MSC Orchestra Info please.

[chezza7]

Will be cruising from Rio de Janeiro to Genoa in March 2013. First MSC cruise. There doesnt seem to be many posts re MSC or Orchestra here on CC. Has anyone information about this cruise, tips, staff , pitfalls, experiences etc? Being Italian ship, wil the language be a barrier? Love to hear from you..

[monicajay]

We cruised on this ship a few years back when it was positioned in the Caribbean. Overall we had a great trip and have taken a second and now booked a third trip on this line. Orchestra is a beautiful ship although the regular cabins are a bit smaller than on most other lines. We had a superior aft balcony and loved it. Entertainment was great but no comedy because of all the languages involved.

 

There are some people who love MSC and others who despise it. Our feeling is that in some areas it is below other lines but the lower prices, cheaper drinks and interesting passenger mix make it a good choice for us.

 

Language is something that many complain about. Announcements are made in numerous languages and that annoys some. We find it an opportunity to see how well we can understand other languages. We had no problem communicating in English with staff members although occasionally because of accents we had to try and explain things a different way.

 

We enjoyed the food but again could see that many of the American passengers did not. If you are looking for A1 hotdogs and fries this is not the place. If you like excellent pasta and things like eggplant Parmesan, you are in luck.

 

Can't help you with anything recent but I'm sure others will pipe in with to answer your questions.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Skipper Tim]

Will be cruising from Rio de Janeiro to Genoa in March 2013. First MSC cruise. There doesnt seem to be many posts re MSC or Orchestra here on CC. Has anyone information about this cruise, tips, staff , pitfalls, experiences etc? Being Italian ship, wil the language be a barrier? Love to hear from you..

 

I am recently back from the Orhestra's sister ship, MSC Musica, on her repositioning from Venice to Rio. If you have the patience to read it all, my 'live review' consists of daily reports from that ship and should give you an good idea of what to expect of the ship, service and life aboard an MSC repositioning:

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1738773

 

All the staff speak English and for most it is their 2nd language. Most of the senior staff are Italian and may speak to you in Italian first, as I think they are trying to maintain the Italian flavour of the line. You will be seated with other English speakers at dinner - though in our case this was with three Swiss who all asked to be seated with British rather than Swiss or German (apparently for the 'British sense of humour') and a Belgian mother and daughter who joined us the first night from another table. We did a lot of laughing!

 

I understand that in the opposite direction the demographics can be a little different with fewer older people going home (Brazil or Argentina) for Christmas and more younger ones going to Europe for the Summer. Also, I understand that the staff teething problems I experienced early on won't apply in the opposite direction as it is the end of their tour rather than the start.

 

I will be on the larger Fantasia from Santos to Venice in March. As my second MSC cruise, I expect to be better prepared this time.

 

Also read my thread on the Allegrissimo drinks package as this is where I think I would the biggest change next cruise.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1753718

 

Any questions, please fire away!

[AmoMondo]

Like Sipper Tim I've sailed on her slightly older sister the Musica from Venice to Rio. I've laso done a reverse sailing from Buenos Aires to Southampton (on the smaller Opera) and sailed the Orchestra in the Med.

 

The orchestra is a beautiful ship. Not oto big and not too small. I preferbthis class to all the othersnin the MSC fleet.

 

On both my South American sailings, there were not that many English speaking passengers onboard but there were huge numbers of South Americans (mainly Argentinians and Brazilians). I've nevr found language to be an issue with the crew, although you sometimes have tomrephrase things if you get a blank look. As for passengers, at dinner you'll be seated with other English speakers but not necessarily the same nationality. At breakfast and lunch, it's open seating, so less likely you'll be able to freely converse with fellow passengers. Some will try and some won't. Guess it also depends on whether you try too or not. I can speak French and Spanish reasonably well and a smattering of German, Italian and Portuguese, so that does help.

 

I like MSC because it's fairly laid back with no hard sell or upsell of drinks or anything else. They pretty much leave to your own devices to decide what you want to do or buy. I like that very much. Read Skipper Tim's thread of his live voyage on the Musica. It pretty much reflects my experience as well and gives you a really good idea of what to expect. I like Tim, find the melting pot of all those cultures and nationalities interesting and at times highly entertaining, others hate it.

 

The ships are beautiful, well maintained and kept spotlessly clean.

 

As for tips, if you like buffets, go to the rear section as it tends to be less of a scrum there. However the overall experience is usually better in the MDR. Order breakfast in your cabin. It's only continental but nice to wake up to a cuppa, especially if you have a balcony. It doesn't cost any extra. If you take milk in tea or coffee, tick the box on the card for milk, otherwise they'll assume that tou want it black. If you enjoy spa treatments, prebook a spa package as they save you a lot and they don't have them for sale onboard. Ordering a newspaper is a good way to keep in touch with events at home. They have publications from every country. I even have a choice of 3 Edinburgh ones. They cost €2.50 and they print off the entire publication for you and deliver it to your cabin each day. You can order one or a few or have it every day (satellite coverage permitting)

 

I'd also recommend a pre cruise stay in Ipanema prior to your cruise, if you have the time. If you fancy a real treat the Cipriana at the Copocabana Palace is amazing for lunch or dinner

[HYPOFLO]

Will be cruising from Rio de Janeiro to Genoa in March 2013. First MSC cruise. There doesnt seem to be many posts re MSC or Orchestra here on CC. Has anyone information about this cruise, tips, staff , pitfalls, experiences etc? Being Italian ship, wil the language be a barrier? Love to hear from you..

 

The craft class e.g. on this trip will be in French and English