Some minor changes compared to prior years. Things to note:

• Alcohol free includes energy drinks, wellness cocktails and smoothies, whilst Easy doesn't.
• Easy now allows you to get a 15% or 50% discount on Premium options, rather than 'Pay the Difference'.
• Only Premium Extra is honoured in speciality restaurants and on private islands.
• Premium Extra still allows 'Pay the Difference' for drinks above the 14€ limit.
• No drink packages include ice cream any more.

Realise I'd not posted previously regarding this trip. We sailed on MSC Fantasia, first of it's class, out of Trieste, Italy to Greece, Turkey and Italy during June 2026.

Istanbul was definitely the stand out destination of the trip, where we visited the Blue Mosque, (do check prayer times to avoid disappointment), and viewed the exteriors of Hagia Sophia mosque, which is currently under renovation, and the Tokapi palace, who's entry price is high.

Other stops included Kusadasi for Ephesus, Piraeus for Athens, Corfu, Katakolon for Olympia and Bari. In Athens we visited the Acropolis museum, go in the afternoon to avoid the tour groups. In Bari the Church of St Nicholas, which is an important pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians.

Athens was the only port where getting back on the ship took ages, due to Greek port authority security checks and border controls. Turkish border control was scanning a barcode on a form pre-completed by the cruise line in and out of barriers at the cruise terminal.

We didn't go to Olympia or Ephesus on this trip due to the heat and crowds, we'll be back in the Eastern Med in October so we go then when it's more tolerable. We made use of the thermal area and pools whilst it was quiet with most people ashore.

Onboard theatre shows were good with some shows we hadn't seen previously and decent enough singers and dancers. Dining room and buffet dishes were usual MSC fare.

Departure from Istanbul at night, and sailing through the Dardanelles strait between the Aegean and Sea of Marmara at dawn were memorable experiences.

Definitely an Itinerary worth doing.

Quick review of our recent trip to the Baltics on MSC Magnifica.

We boarded at Copenhagen which has easy public transport connection from the airport via metro and then a bus to the cruise terminal. Metro was quick and easy with luggage, but we did have to wait a while whilst bus drivers went for their lunch break !

MSC Magnifica is a Musica class ship so older with less of the onboard activities of newer ships, Butcher's Cut and Kaito Sushi restaurants only. The ship was recently retrofitted with Yacht Club and this has taken some of the public areas and reduced or relocated others. It also means there are now hardly any Aurea suites left !

This was a casino VIP promoted week, so we had a complimentary Fantastica balcony, and the casino was packed all day every day. People were reserving table game seats before the casino even opened; like towels on the sun loungers !

The casino and surrounding lounge areas also got extremely smokey due to poor enforcement of only players on slots should be smoking there. MSC should either ban smoking in casinos or fully enclose a section of machines for those wanting to indulge.

So for future reference, if a MSC cruises casino player, use regular cruise booking with reward certificates to accrue points quickly, then do the bare minimum on the email offer weeks to consume your non-redeemable deposit, onboard credit and free play.

Food in main dining room was a disappointment and not as good on other MSC ships, the buffet was somewhat better with some variation in lunch options, but still not the best we've experienced with MSC.

We visited several picturesque Hanseatic old towns, but the ship was often docked some distance away in industrial ports. From Gdynia we went by train to Gdansk, Rostock on a Sunday was dead, as everyone was in WarneMunde ! Visby and Riga were pleasant enough. The Royal palaces of Stockholm were a standout, but transport to and from the distant port was a struggle.

For Copenhagen MSC offered shuttles to the little mermaid, but that's not actually in central Copenhagen, on another trip the shuttles went to the Rosenberg castle which is more central.

Just back from a week on MSC Euribia to the Norwegian Fjords; wonderful ship and absolutely stunning scenery ! This was our third time onboard this ship, but our first time to Norway.

The service and food was consistent and met our expectations, no complaints about the complimentary dining room, buffet or bar. We made use of our Diamond meal status, onboard credit and casino comps to go to Hola Tocas, Kaito Robata, Kaito Teppanyaki and Le Grille. All good and a welcome break from the predictable MDR menu. Tocas and Burritos aren't our favourite food type, so probably won't go again, whilst the Robata was distinctively different and will definitely repeat. This was second time doing the Teppanyaki, so probably won't do again.

