Tell me what you love about Splendida!

[michelle028]

Hi all,

 

First time sailing on MSC. Tell me about what you love about Splendida. 

[Ryan82]

Not sailed on Splendida but it's virtually identical to the Preziosa which I have sailed on.

 

Size wise the ship is big enough to be exciting and have places to explore without you ever getting lost. There's a good variety of bars and the club/ restaurant at the top of the ship is a good place to go at night.

 

Even if pretty full passenger wise its small enough that you'll regularly bump into the other passengers you get to know through your cruise. 

[Heartgrove]

We normally sail on Holland America but I had wanted to sail on MSC for some time. We were planning a trip to Italy last year and returning on a Transatlantic crossing with HAL. I found a MSC cruise that fit our schedule so sailed on the MSC Splendida last October from Genoa in YC on a 7-night cruise to Sicily and Puglia. I have to say upfront that we have never been so well attended to. Yes, even better than Viking Ocean! The ship was in excellent condition, and very attractive in its decor. This class of ships have the YC restaurant aft which meant that we needed to walk the length of the ship each meal but it actually helped with digestion! We did find that instead of walking on Deck 7, which at times was a bit congested, we used one of the decks with staterooms for a quicker transit.

 

One day we went to the buffet just to sample the lunch venue as we will be sailing on the MSC Preziosa in September in the "Fantastica Experience." The food was very good so no qualms and comparable to the Lido on our usual cruise line, HAL.

 

Our plans for 2024 are to include a MSC cruise to Norway after our British Isles HAL cruise and to travel in YC again. I may have found a new favorite. 

[heatherb1958]

Our first MSC cruise was B2B on Splendida out of Barcelona Feb 2017 , we loved the ship , every venue had live music even the coffee shop ! We had a balcony on deck 9 which was in a  great location and a superb wait team in the dining room . 

No complaints at all with our first MSC  experience and have sailed on several of their ships since 

[michelle028]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

Quick question - were you able to book excursions prior to Boarding? When I try to book it says sold out which doesn't make sense because the my cruise doesn't sail until July.

[Heartgrove]

On 1/20/2023 at 1:04 PM, michelle028 said:

Thanks for all the replies!

 

Quick question - were you able to book excursions prior to Boarding? When I try to book it says sold out which doesn't make sense because the my cruise doesn't sail until July.

 

It may be too early. For our cruise this September only a few ports have excursions listed now. I doubt that they are sold out. We actually do a lot of excursions ourselves. Either a local guide, or just score on our own.

 

- Jack

[CruisingFox27]

Lovely ship, we were on her for the 2nd time for 28 nights in Feb 2020. The Fantasia class ships are very elegant. 

[michelle028]

Good to know!

 

Anyone have any tips for the ship?

Edited January 23, 2023 by michelle028