MSC Opera Cruise Ship

we booked a cruise online and the payment was declined, we contacted the merchant Msc Cruises and they said we should wait 72 hrs and check and do the payment again. ONCE we did it again both payment went off, we put in a dispute with nedbank and Msc cruises and both debits were credited R7070 29Des 2012. on the 25/01/2013 2 amounts went off our bank, one for goods purchased on the ship an another amount, when I contacted the merchant they said it was for every Rand (dollar) spent they put a hold for the same amount in Rands (dollars) but the amount would be kept on hold for 15 - 20 working days. We used our debit/credit/cheque card and the amount is still out of our account as of today. now we keep on contacting the bank and the card division but they say that the amount was taken by the merchant on the 28th Dec 2012, by that stage we hadn't ever gone on the cruise and the cruise confirmation was sent to us before the 25th Jan. This is pathetic, as we are now paying interest on our overdue account and to stop the interest we are transferring funds from our home loan access account to the cheque account and now our home loan interest is going to be more because of the lessor amount, WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET OUR MONEY BACK??????

24/01/2013 www.msconline.4923110002066622 -7,638.94 64.47 24/01/2013

MSC OPERA 4923110002066622 -5,729.08

Overdraft balance -5,664.61

Desiree Gagiano

Disgusting food, dirty dishes, rude and moody waiters. Entertainment was mediocre. The Costa mediterranean cruises I've been on were amazing but I would definitely not recommend this cruise!

THIS IS OUR COMPLAINT LETTER TO MSC

Cheshire

England; UK

WA14 xxx

Saturday 22nd September 2012

Complaint about MSC Opera Cruise (19th – 27th August 2012)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with my recent holiday onboard your ship, MSC Opera.

My issue with the holiday began with a series of unsatisfactory dealings with my travel agent, however these issues have been addressed in a separate letter of complaint which I have sent directly to the travel agent.

My first issue with the MSC Cruise was the food. I told the waiting staff upon my arrival of my needs as a coeliac, despite having previously filled this information in on booking forms prior to the holiday. Despite this, my food was consistently served wrong: I received bread in meals, food which later turned out not to be gluten-free, and food which the staff did not know the contents of. On two occasions (including one formal night, when my wife and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary) I had to leave the dining hall due to feeling incredibly ill as a result of eating gluten; a feeling of ill-health which I suffered throughout the night. My wife was very distressed that when the photos were taken for the formal, she had to have these photos taken without me. When booking this special celebratory holiday, we had weighed up our options including other cruises with other companies, and after careful consideration, our decision was swung by your full page advert (copy attached) in the Coeliac UK magazine. We decided to go with MSC due to your supposed understanding of catering for Coeliacs. We understood that by booking on the Opera, we were not going to have fresh gluten free products, but were more than happy reading that we were going to be able to get packaged gluten free bread and cakes. We did in fact receive only one bread roll each per day, for me and my little girl who is also coeliac, and in fact did not receive any cake throughout the whole cruise. Desserts were limited to fresh fruit or sorbet for the whole cruise for both of us.

On top of this, we received only one hot meal the whole time whist we were on board, the majority of meals were ‘lukewarm’ at best, and some absolutely cold, which we found disconcerting, and unacceptable.

We received a letter from Jenny, who advised that she could give us additional help regarding our dietary needs, but after going down to reception and making a complaint about our meals, we were advised that Jenny would contact us - she never did, despite us making several requests for her to do so.

On top of this, our room was directly above a disco that played music loudly until 1am every morning; had this been the only thing that was unsatisfactory, we probably wouldn’t have written to complain, but unfortunately, this just became one of many things that disappointed us about our cruise with MSC.

We had the need on several occasions whilst trying to sort out dietary issues, to contact reception; sadly we found the majority of staff there to be incredibly hostile to our complaints, making us feel like trouble-causers for daring to question the onboard service. On multiple occasions, I was spoken to by the reception staff like a second-class citizen.

Our all inclusive drinks package should have included a choice of wines at the table, but we were given only one type, after the wine waiter told us that he didn’t drink, so would choose a bottle for us, as he couldn’t advise us on taste. Additionally, after the first glass each evening, it was very difficult to get the wine waiter’s attention to receive any more drink. At this point, I should add that the service that we received from the evening table waiter was outstanding, pity the same couldn’t be said of the wine waiter who was quite frankly very rude.

