Splendida Review

I thought i would put my review on here as well as the submit it for the reviews section on Cruise Critic.

Hopefully my views will help others.

I have just recently returned from a cruise on board the MSC Splendida. I traveled with my partner and our 2 boys aged 10 and 7.

We did the Mediterranean cruise from Genoa for 7 nights 27th May – 3rd June.

We have cruised with MSC once before, last year on the MSC Preziosa so knew exactly what to expect. The Splendida is practically exactly the same except for some different themed bars etc. The ship looks great, very clean with some lovely areas. We again chose the Aurea experience, we all like the choice of ice creams, drinks (cocktails) and the my choice dining. The included massage is also very welcome, we walked a very long way through the week.

The weather was absolutely fantastic all week. We made use of the main pool area on the top deck and the kids enjoyed the pool and made some friends through the week. They also enjoyed the water slide although on a couple of days it was out of service. We usually had no problems with sun beds. There was often entertainment. A snow\foam party and a dj when leaving Cagliari which we thought was great.

We had a balcony cabin on deck 12 near the front, which was very nice. The sofa always converted to a bed and back again when we were out and kept very clean.The food was also very good in the restaurant with a very good selection. The kids had the choice of the children’s menu or the normal menu or something from both which they often had. We also chose breakfast in bed one morning which was delivered on time and very nice. I did chose cereal for the kids expecting this to come with milk but it didn’t. It seems I should of also ticked the box for milk too, the kids wasn’t happy with me! So it was off to the buffet for 2nd breakfast.

The ports of call were all very nice, on some days there was free port shuttle buses and on others it was close enough to walk or a paid service provided by MSC. These are often expensive, with the 4 of us it’s cheaper to get a taxi, and much easier too. For example the bus to Marseille would have cost the best part of 60 euro for 2 adults and 2 kids but a taxi was 20 each way. Another option is to walk to a bus stop and catch a public bus for a few Euros each.

We never done any of the excursions, we chose to do this all on our own. We had fun exploring. We did do a 3-4 seater 3-wheeler thing tour of Palermo for 35 Euros. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea but was great fun. The driver whizzing through the streets and traffic stopping at all the key points of interest for the chance for a photo or to get out and take a look.

There is plenty of entertainment on the ship; we didn’t do any of the shows this year. We just didn’t find the time. The kids only spent an hour or 2 at kids club; they didn’t really go much on it. I think they preferred to be with us and messing around in the pools and slide and relaxing in the hot tub making friends.

We purchased the cabin entertainment pass for unlimited use of the F1 sim, 4d simulator and the bowling; this had gone up from last year’s 55 on the Preziosa to 80 euro. The kids love the bowling and probably between them had about 70 games through the week and at 6 Euros a player (i think) offers good value. It was also fun for a couple games with a beer, it’s not a full size alley. They also enjoyed the 4d sim and made use of that. The f1 car is also very good but on a couple of days it wasn’t working and on others had no sound.I think I only went on it once were it was working properly which was a shame.The f1 sim on the Preziosa is better in my opinion. We also were able to borrow a football and have a kick about in the sports area.

The staff were mostly very friendly and polite, remembering our names. The restaurant Maitre d’ only letting the kids eat if they could tell him the cabin number in Italian. They enjoyed this banter. There was one waitress who remembered us from the Preziosa last year.

We had a great week on the Splendida, fantastic weather and some nice places visited. It was certainly good enough to come back home and book up for August 2018 on the MSC Seafront. We all can’t wait. :D

Thank you for your review. There are so few about the ships in the Med that it's nice to see one on the forum. Hopefully it will be of help to anyone planning a cruise on Splendida this season.

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise! Thanks for the feedback.

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Appreciate the feedback.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Splendida in July, embarking in Marseille. Did you do the Genoa, Civitivecchia, Taormina, Cagliari, Mallorca, Valencia itinerary?

How was the weather? Were the nights cool?

Thanks for the review. We were on Splendida in early May and absolutely loved it. Every port was fantastic too.

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Splendida in July, embarking in Marseille. Did you do the Genoa, Civitivecchia, Taormina, Cagliari, Mallorca, Valencia itinerary?

 

How was the weather? Were the nights cool?

It was those ports but palermo and not taormina. The weather was fantastic all week, hardly saw a cloud. Cooler at night but still nice.

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You're right, it's Palermo. I keep getting those confused.

How was Cagliari and Mallorca in specific? I can't find much about either port.

What did you do in Marseille? We disembark but don't leave until the next morning, so are staying at the old waterfront.

We have 4 kids split between two cabins. Do you know if they'll be able to share that entertainment pass, or will we need to get one for each cabin?

Thanks so much, it's hard to get specifics for the Med cruises.

You're right, it's Palermo. I keep getting those confused.

 

How was Cagliari and Mallorca in specific? I can't find much about either port.

 

What did you do in Marseille? We disembark but don't leave until the next morning, so are staying at the old waterfront.

 

We have 4 kids split between two cabins. Do you know if they'll be able to share that entertainment pass, or will we need to get one for each cabin?

 

Thanks so much, it's hard to get specifics for the Med cruises.

I would of thought that would be 2 cabin passes but you could share. Especially for bowling. My kids were using there cards to do 4 players for other kids they made friends with. More awkward for 4d cinema and f1 car as its staffed by a crew member. [emoji6]

We just went shopping and went on the ferris wheel in the harbour at Marseille.

Palma was a late stop and been there before. Went to a big shopping centre and took a walk. Left at midnight.

Cagliari was ok. Free shuttle bus to the town. A walk and more shopping.

Hope that helps.

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We docked at Cagliari on 13th June, 2017, on Splendida: We had visited the city a few years ago on another cruise stop and had seen the Bastion San Remy and the Elephant Gate. You can walk up to these from the port shuttle stop.

