Magnifica was great for us

[EveryMomentCounts]

Hi there

I just got back from our trip to Italy - including the eastern med cruise on Magnifica. I traveled with my 2 kids (20 and 16) and this worked for us. We spent almost a week in Italy before the cruise and also experienced hits and misses in every area especially food.. at one point my son ordered a pizza with 'rocket' and it was a heap of bitter salad leaves on top of the pizza!

 

Comments on Cruise:

 

Food here was also hit and miss. A lot was lost in the translation! There were great items on the menu each night, but at times the translation to English was misleading. The Italians knew what to order... If you could walk around for a second and see what others were eating before ordering and say - I want one of those - it would help. The risottos were always good. They seem to struggle most with English dishes... For example the grilled chicken was pounded then thrown on the grill with no flavoring. On the avaialble everynight section - keep to the pastas. The deserts/gelato were great.

 

We had no trouble bringing wine on board in Barri. No one had trouble bringing beverages on board on our cruise unless it was plain silly - like in full view or cases of something. And don't ask at the security point, as they will look at you like your nuts and the answer will be 'no'.

 

A glass of wine at dinner was cheap 3.22 Euros with service charge. I have a medical condition so drank very little. My son enjoyed the odd glass of wine at dinner.

 

tip - we ordered coffee, tea and croissants in our room in the morning (this is free) and then sent someone up for fresh fruit etc. and ate comfortably on our balcony. The rest of the time we ate breakfast in the dining room.

 

- 4:30 tea time was a feeding frenzy! They had little meat sandwiches and multiple cookies and desert items and we had to be careful of not overdoing it.

 

The shows at night were great. One act stood out every evening as being worth the price of admission. We did our own thing on the excursions from advice on this site and homework on the net - and were happy with what we saw and did. We had a personal guide for Istanbul and I was happy to pay for this - it was still a lot less than 3 excursions.

 

Loved our room with a balcony. Worth springing for this. Spent little time by the pool as none of us liked the noise level. Found other areas to lay out in the sun and take in the view.

 

VERY FEW English speaking people on board! I actually picked this cruise to give all of us this experience. We went into this with our eyes wide open and had fun guessing at languages and noticing the differences in cultures and the way people interacted. Lots of stories here!

 

We were seated for dinner with a couple from another part of Canada and that was wonderful as we compared notes and pictures every night and had a lot of fun. They seat people of the same languages together and we were in a small English section including Americans and Brits.

 

All in all the pluses out weighed the negatives!

 

If 4 star meals are your expectation - don't cruise with MSC. If you expect English style 'treatment' - don't cruise with MSC. If you expect others to behave like English/Canadians/Americans -cue up neatly, take their turn, fix problems promptly, smoke only in designated areas etc... Don't cruise with MSC.

 

Then again - don't go driving in Rome... An hour driving in Rome will give you a taste of the Italian culture. They cut each other off - do not pay attention to the lines - but this is all OK. They only honk at people who hesitate or go slow - including pedestrians. The motor cycles take detours around traffic on the sidewalk and red lights "are only a suggestion".

 

Have fun! :cool:

[drblue]

Thank you for your review. It seems to be well balanced. We'll travel on the Magnifica on Jannuary 2011. I have a couple of questions for you:

1. BARI. We only have 5 hours on port. So, we are concerned about the time it takes from the ship to get to downtown and back. Can you share about you rexperience there?

2. Did you stop in Kataklon, Greece? We also only have about 5 hours. What did you do there?

I will certainly appreciate any advise and suggestions you can provide.

[Gelbel]

drblue - we went to Katakolon last October on MSC Opera. We were only there for a few hours too and we were not interested in going to Olympia - so we did our own thing.

 

There are two main 'streets' filled with tourist shops and we had a wonderful time browsing. I wanted to buy a leather handbag and saw several possibles in a few shops on the main street but found a gem in one of the little side streets leading to the back street. We also brought gifts while we were there. Then we mooched around having coffee and pastries in a cafe and sat over looking the sea having a beer.