In terms of ports of calls, we were bitterly disappointed to discover after paying quite a lot of money to get to Ijmuiden, that the place was possibly the worst place that I have ever been unfortunate enough to visit! At no point during the cruise were we advised that this city is not a suitable destination for tourists, had we been warned, we would have taken a shore excursion to Amsterdam! (Instead, we wasted an entire day of our holiday in a vile place with nothing to do. We also paid quite a lot of money to visit Bilbao (which did give notice that we should be prepared for quite a lot of shops to be shut, due to a festival), we were outraged however to find that when we arrived there, ABSOLUTELYT ALL of the shops were shut. This left us feeling very aggrieved, and again, very disappointed.

My eldest son had his own room, and the service that he received was quite pitiful, including rare changes of towels and the folding up and reusing dirty towels that had been put on the floor for change due to having blood from razor cuts on them. Additionally, the toilet was not properly cleaned during the stay onboard, and by day 6 of the holiday, a horrible thick black circle of grime had build up all inside the toilet – I have photographic evidence of this which I can provide via email should you require to see it.

On the day that the bills got settled, we yet again had to go and complain that somebody else’s drinks bill had worryingly been put on our account. We were treated nicely by the gentleman on the counter, but he had to send for a supervisor, who quite literally treated us like criminals until after half an hour, she found that we were correct, but we still received no apology for the way that we had been treated.

We as a family, have been left hugely disappointed, that we were celebrating our 25th wedding Anniversary, in what should have been a joyous occasion, and one in which we can never replace, and our holiday has been ruined by a catalogue of errors, rudeness, and poor service.

I trust that you will take seriously my complaints, and respond to me in a timely manner indicating how you intend to correct these faults for future customers, and more importantly from my perspective, how you intend to reimburse me for the elements of my holiday which were not up to standard. Upon receiving your response and proposal, I will respond promptly.

(I have also sent a copy of this e-mail to you through general post)

Yours Sincerely

THIS IS THE RESPONSE WE GOT BACK OFF MSC



Mr Wayne XXXX

RE: MSC Opera– 19 August 12 Ref: 8166925

Thank you for your letter we received regarding your cruise on MSC Opera.

We must apologise for the delay in responding to your concerns. We can assure you this is certainly not indicative of the way in which we wish to treat our valued guests at MSC Cruises and we do thank you for your patience and understanding.

MSC always hope that our cruises will either meet or exceed the expectations of our guests, and therefore we read with disappointment that certain aspects of your holiday marred the enjoyment of your cruise.

Regarding your request, we can confirm the following. MSC Cruises work closely with the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (Italian Celiac Association) and now we are in contact with the Coeliac UK Association to provide gluten-free menus in the restaurants of MSC Splendida, MSC Fantasia, MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Magnifica, MSC Divina cruising in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. Training courses on coeliac diets are taken on all the above ships, where the kitchens are equipped to provide this service.

We are unhappy you found the service lacking in certain areas. MSC generally receive favourable feedback in this area. However, MSC will not tolerate any rudeness from any member of staff or crew. I have personally spoken to the head of the guest relations manager at head office regarding your comments. He is a real asset to the company and will take immediate action regarding your remarks.

The company were obviously sorry reading your observations in your son’s cabin. MSC have thoroughly investigated all your claims and have contacted all relevant management and staff regarding this to make sure this does not happen again in the future. We are disappointed at any upset or inconvenience this caused.

With reference to the issue you encountered with your onboard account, we would explain that we do have a tried and tested procedure onboard regarding onboard accounts. That said we accept that there will be rare occasions when things do go wrong. We are pleased to note that the situation was resolved prior to your disembarkation.

In view of your disappointment we are pleased to offer you a 10% reduction on a future MSC cruise. This is a gesture of goodwill and no admission of liability, based on a cruise only fare. It is valid for booking before December 2013 and is not valid at peak holiday times. It does not have any cash value and is non-transferable and non-refundable. Acceptance of this is in full and final settlement of any and all claims relating to the above cruise.

Also we would like to offer you a £100 voucher to spend onboard a MSC cruise in the future. This voucher is per cabin, and has no cash value and non-transferable. Please, advise our reservation department at the time of booking regarding the onboard credit. When received please check your tickets and booklet, which will enclose this voucher.

