Was on a birthday cruise with my husband. Compared to the MSC Rhapsody, Sinphonia, Opera, the Musica was a bit of a disappointment. Although its a big ship, it did not compare favorably with the other smaller ships. It was not as friendly. Staff were a lot more impersonal; food selection was a lot to be desired. Too much of the same and not enough variety, including with the fruits. Menus seemed to repeat. Even the inside restaurants had "poor" menus that lacked immagination in the food department. Waiters here were very good, whereas the outside (top deck) were very loud with each other and took a long time to clear tables. When were had to share our table with others, we were not asked, but told. e did not mind sharing, it was just the attitude and tone of voice of the waiter. The only exclusive restaurant was the sushi, which we do not like. Surely there could have been a better selection!!!! Our cabin, although nice, still had sand on the carpet from the previous occupants, throughout our cruise. Our sheets seemed as if they were just straightened out every day. The toilet in our cabin always had a weird "toilet" smell. Luckily, we had very good weather, so.... no sea-sickness.... I was happy to receive a Birthday Card from MSC, although it came a day late, but thanks. Read Less

I always like the week cruise, allows for travelling during weekends. Great trip, needed more entertainment at Pomene for the kids, pool was great, food was excellent. On the ship, the drinks and cold drinks was fair price, the photographers was excellent, but very expensive. Will next time take my camera with and save alot of money. Food was great, great variety and good quality. Breakfast was good, really enjoy the fruit, yougart,. Staff was excellent, well behaved, trained even when some passengers were rude towards them, service was great, ftom the rooms to the bars, to the entertainment. Really friendly experience from getting on board till we disembarked. Shows and entertainment was well organised, pools were good, but only abit too salty. The table tennis, foosball tables were well utilised, although the balls and bars were only available while entertainment crew was on deck. Maybe have the bar staff nearest to the tables control the signeout Read Less

I have been on 3 international cruises with MSC Poesia, Fantadia and Meriviglia. Wanted to take my.mom who has never cruised before. I do not know if they cater for South Africans..... and why it should differ, but the food was really not nice. Cannot compare it to any of the international cruises we were on. Even at dining room evenings. Service in lounges most of the times non existent. we had to get our drinks at bar counter. I do not complain easily,but I will never go on a local cruise again. I felt neglected. I never experienced this on other cruises and really I am not a picky person. I always say there is so much food. eat what you like. Choices a lot less than international cruises. And different. Why? Italian ship. Should be same standard on all MSC ships wherever it sails. Just very dissapointed. Rather save up and get a nice special on international cruise!!!! Just want to mention...it was not only me that felt like this. A lot of other passengers who have been on the international.cruises said the same. Public toilets without toilet paper a couple of times also. Read Less

We celebrated our 40th anniversary recently and decided to spoil ourselves with our first ever cruise from Durban to Portuguese Island. We were impressed by the efficiency of the booking and check-in. We had a balcony cabin and very satisfied with the quality, neatness and appointments in the cabin. The dining in all restaurants were excellent and we were suitably impressed. The quality and variety were outstanding. Service was excellent in all respects: reception, dining, bars, pooldeck, household, etc. We bought the wine and drinks packages beforehand and that system worked perfectly without any hassles. We could not partake on the shore excursion to Portuguese Island as I had limited mobility due to a recent back-operation, but the stay on board at the pooldeck was perfect, i.e. not overcrowded. We found the pooldeck a bit noisy and overcrowded on the day at sea, but I suppose that is par for the course. The shows we attended were enjoyable and of a high standard. We will definitely do a cruise again, maybe in the Mediteranean or the Caribean. Read Less

Did this cruise with family as a bonding experience. In total we had booked 4 cabins.The facilities on board and entertainment were excellent. Only MAJOR negative is the quality of meals - and layout is insensitive to vegetarians. The sit in restaurants normally only have 1 vegetarian meal option - so you have no choice. The buffet section has various stations (like Mediterranean, Halaal etc) - but no dedicated station for vegetarian / vegan meals. Although they have some vegetarian meals in the buffet section, there are placed with the non-vegetarian meals, making it very easy for contamination. Labelling of the meals is also very haphazard. There were many instances where the labels at the meals showed no meat products but when consuming the meals it became evident that meat was included in the meal, but omitted from the labelling. Disappointing is that when we confirmed with the staff they insist it does not contain meat products. In one instance the soup was labelled "Broccoli Soup" - my son and I, both vegetarians took the soup and as we were eating it became apparent that the soup contained chicken. I queried with the Manager - and on investigation he reported that the soup was in fact chicken and peas but labelled wrongly. Read Less

