Today I will walk you through my steps on another adventure that I experienced in May this year. For 10 days, I visited three countries, which I will talk about in detail in the following articles. I will introduce you to each and every city we visited, through my eyes, during this unforgettable journey by water. Blissful peace, relaxation, lots of smiles in the arms of the sea breeze and all this in close contact with nature!
And so..
I trusted the company MSC Cruises and boarded a cruise ship for the first time. My journey started from Spain, I visited France and also Italy. An unforgettable sea vacation with the unique ship MSC Magnifica. A wide selection of designer bars and restaurants, a huge outdoor promenade and pools and great entertainers from all over the world. And that’s not all…
The focus of today’s article is to share my impressions of this different type of experience – mobile luxury combined with relaxation and conquering new destinations. This is how one can combine a vacation with an excursion. For me, this is the perfect combination.
I’ll start with the choice of company and ship. We looked at a lot of companies and settled on MSC because it is a very large company, with many ships (not just cruises) and a pretty good reputation. It is an average price class, I would add that the routes they perform are quite interesting and beautifully organized. It’s amazing when you wake up in the morning and realize you’re in another city, another country. No effort on your part. You fell asleep in Toulon, France and in the morning in Genoa, Italy.
The ship we traveled on was built and commissioned in 2009, but fully renovated in 2021. It has 16 decks and offers a variety of accommodation, bars, restaurants, shops and entertainment for young and old alike. And the exterior interior is quite impressive. To be honest, I didn’t want to have very high expectations so I wouldn’t be disappointed, but they definitely exceeded even my wildest expectations.
It’s time to share the route we took. We arrived in Barcelona. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time in the city. We visited the main sights and tried their amazing tapas. The next morning we headed to Valencia by train. The price of the ticket for the “Renfe” express train was 20 euros per person /with a reserved seat/. Our ship’s point of departure was Valencia. The first stop was the city of Tarragona, Spain – a city rich in history and architecture. Once you set foot in Tarragona, one cannot help but feel the unadulterated atmosphere where the past and the present are intertwined. Next we visited Toulon, France. The French Riviera and more specifically the Cote d’Azur is a very popular destination. I was not very impressed, but you will read about that in the following articles. Several interesting cities in Italy followed – Genoa, Civitavecchia, Livorno and Pisa. We also had a full day on the water. Finally, we docked again in Valencia, where we stayed another 2 days to explore this extraordinary city.
We did not use a travel agent to book this vacation. We used the MSC company site directly. It is extremely well done, easy to understand, not confusing. It contains detailed information on everything one needs to organize such an experience – from room selection, package, insurance, restaurants, attractions. As strange as it sounds, the cheapest option for the holiday was to book directly through the MSC online platform. All the agencies’ offers were much higher for the same route.
Accommodation: Various types of cabins are available. The standard size of a room is about 13-14 sq.m. You can choose whether the bed is double or 2 separate beds. Some rooms can accommodate up to 4 people. Each one has its own bathroom and toilet, towels, TV and room service (upon request). The premises are cleaned 2 or 3 times a day. Each evening you receive a program for the next day, as well as information about subsequent excursions, which you can sign up for (if you wish) for a fee.
The cheapest accommodation option is an inside cabin. This means you have no view from the room – only 4 walls. For some people it would be a bit claustrophobic. But a large percentage of travelers prefer this type of accommodation, because it is the cheapest option, and also one does not spend much time in the room (except at night).
My cabin had a small window with a partial view. This means that there is a lifeboat in front of the window, which partially obscures the view, but one can still orient oneself to the weather outside; to admire the blue excitement and distinguish night from day. Personally, this is the better option for me.
The ship also has rooms with a window (which does not open), with a balcony, suites and apartments. I had no interest in renting an apartment or suite and cannot share specific information about them. If you need it, you can find it on the cruise company’s website.
One advice from me when choosing a room – look at how many decks /floors/ the ship is and how the restaurants and bars are located. It is good that the room you reserve is not next to an elevator, has a more central location and is not adjacent to restaurants.
Packages: There are three different packages that one can choose from when booking a vacation on an MSC ship – standard, all-in and premium.
• The standard package covers meals, as well as coffee and soft drinks available from machines. As far as I remember, there is also draft beer and alcohol.
• The all-in package (which we preferred) covers food, espresso, soft drinks from all bars, as well as standard cocktails, 2 types of bottled beer (as well as draft) and hard alcohol up to 7 euros per drink. If it is more expensive, the difference is payable.
• The premium package includes the same as all-in, plus a package of photos of the ship and premium service. For more information, visit the MSC website.
Insurance: Several types of insurance are available on the company’s website – standard, covid, etc., but they are NOT mandatory, but optional. One can take out travel insurance anywhere as long as one wishes. No need to use their suggestions.
The pools are free, as are the sunbeds. You get extra towels when you use them, free of charge.
Restaurants and bars: There are 4 restaurants on the ship, one of which is the main restaurant. In it you have a reserved table every night at a certain time for dinner. You can also visit it for breakfast or lunch at a certain time. If you do not want to comply with dining hours and prefer a more unpretentious setting, you can visit the open buffet of free consumption and service. Its working hours are from 7:00 am to 1:30 am. The menu is varied, the stalls are divided by type of food and it is very easy for a person to navigate and find the most desired dish according to his taste.
Every night there is a different program in the ship’s theater, which in my opinion is not to be missed. Illusionists, acrobats, singers – you will be speechless. I guarantee! There is also live music in some of the bars, games and entertainment in others, and my favorite was the drunken bar. To the sound of keyboards and wonderful live performances meters in front of me, I managed to melt every night with emotion, supported by a cocktail in hand. You will have plenty of time to explore and get a feel for your place and soak up the atmosphere.
Activities: The ship also has a doctor’s office, shops (only open in the evening), ice cream bar, disco, bowling, table tennis, tennis court, children’s cinema, dance lessons, etc. You will forget the word boredom.
The good thing about an MSC cruise line is that there are no hidden fees and catches. You just have to read carefully what the packages that are offered on the ship include. In addition, a mandatory Service tax is paid, which is a one-time fee and is the same for every person who boarded the ship. Of course, the use of photography services, spa center, cinema and excursions are not free either. It is mandatory to mention that the INTERNET on the ship is PAID!
Is the ship rocking? This was the most important question for me because I feel the slightest vibration and feel sick when I am on a vessel. The feeling is quite different than expected. Imagine being in an elevator where you only feel the vibrations of the motors, but no shaking. Of course this is for most of the sailing. Cruise ships also have special stabilizers. They are not like yachts and ordinary boats. The only way to feel a slight wobble is if there is violent excitement. And even if you do get sick, there are loads of medicines on board to help you feel better. The doctor’s office for that is there. And when you have tuned in – you don’t feel any movement or noise.
SO… As I wrote above, I should share my impressions of the visited destinations. I sit down and start writing with a cup of warm espresso while the scent of the Mediterranean air is still close to me.