We value and appreciate the time and trouble taken to write to MSC, as passenger feedback is very important to us.

In the meantime, please accept our very best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Rachel Green

Head of Customer Relations

MSC Cruises UK and Ireland Office

Rachel Green

Head of Customer Service

MSC Cruises Ltd

Queens House, 55-56 Lincolns Inn Fields

London, WC2A 3LJ (United Kingdom)

Phone (UK): 020 7092 2886

Fax: + 44 (0) 207 831 1927

Visit our website: www.msccruises.co.uk

Visit our press area: www.mscpressarea.com

Discover the MSC Yacht Club: www.mscyachtclub.com

Follow us: Facebook & Twitter

OUR REPLY TO MSC MD Gianluigi Aponte

Dear Sir, further to your invitation, we really feel let down and disappointed in your company (re- correspondence ABOVE).

We had a dreadful time on your MSC Opera, whilst we were celebrating our silver wedding Anniversary, and what should have been a trip of a lifetime has turned into a sad remembrance of our time spent on your ship. Even after complaining, we felt that Rachel Green in her offer had missed the whole point that this was supposed to have been a trip of a lifetime and feel insulted and let down by her response. We could get the same offer by booking with another company by going to the travel agents again, except that wee will never be able to afford a trip like this again.

Many thanks, Wayne and Diane XXX

MSC THEN HAD THE CHEEK TO SELL US THIS HOLIDAY

Pierfrancesco Vago

CEO of MSC Cruises

December 10, 2012

Dear Traveller,

On 23 March 2013, MSC Preziosa will be launched in spectacular style in Genoa and we would like you to be among the first guests to experience everything that our stunning new ship has to offer.

As the precious fourth and final addition to our celebrated MSC Fantasia class, the theme of preciousness has inspired every detail of MSC Preziosa’s design. From her 18 decks named after precious stones, to her stunning new features and fabulous itineraries, we’ve ensured that every moment of every voyage is as precious as the ship herself.

In breathtakingly beautiful surroundings, MSC Preziosa offers features including a stunning ‘infinity’ pool, a relaxing adult-only solarium and the secluded paradise of the MSC Aurea Spa. Together with the fantastic Galaxy restaurant, an all day buffet with open kitchen and a disco with panoramic sea views, there have never been so many innovations in dining and entertainment to discover.

As a family company, we pride ourselves on making sure that there’s never a dull moment on board, so it is no surprise that one of MSC Preziosa’s major innovations is dedicated to children and families. Doremi Castle, the new and extensive children’s aqua park, boasts the longest single rider waterslide on the seas, Vertigo, with 120 metres of fabulous twists and turns offering amazing ocean views.

What’s more, the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive area located on the most prestigious and desirable foredecks of our Fantasia class ships, will be taken to new heights on board MSC Preziosa. Enjoy sweeping sea views, butler-serviced superior suites, a dedicated restaurant, pool, solarium, panoramic lounge and private decks.

From 24 March to 3 November 2013, MSC Preziosa will sail a series of 8-day/7-night cruises from Genoa. Visit the beautiful Italian ports of Naples and Taormina, take in the stunning sights of Tunis’s enchanting medina, marvel at the architectural splendours of Barcelona and experience a delightful blend of history, culture and outstanding seafood in Marseilles.

To find out more, please contact your travel agent, call us on 0844 561 1955, or visit www.msccruises.co.uk

On behalf of my staff and crew, we look forward to welcoming you on board MSC Preziosa soon so that you too can experience some truly precious moments in the Mediterranean’s most inspiring destinations.

Sincerely,

Pierfrancesco Vago

CEO of MSC Cruises

THIS IS OUR COMPLAINT LETTER TO MSC

Cheshire

England; UK

WA14 xxx

Saturday 22nd September 2012

Complaint about MSC Opera Cruise (19th – 27th August 2012)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with my recent holiday onboard your ship, MSC Opera.

My issue with the holiday began with a series of unsatisfactory dealings with my travel agent, however these issues have been addressed in a separate letter of complaint which I have sent directly to the travel agent.

