Boarding the Sinfonia in Durban Harbour
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We boarded the MSC Sinfonia at Durban harbour on the 1st February 2010. The previous day we'd caught an SAA Cape Town - Durban flight and stayed the night at Belaire Suites on North Beach. From Belaire Suites it cost us R50 (prices will have changed since) to catch a taxi to Durban Harbour (the taxi driver had dropped many passengers off there before and knew exactly where to go). Here's a photo of where the taxi driver dropped us off - it's where you leave your baggage (make sure it's clearly marked with your cabin number), and is exactly the same procedure which we followed in 2009 when we went on a Rhapsody cruise.
[To make a booking on the MSC Sinfonia please email cruises@southafrica.to]
As you enter the passenger terminal you get assigned a number, which will determine when you can board. We got number 327 (boarded around 1pm), so had to wait until they got to the range 300-400 before we could board.
But before I entered the hall I snuck around the corner to get a full view of the magnificent MSC Sinfonia.
As we entered the passenger terminal, this is what we saw:
In the boarding hall there was the same lady singing as the previous year when we'd boarded the MSC Rhapsody here. I don't know her name but she did a fine job entertaining us with her beautiful voice. Speaking of jobs, click here if you'd like to find out how to apply for a cruise shipi job.
When it finally came to our turn we queued for MSC employees to check our passports against our tickets, we got given a sweet pineapple juice and then we had our photos taken (same procedure as last year on the Rhapsody). The MSC will sell you a copy of this photo for US$14.
And then we queued for border passport control.
Before boarding the MSC Sinfonia for our cruise to Maputo and the Portuguese Island.
Finally, here's a photo of the Durban harbour passenger terminal (with Durban city in the background) from the viewing deck of the MSC Sinfonia.
