Considering the Magnifica for a Med Cruise

the cruise I'm looking at is in January 2017, 11 nights, from Rome & stopping at Alexandria & Haifa among other ports. I've only sailed on Carnival, but I have travelled extensively, especially in Europe & even to Egypt, so this cruise is really appealing to me. I do have some questions about MSC though, & I hope y'all can help me out.

I sail solo, so I'm sure there's some sort of "supplement" that goes along with that. I'm considering splurging & getting a balcony, but I notice MSC has several types of "experiences." Would it be worth it to go all out for "Aurea" or would I be just as satisfied with either of the other 2 experiences? I don't drink alcohol, maybe a glass of wine with dinner & another drink before bed, if I drink at all on a cruise, so "drink coupons" (unless they include non-alcoholic ones) aren't that much of a factor for me.

My main concerns are selecting a good cabin, especially if I splurge on a balcony, & getting the best (lowest) fare possible. Any other tips would be appreciated. :) TIA

IMHO if you do not drink much alcohol and do not want room service breakfast, a balcony/seaview BELLA experience would be the best value.

Try doing a "dummy booking" on the website to see what the single supplement would be.

January is definitely OFF season in the Med and I would expect "last minute" discounts to be available nearer to the date. Remember that it is going to be cold and windy for most of the trip so you may not get the full benefit of a balcony cabin.

Also if flying in from USA I would recommend boarding in Civitavecchia (about 90 minutes from Rome).

IMHO if you do not drink much alcohol and do not want room service breakfast, a balcony/seaview BELLA experience would be the best value.

 

Try doing a "dummy booking" on the website to see what the single supplement would be.

 

January is definitely OFF season in the Med and I would expect "last minute" discounts to be available nearer to the date. Remember that it is going to be cold and windy for most of the trip so you may not get the full benefit of a balcony cabin.

 

Also if flying in from USA I would recommend boarding in Civitavecchia (about 90 minutes from Rome).

I agree with the choice of a Bella balcony cabin but there are relatively few Bella experience balcony cabins in the 827 cabins with a balcony.

There are 64 are Aurea, 631 are Fantastica, and 132 are Bella (on decks 8 and 9 ) two of which are "H" cabins (disabilty cabins)

There 278 inside cabins and 154 OV

So look out for bargains on the Fantastica balconies, they often have Bella and Fantastica at the same price.

Currently the 7th Jan 2017 sailing, cruise only, from civitivecchia prices are (on the UK site)

Bella balcony £799 ( $1230)

Fantastica balcony £849 ($1307)

only £50 ($77) Difference

These don't include single suppliments

You get a much better choice of location on the ship with the fantsatica balcony.

make sure when you book that you have the deck plans on screen or in a brochure when booking and check the location of the cabins on offer.

I'd advise avoiding connected cabins if possible and also any that are in the recessed area and close to the a hump wall.(say 5 cabins or less from the wall)

Mid deck 9 would be good, in case there is a lot of movement, as this area will have less than higher decks or cabins on the humps.

ALL the BELLA balconies are on the humps and so will be worse in terms of movement

Pete

Thanks! Movement doesn't bother me, but if the difference between Bella & Fantastica is only $77 US, then I'll look harder at those.

I live where it's extremely hot in the summer time, so cooler weather sounds lovely to me. It won't keep me off the balcony unless it's raining too hard. :)

Since I'm not familiar with MSC ships (not sure what "a hump" means at this point), I'll order a brochure for further study.

Thank you for your help!

Thanks! Movement doesn't bother me, but if the difference between Bella & Fantastica is only $77 US, then I'll look harder at those.

 

I live where it's extremely hot in the summer time, so cooler weather sounds lovely to me. It won't keep me off the balcony unless it's raining too hard. :)

 

Since I'm not familiar with MSC ships (not sure what "a hump" means at this point), I'll order a brochure for further study.

 

Thank you for your help!