My first issue with the MSC Cruise was the food. I told the waiting staff upon my arrival of my needs as a coeliac, despite having previously filled this information in on booking forms prior to the holiday. Despite this, my food was consistently served wrong: I received bread in meals, food which later turned out not to be gluten-free, and food which the staff did not know the contents of. On two occasions (including one formal night, when my wife and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary) I had to leave the dining hall due to feeling incredibly ill as a result of eating gluten; a feeling of ill-health which I suffered throughout the night. My wife was very distressed that when the photos were taken for the formal, she had to have these photos taken without me. When booking this special celebratory holiday, we had weighed up our options including other cruises with other companies, and after careful consideration, our decision was swung by your full page advert (copy attached) in the Coeliac UK magazine. We decided to go with MSC due to your supposed understanding of catering for Coeliacs. We understood that by booking on the Opera, we were not going to have fresh gluten free products, but were more than happy reading that we were going to be able to get packaged gluten free bread and cakes. We did in fact receive only one bread roll each per day, for me and my little girl who is also coeliac, and in fact did not receive any cake throughout the whole cruise. Desserts were limited to fresh fruit or sorbet for the whole cruise for both of us.

On top of this, we received only one hot meal the whole time whist we were on board, the majority of meals were ‘lukewarm’ at best, and some absolutely cold, which we found disconcerting, and unacceptable.

We received a letter from Jenny, who advised that she could give us additional help regarding our dietary needs, but after going down to reception and making a complaint about our meals, we were advised that Jenny would contact us - she never did, despite us making several requests for her to do so.

On top of this, our room was directly above a disco that played music loudly until 1am every morning; had this been the only thing that was unsatisfactory, we probably wouldn’t have written to complain, but unfortunately, this just became one of many things that disappointed us about our cruise with MSC.

We had the need on several occasions whilst trying to sort out dietary issues, to contact reception; sadly we found the majority of staff there to be incredibly hostile to our complaints, making us feel like trouble-causers for daring to question the onboard service. On multiple occasions, I was spoken to by the reception staff like a second-class citizen.

Our all inclusive drinks package should have included a choice of wines at the table, but we were given only one type, after the wine waiter told us that he didn’t drink, so would choose a bottle for us, as he couldn’t advise us on taste. Additionally, after the first glass each evening, it was very difficult to get the wine waiter’s attention to receive any more drink. At this point, I should add that the service that we received from the evening table waiter was outstanding, pity the same couldn’t be said of the wine waiter who was quite frankly very rude.

In terms of ports of calls, we were bitterly disappointed to discover after paying quite a lot of money to get to Ijmuiden, that the place was possibly the worst place that I have ever been unfortunate enough to visit! At no point during the cruise were we advised that this city is not a suitable destination for tourists, had we been warned, we would have taken a shore excursion to Amsterdam! (Instead, we wasted an entire day of our holiday in a vile place with nothing to do. We also paid quite a lot of money to visit Bilbao (which did give notice that we should be prepared for quite a lot of shops to be shut, due to a festival), we were outraged however to find that when we arrived there, ABSOLUTELYT ALL of the shops were shut. This left us feeling very aggrieved, and again, very disappointed.

My eldest son had his own room, and the service that he received was quite pitiful, including rare changes of towels and the folding up and reusing dirty towels that had been put on the floor for change due to having blood from razor cuts on them. Additionally, the toilet was not properly cleaned during the stay onboard, and by day 6 of the holiday, a horrible thick black circle of grime had build up all inside the toilet – I have photographic evidence of this which I can provide via email should you require to see it.

On the day that the bills got settled, we yet again had to go and complain that somebody else’s drinks bill had worryingly been put on our account. We were treated nicely by the gentleman on the counter, but he had to send for a supervisor, who quite literally treated us like criminals until after half an hour, she found that we were correct, but we still received no apology for the way that we had been treated.

We as a family, have been left hugely disappointed, that we were celebrating our 25th wedding Anniversary, in what should have been a joyous occasion, and one in which we can never replace, and our holiday has been ruined by a catalogue of errors, rudeness, and poor service.

I trust that you will take seriously my complaints, and respond to me in a timely manner indicating how you intend to correct these faults for future customers, and more importantly from my perspective, how you intend to reimburse me for the elements of my holiday which were not up to standard. Upon receiving your response and proposal, I will respond promptly.

(I have also sent a copy of this e-mail to you through general post)

Yours Sincerely

THIS IS THE RESPONSE WE GOT BACK OFF MSC



Mr Wayne XXXX

RE: MSC Opera– 19 August 12 Ref: 8166925

Thank you for your letter we received regarding your cruise on MSC Opera.

