MSC Opera

I have travelled on this ship before, however the customer service is not has good as it used to be. Also the choice of food in the restaurant is not very good and when there is a formal night, no choice at all, not good if you have allergies, or vegetarian etc. The room was clean and comfy, and the countries we visited, lovely, however I am not too sure if I will be using MSC again.

Good ship was my first cruise

Cuban cruise 15 nights. MSC Opera. Just returned from a lovely holiday, definitely the best way to see Havana and live in relative comfort. There is however a few points to observe if your planning this trip. If you fly Air Euorpa via Madrid it’s worth mentioning there is no complementary drinks London to Madrid. After a 2 hr wait you then finish the flight with them on the 10 hr trip to Havana. The seat pitch is minimum, the entertainment system was rubbish, mine didn’t work going and all I got coming back was the map with your location. I can assure you it moves very slowly. If the opportunity arises to change the airline grab it. I have since found out you can go with Air France via Paris, which may well be worth while. The gratuities on the ship are €10 per day per person, they are removable. What is not is the mandatory 15% service charge on drinks and services. Draft lager was €6.33 for 0.4L. Cheapest all day drink package on board is €29 per person per day. You do the maths. Every time you enter Cuba you need a visa provided by the ship. First one is free, if you do 14 days you’ll need another two which charges your onboard account with another €30 per person.

Disappointed with the overall experience as a first cruise - spoilt by the weather and unusual storms in the Mediterranean - last minute booking and had to upgrade to an exterior Fantastica cabin - reasonably comfortable but small for the money paid - lacked armchairs to relax in and impressed as 'cramped. Was told by Iglu salesperson that we would have an opening patio door - we didn't and not even an opening window to let any fresh air into the cabin and so completely reliant on the air conditioning consequently on 24/7 - relatively noisy - so made getting off to sleep difficult and with long periods of rain - air was damp and clammy so we both returned to UK with bad colds. Breakfasts were ok - good and plentiful choice but lacking in overall quality - evening meals good - service efficient but we were allocated our table with no chance of moving from a 2 to a 4 to 6 people sitting in order to develop the comaradary one goes cruising to experience. Drinks package a complete rip off - with branded drinks charged for additionally and when I complained and managed to cancel after 3 days of negotiations, faced with a 15 per cent service charge on all bar drinks - also £20 per day service charge excessive as an addition but able to cancel as we tipped waiters and cleaners separately to ensure they benefitted. Overall not a bad experience but it is obviously a money making trip and one has to be careful about extras and the drinks packages need careful thought because they are presented as 'non cancellable' and the whole package at approx 350 to provide Euros each per weeek to provide 'branded drinks and, allegedly fully inclusive - (we elected for 26 Euros per day)is hard to justify if one is not a seasoned drinker - might try a different ship - Opera ok very clean and furnishings in good condition but a little 'dated' - packed a lot into a little time - one week - shame about the weather and the onboard prices akin to top hotel rates but surroundings and waitress service don't justify / live up to the premium.