MSC Lirica Reviews

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We booked this cruise thinking it would be great to sail through the Suez Canal and also see Dubai in the process WHAT A MISTAKE Our troubles started on the day we were to board Lirica which was Sunday the 11th of March 2012 after a great 4 days in Dubai we hired a limo to take us from our hotel to the port in Abu Dhabi where the ship was to depart that evening When we get to the port there is no ship We are advised by an MSC representative there that the ship is in Dubai and has been since Friday using some silly excuse of the winds were too strong to enter Abu Dhabi port funny there were a lot of container ships and tankers in port that must have sailed in the windy conditions The staff at the terminal then explained we are to be bussed back to Dubai and we have to wait in the terminal (WHICH WAS A BIG WHITE TENT) until one was arranged Hours later without food or drink (THE CRUISE COMPANY DIDN'T SUPPLY ANY AND ALL THE SHOPS WERE CLOSED) we are bussed back to where the ship is this 2 hour trip to the ship has turned into a marathon we are hungry tired and getting very annoyed at what seems to be a poor start to our cruise Its now almost 8:00pm in the evening when we arrive at the ship and we board with little fuss on entering the Centrum of the ship we are expecting a staff member to escort us to our cabin as per the MSC brochure all we get is some member of staff who points to the lift well and says its down that way CABIN We eventually find our cabin (number10067) and are very pleased with it a lot of space for packing case and clothes a walk in wardrobe a full bath lots of mirrors and a beautiful balcony the cabin steward introduces herself to us and every thing looks like its going to be ok HOW WRONG WE WERE We have arrived on board too late for Dinner, as we were first seating at 6:00pm so we decide to go to the buffet for something to eat the choice was very poor with chicken sausages hamburger mince or some type of noodle dish I never did figure out what it was as well as a couple of salads this food was Luke warm and the worst selection I have experienced on any ship PERHAPS WE WONT EAT!!! I know we can have pizza so I go to find the pizza bar, which is located, by the pool area I order 3 pieces and go back to the buffet (THIS IS AN ITALIAN SHIP FOR GODS SAKE YOU THINK THEY COULD MAKE A PIZZA) Not so im afraid the crust is horrible with rubbery cheese and very little pepperoni on it and completely tasteless (would have made a good sole for a pair of shoes) Oh well at least we can have a coffee I walk up to the drink station and look for cups to my dismay there are horrible blue soft plastic mugs on the rack they look like something we would have given our granddaughter to drink from when she was1 year old So I make the best of it and pour 2 coffees you have to taste these drinks to understand how bad they were all you tasted was the cheap plastic Weleft in disgust So we decide lets go have a drink and drown our sorrows along with our hunger pangs we walk around the ship and find a nice bar called the Lord Nelson at the front of the ship and there is a sign at the entrance saying smokers welcome in this bar (YIPPEE) I know a lot of people don't like smoking but to find a large bar on a ship where us outcasts can go is quite a shock We sit down and order drinks which we sigh for and get our receipt as we look at it we see there is an item on it saying 15% service fee we ask our waiter whether this is the gratuity he receives and he tells us it is a tax imposed by MSC on all drinks whether they be alcoholic or not Now hold on a minute didn't we pay all taxes when we paid for this cruise It turns out that MSC imposed a tax on all beverages on their ships which we think is double dipping as you are paying 6-10 Euro per drink already the waiting staff don't get any of this money it goes into the cruise lines coffers Don't get me wrong the Lirica is a beautiful ship classic Italian style which is tastefully decorated in both cabins and public areas it s staff on the whole seem to be very good at their jobs and try to do their best by the passengers but there seems to be a policy by the company to rip every cent possible out of all the traveling public while on board DINING ROOM The dining room was nicely set out and our head waiter did his best to keep us happy but there is where all its good points end the food on most evenings was inedible and after having one or two bites from the plate was sent back uneaten the waiter would order us something new but it always came back the same quality I must point out at this point that this is the first cruise I have ever completed and walked off weighing less than when I boarded 2kgs the steak was tough the pasta tasteless all the fish dishes were saturated with oil 2 prawn dishes on the cruise were sent back not only by us but nearly every person in the restaurant at the time as they were off still we couldn't go and eat in the buffet it was worse SHOWS The shows on the ship were pretty good except for the violin virtuosos who appeared 4 time during our cruise 1 show was perhaps the limit that