We were 14 ladies onboard music 13 of the girls it was their first-time and none of them got sick. Ever since i started cruising always choose feb once because the weather is awesome. Never been unable to dock and get off to the island The entertainment lineup was amazing as well as lots of food at cafeteria for casual dining and the more formal dining at restaurants. Loved every minute the live performances at the bar was so refreshing felt like im at the concert. The self service kiosk were one can link their cruise card with credit card is wonderful feature which reduce any qs. Portuguese island keeps on improving evrytime time and the place is more chilled with lots of shade and relaxing places. The barbecue food was amazing. The warm water beach a bonus. Only dissapontment is only going to the island once instead of twice like previous cruises. Pomene should also included for weekends cruises not only be part of midweek. Have already booked another cruise and will be back with the girls same time in 2020 on msc orchestra cannot wait. Read Less

to have a relaxed feel with my husband for our honeymoon. we wanted to experience something different from the ordinary and it served that.the whole cruise from day one was amazing. the music and all the entertainment staff was so entertaining and very fun and we were able to communicate .the bars entertainment was also very amazing and the food was to so delicious especially at the island .the fish was so fresh and tasty. I wish to come back with just my lady friends and have a blast at the club all night through and swim all the time. the weather was also very perfect to get off the musica in to the small boats .the dance moves and games are also amazing and we loved every game and beverages .the only thing is the photos are very expensive we wish we could have taken some but we couldidnt. Read Less

Taking this cruise was the best decision I have taken. It was a time to make memories and have fun with family. Embarkatment and disembarkment was done in a well and orderly manner with pictures of our every experience been captured. The entertainment provided through out the day, with amazing performances by the entertainment team and guest on board. The staff on board were simply amazing, helpful, friendly and made sure every single person was happy with they stay. From the unlimited amount of food available to facilities that were clean and well maintained, you definitely would not go wrong being apart of this amazing cruise line. Even the little ones were occupied the entire day with activities. We definitely will be looking forward to the next cruise very soon. Keep up the amazing work MSC. Honestly wouldn’t change a thing about the cruise for everything was on point. Thank you! Read Less

The MSC Musica is a beautiful ship. Stunning decor and very spacious. My husband and I together with friends had a relaxing, fun filled holiday. There was always something to do with the variety of entertainment on board. The entertainment crew were fantastic. We attended all of the theater shows and throughly enjoyed ourselves. Drinks and food were plenty. My only negative would be that the food could do with a little more flavour, more suited to our South African palate. Especially the food served at the seated dinners. Beautifully presented but lacking in seasoning. We stayed in a balcony cabin and this was superb. It didn't feel crowded and the view from the balcony was breathtaking. Portuguese Island was a bit too hot for us as it was a scorching day so we didnt spend too much time there. The place is beautifully set up and well maintained. All in all, we had a fantastic time. Thank you MSC. Read Less

Having travelled several times by air, we decided to try out by sea. I have always been fascinated by the ocean so this was an ideal opportunity to enjoy it more and even closer. The ship was amazing, it catered for the alcoholics! As a Muslim person, there really isn’t much than can be done on board. The swimming area seemed as if it was for the alcoholics and there kids. The theatre was one entertainment activity that we truly enjoyed. It would have been nice if more shows were offered throughout the day. The buffet dining confused very much so. There was signage saying that “MSC has gone out of its way to source halaal meats” however in the buffet area on the 13th floor there was a halaal section. Why? If apparently all of the lamb, poultry and beef on board was halaal. This is according to the many maitre de’s that we had spoken to. Then the halaal section was soooo limited in comparison to the rest of the buffet. Lunch buffet didn’t even offer the halaal section so what were we supposed to eat? Of course doubt enters the mind as a section was cordoned off for halaal. If the sign had made it clear that all the beef, lamb and poultry was halaal then I would have also enjoyed the burgers, hot dogs etc that the non halaal sections were offering. The dinner set up made things feel a lot more special however the same issue as above, the question of the meat being truly halaal. I appreciate that halaal meat was sourced however there is soo much going on that it would have been nice if it was made clear that ALL the poultry, beef and lamb was halaal. I think I would have enjoyed my meals even more. Nonetheless the meals I chose to eat were good and the seafood was exceptionally fresh and cooked very well. Well done to the chefs! To Kishawn Wilkonson, you deserve a good incentive and you have the most wonderful personality and a smile that can make anyone smile. You are extremely friendly and you really went out of your way to render fantastic service! I will never forgot you my friend from St Vincent somewhere near the West Indies. Your are a true gem to that ship and I wish the rest of your colleagues would learn a thing or too from you. To Maria the lady that did the housekeeping for our floor and room. You are truly amazing, your energy is so powerful especially to do what you do. I never got to chat to you but you are a very hard worker and I hope are rewarded for that! The people that work on ships are very hardworking overall and they have to have such a strong threshold for irate people and pressure. I take my hat off to them for all that they do and wish them all the best and hope that one day each one of them will be the captain of their own ship in life. By the way, it would have been very nice and also added a personal touch if Captain Pinto came to down on the last night at dinner to say hello to everyone. Just a thought... Read Less