MSC Sinfonia April 6, 2019 11 Day Mediterranean with photos

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This is my trip report of our Mediterranean cruise on MSC Sinfonia in April 2019. DH, DS13 and I had cruised with MSC on two Caribbean cruises. This was our first trip to Europe. We picked this cruise for the itinerary.

 

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On Thursday, April 4, we flew from Boston to Lisbon to Barcelona on TPA Portugal airlines. The service onboard the airplane was very good. The food was completely edible. I had ordered fruit plates, and they provided one meal and a snack.

Once in Barcelona, we took our Hotel Salles Ciutat del Prat's free shuttle. It was easy to find using the instructions on their website.

We had a triple room which was very clean and comfortable.  Some pictures taken at the hotel.

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The hotel is located outside of Barcelona near the airport. It's in a residential neighborhood with easy walking to restaurants, grocery stores and a small laundromat.  On the first day, we shopped at a local grocery store about 2 blocks away and picked up some sinful donuts for the next day's breakfast.

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Here's the exterior of the hotel. We would stay there again. It offered early checkin and late checkout which was very useful since we were jetlagged.

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For dinner on Friday evening, we walked just a few hundred feet to El Caliu del Prat, a restaurant I had found using Trip Advisor. They offer a version of the menu in English and dinner can be eaten early. Here's a picture of my prawns and DS' pizza. DH ate a mixed grill plate including excellent sausage. 

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On Saturday, April 6, I washed our travel clothes at the local laundromat. It's about 3 blocks away from the hotel. It costs 6 euro to wash and 2 euro to dry.

 

We left the hotel at about 11 am to head to the cruise port. Directly outside the hotel was an available taxi. Total cost to the port from the hotel was 13 euro (metered). This was much less that the hotel charged for their shuttle at about 35 euro. The taxi was very efficient.

 

Once at the port, we handed over our luggage and took a seat in the terminal waiting for our boarding group to be called.

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We had a very easy boarding process. Our past experience with cruises that board thousands of people at once was very hectic.  But this seems like just a few hundred people in the terminal, and it was not crowded at all.

 

At the checkin counter, our paperwork was stamped. Then we took a picture, and made our way on the ship. It was different that the US process where cruise are distributed at checkin.  Our cards and our Fantastic drink vouchers were waiting for us in the cabin.

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We stayed in cabin 1109 - a suite category.  More like a very large balcony, the suite had plenty of room for the 3 of us. And the storage was the best! In fact there were more cabinets and drawers than we needed.

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A few more cabin pictures including the balcony.

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Since we headed to the buffet for lunch right away, I'll comment here on all our buffet meals.

 

The food was good to very good at the buffet. The pizza (as you may know) was excellent. DS enjoyed more burgers and fries than I care to count. Hot food was hot, and cold food was cold. Drinks were limited. Juices were available at breakfast only. For lunch and dinner, water, tea and coffee were included. Other drinks required purchase. No tea or lemonade was complimentary.

 

During peak times, the staff did a good job of helping to seat people. We always found a seat in the buffet or just outside the doors in the pizza or grill area. Since our cruise was a little chilly, heating lamps were used in those areas to make them more comfortable.

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After our lunch, we headed off the ship to explore Barcelona a little bit. I had read about the T3 bus to the Columbus Monument. We found the bus stop in the port easily enough. Just a few hundred yards from the terminal entrance. We were informed it is no longer called the T3, but it's the cruise ship bus.

 

Roundtrip tickets cost 4 euro each.

 

The Columbus Monument:

 

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We strolled along the waterfront for a while.

Then looked into the shops at Maremagnum shopping center. After that, we crossed an extremely crowded bridge and went back to the ship via the Cruise Ship (T3) bus.

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The next day was Sunday, April 7, and we were at sea. Grateful for a day to recover from traveling and the six hour time change, we spent the day reading and playing cards.

 

Our dinner was assigned to Il Covo, and we had arranged early seating at 6:30. We ate there 6 or 7 nights, and the food ranged from very good to excellent. Our servers handled all our requests professionally. It was a very pleasant dining experience. Most evenings took about 1 hour and 15 min. When the dining room was very busy, it took a little longer.

 

We had some confusion about free water at our table. After a discussion with guest services, it was just easier to pay 3 euro for a bottle of water.

 

Here are some pictures from the parade of chefs towards the end of our cruise.

 

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And while I am talking about the sea day, here are some random MSC Sinfonia pictures.

 

 

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The gelato bar offerings were delicious. It's an extra charge.

 

 

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On Monday, April 8, 2019, we arrived at Valletta, Malta. Advice I had read about watching the sail in were spot on! It was a magical view from our balcony.

 

[mimmy52]

Thank you for doing a trip report plus pictures.  We'll be doing a Mediterranean cruise in October (on the Poesia which I don't see much about) so I'm looking forward to reading more.

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We had planned to use the Hop On Hop On bus in Malta. So when MSC delivered an easy to use ticket form to our cabin the evening before, we signed it. Well, it was not the same company that we had planned to us.

 

And the route that went to the megaliths was 3 hours instead of 1.5 hours. This meant that we felt stuck on the bus and had only 30 minutes to view the archaeological site.

 

 

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17 minutes ago, mimmy52 said:

Thank you for doing a trip report plus pictures.  We'll be doing a Mediterranean cruise in October (on the Poesia which I don't see much about) so I'm looking forward to reading more.

Great to know someone is following along.  It will keep me motivated!

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The Megalithic Temples of Malta are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And they made that long bus ride worth it! While our stop was short and a bit rainy, we thoroughly enjoyed the up-close access that visitors to the site are allowed.

 

 

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Both sites are covered by large tent-like structures to protect them from the elements. One site is very close to the welcome center, and the other is a bit further away. Keep this in mind if you travel with someone who cannot walk long inclines.

 

 

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We reboarded the HOHO bus. Without functioning audio at some of the seats, the ride really seemed perfunctory to get back to the ship.

 

Once back on board, we grabbed a late lunch and then visited the fitness center. I only went two days out of 11 to the fitness center since most of our other days were spent walking for hours while touring. As with most cruise ships, during peak times, you will have to wait for a machine. But the gym is kept clean and welcoming.

[jaxw17]

Enjoying the review

 

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On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, we visited Corfu. This would turn out to be our favorite port of the entire trip! Why?  Ease of getting around, charming streets and shops, and the incredibly helpful locals who helped us navigate our way.

 

 

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1 minute ago, jaxw17 said:

Enjoying the review

 

Thanks so much! Here's a teaser..our trip did not end in Barcelona.  We continued on to London and got to see a tiny bit of your country, too!