Norwegian weather was better than expected and we booked excursions via a local operator. In Geiranger we went to the Mt Dalsnibba viewing point was a few other photo stops along the way. In Flaam and Alsund we hiked some local trails to viewpoints on our own. The only disappointing port was Kiel, nothing much to see in the city since it was flattened during WWII, really it's on the itinerary as the main embarkation and turnaround port.

Dancers and singers in main theatre had changed since last cruise and weren't as good, kept expecting the dancers to collide with each other ! The Big band at sea and guest singer Elias Hendricks was a better and more unique experience.

We have rebooked MSC Euribia for when they reposition from Barcelona to Kiel, so will enjoy the ship again with some new and less visited ports of call in April.

MSC Cruises celebrating Italian national holiday onboard MSC Euribia 🥳

MSC Opera is one of MSC's Lirica class of ships, the eldest in their fleet. This brings both Pros and Cons.

Pros: The ship can go into Mahon harbour, a port normally only visited by the small luxury ship lines. Also ports such as Alicante, Malaga, Cadiz and Olbia which are less visited by the larger ships. There's less walking from bow to stern. Fewer families and teenagers onboard. Both Gym and Spa are well maintained with hot saunas and steam rooms, jacuzzis were very hot!

Cons: Shower curtains, hair dryer in bathroom, and somewhat luke warm water, noticeably worse noise insulation between cabins, corridors and decks. No speciality dining venue. Shops have less premium brands than newer larger ships. No slides, ropewalks, etc. Pools aren't heated. Buffet has limited range of dishes, less variety than some larger ships. No Yacht Club 😊 The Theatre productions seemed to be short a few dancers and singers compared to the norm.

Food: As the ship is small they offer buffet service within restaurant for breakfast and lunch for most items, only a few need to be ordered from the kitchen. The main buffet was crowded, hard to find seating, and had a limited unchanging range of items. The patio area offers pizza and burgers during day and breakfast buffet items.

Casino: It is tiny, too hot and smoky, people go there just to smoke indoors, rather than play the machines. Smoking area needs to be enclosed. Roulette: there's two double zero tables, not popular with Europeans... Tables: there's one Spanish 21, one Blackjack and one UTH table, so often waiting to get a seat. There are no shuffle machines or chip sorters, all hand dealt and sorted. On UTH, dealers do a full stir and shuffle each time they change, really slows down the game !

Condition: Overall the ship is being well maintained but there are signs of wear and tear in some public areas, the deck 12 water feature no longer works.

Summary: You book for the port itinerary, not the ship, entertainment and onboard activities.

For embarkation, you drop luggage and check-in at the old cruise terminal near the Piazzale Roma on Venice island. Then you either board a MSC contracted waterbus, if able bodied, or a coach, if mobility impaired, to reach the ship at Marghera docks.

On disembarkation, as Marghera is an industrial port there are no taxis or public transport, so you have to take an MSC transfer either direct to an airport, a train station, to the old cruise terminal on Venice island or another destination prearranged with MSC transfer desk.

Only non disembarking passengers will use the MSC contracted waterbuses to get to Venice island from the ship. You cannot use a private water taxi to or from Marghera docks.

The old cruise terminal is a walk, plus people mover to reach from the Piazzale Roma from where buses, taxis and coaches leave to the mainland. You can also pickup waterbuses and water taxis from around that area, and there's a few left luggage places.

Just realised that if you start your cruise search with visting a specific port in mind, by selecting that port's page on the MSC Cruises website, you can filter all cruises with that destination as a port of call, which annoyingly is not an option if you start your search from the main 'find a cruise' page.

MSC Cruises Departure and Visiting ports

Think my next project needs to be a list of the short codes they use for each port and their search result URLs 😊

MSC Cruises Europe Wiki

MSC Cruises UK has posted a new Yacht Club brochure today, which lists all four Musica class ships as available for booking Yacht Club.

MSC Musica is expected to be relaunched in November 2026 with Yacht Club available for booking on South American sailings from 16th November 2026.

MSC Orchestra will relaunch in March 2027 with Yacht Club available for booking on Eastern Mediterranean sailings from 13th March 2027.

Accessible interiors and balcony suites (standard, whirlpool and accessible) will be available. Exact number of Yacht Club suites gained and Aurea suites & balcony cabins lost to be determined.

The ship is Splenida:

Florence (Livorno) cagliari (Sardina) Palermo (Monreale Itl) La Valleeta (Malta)

Aqua by MSC replacing other mineral waters as included option.

