We chose the Cruise as it fitted in with the UK school 1/2 term and was going to some interesting ports. We booked over a year in advance, big mistake, the flights got altered leaving us with a 2.5 hour transfer by coach each way. No negotiation, no alternative except to lose our deposit and rebook doing our own flights. By the time they announced the flight details the cost of flights had risen and little was available, leaving us with no option but to continue. Not a good start, a delayed flight and by the time we arrived to check in after a 2 1/2hr transfer and a less than smooth airport transfer to the coach even the photographer had gone home. Which was just as well as we where wet and bedraggled having had to paddle from the bus to the embarkation desks, we were nearly 3 hours late. Next they some how managed to transfer our 2 bags to the other MSC ship departing that day. We did alert them as to not having our bags before we left port and by 10.30pm it was apparent they had no idea where they where. Next morning we where told they were not on board either ship and were searching the port(we had had a MSC transfer from Nice to Genoa). Nothing offered apart from emergency wash bag, male briefs and socks. There was nothing in the onboard shop of any use, so we headed to the nearest shopping mall at the first port of call for basic essentials for our party of 3. On arrival back on board the HRO had us escorted to her office and told us the bags were on the other ship and we would get our bags in 2 days. No apology, and she would not sanction our meagre purchases of 3 t shirts a pack of ladies pants, 2 bra's, swim shorts, costume, 1 pair of activity sandals and 2 pairs of trainers, 2 pairs of chino for my husband and son plus a European usb charger so we could charge a phone and a stick deodorant to share. I could not find a change of trousers so was left with little choice but to continue to wear my jeans. The bags turned up late morning of our 4th day. Some of the clothes stained from being left wet from the rain at the port. The ship rolled quite badly even though the sea was not that bad. It was made worse by the cabin ceiling creaking and groaning with each roll. The extra equipment for the table tennis, table football and crazy golf on decks 11 and 12 was held on deck 5. It would be so much more user friendly to have it at a nearby bar. There was only 1 set for the crazy golf too. Our Excursions; 1st trip was cancelled no explanation and was refunded to our account not to the credit card it was booked with, the second trip itinerary was changed but we where not told until the coach had set off. We only got to the 1992 lava flow site rather than much further up Etna which was hugely disappointing. We had only booked 2 trips as we felt the quality on offer was not that good, very limited. We arranged our own trip to Herculaneum while in Naples, a car transfer that went very smoothly and despite the rain was a good trip. The timings of the arrival in Valletta was very poor. We arrived at 3pm, the Cathedral and other attractions all closed 4.30-5pm. No thought had gone into the excursions, which we had not booked in any case. Sightseeing in the dark and it was pouring with rain again. We did see the evening Gun Salute from the battery which was good. Food; not great, cool to luke warm in both restaurant and buffet. Dinner, a strange variety of menu combinations, mostly was fairly tasteless with small portions in the restaurant and a distinct lack of vegetables or a salad course. Lunch was mostly the same fare every day. The only exception was roasted veal one lunchtime in the buffet which made a good hot sandwich.The Pizza was also OK but very busy and if you wanted salad with it you had to brave the main buffet or paddle to the burger bar on the opposite side of the ship. The buffet was manic, no table space at meal times and often only 1 side open towards the end of service. We ended up getting room service breakfast as it was the only way to be able to eat without a struggle, the 'hot' breakfast options just were not worth the fight. Even in the dining room getting tea was not easy and cold milk for it even harder. the food was buffet but the hot drinks waiter service. The only cold milk was on the buffet but no spare cup or glass to be had to help yourself. With room service we had to ask twice for cold milk even when cereal was on the order. The main buffet coffee was either stewed or cold/empty. The hot water dispenser max temp 79C, not hot enough for a tea and the orange juice was just horrible, decent juice is not hard to do. A fresh squeezed one I saw at the juice bar was 5euro. The water dispensers were luke warm and at least 1 ice dispenser not working. There were often no cups/mugs to be had either. We were on Aurora package that was an all inclusive drinks package but we only saw 1 red, drinkable, 1 white, not great and 1 rose served with meals. Only 1 bar open in the day, we never saw the crepe station open. They ran out of English tea on day 4 in the buffet. Big complaint to customer services, by the next evening they had restocked. Very few people were using the hand sanitizers and it was not being enforced. The lift buttons and stair hand rails were all sticky and grubby. The pizza area and bar on deck 11 flooded and was covered in water most days. The only way to get to the buffet without wet feet was to walk down to the rear most lift/stairwell inside the ship before going up. Our teenager never found the relevant program of kids entertainment. We culminated our holiday by being first off the ship at 9 am, another 2.5 hours by coach back to Nice airport for a 6 hour wait for a 6pm flight back to London Heathrow. All in all an experience not to be repeated. Read Less