We must apologise for the delay in responding to your concerns. We can assure you this is certainly not indicative of the way in which we wish to treat our valued guests at MSC Cruises and we do thank you for your patience and understanding.

MSC always hope that our cruises will either meet or exceed the expectations of our guests, and therefore we read with disappointment that certain aspects of your holiday marred the enjoyment of your cruise.

Regarding your request, we can confirm the following. MSC Cruises work closely with the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (Italian Celiac Association) and now we are in contact with the Coeliac UK Association to provide gluten-free menus in the restaurants of MSC Splendida, MSC Fantasia, MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Magnifica, MSC Divina cruising in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. Training courses on coeliac diets are taken on all the above ships, where the kitchens are equipped to provide this service.

We are unhappy you found the service lacking in certain areas. MSC generally receive favourable feedback in this area. However, MSC will not tolerate any rudeness from any member of staff or crew. I have personally spoken to the head of the guest relations manager at head office regarding your comments. He is a real asset to the company and will take immediate action regarding your remarks.

The company were obviously sorry reading your observations in your son’s cabin. MSC have thoroughly investigated all your claims and have contacted all relevant management and staff regarding this to make sure this does not happen again in the future. We are disappointed at any upset or inconvenience this caused.

With reference to the issue you encountered with your onboard account, we would explain that we do have a tried and tested procedure onboard regarding onboard accounts. That said we accept that there will be rare occasions when things do go wrong. We are pleased to note that the situation was resolved prior to your disembarkation.

In view of your disappointment we are pleased to offer you a 10% reduction on a future MSC cruise. This is a gesture of goodwill and no admission of liability, based on a cruise only fare. It is valid for booking before December 2013 and is not valid at peak holiday times. It does not have any cash value and is non-transferable and non-refundable. Acceptance of this is in full and final settlement of any and all claims relating to the above cruise.

Also we would like to offer you a £100 voucher to spend onboard a MSC cruise in the future. This voucher is per cabin, and has no cash value and non-transferable. Please, advise our reservation department at the time of booking regarding the onboard credit. When received please check your tickets and booklet, which will enclose this voucher.

We value and appreciate the time and trouble taken to write to MSC, as passenger feedback is very important to us.

In the meantime, please accept our very best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Rachel Green

Head of Customer Relations

MSC Cruises UK and Ireland Office

Rachel Green

Head of Customer Service

MSC Cruises Ltd

Queens House, 55-56 Lincolns Inn Fields

London, WC2A 3LJ (United Kingdom)

Phone (UK): 020 7092 2886

Fax: + 44 (0) 207 831 1927

Visit our website: www.msccruises.co.uk

Visit our press area: www.mscpressarea.com

Discover the MSC Yacht Club: www.mscyachtclub.com

Follow us: Facebook & Twitter

OUR REPLY TO MSC MD Gianluigi Aponte

Dear Sir, further to your invitation, we really feel let down and disappointed in your company (re- correspondence ABOVE).

We had a dreadful time on your MSC Opera, whilst we were celebrating our silver wedding Anniversary, and what should have been a trip of a lifetime has turned into a sad remembrance of our time spent on your ship. Even after complaining, we felt that Rachel Green in her offer had missed the whole point that this was supposed to have been a trip of a lifetime and feel insulted and let down by her response. We could get the same offer by booking with another company by going to the travel agents again, except that wee will never be able to afford a trip like this again.

Many thanks, Wayne and Diane XXX

MSC THEN HAD THE CHEEK TO SELL US THIS HOLIDAY

Pierfrancesco Vago

CEO of MSC Cruises

December 10, 2012

Dear Traveller,

On 23 March 2013, MSC Preziosa will be launched in spectacular style in Genoa and we would like you to be among the first guests to experience everything that our stunning new ship has to offer.

As the precious fourth and final addition to our celebrated MSC Fantasia class, the theme of preciousness has inspired every detail of MSC Preziosa’s design. From her 18 decks named after precious stones, to her stunning new features and fabulous itineraries, we’ve ensured that every moment of every voyage is as precious as the ship herself.