I felt that there was more to see and I read of the Roman Amphitheatre and decided to go see it. However, the maps are deceptive on distance so I chose a handier option, that of the Archaeological area of Santa Eulalia on Via Collegio and the Roman ruins preserved beneath it.

It was an easy walk from the port gate and we arrived at the church/museum. €5 admission and loaned a tablet which gave audio and text guide for the ruins. We had to leave some ID as security for the loan. The area beneath the church is small but very well preserved and clean as it’s been buried for centuries. There is also a museum upstairs but the church was closed. All in all, a great visit to a fascinating site.

We walked back towards Largo Carlo Felice, a main street, via P. Dettori and through P. Yenne, and decided to try to walk up to the amphitheatre. Along the way we discovered the Church of St. Anna and popped in for family reasons. A very lovely church.

The streets are narrow and full of charm. We made our way uphill and visited the Botanic Gardens on our way( this was a longer route than necessary as we missed the turn for Via Anfiteatro). A lovely oasis in the city. It’s quite small but nice. Just up from the Gardens is the Roman Amphitheatre. Unfortunately, the ruins are closed to the public. Surely, the tourism council is missing a trick here! Anyway, they are still very impressive and we were able to get some photos from the fencing and even some with our ship docked in the distance.

It was very hot at this stage and we made our way up a little further and waited at the bus stop for the No. 8 bus which took us back down to the seafront on Largo Carlo Felice. The waterfront shops are shaded by an arcade so we had a pleasant walk back along towards the port shuttle(free). A most amazing sight was a young cat suckling and tolerating several small white mice under the watchful eye of their owner who had a box out for donations. Well worth the few cent.

We came away from Cagliari with a very positive impression of the city and enjoyed our stop there.

We docked at Palermo on 12th June on Splendida. Thanks to the invaluable contributors on Tripadvisor, Palermo, Forum, I had a shortlist of things I wanted to see in Palermo. I was aware that a free shuttle bus is laid on in the summer months and I wanted to start at the Capella Palatina which is at the top of the route. Disembarked and checked with the tourist info booth outside the port, after running the gauntlet of tours, taxis and hop on hop off being hawked at the gates. We were informed that the shuttle bus would pick up at P. XII Vittime which was about a ten minute walk along the seafront. We made the walk, it was getting very hot at this stage and could find no trace of a bus pick up point at P. XII Vittime.

We decided to walk on towards next stop at Porta Felice but realised we were near enough to Corso Vittoria Emanuele(CVE) which is the main street and a good reference point for the major sights. Maps are deceptive and it was a short walk to the Quattro Canti with its fabulous facades and fountains. The church, Chiesa di S. Giuseppe dei Teatini, was closed as it was just past 12 noon, so we walked along Via Maqueda towards the Chiesa dei Jesu and walked into the Justice buildings opposite the P. Pretoria's fountains, with its lovely courtyard and tribute to Judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino who were murdered by the Mafia in 1992. A few short streets to the Chiesa dei Jesu and its amazing interior which blew us away. After that, we debated trying to get the free bus to the Palazzo dei Normanni and Capella Palatina but decided we would try walking. As we walked up CVE, we shopped for gifts for the ‘kids’ at home and came upon the Cathedral, which I had forgotten about. It is an amazing structure and impressive facade. Not as ornate inside as the Chiesa dei Jesu but few churches are. From there, it is a short walk to the Palazzo dei Normanni and Capella Palatina. Easiest way to access the Capella Palatina is to walk up through the gate(porta or arch) and kept left for a few minutes and you will come to the entrance. Admission was €12pp but on the following days it would be €8. Apparently, this is due to whether the palace can be visited as well as the chapel. Inside, the Capella Palatina was beautiful and the royal apartments impressive as was the Hall of Hercules where parliament sits, though not on that day.

Outside we waited for the free shuttle which, eventually, showed up and we stood for a hot, bumpy and circuitous ride back to the P. XII Vittime. The stop here is actually located on the edge of a very narrow path which is on the far side of the traffic island as we walked from the port gates, so – walk from port but stay landside of the traffic island at P. XII Vittime. As you walk towards the marina you will pass a green pole with an empty green frame at the top. This is where the bus stops. The bus is white with blue trim and an orange bonnet(hood)(it’s more of a large minibus than a city bus).

It doesn’t seem like we did much in Palermo but it was a fascinating look at a very historical city. Yes, the side streets were dirty but the main areas were quite clean. No unwanted attention from anybody but normal big city precautions must be observed anyway.

If l'm not boring you! Majorca!

We had visited Palma a couple if times on cruise ships. This is a compilation of those visits.

Directly out side the port terminal the public bus runs to the centre of Palma, about €1.50 per journey. Made our way through the streets to the cathedral which is fabulous and well worth the admission. Alternatively, MSC operates an all day shuttle for about €13. It stops opposite the cathedral on the promenade.

On our recent stop, 14th June, we opted for a ship's tour to the Caves of Drach, on the east coast of the island. This only our second ship tour and it was good. Air conditioned coach with guide to the caves, tickets included(value €15pp), where you join the public 'tour' [each hour on the hour]. The caves were fabulous and well worth the trip but I'm sure it could be done by public transport for much less. After the caves, we had a shopping opportunity at the nearby pearl outlet, good coffee and wifi. On return to Palma, the guide will lead any who are interested to the city centre for photos. The coach and guide returns to the ship after 20mins sharp but all tour guests can also use the MSC shuttle all evening. Glad we did the tour. We love Majorca.

Thanks to everyone - every bit of info helps (and that was lots of bits!) Great port info. We're getting anxious to start the trip. After almost a year of planning, I'm excited its finally time to go.