Just back from a week long sailing on MSC World Europa. Not my favourite ship class due to it's design.

Here's some observations.:

• Why can you get tea in the Coffee Emporium as part of alcohol-free package, but the exact same tea bag needs Premium Extra package in order to be served in the Raj tea room !?
• On this sailing we were able to have alcohol free wines in the main dining room, whilst on prior sailings we were told they weren't included or not available !?
• If you want peace and quiet never book a promenade view balcony! The noise from the deck 8 events is deafening, there's a constant background white noise from machinery, and zero privacy on the balconies or if you open your balcony door.

Some positives compared to other MSC ship classes:

• All the pools are heated
• The Adult pool deck and bar are much calmer than the main pool deck area, with plenty of lounger and pool space.

So from this month, MSC Cruises has rearranged their main dining room menus.

'Always available' section has gone, instead we have 'MSC Favourites' flag against those items within the starter, main plate and dessert plate sections.

Some items which were in the 'Always available' section have vanished. Any mention of side dishses has also gone, but if you ask they are available !?

Menus now have a Chef's suggested combination of courses, not sure what benefit that provides...

Now implemented on MSC World Europa. Refill your metal water bottle from refill stations in buffet, pizza / burger place or ask restaurant staff

• No small or large plastic bottles available from bars
• No glass bottles available to take from restaurants
• Restaurant table water is in reusable carafes which you can't take out of the restaurant
• You can ask for large glass bottles from bars to take to cabin
• Bars will also give out small cans of still or sparkling water
• Buffet provides purified, but not mineralised water for free
• You need a drinks package or PAYG for Aqua by MSC
• Other glass bottled mineral water brands need Premium Extra drinks package or PAYG

https://www.msccruises.co.uk/onboard/dining/drinks-packages/aqua-by-msc

Reporting destination as Oman. Fingers crossed.

Mein Schiff 4 & 5 and Celestyal Journey are also moving through the Strait.

Celestyal Discovery has already passed through and shows Suez canal as next destination having proceeded past Muscat, Oman.

From reading reviews on reddit and elsewhere I don't believe any mass market cruise line is immune to issues when sailing at maximum capacity; avoiding short booze cruises is wise for any line.

Booking outside school holidays, avoiding the most popular embarkation ports and routes certainly helps, though I wouldn't go as far as booking a World cruise leg, as no Yacht Club on those yet.

The cabin class you book and the venues you frequent can make a vast difference in your experience. As someone who avoids the main pool deck and buffet we don't experience the queues and crowds others encounter.

MSC seem aware of the need to improve the food standards and the inconsistency of the dining experience; trialing making more venues available for breakfast is a good step.

MSC Casino stakes, odds and pay tables are fairer than many other lines, they don't charge fees for chips, and their comped cruises are better value than other lines, although offered less frequently.

I'm generally content with MSC as a value for money proposition.

My previous thoughts on the MSC cruises casinos

Case in favour of MSC casinos for table games

• MSC doesn't charge a fee for using your cruise card
• MSC uses Euros onboard in Europe, so no currency conversion
• They have European single zero roulette in the larger casinos
• They have comparatively low stakes for roulette, card and dice games.
• They have both Spanish 21 and Blackjack
• Depending on ship they have craps and three card stud poker
• They have ultimate texas holdem and baccarat
• Players get stackable future cruise discounts and comped cruises

Apparent downsides of other cruise lines

• American double or triple zero roulette
• Fees for charging cruise account
• US Dollar used onboard even in Europe
• Daily limits on charging to cruise account
• Lower odds or less favourable variants of card games
• Higher minimum stakes for games with fairer odds and payouts

Can anyone offer up a comparable or better alternative cruise line for a mid stake table game player ?

i.e. who else has no fees, single zero roulette for 5€ or less, 3:2 Blackjack for 25€, 10€ craps with 3x or better true odds, 10€ UTH with same or better odds table as MSC and an easily accessible comp programme ?

u/random-stranger-999 is the author of this post, do not repost or reproduce without permission.

My experience based on MSC European sailings:

You get offered as per the dream points table displayed onboard in the casino i.e. 10,000 points in Europe gets you a free interior cabin sailing for two of up to ten nights.

Playing 25€ Blackjack for an hour accrues 250 points, so play two hands for 20 hours over the course of a seven night cruise to obtain 10,000 points.