they should have been on the production shows were professionally done and the singing was a very high standard we especially liked the contortionists 3 Chinese girls who were the finest I have ever seen the only down side of the shows was that all the announcements were done in 6 languages thank goodness English was usually the first one but we had been warned before booking this cruise that MSC do this on all their ship so we knew what to expect SUEZ CANAL This was going to be one of the highlights of the cruise and was the major reason we and many other passengers had chosen to do it but like everything else important on the ship the company got it all wrong again we had noticed at the ports of call before Suez that the ship was not giving out maps of or making available any information on the stops except to push their tours so you were getting off for the day with no relevant information on what to do and where Togo while in port This was also the case with Suez We had sailed with Celebrity through the Panama Canal 2 years ago and had so much information given to us including a certificate to say we had transited the canal with our names and dated having loved this we foolishly thought MSC would enlighten the passengers in the same way (WRONG) We were lucky they even told us we had entered the canal with no information about the bridges or towns along the banks the history of the waterway or even how long it would take to get from one end to the other This upset many people who had sailed just to go through the canal PORTS OF CALL Dubai, Muscat, Salala, Aquaba, Barcelona, Lisbon, Southampton, Hamburg Dubai a must see great place to visit and stay Muscat a beautiful city with an impressive mosque Salala not sure why we went here should have stayed on ship and saved the taxi fare into the city not worth visiting set price with driver get him to write it on paper and sign it before going as they try to charge you more to get back to the ship Aquaba Jordan purchased a tour to Petra one of the gems of the cruise a beautiful ruin made famous in the third Indiana Jones Movie well worth seeing and the meal at the hotel was definitely 100% better than on the ship only 1 regret 4 hours was not enough time in Petra Barcelona port facilities close to La Rambla can walk into town in 15 mins bus Touristic leaves from port gates excellent stop Lisbon Portugal another fine European port hop on hop off bus waiting when we got off ship beautiful food excellent restaurants friendly people and safe to walk around even late at night In finishing this revue I would like to say that there is something seriously wrong on this ship with staff berated in front of passengers which I had never seen before on all my cruises the staff are unhappy and many said they would not be sighing up for another contract they have a odd policy of moving staff every 10 days from bars to other parts of the ship which I find strange as you tend to get a good rapport with staff who are with you the whole cruise We never received an apology for the inconvenience of the first day until we complained to the public relations manager that we had not even been on board and had to pay the 12 Euro in gratuities which she dropped off the bill we never received an offer to repay the cost of the car to Abu Dhabi as we found out that a lot of the passengers who flew out from England had been notified of the changes to the Itinerary before leaving home on the Friday the company had our mobile and email address but we never received any messages to inform us of the changes so much for public relations IN FINAL WE WILL NEVER SAIL WITH MSC AGAIN EVEN IF IT WAS FREE

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We just got back from a 4-night mini cruise and decided that unless MSC will remain the only cruising company, there is no way we are cruising with them again. Embarkation process was not that bad, a little too long and unorganised, I was mad because the online check in did not work, however since everyone ended up standing in the same lane (no matter if you checked in or not), it did not matter. Overall I can not say anything bad about embarkation, also, there is nothing positive I would point out. As we got on board (4.55 pm) we headed to get some food and drink since our rooms were not ready. Well, since there was only one place where they served some sandwiches at this time and it was closing (5.00 pm), we had to sit in a lounge and wait for emergency drill. The room (9216) was OK, close to stairs, nice, quite spacious. That was until the next morning we realised that the thermostat is not working and the room is hot. They never managed to make it work. Our cabin stewardess seemed to be nice, however only up to the point when we needed something (such as that all the documents and papers she gives us need to be in English not German, she did not get this right until the very last day). Also, for some strange reason she did not make our beds twice, however she decided to take my shirt from wardrobe, re-fold it and put it on the chair. The same with my shoes, which I had to look for every day. The food in dining room was less than average and the