MSC Magnifica Review

4.0 / 5.0
386 reviews

Immaculate ship, let down by only average food and poor entertainment

Review for the British Isles & Western Europe Cruise on MSC Magnifica
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Fireman95
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2018
Cabin: Balcony Stateroom

First time with MSC; chose cruise because of the itinerary - Le Havre, La Coruna, Bilbao, Le Verdon sur Mer, Amsterdam and Hamburg. Also the price seemed quite reasonable.

We breezed through check-in at Southampton in a couple of minutes - having previously checked-in online and uploaded our photos - although our bags took a couple of hours to arrive at the cabin.

Everywhere on the ship is immaculate and cleaned incessantly. Cabin also spotless and adequate size, but the addition of tea & coffee making facilities takes up 60% of the tiny dressing table! Also (P&O Azura and Ventura please note!!!) the balcony railing glass and balcony patio doors were actually cleaned during one port call!

Cabin Review

Balcony Stateroom

Cabin B2

Adequate size; enough drawers and wardrobe space, but what eventually got very irritating is that the wardrobe doors overlapped the open bathroom door, so if one of us was looking in the wardrobe - which wasn't illuminated because the open door blocked the light from the ceiling light! - and the other wanted to use the bathroom, the wardrobe doors had to be closed and that person walked away, to allow the bathroom door to be opened. Similarly you couldn't exit the bathroom if the wardrobe door was open because the bathroom door wouldn't open far enough!

However, there was a largish digital safe in the wardrobe at no extra cost!

Port Reviews

Le Havre

Took shuttle bus into town. Was raining and many of the shops appeared closed, so not much excitement other than a tram ride to the beach, in the rain.

La Coruna

Took the Hercules Tours coach tour from just outside the terminal for 18euros each, Very informative commentary, several photo stops of up to 30 mins. Very picturesque surroundings, also very pleasant waterfront walks.

Bilbao

Skipped the 15.60euro shuttle and got the local Metro into town (20 mins walk from ship) for just 1.70 euros, then bought a 10euro Bizcaia ticket for 24 hours unlimited travel on buses, trams, Metro, suburban trains, and funicular railway. Nice parks in the centre apart from the river and Guggenheim museum, and superb views from the top of the funicular, and from the riverside art of the tram route.

Amsterdam

Have been before, so bought a 7.50 euro 24-hour unlimited travel pass for the buses, trams, Metro, local trains, and harbour ferries, and just jumped from one method of transport to another to explore the outskirts.

Hamburg

Expected Hamburg to be a bit rough and slightly menacing, but it was totally different from that. Bought a 7.20euro 9-hour unlimited travel pass on the ferry which left from just behind the ship - covers ferries, buses, trams, Metro, and suburban trains. Left the ferry at Landesbrucken, and got the open top bus tour just outside. Very impressed with the city - lots of magnificent buildings, large lakes, and parks, but you do need noise cancelling headsets on the bus if you are not fluent in German, as all other languages come through headphones, but the German commentary is live through loudspeakers and tends to drown out normal headphones.

Best thing for us in Hamburg was Miniatur Wunderland in the Warehouse District just behind the Elbphilharmonie. It's advertised as the "world's biggest model railway", but that doesn't do it anything like justice. We pensioners spent almost 3 hours in there for our 15euro each tickets and still felt that we'd rushed around it! It's absolutely massive, with huge numbers of model trains running through brilliantly precise models of actual towns and stations, but in different country settings - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, USA. There's a working model harbour with moving ships, a fantastic model airport with moving baggage trucks, aircraft tugs and the like; aircraft taxi out to the runway and actually "take-off" and "land". There's a working model volcano; models of the Grand Canyon, the Everglades, Las Vegas, Rome, Venice, the Italian Riviera, and much, much more. Plus every 10 minutes, or so, the main lights dim and the models light up as if nighttime. No matter what your age, if you still have a "bit of a kid" inside you, you will love this place. It's open 7.30 a.m. till 1 a.m. next morning the the summer, but it's so popular you have to book a time slot on your mobile phone!

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