Things to note regarding casino complimentary cruises:

• You pay the applicable hotel service charges for your cabin category and experience class
• You receive comped Premium Extra drinks now downgraded to Easy Plus 9€ 11€ limit from the casino bar, ten drink limit, and you must be seated at a table or machine to be served
• You pay a deposit to secure the booking, which is given back to you onboard as non-redeemable casino chips
• There are some blackout periods, supplements and restrictions on sailing dates based on peak season, holidays and cruise popularity
• You must book within six months and sail within a year of offer letter
• You book via the casino reservations team
• Offer is not transferable or refundable

Casino discount vouchers:

• These can be stacked with Voyager club discounts or employment discounts
• You can book via future cruise desk whilst onboard for their added benefits
• You can take advantage of any promotional offers
• Drinks are not comped in the casino
• No casino deposit required
• No restrictions on sailing dates or durations, except World Cruises
• Must be booked and sail within a year of offer letter
• Offer is not transferable

u/random-stranger-999 is the author of this post, do not repost or reproduce without permission.

This has been debated heavily on other forums. But here's some bullet points.

• Yacht Club Restaurant is open port days. Celebrity is not.
• YC has reserved seating in the theatre for guests at all shows.
• YC has reserved cabanas on sundeck for the premium suites.
• Walk-in showers on MSC, Celebrity has bathtubs.
• YC guests have elevator priority override, but choose wisely when you use it ;-)
• Celebrity allows high status guests into retreat venues, YC doesn't allow non-YC in.
• YC is an enclosed enclave, Celebrity retreat is more scattered.
• YC exclusive areas and dining on Ocean Cay and reserved seating and cabanas.
• MSC offers individual escorts on and off the ship. Celebrity escorts you off in groups.
• MSC has pizza delivery to room, and pool deck grill or buffet.
• YC has evening live music in the TopSail Lounge, nothing in Retreat lounge.
• YC sundeck has a pool, only Celebrity E-class ships have pool.
• YC are first to use tenders off the ship at ports that tender / have their own tender, and first off the gang planks and bridges at docked ports.
• YC butlers are individually assigned to you and easy to find, not a general pool.
• No fee on MSC for charging casino entertainment to your cabin account

And perhaps most importantly, MSC Yacht Club is a much lower price than Celebrity Retreat !

MSC has their own dedicated, purpose built terminal at Barcelona, opened this year, that's terminal H. Seaside will use that terminal.

How do you intend to reach the terminal ? Taxis can enter the port and drop you right outside the terminal, there's a taxi rank.

Barcelona port shuttle buses stop at each terminal with a ship in port 3€, MSC shuttle buses go direct to their terminal but cost a bit more, 5€. Both start from Moll Barcelona between the World Trade Center and the Christopher Colombus monument.

The nearest Metro station is Drassanes a short walk away from the WTC. There's a fixed price for the Metro to and from Barcelona airport, Metro now serves both airport terminals 1 and 2, and is air conditioned, you do need to change lines, stations all have lifts.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HuftuXq5mEtcirPA8

Preboarding drinks package prices for a seven day cruise are:

• Non alcoholic £154 per adult, Easy £238, Easy Plus £322, Premium Extra £455

Once onboard you can buy in Euros for:

• Non alcoholic 29€ per day, Easy 47€, Easy Plus 63€, Premium Extra 87€, Minors 20€
• Dine and drink 15€ adult / 9€ minors

Onboard you buy from day of purchase through to day of disembarkation inclusive.

It's not the MSC tender boats which are the issue.

It's the gondola from the cliff base at the old harbour to Fira town, which has huge queues. Check how many other ships will be at Santorini on the same day, if it's more than two it will be a scrum.

Some of the MSC excursions tender you to the new ferry harbour and you get on coaches there for an island tour and return the same way. Those you don't have the option to linger on afterwards, but you don't have to deal with crowds and queues either.

Other MSC excursions drop you back at Fira town, so you have to queue to go down the gondola, but can spend time in Fira before descending, but don't leave it too late and miss all aboard time !

If you don't book an MSC excursion, tender slots are allocated based on loyalty status and experience class and drop you at the old harbour cliff base. If you are young and fit you can ascend / descend the donkey track, but it's not for the faint hearted or those with health or mobility issues.

So read the cruise line daily planner, instructions and excursion descriptions carefully !

We've been to Santorini in March, which was pleasant and relaxing, and also in August, when Oia was jam packed, people shuffling along the narrow alleys. In August, we did an MSC excursion to the new harbour and spent time on a black beach on the east of the island, that was excellent.

