ship coming through...amazing! then we went to the town of Portobello and had an informative tour of that area...interesting forts...beautiful views. Worth it.

Columbia: we chose to do a ships excursion here too...we read so much about how most of the area is unsafe. We choose the city tour...and thought it was great. It moved quick (which was good for us) and you saw a lot. Loved the old city and the small gold museum...and the place of the Inquisition...very creepy. Felt it was a good value...saw many different parts of the city.

Cayo Leventado: my husband wanted to see a waterfall...so we chose the Salto Limon horseback riding ship excursion. While the outcome was good...I didn't care for this excursion for the most part. On the way over to the island by tender...it was pouring rain..they gave us all ponchos. The horseback riding was difficult and over muddy, large boulders...the waterfall was amazing and glorious. The hike down more muddy boulders after the scary horseback ride was not so fun. Then after swimming in the water you had to get dressed and hike back up to retrieve your horse and rise back to their base. It was cool that each of us had our own personal guide for the whole trip. If you choose this excursion be prepared to get wet and muddy and for some serious physical exertion. The waterfall was magnificent. We were supposed to do some shopping but everyone just wanted to get back.