I have a child and this cruise offered interesting places, at the right time, offering a kids club.. While the rooms were clean and neat and the food ok, the real downside was our noisy cabin right above a night club disco. They were unable to move anyone and as the bass was so strong and volume so loud I tried to have the music level lowered. There was lip service paid to my complaint, however on the second night I did have an ‘audience’ with the cruise customer service manager. For that night only the music was turned down. Then the next night up again. While asking numerous times to turn it down, this did not happen. Spoilt the cruise for me entirely... ‘yes madam’ ‘yes’ and then not being heard. My child had a great time with the lovely staff at mini club. Internet service was poor. I paid a lot of money for premium internet but audio and video were not available. It ran out quickly and the fine print tells you to stop it if you don’t want your allowance to run out. Then when it didn’t work again I was pressured into paying for more.. ended up costing about 150 euros fir 5 days... felt ripped off... Read Less

My husband and I booked this cruise Aug 28-Sept 7 - it had a great itinerary which is the only reason we chose it. We are older (64) so booked the Aurea Suite which included quite a lot and alcohol. There are so many kids on this ship, it wasn't funny. I gather kids travel free. This cruise started in Florence (Livorno), worst port ever. We were supposed to get priority status with our booking, well that didn't happen. We happened to arrive at the same time as a large busload of people arrived and they did not have 2 different security checks, just one, so we ended up in line waiting - so much for priority boarding which we paid extra for. No one except those on the 11th floor were allowed to use the 12th floor deck which was exclusive to Aurea guests, which was great as kids weren't allowed up there. We were unfortunate to have booked the last room and it was close to the door leading outside, and all you heard all night was noisy guests going in and out. At 1:30 in the morning, they cleaned the decks so all you heard was the loud sound of the power washer going on and off. They also set up the chair at 5:30 in the morning so you heard the racket of them laying them down. One night at 4:30 a.m., they were moving tables and chairs from the 11th deck up to the 12th deck and throwing them up the stairs. What a racket they made. Had no regard for the customers sleeping below. That is the problem with this ship. The workers on this ship have no regard for the comfort of their guests and they should - we pay their salary. I would travel MSC, but probably get a better cabin and probably try for a newer ship. They were very nice, but this ship which is old, Read Less

Chose this cruise/ship solely down to availability and price. Overall experience was poor,infact its the worst cruise ive been on and worst is a word one doesnt expect to use for a cruise. Staff were generally poor, activities onboard were poor as were facilities. Ship was very unstable, daughter and partner were ill even though it wasnt really rough. If you suffer from any sort of motion sickness this is NOT the ship for you. I am a good traveller so didn't feel sea sick, but after five days of rocking backwards and forwards I was ready to get off ! Deck staff for bar service were few and far between so either had to go to them or the bar yourself which was very slow. Only two jacuzzis which simply isn't enough for the amount of passengers, although there were two attendants with whistles! Anyone doing anything slightly outside the pool rules got the whistle, how childish ! Pool attendants had no sense of humour to the point of being rude. Theatre performances were very amateur. Disembarkation was dreadful, had to be out of room by 0800 which was far too early when your flight isn't until late afternoon, MSC just wanted you out of the way asap. Certainly will not use this ship again, and will think hard about using MSC again. Feels like 4 grand wasted, need a relaxing holiday to get over it! Read Less

Just finishing our first cruise on Msc opera around the med. The ship is spotless, they were always cleaning and our cabin was beautiful they changed our towels three times a day and turned drown the bed every night. The staff throughout the ship are very helpful and always smiling we never experienced anyone miserable. The food was excellent and plentiful. A bit of a free for all in the buffet but staff in the restaurants are very nice. The entertainment in the theatre wasn’t as good as I expected. But a wonderful experience for a first cruise. The only niggle is they don’t enforce the dress code for restaurants on gala night so you can feel overdressed that said it is a very relaxed dress code and atmosphere every night so would have been nice to have one night when everyone made an effort. Overall I would recommend MSC Opera for couples and family’s old and young. Read Less