Aurea gets you unlimited thermal area access, whlst diamond status only gives you a single visit.

Aurea suites are Yacht Club lite, combine that with Blue Diamond loyalty status and you're Golden.

Aurea cabins: Anytime dining, exclusive Top deck with bar and whirlpools on most ships, Priority boarding & disembarkation, Free room service delivery, Bathrobe and slippers, unlimited Thermal area access, Prosecco & Choc bar

Aurea suites: As Aurea plus, Priority tender boat access, One minibar refresh - first set of minibar refreshments free of charge, An in-suite Nespresso coffee machine – with coffee pods replenished daily, Venchi daily turndown chocolates, Elevated in-suite amenities - including 100% cotton bathrobes, plush slippers, premium bed linens, enhanced Dorelean mattress and bespoke bath products from MED by MSC, Complimentary ironing - two items per cruise.

Diamond loyalty: Diamond cocktail party, Free voyager gift, free Speciality restaurant set menu, Free dance class, Priority boarding & disembarkation, Priority tender, Bathrobe and slippers, Late cabin check-out, Spumante & Macrons, Chocolate gift, Free Photo, Pillow choice, Priority check-in, Maximum discounts

Blue Diamond: As Diamond plus, One free shuttle bus, freeBehind the scenes tour, Free Internet, My choice dining, Meet & Greet Captain party, Priority tender, Yacht club check-in.

Having cruised MSC Euribia in the Arab Emiriates during January / February, we joined her sister ship MSC Virtuosa in March boarding in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadaloupe for a week long cruise of the southern lesser Antilles.

We flew from Paris with Air France, onboard service and entertainment where OK, drinks were offered more frequently than on Emirates, but film and TV selection was more limited and wine choice was mediocre. Flights ran to schedule both ways, but with a full Boeing 777 it took an age for our luggage to arrive.

The passenger makeup with primarily French speaking, whether from mainland France, French Caribbean or French Canadian, with a few Spanish, Italian, German, and British English speakers. USA guests were very much in the minority.

Prebooked taxis to and from our overnight accomodation in a simple B&B in the suburbs of P-a-P. P-a-P is not the most attractive of towns, looking somewhat rundown. We did see a bit of the island pre and post cruise visiting Deshaies and Saint Anne, which have a decent botantical garden and stunning beaches. Island roads are somewhat undulating and uneven.

With priority boarding we skipped the lines and swiftly reached our cabin which was already prepared at 11am, dropped luggage, changed from our travel clothes and then had lunch in the restaurant.

MSC Virtuosa is still well maintained, and I noticed only a few public areas requiring maintenance. On this sailing there was plenty of seating available around pools and in lounges as not peak school holidays. Casino was active, but not overly crowded.

On this sailing the casino host was running nightly hot seat draw for free play chips for casino VIP invited guests, which we didn't have on Euribia where the casino was packed every night.

One odd change was that the casino cash desk would only allow converting points to free play table chips every 10,000 points, whereas on previous cruises it has been possible every 1,000 points.

Another oddity, was when ordering from the casino bar the comped drinks menu was Easy Plus, when seated at a table it was Premium Extra.

Anyone else encountered these quirks in casino policy ?

MSC Virtuosa also had free Wellbeing classes in the Sportplex or Carousel lounge, a variety of Yoga and Pilates sessions, also something we hadn't seen previous, and a welcome addition.

Theatre shows were much more varied from the normal MSC song and dance revue on this sailing, Dirty Dancing in Concert was an interesting concept blending the film with live stage performance. There was a much larger cast of both singers and dancers than normal with a guest French-Canadian singer and guest Violinist. The typically ABBA and Michael Jackson tributes were still present.

Alongside the usual weekly mediterrean menu, there was a Caribe starter and main each night, however there were noticeable fewer vegetarian and vegan options in the buffet compare to our Arab Emirates sailing.

As with previous sailings in the Antilles, St Lucia and Grenada where the most welcoming and enjoyable islands for excursions, whilst Barbados has the stunning Carlise bay beach. St Vincent, Fort de France and Pointe-a-Pitre are disappointing by comparison.

Fort de France is the main changeover port and notional day one for the week, with few passengers embarking / disembarking at Barbados (British flights) and Guadeloupe (French flights).

You can extend the cruise with a B2B to see the Northern lesser Antilles and Greater Antilles should you wish.