MSC Preziosa - any questions?

[Captain-John]

Hi folks,

 

I ran a thread like this the last time I sailed and there was a decent response/number of questions that came back. On the presumption that people find it helpful, I thought I would run something similar this time.

 

I'm boarding Preziosa on Wednesday for a week 'round the Western Med. If anyone is sailing on her soon and has any specific questions, I'm more than happy to track down the information so that it helps with your pre-cruise planning.

 

As with my last cruise, I hope to do a detailed review on my return - so whilst I'll update this thread with answers as and when I find them, it probably won't slip into a 'live' review format. Like I say, I think a few people find this kind of thing useful so I like to offer the opportunity before I sail. 🙂

 

I've sailed Preziosa before in 2014 - and I'm glad they've put in a Butcher's Cut since - but I can't remember awfully much else about her from all those years ago so I'll be looking over her with fresh eyes.

[Beamafar]

I'd be interested in seeing Galaxy's menu, Cap'n.  I'm assuming it's remained as a sushi restaurant;  the up-to-date deck plans, which include Butcher's Cut, advise that it is.

 

I'll also be interested in hearing how Butcher's Cut is onboard (if you go);   our Seaview experience was so bad I'm even hesitant to re-visit Meraviglia's BC, despite it being fantastic 2 years ago, as was BC on Splendida last year.

 

We're booked on Preziosa for next September, so am really looking forward to everything you share!  👍 🤗

[Até]

I'd be interested if you can tell any difference in the ship's general condition since I believe Preziosa had a quick refurbishment since your 2014 sailing.  On my last Divina sailing I noted there was a lot of wear to some of the cabin interiors and carpeting.  Also many small things around the ship were chipped, broken or missing.  I'm not sure if you've sailed Divina recently, but an evaluation of Preziosa's interior condition would be helpful.

[Captain-John]

Sure thing, Bea. I'll track down the Galaxy menu. Definitely planning a return visit to BC - for variety if nothing else. Although we did thoroughly enjoy it last time, disappointed to hear your experience was inconsistent.

 

Até - you're asking the right person. I have a bit of a forensic eye for that kind of detail, and to be honest it's a factor in me choosing one ship over another. I took an immense amount of flak on the NCL boards at one point for denigrating the condition of their 20-year old ship, Norwegian Spirit (I hadn't sailed on her, but the photos were enough to tell the story!). Some people don't mind cosmetic wear, as long as everything is clean, but I like everything to look good too. Part of the reason I like the design of the MSC ships to be honest. I'm a bit 'ageist' - I'd have to have my arm twisted to sail Armonia for example.

 

I know it's slightly off-topic, but this was the kind of thing I was reacting to regarding NCL Spirit (I do believe the bathrooms have since been re-grouted, but they have a cheek to charge people the price to sail on a ship in that condition in the first place).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[skings]

Thanks Captain for being "ageist" I will be reading your review before booking next Spring.

[JPR61]

1 hour ago, Captain-John said:

Hi folks,

 

I ran a thread like this the last time I sailed and there was a decent response/number of questions that came back. On the presumption that people find it helpful, I thought I would run something similar this time.

 

I'm boarding Preziosa on Wednesday for a week 'round the Western Med. If anyone is sailing on her soon and has any specific questions, I'm more than happy to track down the information so that it helps with your pre-cruise planning.

 

As with my last cruise, I hope to do a detailed review on my return - so whilst I'll update this thread with answers as and when I find them, it probably won't slip into a 'live' review format. Like I say, I think a few people find this kind of thing useful so I like to offer the opportunity before I sail. 🙂

 

I've sailed Preziosa before in 2014 - and I'm glad they've put in a Butcher's Cut since - but I can't remember awfully much else about her from all those years ago so I'll be looking over her with fresh eyes.

Also boarding the Preziosa on Wednesday.  Might see you there Captain 😁

[Beamafar]

Hope you both have a wonderful cruise!  (I missed the "boarding Preziosa on Wednesday" bit, Cap'n 🙄 ... I was anxiously waiting for our tickets to arrive.  We should have received them last Friday!  I've had to phone MSC UK;  the rep was able to email them straight away!  In fairness, she was very apologetic about them not having been sent).

[Captain-John]

10 minutes ago, JPR61 said:

Also boarding the Preziosa on Wednesday.  Might see you there Captain 😁

 

Indeed! I'll be the one propping up the bar with a Merlot in one hand and a snack in the other!

 

We're leaving tomorrow - as there are no direct flights to Genoa, so we'll be spending the day and night in London (forecast at 100% chance of rain! 😞 )

 

3 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Hope you both have a wonderful cruise!  (I missed the "boarding Preziosa on Wednesday" bit, Cap'n 🙄 ... I was anxiously waiting for our tickets to arrive.  We should have received them last Friday!  I've had to phone MSC UK;  the rep was able to email them straight away!  In fairness, she was very apologetic about them not having been sent).