Try to get a cabin on one of the humps then and you'l have unspoilt views

These images show the humps and the reccessed area and the hump wall of the forward hump and the closest 5 cabins on the port side of deck 11

You can clearly see the reccesed area and humps on this image of magnifica

Pete

That's what I thought. Thank you, Pete!

Don't know what US pricing is for solos but in the UK, Surea is either not available or prohibitively expensive. You in effect lay for 2 drinks packages!

I go for Fantastica, as you get the choice of dinner seating, can get room service and cabins are in a better location.

The Magnifica will be a good ship for winter in the Med as it is the only Musica @-// with a covered pool.

Not sure a balcony would be worth the extra in January. It may not be cool, but really cold and even get snow in Italy. It will be milder in Israel though. Daylight hours are short too. It is not a popular time to be in the med in the heart of winter.

As a fellow American, I thought I would join and answer your question. We took our first MSC cruise this summer (Fantasia) and I was VERY impressed with the ship. I've taken several cruises on Carnival and Royal Caribbean prior to this one. I was expecting more of a Carnival feel considering MSC is offering "kids cruise free". I was proven wrong at every preconception. The ship was clean, the staff was friendly, and there was a wide mix of people and ages. It wasn't a big "party boat" like many of the Carnival Cruises I've experienced.

The food variety was not as spectacular as Royal Caribbean, but it tasted excellent. The embark and disembark procedures blew me away! We were on and off the ship in 15 minutes and our luggage beat us to our rooms. I could not believe the difference of the wait time we've experienced in the past. We were given a free drink upgrade and it was excellent. It included bottled water we could carry off ship and fresh orange juice.

Plan to arrive at least 2 days early to your port so you can adjust to the time difference. You don't want to sleep away your cruise!! After our last cruise in 2011, my husband and I decided we were finished cruising. I signed up for the MSC for a last minute family vacation - now we're hooked again! We booked our second MSC cruise in October. Throughly enjoyed this cruise line. I hope you do as well!

sidenote: We paid for the excursions ahead of time and were charged in US dollars. The cruiseline canceled 2 of ours and refunded us in Euro with the worst exchange rate I've ever seen. We are still battling them for our price difference. I recommend waiting to book those on the ship. That was my ONLY negative part of our trip.

IMHO if you do not drink much alcohol and do not want room service breakfast, a balcony/seaview BELLA experience would be the best value.

 

Try doing a "dummy booking" on the website to see what the single supplement would be.

 

January is definitely OFF season in the Med and I would expect "last minute" discounts to be available nearer to the date. Remember that it is going to be cold and windy for most of the trip so you may not get the full benefit of a balcony cabin.

 

Also if flying in from USA I would recommend boarding in Civitavecchia (about 90 minutes from Rome).

hey

if you are flying in from USA to Rome for boarding in Civitavecchia and you'r taking a taxi keep in mind that the price is about 100/120€max (price mai 2015 )but that some start asking 175€ + an amount per suitcase.

so make a deal before you get into the cap

have a nice cruise

hey

 

if you are flying in from USA to Rome for boarding in Civitavecchia and you'r taking a taxi keep in mind that the price is about 100/120€max (price mai 2015 )but that some start asking 175€ + an amount per suitcase.

so make a deal before you get into the cap

 

have a nice cruise

Bob's Limos charge about €75 for two pax for a pick-up at the airport. I believe he's from the US. I used the service and was very happy with them.

Bob's Limos charge about €75 for two pax for a pick-up at the airport. I believe he's from the US. I used the service and was very happy with them.

hey

i was talking about a regular cab ( yellow ) :rolleyes:

blacks are mostly not regular and charges more :mad:

but You are right about a pre arranged transport with Bob's Limos :)

good advice from BEAMAFAR

HAVE A NICE DAY

Thanks for the advice on airport transfers. I'll look more into that once I take the plunge & book. I have an upcoming cruise in January to finish paying for (& Christmas as well) before I start alloting money for this cruise. :)