Family Availability! Spain & Portugal from Southampton, 25 July 2026 (14 nights)

Loved it, loved it, loved it, everything was perfect, the ship is beautiful, the staff wonderful and do anything to make sure we enjoyed ourselves, the Shows were fantastic with the Carousel shows amazing with Top drawer Vegas quality performances, so good we saw it twice .

This was our first time sailing with MSC Cruises. While we certainly enjoyed aspects of the trip, there were several areas where the experience fell short compared to other cruise lines we've sailed with. The embarkation process was smooth, but the mandatory safety drill was poorly organised. It took place at 4 p. m which was just as we were settling in and starting to unwind so this felt disruptive. The procedure itself was chaotic, with guests crowding the stairways, many of whom appeared to have already been making full use of their drinks packages. It created a stressful atmosphere to start our holiday and others felt the same way, and the crew didn’t provide much guidance or support during the process. One of the more disappointing aspects was the lack of adult-only spaces on board. We hadn’t realised we were sailing during the Scottish school holidays, which wasn’t an issue in itself, but as a couple without children, we hoped for a quiet space to unwind. Unfortunately, even though we booked the Aurea experience with access to a private sun deck, it was not adult-only as advertised. Apart from one adults-only bar and the spa, there weren’t any tranquil areas to relax during sea days. In the end, we spent much of our downtime on our balcony just to get a bit of peace and quiet. Compared to Royal Caribbean, which offers clearly designated adult-only areas including pools and Virgin Voyages, which is adults-only entirely, MSC didn't meet our preferences in this regard. In hindsight, MSC may not be the right fit for us, though that’s a matter of personal taste. Or we need to be more careful of the time we book our holiday! Even a lady I started speaking with said this was the most amount of children she’d seen on any cruise with MSC before. It was very busy! But again not the cruise lines fault, just nowhere for adults to escape to. That said, the ship itself was beautiful, modern, clean, and with plenty to do. However, high-traffic areas became very congested during peak times, which could be frustrating. Service was inconsistent: in the buffet (Marketplace), tables were often left uncleared for extended periods, which made dining there unpleasant. We preferred the main dining room where we had "anytime dining," and we received excellent service from our assigned server. Our room attendant was also outstanding and made our stay more comfortable. The spa area was a highlight, and we enjoyed our time there. Disembarkation was easy, and transport into town was readily available. The shore excursions were well-organised once ashore, though MSC doesn’t reserve spots for onboard booking, unlike Royal Caribbean and Virgin. If an excursion sells out in the app, there’s no way to book it on the ship, which is something to be aware of. Book as soon as you can! Overall, while MSC may not be our preferred cruise line moving forward, it still offered a pleasant trip. The ship was lovely, well-equipped, and had many modern amenities. It’s simply a different style of cruising that may suit other traveler's better than us. Either that or we need to research school holidays better to enjoy our childfree years for a bit longer before we are fighting for sun-beds by the main pool!

This was our second cruise on this ship and we decided to go a bit further this time. The first stop was Brest in France. We didn't get off as its all shut on Sundays not sure why they bother. Then off to Lisbon and this was an amazing place just a bit too hot for sightseeing but still gorgeous. VigoFrance was our next stop, not much to see bit still a lovely place. Last was Cherbough France, we stayed in the ship as it was a distant from town. The ship was gorgeous can't fault that and staff were very goos.

For me this holiday was spoiled by tha amount of children on board as we thought they were still at school. The ship itself was very clean and tidy, staff were all rrealy nice people. Found some of the food at time's on the cool side, cabin very good wood go again make sure kids in school all over UK.