MSC winter blue light offer

[Smilesonfaces]

Thank you Rachael for such a detailed review. We have only been on 3 cruises but Royal Caribbean would definitely be my first choice. It doesn’t sound good, I hate queuing especially for food and that would drive me mad all week.
Husband is still keen but it’s only because of the price 😂 I keep telling him it’s cheap for a reason !

[JessBlu]

I have the opposite experience been on the virtueosia twice this year, July / September, loved all of lt, and would not hesitate to book again.

[JessBlu]

We never experienced the queues I am not a big drinker but Hubbie is and our “bill” was £5600 for four for seven nights, always had good service.

The only extras we paid for were the show and we had £75 credit as they Matched our Disney cruise line status.

Kids had fun pass, everything can be used with the fun pass, it’s used like credit, so either book the experience or play the machines.

Clearly the school holidays will have been busier but that’s the same everywhere, I would not go to Disney in school Hollies either as it distracts from the experience.

[Ladyshopper]

I've sailed on the Magnifica, it was the first MSC cruise we did.

We really enjoyed it, but we had really good table mates and also it was a port intensive cruise, so we were off the ship pretty much every day.

She's older than Virtuosa, and was due a refit last year, but I think that's been delayed due to Covid. The Tiger Lounge on board is really something to behold - it's like something I imagine to be out of a 70s soft porn video!

I don't remember any terrible issues with food (this cruise was before I had to go gluten-free). The drinks package worked really well for us.

Entertainment was "interesting", as it is obviously italian focussed. We still enjoyed it though. Everything is done in at least 4 different languages, so takes a while! During these summer cruises that didn't happen, as they were obviously UK based, so that was quite a difference.

So, it wasn't the most fantastic ship in the world, but it was certainly acceptable, and we had a good cruise. We did book another cruise on the Magnifica after this, so it can't have been that bad, although it was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid.

If the price was price, I would certainly recommend it.

[Rachaelwoolly]

Originally Posted by Smilesonfaces

Thank you Rachael for such a detailed review. We have only been on 3 cruises but Royal Caribbean would definitely be my first choice. It doesn’t sound good, I hate queuing especially for food and that would drive me mad all week.
Husband is still keen but it’s only because of the price 😂 I keep telling him it’s cheap for a reason !

See more...

You're welcome
As I say we've enjoyed aspects of every cruise we have been on including our recent experience with MSC and some of the negatives may be situational, circumstantial but at this point we would be very unlikely to choose and would not recommend.
I personally would avoid a cruise offering a free alcoholic drinks package as inevitably this may impact on the overall service experience and ambiance
I really hope some of these issues may be because they were staycation cruises, during COVID times & Of course I wish you all the best in whatever you decide and if your husband has his way good luck!

[Just_Pete]

It's deffo worth noting that the Magnifica is an older and considerably smaller less glitzy high tech ship than the Virtuosa which was MSC's newest and biggest ship that has been here all year so far doing the UK cruises. And like Ladyshopper said she was due a stretch and a refurb but Covid put that to bed for the time-being.

I have looked at her, but these sailings which MSC have now announced are all 7 days I think? If that's correct I think I would give it a miss, as I would prefer a bigger and newer ship for a full week,

[oateyboy]

We did a staycation on Virtuosa this summer. It was for a week and cost £400 including drinks and gratuities.

Having only ever sailed on Harmony of the Seas before, we never had much to compare it to. Entertainment wasn't as good but there was always something going on. Food in MDR and buffet was okay. There was alway s something to eat.

The cabin was really nice. Staff were pleasant and worked hard.

When you consider it was less than £60 per night per person, it was really good value as it included drinks and gratuities.

The offer we used was for NHS staff. I was just waiting for an announcement asking if there was a doctor on board and seeing 100+ people volunteering their services lol

[Smilesonfaces]

We have also been on Harmony of the Seas, when it was new and it was a beautiful ship. I think it will now be my benchmark for comparing too !
I think Virtuosa is very new where Magnifica is in need of a refit. I’m not too bothered about that I think it is the weather and the choppy North Sea that has put me off rather than the ship itself. This winter cruise starts at £359 for 7 nights for 2 people. We went on the Iona for £800 for 2 in a balcony so £57 pn but that was without a drinks package. It’s a shame the other cruise lines are not carrying on a blue light offer.