MSC Mediterranean Cruises

MSC Mediterranean Cruises are rated 4/5 based on 1 customer review.

MSC Cruise from Genoa

14 Nov 2013 Rating 4/5 : My cruise started in Genoa in Italy on 25/03/2013. I flew from South Africa to Dubai. Then on to Milan. In Milan I was met by a most cheerful person wielding a name board "NAVA NAIDOO". Guess what - they knew me in Milan. The “BOARD LADY’ was Alison. We had some time before we could board our MSC courtesy bus to Genoa port. She treated me to a welcoming cup of coffee. It was cold, very very cold in Milan. Fortunately I was adequately dressed for this weather. A short while later a chubby, very happy person came to collect us to board the transfer bus to Italy. Even though most of the conversation was “non comprehendo” I just enjoyed his jolliness. Needless to say the traffic was very scenic, with lots of road works. But hey; who am I to complain? I live in south Africa. Robots all working. We got dropped off at the port. There were 4 of us on the bus heading for this cruise. The other 3 were Italians. Our bags were all taken away and we were left just with our handbags. This made it very easy for us to move around. There was a very large, diverse queue which we fell into. The assistants were all dressed in red suits and white shirts. They made a pretty picture. You should have been there to see how jacked up these assistants were. No delays. no dragging their foot. After filling in some forms we were “A-FOR-AWAY” with our room key. We got onto the gangplank walked through a covered passage and I was on my way to inside cabin number 0950. AND LET THE PARTY BEGIN! We set sail from the port of Genoa at 6pm. We docked the next day in Civitavecchia ( wow! hows that for spelling) near Rome. I had been to Rome in 2008 & did the Trafalgar bus trip - I thought that was fantastic until I did the cruise. Our guide in Rome took us to the most beautiful sights. Nothing compared with the buildings and houses. You could see all the buildings were almost original. I did throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain and I sighed on The Bridge of Sighs. Lots of men carved into statue covered in robes. I mean really Ceasar. Time for the Armani to come out. 27 AND 28TH March we cruised the seas. I got up late and just wandered around the deck. went to the sumptuous buffet. I made some very nice friends. Some of them were also travelling alone. We made a happy group of fun. I think we brought the house down. On the 29th March we were on our way to Istanbul, Turkey. This place was absolutely wonderous. we disembarked in the morning. We met a beautiful tour guide, and got onto one of MSC’S buses and were on our way around the city. We visited some very beautiful mosques. The Blue Mosque was the popular one. Originally this mosque was known as the Sultan Ahmed Camii mosque, and is now known as the Blue mosque because of the blue tiles laid all around and inside. We took a boat trip down the Bhosporous, sometimes known as the Istanbul straits. The Bhosporous is the boundary between Europe and Asia. I know Turkey has opened a sea tunnel connecting the 2 continents - ie. Europe and Asia. A whole lot more walking and shopping at the Grand Bazaar. This you must do, even if you don’t buy. You will have lots of fun just browsing the aisles. We ended our tour of Istanbul with a visit to the carpet factory, and enjoyed sitting around in a circle sipping apple tea and watching an old woman weaving carpets was amazing. On the 30th March we cruised into Ukraine, Barishnikov country. We went to a live orchestra and were entertained to some very lively musical cultural shows. The people were extremely friendly and warm hearted. Of course there was a language barrier! Like Rome the city boasts very many golden domed churches glinting in the day's sun . We walked on to the Kiev Zoo and as you walk the city, the smell of freshly milled coffee beckons. Oh! did I mention I climbed the wooded slopes in a city called Lliv. Not bad for 68 years. Then back to the MSC Opera. Took a short nap, very short, as I didn't want to miss anything. After a quick shower, I prettied up and went to dinner. after dinner it was voogie time. We danced till 2am and sat around about 5am watching the sunrise, what a spectacular sight,. Anyway we were cruising the whole day. I stepped out of my floating room in the afternoon and watched a couple of shows, went to the movies, joined the crowd and went for a walk around the port. Next “MSC AHOY” to Greece. Again we were met by the guide. Her name I remember - Katia - what a pleasant person. First attraction RUNNING MAN. There after the Acropolis, Parthenon, the Olympic stadium. and yes back to my floating home for one more day. We docked in Italy, Sorrento on the 7th April, and we were treated by a lovely surprise - the passengers were treated to a complimentary trip into Sorrento by MSC (another reason to cruise MSC). Just for 4 hours but we packed in lot of visiting. Some of us took a boat trip across to Capri - beautiful. We shopped & enjoyed unguided tours, as well as bus rides up to the mountains and back - you guessed it - to the MSC. I suppose this is what they mean by round trip. Columbus did get it right eh? At 9am we boarded our respective buses to our airports, and were homeward bound. The planning. structuring and getting the passengers onto the right busses went without a hitch. All good things do come to an end , but seeing my family and 6 grandchildren at OR Tambo Airport was priceless. No one carried a board with Nava Naido! Next cruise Panama - best pensioner price of course. Nava Naidoo