MSC Opera Reviews

Summary:  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.

Summary:  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.

Summary:  A clean ship, food in the self service restaurant was fine, cannot complain. The staff were all very friendly. and tried their best to speak english. We did feel that the majority of the passengers were either Italian or French, and if you were a lone English person you would have found it extremely difficult to have a conversation with anyone for a whole week. Entertainment during the day was fine, although we did find that the theatre entertainment was a bit boring, the entertainment team made up for it though they were brilliant. Excursions were OK, but a bit on the expensive side, and you didnt get enough time to make the most of where you were, which was a shame. Our flight was late on arriving at Nice airport, and the transfer, did not wait for us. so , please make sure if you are booking your own flight that you allow sufficient time for delays as the transfer coaches will not wait longer than 30 minutes, when we contacted MSC for help, I am afraid they just did not want to know. they didnt show any duty of care at all, and were willing to leave 2 full paying passengers, in a strange country in a strange airport, unable to speak the language and I am afraid they just didnt care!!!!!

Summary:  Would not cruise with msc again. Would not recommend them q

Summary:  This ship provides exactly what it says on the tin.Only our second cruise and from the reviews we were expecting something different from our first and a few iffy bits here and there.First impressions were good,a nice welcome on board and easy to find cabin.We took a risk on an ocean view cabin as we had a balcony previously.We were pleasantly surprised at the size and had no worries except for the very small shower which is a bit of a squeeze.We thought the food in the buffet was of a better standard than the dining room,which never seemed to be hot enough.Finding somewhere to sit and eat was a matter of timing in the buffet.We don't drink much so did not buy a drinks package,but what we did have was only a couple of euros more than in a hotel in the UK.All Msc excursions were very good and informative.You will only save a few euros buy going with another company,so its worth the extra to have an assured return time.The Opera was let down by three things we thought.The food could have been much hotter and provide more veg,the bar at the rear of the ship stank of cigarette smoke,which we had to run the gauntlet of each night after dinner as the Aproddo restaurant was accessed through here.(choose the Carravella if you can).The third thing was the plumbing, its showing its age and the shower frequently had a pong.The housekeeping man did sort it a few time but it kept coming back.All in all you could not fault the MSC Opera for value for money.We did enjoy the fact there were so many Italian and French etc passengers on board.

Summary:  The ship was nicely appointed food was good destinations excellent but if you want to avoid mothers screaming and hitting their children avoid MSC. (the children were fine but the mothers were more interested in their phones than their children) We have done 27 cruise at least 8 on MSC and never experienced anything like this. can't rate the ship as it was good just the woman on it that made It bad

Summary:  We Really enjoyed our trip on the MSC Opera, a nice clean ship not the largest in the fleet but well maintained and attractive. The Staff were friendly and the food excellent. I enjoyed the tours that we did. The only thing that bothered me was the market stalls that were erected around decks 5 and 6 of an evening selling, watches and perfume, it just was a bit cheap. Also being a smaller ship it did feel a bit crowded at times, especially around the pool deck and some of the bars. The shows were very well attended but that was understandable as they were great. I liked the MSC style it was fun and casual, Formal night was not that formal. Many thanks

Summary:  Top class dancing entertainment and the specialist act 2 men doing hand to hand strongman is a must see show. I can only compare it to the Westend in London

Summary:  Nice ship, very long since her new section... Lively, fun and very European... Obviously aimed at the Italian Market but all Nationalities are made to feel very welcome. Italian, French, Spanish and English are main ones and in that order... For example the Pianist in La Carabela sang in both English and Italian (i preferred Italian!) Everything is translated however the main language onboard is English. MSC don't do constant announcements in the various tongue unless absolutely necessary, i'm Pleased to say... The food was superb! Freshly made Pizza and Pasta from 10am-2am, like MaMa used to make, the buffet food was very nice and international. The main dining was excellent and varied and tantamount to fine dining with Themed Evenings and three Gala Evenings in a 12 Night Cruise. No freedom dining here! (Unless you are Aurea or Yacht Club Level) Most people adhered to the dress code... The entertainment in the main Piazza was geared toward ballroom dancing and latin and ballroom dancing lessons were twice a day but for ALL ages and all ages got involved (the E Dancers are very young) The E Team were great fun and laid back and interacted like friends with the Guests, lot's of quizzes, bingo, sport games at the pool bar and the staff are generally very friendly if a little cheeky at times but in a nice way... Impossible to get bored! The Allegrissimo Drinks Package was Superb value and the drinks are international labels and good quality. Our Balcony Cabin was a good size although would prefer a sofa between the second bed and the Balcony for ease of access. Great and instant reaction from the air con and Bathroom was a very nice size, even for me! Good cupboard and drawer space for to heavy travelers and extra coat hangers were readily available. I removed my Tips from my account and wasn't questioned about this at all. Excursions were well organised, timely and good value. Couldn't fault the holiday at all!

Summary:  The ship was great - very clean, small but perfectly planned cabin. We had an ocean view on deck 8, this was perfect because the pools are deck 11, bars and restaurants deck 5. The food was excellent, and the drinks package was well worth it, with a huge range of cocktails, ice cream and water included, although the wines were a little disappointing. We always followed the dress code, but were a bit disappointed that many people didn't bother especially on the formal nights, which spoilt the atmosphere a bit. Second sitting was very late at 9.30 so we opted for first at 7pm, which was a bit early. Shows were quite dull. Pools were good and there are lots of sunbeds. We did our own thing at each port, and had no problem finding taxis to take us around Jamaica, Cozumel and Havana. We used Moby Dick tours for a great sting ray experience in Cayman. Embarkation was easy and well organised, as was disembarkation.