MSC, Sinfonia Review

Overall Rating

Entertainment; itinerary; cleanliness

Reception staff and some wait staff indifferent to downright rude; everything is extra

We have just returned from a 7 night cruise on MSC Sinfonia. This was our first cruise and we were a family of 4 - 2 adults, one teenager, one 9-year old. We are English-speaking, but do speak German, French, plus understand Italian and Spanish. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary; dates fitted in well with Easter break; plus we got a great deal! We had a Category 9 cabin, which is on the Tchaikovski deck with a window. We had a double (Queen?) bed (2 singles pushed together) plus 2 bunks for the kids. Category 9 is the highest possible category for 4 people sharing. We met some Americans who had a balcony suite (Category 11) and it was DEFINITELY worth the extra cost - assuming there are 2 or 3 of you only. It was much more spacious, cabin staff were better and service was of a higher level. Having said that, we were surprised at how well we managed to fit ourselves and all our luggage into our cabin.
We flew into Milan Bergamo Airport and rented a car for the short drive to Genoa. Be warned - if you catch a taxi from Genoa airport to the port - you should only pay around 25 euros - no more...
Boarding was quite swift and smooth even though it was Easter weekend and the cruise was totally packed. We boarded early and were even given lunch once on board. On embarkation, dinner tables are assigned. We requested 1st sitting for dinner (7 pm) as the 2nd sitting would have been too late for our 9-year old. We specifically requested a table for 4 as we didn't want to share - this was no problem and we were assigned a nice table in Il Covo restaurant (dinner is served in both Il Covo and Il Galeone - same menu, same everything).
Ship departed on time and from then on we were always sailing on time or earlier - never late arrivals or departures in or out of port.
As this was our first cruise we overpacked. Brought too many smart clothes as we were unsure and from the brochures it seemed that we were required to dress up. However this was not the case - even on gala nights there were people wearing shorts! The brochure specifically states - no shorts or t-shirts at dinner - but this is misleading as you can wear whatever and nobody seems to mind....
Food was OK - there was plenty of choice. Food was adequate - wouldn't say it was fantastic - probably of 4 star standard (this goes for entire cruise - standard was 4 stars overall). Dinner was 7 courses but always grilled steak, chicken or salmon if you didn't fancy anything else on the menu. I'm not a breakfast eater but the family enjoyed their breakfasts on Deck 11 out in the open - self serve buffet, eggs, bacon, pastries etc. On our last day we went to the sit down breakfast and found we preferred the more informal buffet.
Lunch - we mostly ate on Level 11 and there was always a choice of grilled foods, salad, pizza and pasta.
Gala dinners - dry lobster, baked Alaska
My husband and I used the gym almost every day. We went early (8 am - when it opened) and getting a treadmill or bike was never a problem. However, later in the day it did get packed out. Gym use is free but classes are charged.
My daughter tried out the kids club in the beginning but we found that even though the programme stated specific activities, a lot of the time it was just "free play" (ie kids running around doing whatever they fancied).
Every night we played bingo (9-year old is hooked) and it was fun, although there is a 10 euro charge to play.
Cannot complain about the choice and variety of entertainment during the day and at nights, although we did not go to the evening shows.
We only took one shore excursion - to Pompeii. We enjoyed it, although time was very limited. Other times we made our own way to see the sights and it was not difficult. Palermo was a delightful city, ship docked a short walk from shops. Tunis - we did not get off the ship so can't give any advice on excursions. Palma - we walked from the ship into town, delightful town, great shopping. Barcelona - made the mistake of using the ship-"recommended" shuttle at 6 euros per person. In hindsight - we could have walked or taken a taxi. Barcelona was easy to get around, used the metro. Marseilles - another delightful city; used the ship-recommended shuttle as ship docked far from the Old Town. There is also a huge shopping centre a 5-minute drive from where the ship docks - about 7 euros in a taxi.
All in all we really enjoyed the cruise. It was great for families (and there were lots of them...). However, we did feel that we were being "nickel and dimed" - ie everything was extra. We would probably have preferred to have paid a little more upfront and had more included. The drinks, tips and other extras do add up (we are not big drinkers so our bar tab was not huge, although our final bill for extras came to over 600 euros - mainly soft drinks, water, tips, the shore excursion, bingo...)
Also the standard of service was not fantastic - some waiters were quite rude, others were indifferent. Cabin cleaning staff were OK - nothing exceptional at all, i.e. they did the minimum required. Worst of all were the staff at reception/information, who were downright rude and unhelpful - doesn't matter what language we were speaking... Animation staff were friendly.
Printed information was very good - each night we were given the next day's itinerary, information on the port of call. Excursion desk had maps for every destination.
Disembarking at Genoa - we had prepared ourselves for a nightmare but it went really smoothly and really fast - we were off the ship in a matter of minutes; found our luggage with no problems.
All in all it was a great cruise for a family but be prepared to pay extra for absolutely everything. Couples might prefer something a little more upmarket. There were people from literally everywhere on the cruise - all announcements were made in several languages, including Japanese.
Last point - tipping..... We were left a printed notice mid-way through the cruise stating that tips would automatically be added to our account and only if we wanted to change this (give more or less) then we needed to contact accounting (42 euros per adult; a little less per child). Why not just make the cruise price a little more expensive (50 euros per person?) and just forget about the whole tipping thing - automatically give them the money as a tip instead of doing all this paperwork???? The notice did state that tipping was optional and not compulsory, but I challenege anyone to go to accounting and tell them you don't want to tip, or you want to tip less............
Final point - it was a good cruise if you are not expecting luxury. If you have 3.5-4 star expectations - you won't be disappointed. It was a great choice for a mid-range family holiday.

Members' Comments onlynne29's Review

• gudruole on 3rd May 2009

  I agree with this review because...it is true, but I wouldn't recommend to go there and experience the same by ruining your holiday and money!!! We regret it- bad food,unfriendly people,no entertainment,for everything to pay,no fun...baddd!!!