In breathtakingly beautiful surroundings, MSC Preziosa offers features including a stunning ‘infinity’ pool, a relaxing adult-only solarium and the secluded paradise of the MSC Aurea Spa. Together with the fantastic Galaxy restaurant, an all day buffet with open kitchen and a disco with panoramic sea views, there have never been so many innovations in dining and entertainment to discover.

As a family company, we pride ourselves on making sure that there’s never a dull moment on board, so it is no surprise that one of MSC Preziosa’s major innovations is dedicated to children and families. Doremi Castle, the new and extensive children’s aqua park, boasts the longest single rider waterslide on the seas, Vertigo, with 120 metres of fabulous twists and turns offering amazing ocean views.

What’s more, the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive area located on the most prestigious and desirable foredecks of our Fantasia class ships, will be taken to new heights on board MSC Preziosa. Enjoy sweeping sea views, butler-serviced superior suites, a dedicated restaurant, pool, solarium, panoramic lounge and private decks.

From 24 March to 3 November 2013, MSC Preziosa will sail a series of 8-day/7-night cruises from Genoa. Visit the beautiful Italian ports of Naples and Taormina, take in the stunning sights of Tunis’s enchanting medina, marvel at the architectural splendours of Barcelona and experience a delightful blend of history, culture and outstanding seafood in Marseilles.

To find out more, please contact your travel agent, call us on 0844 561 1955, or visit www.msccruises.co.uk

On behalf of my staff and crew, we look forward to welcoming you on board MSC Preziosa soon so that you too can experience some truly precious moments in the Mediterranean’s most inspiring destinations.

Sincerely,

Pierfrancesco Vago

CEO of MSC Cruises

or read on http://msc-nightmare.webs.com/

We have just cruised on the above ship

We booked on line but when we arrived at Port we still had to wait in a queue for half an hour. The organisation was chaotic.

We soon forgot this when we boarded the most beautiful ship I have ever seen and excitedly arrived at our cabin No. 8134. The cabin was lovely and we were lucky enough to have balcony but thats when everything changed as outside was a steel monstrosity which held the platform for getting on and off the ship. We had been informed that all cabins Grade 7 had unobstructed views.

We went straight away to Reception, I had taken the confirmation of 'unobstructed view' from MSC direct and this was photocopied and we were informed that they would contact by Email Head Office and leave message in our cabin. We therefore did not unpack as we expected to be moved.

Arriving back in our cabin later that night - no message.

Next morning we went back to Reception - had received no reply.

We still did not unpack.

Went back later in the evening - no reply.

After 3 attempts at Reception we phoned Planet Cruising - we knew they could not do anything but we asked if they could log our complaint.

After 7 visits to Reception we gave up.

The steelwork covered 4 cabins and we would ask that no one books

Cabin 8134 or the other 3 (not sure which way numbers ran)

The entertainment was awful (we have been on 12 cruises and this was the worst ever)

The food was okay but mainly for the Italians - loads of pasta, pizzas etc. English food - burgers/hotdogs every day and not much choice.

At our dining table in the restaurant in the evening the vibration from what we presumed to be a propeller or similar was so bad that on 2 evenings 2 bottles of wine tipped over and the noise was very loud.

We were so terribly disappointed with our cruise and would like future travellers to note these comments.

We are not complainers as a rule and have never had to go and complain about anything in the past.

It was such a shame that such a beautiful ship had disastrous consquences.

We have written to MSC and sent a copy to Planet

Diane Walters

we left from southampton and reading some other reveiws they said weather horible what they expect sept we were heading to Amsterdam

then back france actually left best weather in england for a long time

nice in amsterdam lovely in France then got really HOT going to Med

Food was Excellent these people must eat in Michlelen Restaurants

Steak Chicken Pork Vennisan Rissotto Paela Soups Desserts to die for

and for not Burgers and hot dogs and chips etc for Kids

Staff could not be more Helpful fun all the time in Bars Sometimes asked to much would you like a drink Rooms very clean and cleaned every day

No Proplem Embarking and Disembarking Did Learn % new Languages But not

problem Drinks Package a must £20.oop per day Exscursions rip off but which Cruise does not Shows Medium if you like Opera and magician good

Ignore bad reports!!! Read this one...

We have just returned from a Northern Europe cruise - Imujden/St Peters Port/La Coruna/Bilbao/La Rochelle, We had a great time.