This was the worst food we have ever experienced on a cruiseship. We always said “I have never had bad food on a cruise, but now It’s there. This was clearly the most cheap garbage ever served on a ship. Not just once, but every day. Lunch or dinner, buffet or restaurant. The food budget is obvious shrunk below the limit. This is unacceptable. What are the chefs doing? Taste your own food! Highly unmotivated minimized staff on restaurants and bars, no hospitality at all. A few friendly exceptions. The ship was dirty, tables not cleaned no toilet paper on public toilets for a few times. It’s a miracle the norro virus skips this ship. We couldn’t believe smoking is allowed in public areas like the “sports”bar and large parts of the open decks. At a kids friendly company...!? Not to be all negative; Embarkation is smooth and fast with your seapass in your cabin. But the need to enter your credit card in a atm in the first days is a bit impersonal. The ports of call where nice. Overnight in Ibiza is fun. Beautiful island with nice nightlife. 15 years ago Msc was our first cruise. We loved it. But wow, what are they doing sinking at MSC. This was our 4e but last MSC cruise for sure! Read Less

For personal reasons we were forced to travel during the main holiday season this time. This resulted in some negative experiences, as the ship was fully booked as well as full with many families and children. Unfortunately today's parents seem to neglect the education and good behaviour very much. But to the journey. We chose this route because we did not know of any other port except Genoa. Ship: We already knew in advance that the MSC Opera is an older ship in the fleet and was extended in 2015. Unfortunately, the public areas seem to have been disregarded during the extension. After several voyages on other MSC ships we were disappointed by the public areas. Cabin: The cabin was MSC standard and thus perfectly in order. Criticism points were however the connecting door, which did not dampen the noise of the neighbouring cabin enough, and the built-in furniture. The hinges of the cabinets were protruding or torn out. Dinner in the restaurant: our expectations were fulfilled. The choices were known from other travels and even as a non-fish-eater one has more than sufficient possibilities. The staff was very busy, although the language skills could always be improved. Food and meals in the self-service restaurant: the self-service restaurant was very small compared to other MSC ships and definitely undersized due to the number of passengers. The possibility of evading into the covered outdoor area is certainly unique and makes sense in warm outside temperatures. Service on board: we always had the impression that the staff had either been on board for too long (i.e. towards the end of the current contract) or were only on the first route. In any case, the waiting times were unusually long and in many areas there was no service at all. That was unfortunately very disappointing. Staff on board: even if personnel costs are saved everywhere (in all economic sectors), the friendliness and the service philosophy should always be emphasized. Our impression has been confirmed that the quality of the staff deteriorates from year to year. Itinerary: This time Genoa was only the start and end port. In Marseille, one should definitely book the offered shuttle, as here one saves a lot of walking and time. The old harbour with the exhibition buildings as well as the church Notre Dame de la Garde are absolutely recommendable. On Mallorca, one can do without the shuttle, as directly from the harbour building, a public bus drives away (on arrival as an express line) and stops in the middle of the city. Small tip: book the visit of the terraces of the cathedral in advance (an insider tip at the moment, but definitely very worthwhile). Ibiza: Party highlight of the whole route - individually spend the whole day with a rented scooter or car (choose car rental with office at the Estacion Maritima!) and in the evening to the old town of the island capital Eivissa. Olbia - Panoramatour with Costa Smerald - Porto Cervo - San Pantaleo ... who has luck to have a bus with only one language, can enjoy the journey surely still better Livorno - Cinque Terre by bus, boat and train... dreamlike... recommendable in Monterosso: the self-righteous cakes in the Pasticceria Laura... Shows in the theatre: dreamlike illusions and great shows... so far also the best cruise director... the singers have great voices, but could add a little more emotion to the songs; acrobats: the power and air acrobats are excellent, the snakewomen unfortunately only show standard and you could certainly leave them out. Bands / singers in the bars: oh dear, what can you say about that without having to reach into the bottom drawer? Unfortunately even the most famous songs, which everyone in the audience can sing along to, are performed as if by laymen at a karaoke show. In addition the volume was very high, so that one had to evade very far for conversations. To sum it up, we can recommend a trip with MSC at any time, but you should be aware of what you expect and take a close look at the plans of the ships. Read Less