 

It was nice to have a lazy few hours in port without having to dash round ticking the 'must sees' off the list.:cool:

[EveryMomentCounts]

drblue

I agree with Gelbel's take on Katakolon. We looked around town as well and had a great time poking around the small town. There is also a little beach off to the left of the cruise terminal that looked a little rocky - but was busy with locals.

 

For Bari - we went to the 'old town' which is right on the coast and not that far from the terminal. We took a taxi in for 15 Euros which was probably a rip off. We really enjoyed walking around the old part of the city. There were a couple of great churches - but services were going on as it was Sunday. One was having a mass babtism - we went by just as all the families were gathering outside the church. We picked up some wine and bought some wonderful Italian pasteries. It felt more authentic than some of the other stops. We walked back to the terminal along the coastline.

[drblue]

Hello gelbel and Everymomentcounts,

Thank you for your responses. We just want to hang out in Kataklon and not rush to Olympia. Somehow I think that Olympia would not be too interesting for our 3 year-old child. After putting him through long tour days in Alexandria (Egypt) and Haifa (Israel), it might just be right to give him more playing time at the beach and simply strolling around town.

In Bari, we might do something similar, but based on the downtown area. Thank you for your suggestions.

[drblue]

Hello Everymomentcounts,

I have another 2 questions for you regarding the MSC Magnifica:

1. Was the ship a COKE or PEPSI cruise? Apparently that is very important for my wife.

2. Did you see the pool for children? Was it in the covered area? We are travelling with a 3.5 year old child.

 

Thanks for providing info and suggestions.

[EveryMomentCounts]

Hi again drblue

 

None of us drink pop and it wasn't something I noticed people drinking on the cruise. Italians would be at the coffee bars having their expresso all times of day. I am sure they have cola but it may not even be either? Others may know...

 

The kids pool is covered and it looked like everyone was having great fun! Again - this was not a place we hung out as my kids are 16 and 20. Perhaps others who have younger kids would be more helpful.

[hitch-04]

at one point my son ordered a pizza with 'rocket' and it was a heap of bitter salad leaves on top of the pizza!

 

Rocket is what is referred to as Arugula in N. America, so he got exactly what he ordered :) of course I'm sure it was a shock.

 

to help with some of the food confusion, I'd bring along a travel dictionary, or google ahead of time and come prepared with a list of things you know you like, it will help you look at menus and figure out what you like. Also very useful if you have picky eaters in the family if you know what to ask for...

[Ann Halliday]

Magnifica has coca cola on board. I noticed it in the mini-bars in the cabin. Have a great cruise!

[woodofpine]

Thank you for your review. It seems to be well balanced. We'll travel on the Magnifica on Jannuary 2011. I have a couple of questions for you:

1. BARI. We only have 5 hours on port. So, we are concerned about the time it takes from the ship to get to downtown and back. Can you share about you rexperience there?

2. Did you stop in Kataklon, Greece? We also only have about 5 hours. What did you do there?

I will certainly appreciate any advise and suggestions you can provide.

 

Bari: The cruise pier is easy walking distance from old town Barivecchia - the cathedral, Basilica San Nichola, and the fort. Its a 'for real' Italian municipal old town - worth walking and viewing, more or less charming.

 

Katakolon: We rented a car from http://www.rentacarkatakolo.gr/main.htm which is located immediately at the foot of the pier (cruiser geared); the agency and drive (30 min.) to Olympia was pretty quick and easy. Olympia was unexpectedly interesting and worthwhile; however, MSC's limited port time doesn't allow for that and time in the port village - which is quite small but fairly touristic pretty. If you were not interested in Olympia and wanted to peruse a bit there is reportedly another nice beach village a couple klicks to the north over the little penninsula.

[drblue]

Bari: The cruise pier is easy walking distance from old town Barivecchia - the cathedral, Basilica San Nichola, and the fort. Its a 'for real' Italian municipal old town - worth walking and viewing, more or less charming.

 

Katakolon: We rented a car from http://www.rentacarkatakolo.gr/main.htm which is located immediately at the foot of the pier (cruiser geared); the agency and drive (30 min.) to Olympia was pretty quick and easy. Olympia was unexpectedly interesting and worthwhile; however, MSC's limited port time doesn't allow for that and time in the port village - which is quite small but fairly touristic pretty. If you were not interested in Olympia and wanted to peruse a bit there is reportedly another nice beach village a couple klicks to the north over the little penninsula.