Yes they say things 3 or 4 times in different languages but then there are different nationalities on board, you learn to switch off. Always recommend taking the time to get ready to dine in the main restaurants for breakfast and lunch if on the boat the service there is great and food always piping hot. Always pasta /chicken/steak and burgers available each evening and a great variety of 7 courses for those that want to try something other than English food,

Would definately use MSC again.

Tips: Imujden - a bus available as you walk off for 3 people to Amsterdam only 13 Euros return total cost, but you must ask for return ticket, we paid individually and it cost twice as much.

St Peters Port - Boat tender to land, get ticket number (no cost) early else you could wait up to 3 hrs to get across.

La Coruna - Great reasonable shopping, just 5 mins walk from docks.

Bilbao - Walk off at this port and to the left a beautiful beach.

La Rochelle - Get early bus into town this will allow you time to take a boat ride to "Fort Buoyard". The bus tickets available on board 10 euors per child 13 euros per adult.

Just returned from the MSC Opera Cruise,this was our 1st cruise and so we really didn't know what to expect,but seasoned cruisers told us that it was not up to much compared to what they had experienced.

All in all it wasn't too bad,but badly let down by the bar staff on the pool deck,it was nothing to wait 20 minutes or more at the bar for a drink,all you could see either side of you was long fed up faces looking really cheesed off.

Whilst the queue got longer the 2 barmen would have a nice little chat about whatever,if someone was lucky enough to step into a gap vacated by a thirsty customer who'd just got served,then he would get served,regardless of the others who'd been waiting ages.

There was nowhere near enough staff on duty at this bar and the 2 that were there had just simply given up trying to please the masses.

As we spent most of the time in and around this bar,this was a big downside to this cruise.

The ship is fine,embarking and disembarking simple enough even for some one like me who does not like a lot of fuss.The ship is spotless and quite opulent.Was expecting the staff to be all italian being an Italian ship.How wrong could I be.The crew might be Italian but the actual real workers the waiting, bar staff and housekeeping are all from places like indanesia ,peru cuba brazil ect.They work 11 hour days,seven days aweek on a 9 months contract.NO DAYS OFF.They all speak several lanuages,are very polite and helpful.In fact they made to trip for me and my wife.The food on board was either in the formal resturant,tried that twice not for us the buffet resturants had plenty of choice and chances to try new things.We were charged 7 euros a day each for tips total 112 euros ,travel agent said we could get this removed if we wished but found it was compulsery.We did give extra tips to the waiting and house keeping staff who treated us like royalty.The excursions were expensive and we was even charge for the shuttle bus ,which I was told by other passengers who had cruised before,was free with P&O we arrive in la curuna to find every where shut,we got off the ship at la curuna and walked to the tower of herclues, just was leaving as an excursion from the ship arrived and they paid 79 euros each.La Rochelle, you cannot leave the boat unless you book on the shutle bus at 13 euros ahead.All round opinion,as a first cruise it was an exeriance but from other passengers comments,will go with P&O if and when we cruise again.

I travelled on the MSC Opera on the 31st May, with my 13yr old daughter, and my mother 78, the overall embarkation was perfect, from Southampton, this is why I chose this cruise, and the fact that under 18s only pay port tax.

Inside cabin, clean and comfortable, a bit disappointed on what I paid, some people booked at same time as me, and paid what I had for an outside cabin, hey ho, luck of the draw.

Entertainment team were very hard working, and the childerens team were exceptional, with younger ones. Teenagers could have had a little bit more going on for there age group.

Days at sea, were well organised.

Food!!!!!!! I would advise anyone sailing on this ship not to expect 5star cuisine, it is struggling to make a 4!!!

In the cafeteria self service, it is like a bun-fight, not kept tidy enough, and a lot of the staff that work on this section cant even speak english, no specially themed days (ie Chinese, or Mexican themed) which a lot of other cruise liners offer.

Avoided going in there, with the exception If we missed breakfast in the restaurants.

TIP- eat in the restaurants Caravella & L,approdo only, you will only feel like you are on a cruise by doing this.

I am open minded about European/Italian food, but knowing a few Italian families myself, I believe they would agree that Its not the kind of food they would eat themselves!! Its just average at the best.

The ship is smaller that some of the sister ships, but its very easy to get around, and very, very clean.