It was me and my mom on the Medditarenean cruise, our girls time went really good because of the itinerary, service, and excursions!!! I would highly recommend booking excursions in advance to save your spot and attend on the ship entertainment which was amazing. We had a small issue with our bill, but the front desk collaborated with food & beverage department and resolved it. Things for improvement 1. L'Aprodo restaurant disappointed us in poor choices and flavors of food. It was bland no flavor, in comparison to amazing delicious and various choices at the buffet on floor 11, Il Patio & Le Vele. Kudos to amazing buffet supervisor Osman Alfaro who always gave us VIP service as well. 2. A bigger swimming pool would be great. 3. Poor quality of toiletries, like shampoo and shower gel in each cabin. So you might want to bring your own. THANK YOU MSC Opera, memories created will last forever! Read Less

We chose the cruise for its ports of call. Western Mediterranean. Ship is poorly maintained and outdated. It is not well maintained. The brass railing was always stained. I had to call maintenance to come clean my bathroom properly upon embarkation. Dust everywhere. Shower flooded as the drain did not drain properly. This happened in 2 cabins. Once again had to call for service. Food was not of quality. Tables at the Buffet area are often dirty. Cabins are very small. Quality of food at the buffet was poor. Not much selection. Often same selection for meals. Had to wait a while at the bar to be served. Not enough personnel. Upon embarkation it felt as I was at a flee market- selling their different drink packages once we entered the ship. To to it all , my husbands sunglasses were taken from our cabin. Nothing done about it so far. Employees were very friendly and courteous. Read Less

We sailed on MSC Opera, western mediterranean (Genova, Marseille, Palma, Ibiza, Olbia, Livorno) on 30 june 2018. I am Italian, my husband is from US, we sailed before on other cruise lines. We choose MSC to get the "Italian experience". Let's start from the good things: * cabin: a bit worn out, but extremely clean and confortable, good service and luckily we had a cabin with balcony * Embarkation: ok genova is a bit messy, but we survived, everything went well, we had our luggage very quickly. * Entertaiment: the quality of the shows is extremely good and can suit a multicultural audience (a mix of europeans, russians and americans) * The public rooms and the ship is spotless, extremely clean and you can see staff constantly cleaning * The Opera is small and its interior decor is nice, classic (a bit retrò) and elegant. * Ports: there is a MSC shuttle for Palma, Ibiza (13-15 euros), at Marseille, Olbia and Livorno there is a free shuttle that drops you downtown. At Olbia, get the public bus number 40 (5 euros) from the port to go to nice beach Pittolongu. It's worth it! * The service at bars and cafès was weird, sometimes we had the impression that staff were trainees at their first real work experience. We sat and waited, waited, waited... for 2 espresso! *Food is free and ther is plenty at any time. Free water is ok, free coffe is bad (for italian standards). *Dress code: dress as you like, except at dinner time at restaurants where you can't go with a swimming suits and filflops, no particular elegance is required. Now the bad experience * food: you find free food everywhere, unfortunately is pretty awful. Everything was either too salty or overspiced, with strange combinations of flavours. Pasta at the buffet was overcooked and full of stuff than no italian would dare to put in a sauce (pesto with seafood and tomatoes??). Desserts too sugary and sweet. Only meat options, pizzas, bread, salads and fruits were good. The buffet is designed in a irrational way: at peak times you just got stuck in a crowd of people in line (chaotic italian style), staff cleaning dishes and people trying to get out or to find a place to sit. A better choice for lunch is the restaurant la Caravella, less crowded, slightly better food quality. At the Restaurant l'Approdo in the evening the dishes were estremely disappointing. Italian classics like lasagne and cannelloni were chewy, salty and had a bad taste. Risotto with porcini mushrooms had no porcini flavour. The "signature dishes" were mostly pretty inedible, let alone international options (chinese, asian or paella - directly from freezer). The maitre attitude was annoying: we argued on Mychoice option, he didn't let us eat at free dinner time, as stated on the documents, claiming that our travel agency messed up. We discussed quite a lot and in the end we won... no comment.. The waiter's service was slow. Most of the times we arrived at the table and we were left waiting for nearly 30-40 minutes before getting our orders. Sometimes I just wanted to walk out and go to pizza buffet! * On MSC there is a constant aggressive sales attitude: from the first moment you get onboard, staff tries to sell you beverages packages, excursions, photos.. I was really annoyed by that. * Day at sea: the ship was packed, so you had to queue everywhere: at the (small) swimming pools, jacuzzi and gym. If you don't like crowds and children screaming and splashing, get a cabin with a balcony and relax there! Would we go again on a MSC cruise? Only if we get a dirty cheap deal for a balcony cabin (and we bring food from home). Read Less