 

Thanks very much Bea. I had similar bother back in May - I had to prompt them to get the e-tickets sent, despite me having completed all the details for some time.

[Beamafar]

5 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

 

Indeed! I'll be the one propping up the bar with a Merlot in one hand and a snack in the other!

 

We're leaving tomorrow - as there are no direct flights to Genoa, so we'll be spending the day and night in London (forecast at 100% chance of rain! 😞 )

 

 

At least you're getting out before Hurricane Lorenzo hits  😱  Heaven knows what's in store after Thursday.

[Captain-John]

Yes - been keeping an eye on this. Actually on Wednesday thunderstorms are forecast for Genoa, so I hope the combination of bad weather at both ends doesn't cause any delays. I think you're right and we're to miss the worst of it. After Genoa, it's hot, hot hot - 28c forecast for Malaga which I think is unseasonable (but no complaints!).

[JPR61]

1 hour ago, Captain-John said:

 

Indeed! I'll be the one propping up the bar with a Merlot in one hand and a snack in the other!

 

We're leaving tomorrow - as there are no direct flights to Genoa, so we'll be spending the day and night in London (forecast at 100% chance of rain! 😞 )

 

 

Thanks very much Bea. I had similar bother back in May - I had to prompt them to get the e-tickets sent, despite me having completed all the details for some time.

Yep we're the same. Flying from Luton Airport tomorrow morning 

[CruisingFox27]

We loved our Preziosa cruise last year, with the exception of our Galaxy visit!

 

Hope you have a fabulous time Cap't 😎

[irish cailin]

We are sailing her in november, would be interested in MDR menu if you get a chance to take some pics.

 

Thanks,

Ash

[CruiserG79]

18 hours ago, Até said:

I'd be interested if you can tell any difference in the ship's general condition since I believe Preziosa had a quick refurbishment since your 2014 sailing.  On my last Divina sailing I noted there was a lot of wear to some of the cabin interiors and carpeting.  Also many small things around the ship were chipped, broken or missing.  I'm not sure if you've sailed Divina recently, but an evaluation of Preziosa's interior condition would be helpful.

 

If it's helpful, i have been on the Preziosa last year in July. I didn't really notice any signs of wear, broken or missing stuff.

I would say the ship is i a good, maybe even a great condition.

[Captain-John]

Update from sunny Malaga.

Embarkation was relatively disorganised compared to our Meraviglia experience. Much busier and more chaotic, not helped by the layout at the port. 

 

We are enjoying the cruise so far, but there are a few things that are different from our last sailing, and not necessarily for the better. The wine situation in the restaurant is exactly as I feared, and so is the seating arrangements for dinner. We like to dine between 8 and 8.30. First night the butler was taking reservations!

 

Our butler is also in the huff as he didn't get to escort us to dinner the first night. Whilst perfectly capable of doing this myself, I did follow the instructions he gave and asked the concierge to give him a call when we were ready to dine. Another butler turned up as another cabin were also ready to go and she asked us to join that group. Yesterday, our butler insisted on escorting us personally, but in future I'm not going to announce my dining plans as I can manage without. 

 

Maitre'd is strongly recommending we ask the concierge to call ahead when we are on our way, but this results in the butler escort which we don't want or need. We did have a good chat with the Maitre'd but he is sadly constrained by the size of the restaurant, which is too small for the 150 or so YC guests. The vibrations from the azipods is so noticeable in here too when the ship is underway. 

 

 

Also missing the Pool Grill, which due to the weather we never actually used on Meraviglia but as you can see we'd definitely be able to take advantge on this sailing! 

 

Other observations - the pool towels aren't as plush or fancy as Mera and nor are the sunbeds - as has been discussed here at length! 

 

Of course I'll elaborate on my return but in the meanttime provide some answers to the questions already posed shortly. 

[Captain-John]

On 9/30/2019 at 2:38 PM, Beamafar said:

I'd be interested in seeing Galaxy's menu, Cap'n.  I'm assuming it's remained as a sushi restaurant;  the up-to-date deck plans, which include Butcher's Cut, advise that it is.

 

 

On 9/30/2019 at 2:38 PM, Beamafar said:

👍 🤗

Not been to BC yet but Galaxy is indeed still a sushi restaurant (and a bugger to find!). Expansive menu below. Excuse the fingers, I'll crop them out for my review thread! 

[Beamafar]

This is not sounding too good, Cap'n.  The size of the restaurant hasn't changed over the years as far as I know and we never had any problems when on Fantasia-class.  Either the (asst) m'D is out of his depth or there is huge demand for the time slot that you'd prefer.  We always dine early and it tends to be a quieter, more enjoyable time.

 

This insistence that the butler escort you every night to dinner is a bit strange.  We've never experienced that.