waiter was grumpy so we decided to eat in buffet. BIG MISTAKE. The food was horrible, during lunch and even worse during dinner. Cold, everywhere too much salt and spices. The upper eating space is catastrophic, the tables are round and since there was so little to do, everyone just decided to have a tea and block table for 8 people. Breakfast was poor, but edible and there was some orange and pineapple juice (only time during the whole day that beverage was provided). Please, do not comment " it is Italian ship, therefore food is Italian".. it is not. This was no style. Italian food is awesome, here even pasta tasted like mud. We ate salads (self made from vegetables and condiments), french fries and pizza as these were the only edible. The entertainment.. was there any? OK, the theatre was quite good, especially the artists, the singers were poor and the choreography's and stages amateur-like. Besides that, there was like 2-3 activities during a day, pretty much noting to do. Shame. Staff in general (few exceptions) was rude, grumpy, groaning and unhelpful. It NEVER happened to me that I finally opened the door (strong wind) and staff member almost knocked me over as he hurried out. Are you kidding me? I am the guest here!!! I do not blame MSC for not stopping in Helgoland, that was a matter of safety (as they said and ok, I believe), but WHY cant they come up with some alternative programme? Just a short note, that having 1 700 Germans on board also did not make my day, since the world "gentleman" probably has no equivalent in German. Last, but not least.. the disembarkation. We had to leave cabins at 8.30 am and we waited 5!!! hours in lounges with no music, no entertainment, NO INFORMATION about when we will be able to get of the ship. After we finally made it out, there was total chaos by the taxis which no one from staff cared about. We were not going to pay them anything anymore so why would they care? Overall, horrible experience. We cruised with MSC before and we were expecting lower standard than we are used to (RCI), but this was like a 2 star Egyptian hotel.

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After booking this cruise with MSC I read a few reviews which made me feel I had made a big mistake. Gladly I can say that my own experience of MSC Lirica was very positive. All the crew were very friendly and helpful and I never experienced any of the problems which seem to have effected some other passengers. The restaurant and bar staff were always very keen to help and I never felt we were being rushed in any way. The balcony suites are very clean, stylish and well cared for. In addition, they are larger than the ones I have seen on many P & O ships. The beds are also very comfortable and the baths in ther rooms were double the size of my previous ones on a P&O Ship. None of my family had any serious issues with any of the food on board either. The ship is run by an Italian comapany so you have to expect that some of the food will be Italian or at least European. My daughter used the kids club most of the days on the cruise and enjoyed it. They have a varied programme for the children which includes going to the evening shows in the theatre. The evening entertainment was generally of a high standard. Of course, the entertainment team had to cope with dealing with at least 4 different national groups on board (British, German, Italian and Spanish), and I thought they did a good job of it. The in-cabin TV service needs to have more TV channels in English. Also having the same 6 films on the movie channel for 3 weeks is not good and needs to be improved. On our cruise about 50% of the 1700 passengers were German or Austrian and this seemed to cause a few problems for some of the British guests. People have to appreciate that Germans are different to the British, as are Italians and Spanish. If you don't like mixing with Europeans, then book cruises with other companies who cater for purely British tastes. As for saying that Germans are ignorant, well I can safely say that I also met some very ignorant British passengers on the ship and their sole purpose on the cruise was to complain about everything. I am unsure why someone claiming to be a passenger on the same cruise is saying that many of the goods bought in the on-board shops is fake. All the items we purchased were genuine and very well priced. Like some other passengers I was also effected by the decision not to go to Abu Dhabi. I did check this out as I heard all the rumours that were being floated around. The Abu Dhabi port authorities stopped the ship going to Abu Dhabi and it had nothing to do with MSC saving money. All I can say is that my family had a very positive experience aboard MSC Lirica and I wold certainly book another cruise with them. I think if you go on holiday with a positive attitude and are willing to mix with other nationalities, then you will have a great experience. Some people just want to complain and they could do that just as well by staying at home. MSC are not Cunard (and don't charge Cunard prices) but they are improving all the time. In summary, a great cruise which was enjoyed by the whole family.