Hello Woodofpine and Ann Holliday,

Thank you for your answers. They will allow us to be better prepared for the cruise. I have read many negative reviews, but it seems to me that many people did not do their homework about the product they were buying. So, I am getting as much info as I can potentially obtain to prepare myself and not let the little things botter me, like no water available, and having to pay for coffee.

Even then, I realize that no vacation is completely free of problems, especially travelling with a restless child. There is always a bit of unpredictibility to any holiday trip, whether on land or on a cruiseship.

Thanks for all your suggestions on Bari and Kataklon. I will keep them in mind.

[woodofpine]

I found google maps to be very helpful in preparation. As you indicate, Bari and Katakolon (and MSC) get mixed reviews. The two ports are not 'Oh Wow!' touristic but I found them interesting. Olympia has enormous history and a fine museum and archeological 'park'. The locals in Katakolon have worked successfully to renovate old 'raisin' warehouses (the local big Ag product) into shops. Its a small place. Bari has Norman history and... Santa Claus... On Sunday, pasta is out on screens to dry in the alley ways... etc.

 

You're doing the right thing... homework and open mindedness.

[RD64]

Mmmmmm...Pizza with rocket. I recently returned from three weeks visiting relatives in Italy, and had arugula every chance I could...even on pizza.....and the arugula in Italy is much better and bitter than that grown in Canada.

 

Please keep in mind, that our food also seems strange to Europeans. Try explaining the concept of a Hawaiian pizza to an Italian, and they will look at you like you have seven heads growing out of your neck.

 

The MSC risottos are the best..and wow the combinations...you wouldn't think they work, but they do.

[scbonnie]

Thanks for the great info, we are going on that cruise for Christmas, leaving Venice on the 19 Dec, our first cruise so I really appreciate any hints you may have.

 

Do you have any advice on tours from Alexandria that you could share please.

 

I love my coffee and thought of bringing a jar with me however i just read that there is no water available on board, does this mean i can't get a cup of boiling water ? Maybe i should bring my travel kettle, sad i know but what can i say, i love my coffee. :confused::confused:

[onthebalcony]

Check out www.ramsestours.com for Alexandria. We are using them for our tour on Dec. 12. There are different options for the amount of time you have on shore.

[AmoMondo]

I love my coffee and thought of bringing a jar with me however i just read that there is no water available on board, does this mean i can't get a cup of boiling water ? Maybe i should bring my travel kettle, sad i know but what can i say, i love my coffee. :confused::confused:

 

There is water available onboard it is just not provided free of charge at lunch and dinner in the dining room if you are on a European cruise.

 

You can get coffee delivered to your cabin first thing in the morning at no cost and also at breakfast regardless of whether you go to the buffet or dining room. You can also get it at Afternoon tea.

 

You are not suppossed to bring travel kettles (fire risk) - they may confiscate it.

 

The coffee onboard is fantastic and they have quite a wide choice which can be obtained at the coffee shop and most bars from early in the morning to late at night (cappucino, latte, espresso. Americano, Iced, Liquer etc etc). You will have to pay for it but it doesn't cost that much.

[Maedy]

(Rocket is what is referred to as Arugula in N. America)

 

We call them Rucola. In Europe well known and we eat them like salad, with olive oil and Balsamico dressing, sometimes we put some tomatos in it.

[RD64]

While in Italy I was trying to explain the concept of what we in Canada call Rapini...obviously a very Italian sounding name...nobody knew what it was. Having a similar conversation at home, I found out that in the US it is called Broccoli di Rabe.

 

My point being...accept foreign menus as an adventure...

[AmoMondo]

While in Italy I was trying to explain the concept of what we in Canada call Rapini...obviously a very Italian sounding name...nobody knew what it was. Having a similar conversation at home, I found out that in the US it is called Broccoli di Rabe.

 

My point being...accept foreign menus as an adventure...

 

Excellent advice!

.....and if you get it really wrong on a cruise ship, it's no problem, you just ask for something else.