 

We did have a bit of difficulty in setting a 7.30pm dining time on Seaview - they insisted on either 7pm or 8pm. We did manage to convince them to give us a 7.15pm time.  I'm assuming it was to be able to have 2 sittings each evening for each table.

 

I suppose, after being on the newer, better equipped ships, the older ships seem lacking in comparison.

[Beamafar]

Thanks a mil, Cap'n (I was typing as you posted the above).

[Captain-John]

Yes the dining thing is consistent with some posts I've read here, and I knew in advance I wouldn't like it. Certainly the first night they really wanted to know when we wanted to dine, even although the asst m'D 'didn't want to do it.' Dining early just doesn't suit us, but the restaurant is definitely too small and overworked. 

 

Things like missing knives, no bread, forgotten drinks orders and a chicken caeser salad with no chicken - it's just not as slick as Mera but the waiters are fantastic, they just have too much to do. 

 

We haven't been overly impressed with the menus so far either, although I ordered an 'off menu' filet which was delicious and the food we have ordered has been generally tasty. 

 

The butler escort thing is linked with asking the concierge to phone ahead I think. After they've phoned the restaurant, they must pick up the phone to the butler - hence going forward we won't be announcing our plans. 

 

There's a Black Card party tonight, which we have no plans to attend as it conflicts with dinner, but again the butler said he would give us the invitation and escort us there at the appropriate time - not even asking if we wanted to go?!? 

 

Like I say, we're having a good time, just noticing the differences as our last cruise is still fresh in our minds. It's still early and my views could change as the cruise progresses. 

[Beamafar]

I look forward to hearing more, Cap'n.  I can understand the frustration with the little niggles - a bit like mosquito bites ... they're small, not earth-ending, but darned irritating, nonetheless.

[Captain-John]

On 9/30/2019 at 2:56 PM, Até said:

I'd be interested if you can tell any difference in the ship's general condition 

She's broadly in ship-shape. The odd chip here and there, the metalwork could do with a polish (the marks are probably due to all the cleaning) and there are some specks of mold in the bath sealant but nothing overtly offensive. The orange pool towels could do with updating. 

 

The plastic surround to the sockets above the table has come off. 

 

The water feature in one of the steam rooms is inoperative and there are broken/loose tiles in the basin. Also an entire other steamroom is out of service. 

 

The entire YC restaurant shakes and rattles and squeaks due to the vibrations from the azipods. 

 

More to assess over the remainder of the cruise... 

 

 

 

[Captain-John]

On 10/1/2019 at 12:29 AM, irish cailin said:

We are sailing her in november, would be interested in MDR menu if you get a chance to take some pics.

 

Thanks,

Ash

 

Hi Ash, managed to snap a few but may miss the odd day here and there - apologies in advance. 

 

 

[mickey89]

The dining difficulties is exactly as a remember earlier this year in the Caribbean and we settled for 8.30pm every night. Less stressful and better service we found dining later.  The Maitre'd can make or break the dining experience - what's his name ?

 

Enjoy your cruise, hope the weather is kind.  Does the Elevator Priority YC Card work ?

Edited October 4, 2019 by mickey89

[Captain-John]

Thanks Mickey. The contingent on this sailing all also seem to prefer the 8-8.30 range so it's going to be difficult if everyone keeps to the same time.

 

I'm terrible for remembering faces and names but I'll find out tonight. Won't be able to update until Lisbon on Monday though as don't think my data roaming covers Morocco and after that we're at sea again. 

 

Priority lift is hit and miss. It does add a subtext on the floor display screen to indicate it's a priority service but 50 percent of the time it doesn't cancel out the other selections or take you to the requested floor. I insist on persevering with it though. We got the hit rate up to about 85 percent on Mera in the end! 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Captain-John

[CruisingFox27]

I don't recall major issues with dining on our Preziosa sailing, we had a butler escort on the first evening but it wasn't insisted upon after that. We'd advised a 7.45pm to 8.15pm window for dining, a couple of evenings we arrived and had to wait a few minutes. It's less convenient waiting on the Fantasia class as there's no where to go except the entrance at the top of the stairs. Although there were some issues with organisation within the restaurant - the much lauded Pepe not receiving rave reviews from us I'm afraid.

Have you had any success with your wine requests?

 

We didn't have issues finding Galaxy, it was getting out quick enough to get to the YC restaurant for a meal afterwards 😀

 

Is the pool grill not open Capt?

The towels were disappointing compared to other ships I have to say. Have to say I'm looking forward to sunbeds with cushions . Which leads me to an odd question regarding sunbeds, would you be able to measure the width of a section of one - a best guess, I'm not anticipating you've a tape measure. The section with the arrow in the attached picture, tia.

 

I hope the niggles aren't detracting from your cruise on the whole.

Edited October 4, 2019 by CruisingFox27