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If I said I was disappointed I would not be telling the truth. This holiday was a joke from the booking onward. Misinformation from jump is correct, wrong details about flight timings and dates, further deliberate errors about airlines and the ship's route. I didn't read any of the reviews in respect of MSC on purpose as I wanted to enjoy this experience with my daughter. I was wrong; I should have done so, and will always make a point of reviewing any holiday prior to booking, regardless what offers are presented. I will bullet point the issues which we faced, as follows:- - The Lirica which we were supposed to board in Abu Dhabi was not possible due to adverse weather conditions. This I seriously doubt was the case. I feel that Abu Dhabi was never going to be the embarkation point for any passengers, as the Lirica was not going to dock there. - I was disgusted with the attitudes of many of the staff on board. Some of the dining waiting & administration staff were seriously rude. Not the quality I expect to find on a cruise. - I thought the quality of the food was extremely poor. - Being told to hurry up and chose my menu option, was also ill mannered and unnecessary. I don't receive that type of behaviour in MacDonalds, receiving it on a cruise didn't seem appropriate either. - It appeared as if the Italian passengers were given preferential treatment. Announcements were often only given in Italian. Meetings were called for only the Italian passengers. - I had to ask about discounts for drinks. I purchased a non alcoholic book of vouchers and a cocktail book of vouchers. Many of the English speaking passengers were not privy to this scheme. - I found that just about every item purchased on board was liable for an additional 15% charge. Surely, I had already paid for the privilege of travelling on this cruise ship. - An additional charge of 15% on water & other beverages was ridiculous. - Alcohol was not permitted to be brought on board. - I also purchased a couple of 'designer' hand bags on board which have turned out to be 'fake'. I don't usually purchase fake goods, so please find that my disappointment in being fobbed off with such rubbish has been expressed as I have reported that matter, to the correct authorities. - I illustrated my disappointment with the additional charges and found that my debit card was not usable when leaving the ship. - I made an expensive call to my bank at the purser's desk when trying to pay my bill. Apparently my card was not usable, although my bank could not see anything going through. An offer was made to transfer funds directly into the ship's account yet the clerk at the desk refused. Instead I was made to appear foolish and attempts were made to embarrass me at the said desk. Please find that my bank also verified that I could easily pay the bill as it was stated. I was requested to hand over my passport which my details were read out and discussed at length. A coach full of passengers were kept waiting whilst this entire debacle was being administered. - The final port of call was supposed t have been Abu Dhabi. This didn't happen. Our final port of call was Dubai. A lot of time was wasted as we had a 2 hour transfer back to Abu Dabhi Airport. - To add insult to injury, no apology was given - Therefore a p take from start to finish A few of the passengers are in touch with each other and we are all unhappy about the treatment received on the Lirica.

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Embarkation was a little cumbersome after travelling but quite efficient. More staff positions may have helped. Cabin far nicer and more spacious than we expected or remembered from a previous cruise with a different line. Bright, clean, efficient but sufficient space. The en-suite area was great and the shower excellent apart from the clingy shower curtain. Our friends had the room made up in two single beds which gave the perception of even more space. We found the staff and crew pleasant, helpful and amenable. Our dinner waiter wase particularly good and went out of his way to ensure we enjoyed our meals. Any questions at Reception were dealt with pleasantly and efficiently. The food was generally very good. We didn't book gourmet, we didn't pay gourmet, we didn't expect gourmet but we did get what we thought was very acceptably good food, particularly in the evenings. Service was efficient but we didn't feel hurried (we were on second sitting), besdies we wanted to move on to further entertainment. Yes, the drinks were not cheap but considering it was a captive audience we did not feel ripped off at all, even with the 15% addition. Waitress service in the bars and lounges was excellent. We found the entertainment in the theatre excellent. Choreography was superb and, yes, it was the same faces performing but every evening was different and the talent amazing. The music and singing in the bars and lounges was always good but you could find other pleasant areas to sit if you didn't want entertainment. Occasionally some of the bar and lounge entertainment was a little puerile but all tastes and many nationalities have to be catered for and you don't have to be there! There seemed to be something laid on to do all the time if you wanted to and there was always a spot to find to lay in the sun. The pools seemed clean if a little small and a little cool. We did three excursions and enjoyed all of them. Again they weren't cheap but are they ever? The guides were good and affable. Local booking could be cheaper but we prefer to spend our excursion days doing rather than hunting around to save a minor amount The whole boat was clean throughout and we had no problem with the 7 euro a day each tip. Maybe we're easily pleased but I don't think so! Where other people's comments have come from I don't know. What I do know is that we had an excellent cruise with value for money thrown in! Our embarkation port was Dubai and we called at Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Al Fujairah, Khasab and finally back to Dubai. Only Dubai is featured in the following drop-down lists.

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