As with any ships today, drinks are very expensive, if you want to drink all day, you will most deffinately need a drinks package, cocktails start at E7.00 plus, wine per bottle from about E22.00:

Tipping- is required at E7.50 per person per day, I disagree with this, as I only believe in tipping the people who have given you the best service. If you ask politely to the accounts desk, and tell them you do not wish to pay the gratuity, they have to accept this. We tipped our cabin stewards (unfortunately I was unwell whilst on the ship with a severe chest infection) and they were very helpful, a few waiters, in the main restaurant, I did this as I was told that the tips given automatically is spread throughout the ship, starting with the captain, working the way down the ranks. I dont think that cleaners, and cabin stewards are going to see a great deal of that somehow, but this is my opinion and one shared with a great many other passengers.

Overall, travelled to fjords,in Norway, lovely places to see, clean efficent ship, would possibly use MSC again but if im paying a 5star Price, I expect 5star service.

I had been checking the reviews prior to travel and it was such a mixed bag that I reserved judgement. The ship itself is spotless and the crew were very obliging, nothing was too much trouble. There were 7 of us aged between 5 to 58 years.

We arrived for embarkation an hour early and did not queue for anything, we were on the ship within 20 minutes of arriving at the port.

I have cruised several times and always had a balcony cabin but we opted for an inside cabin, it was very adequate with plenty of storage space.We were on Deck 8 midship which was very central for everything. The bathroom was the biggest I have yet had on a cruise. I was concerned that I would not like the inside room at all but apart from not knowing what the weather was like when you woke up it was fine. (We were able to check on the TV for the weather).

We were very fortunate to get our requested first sitting in the Approdo restaurant, we had our own table which was in an excellent position just one step away from the window. Our waiters Alan and Ivan could have done nothing more for us, the service was second to none and they were always cheery.

Our cabin stewards were also excellent.

We opted to pay for the inclusive drinks package which although initially seemed expensive (£33 for an adult and £18 for a child) we more than got our moneys worth and that was not even over indulging. The kids could have an ice cream cornet or cup whenever they wanted and also milkshakes made with ice cream plus the usual, coke, lemonade, fanta etc., non alcoholic cocktails and hot drinks. We usually had a couple of drinks through the day, special coffees, a bottle of wine with dinner and beer or cocktails in the evening.

The entertainment team did really well, although the shows were not upto the standard we have usually experienced the kids really enjoyed most of these and in particular Fabio who they thought was amazing.

Although it is a fairly small ship we were not lost for things to do and even though the weather for the first couple of days was rain and cold we kept ourselves amused and played lots of card and board games with the kids. The weather then improved and it was lovely to spend time chilling by the pool. It was never a problem to find a sunbed.

The food was different, you could have six or seven courses at dinner and as it is an Italian cruise line you would expect to get a lot of pasta and pizza. My grandchildren of course were delighted with this!!! The food at the beginning of the cruise was adequate in the restaurant but seemed to improve as the days went on and the last two nights the food was excellent. They did go out of their way to please, we had an Italian night and of course the baked alaska evening. Two of my grandchildren had not been on a cruise before and were fascinated by this.

The buffet was fine, plenty of choice, I did not like the canteen style serving but it was o.k. Again the service was very good.

We did not book any excursions and made our own way round the ports. Amsterdam was a simple ten minute walk and you are almost in the centre. Bilbao (Gexto) was a much longer walk probably around 30 minutes into the town but it was nice to stretch our legs and it was a pleasant walk along the front. La Rochelle we decided not to get off here but heard from others that you definitely needed to pay for the shuttle bus into the town. La Coruna was literally a 5 minute walk to the Centre but as it was a Sunday there was very little open but we still enjoyed the stroll. Guernsey we docked early evening and needed to get over by tender which again you pay for and as the only places open were likely to be pubs and restaurants we decided to give it a miss. Cherbourg was our last port of call and as it was such a lovely day we decided to stay by the pool and chill.

As for the daily service charge I asked for it to be removed and this was done without question.

Overall the cruise was much better than I had expected it was excellent value for money and as it was the first time my daughter and her family had cruised they thought it was amazing.

We did use the kids club a couple of times and they really enjoyed it, in fact one day we went to pick them up and they had had such a good time they opted to stay for an extra hour. The staff in the kids' clubs were excellent.

Disembarking was simple (although very early!).

Like always you get what you pay for.

I had no complaints about anything and would certainly consider cruising with MSC again.