Grand Voyage from Rio de Janeiro to Barcelona with a 2 night pre cruise stay, 1 April 2027 (19 nights)

We booked this for our honeymoon (my first cruise, and my husband’s 3rd). We saw bad reviews which concerned us but they turned out not to be accurate for when we went (September) and often unfair. This is not a traditional cruise that a lot of seasoned cruisers, who expect a traditional atmosphere / more pampering, will enjoy. It's a more modern feel, inclusive, varied, entertaining, a bit flamboyant or dramatic in the decor & entertainment but not in a bad way. There was always something to do on and off ship. The staff are interesting, very international and attentive (though there could be a few more) and helpful. Cabin: The cabin has good amenities: tea, coffee, kettle, Zoe speaker, hair dryer, tv, ac, bathroom & pool towels. The bed is not the comfiest but it’s not that bad. The cabin is cleaned for you daily with supplies replenished. Excursions, Entertainment & Activities: Daily activities from 9am until 3am - there is something for everyone. Examples include: arts and crafts, quizzes, puzzles, sudoku, dance parties, live acts, swimming pool, bingo, whirlpool, promenade animations, daily collection of free jewellery charms, cake decorating, sports, gentle exercise classes, a gym. There was a steady flow of daily live singers & musicians across the ship who were wonderful. Variety of onboard shows that you could book through the app on the day/in advance (acrobatic musical shows, tribute acts, dancers, musicians). No problems with booking - we saw every show we wanted. Some things you have to book through a help desk which was slow. Only negative experience was the comedy show with John Clegg but we were the odd ones out there - we found the jokes to be dated, basic, predictable and unoriginal. We’d heard them before and would’ve laughed if we were 11. At one point, he took out a list of jokes and read them off one by one. We tried to enjoy it but just didn’t find it funny. The older audience definitely enjoyed it. Aquapark was super cold but my husband enjoyed the waterslides. Some parts of it are closed if the boat is too rocky. The Arcade wasn’t ever super busy during our stay. We paid £80 in advance for £140 credit at the Arcade. Each game is quite expensive and not worth it for a 2 week cruise (first redeemable prize is 500 tickets). The bowling, F1 Simulation, VR Cinema & Hologram game were all enjoyable - all except bowling could have been longer for the price paid. Would have been great if there was a proper party at the atmosphere pool on gala nights just to see everyone’s beautiful outfits and get together in a bigger space as the lounges filled up fast. We enjoyed the excursions we paid for but you really don't need to book loads. You'll usually find something to do. Our excursion guide in Mallorca was great but things got weird when she randomly started talking about problem with the Polish and small boats, and how Mallorca has some of 'the purest Jews'. MSC also provide regular shuttle buses for certain ports which you can pay for (£11 there and back) instead of a cab. Atmosphere: We went in September so it was busy but still comfortable (only a few kids). Generally hard to find a seat in the smaller areas on deck 6 (i. e. bars, cafes & lounges), and the main loungers around the atmosphere pool but we weren’t fussed about sunbathing all day and there are always other less busy areas. I can imagine in the summer season it’s much more packed. I was stared at shamelessly throughout our stay (at no fault of MSC). Maybe because of my skin colour, or because I’m a woman under 30, or the clothes & jewellery I wore (really nothing out of the ordinary) which made it harder to relax but maybe that’s just what you’ll get with an older cruise crowd. The staff work tirelessly - constantly moving and working to support the passengers. The service they provide is fantastic. I wish there were a few more staff so workload was spread out more. Food The buffet was not great but not bad. It’s as good as I could expect for a service that runs from 7AM until 1AM the next day. Some items were worse than others but they offer a huge variety of cuisines for each meal everyday, as well as desserts, cheese, fresh bread, salads & fruit. The food tends to be more bland but this is catering for thousands of people. The food is mostly warm, sometimes hot and you don’t have a microwave. Salt and pepper were always available to season your own food as well as a variety of dressings, sauces & oils. Items weren’t always labelled so you don’t always know what’s on offer. It’s definitely busy which means you might not find a seat immediately but just keep walking - the area is huge + plenty of people take food to the loungers & outside areas. so if you don’t find a seat, you probably didn’t look hard enough. The buffet line can be hectic, just like a school canteen but you can easily figure out the peak times and work around that. The staff were constantly working to clean & serve - they ship could probably do with a few more staff to keep things moving but staff worked tirelessly. Drinks The bars were always busy. Always. But the staff worked as fast as possible to serve everyone. The drinks were delicious but a little expensive. We didn’t get a drinks package but wouldn’t have drank enough for it to be worth it. Soft drinks were definitely not worth it - a small coke can was £4. You do get a variety of free drinks at the buffet area; apple/pineapple/orange/multivit juice, selection of teas, coffee, water & ice. Photos Prices of photos were extraordinarily expensive, even just for digital copies - £20 for one is insane! The photographers were friendly but we spent only a few minutes taking photos, with quick fire poses they asked us to do. Not worth it. Itinerary The first 6 stops were right after another, with no day break inbetween so we did find ourselves exhausted (and I got ill) as we wanted to make the most of each port + the ship's activities. Most stops were full of culture, beautiful architechture, things to do and places to visit but we didn't enjoy Gibraltar - cable cars weren't working so no monkey visit, and there isn't much else to do unless you want to shop as if you're on a UK highstreet. Alicante was incredibly tourist heavy on the beaches, very humid too. A Coruna was not touristy at all really and there wasn't much to explore (in the time we had). The beaches had heavy atlantic waves so no relaxing dip in the water. Plus most places weren't open/shut by 2PM.

Really enjoyed our cruise our steward kept us going with milk our waiter at dinner joao was amazing and the gentleman that took my mum off the ship in a wheelchair all the way down to the taxi rank beyond amazing Thankyou manooba

Good choice of food, good quality, ship was very clean, spacious and clean cabin with good facilities. Good and varied entertainment. Friendly and efficient staff that all spoke English. Excellent embarkation/disembarkation, assisted by pleasant and informative staff. Very good value

Amazing ship Amazing staff had the best time for our first cruise 🛳