MSC Mediterranean Cruise Guide

	by Heather Holman on Thursday, January 19, 2012
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This article pairs with my MSC Mediterranean Cruise Review so please check that out too! A quick recap of that article is that my husband and I took an MSC Cruise of the Mediterranean disembarking from Barcelona. This is what we learned from the experience.

Some things you should know before your MSC Cruise –

• Spend some time getting used to the ship layout. Large ships can take 10-15 minutes to get from one side to the other and sometimes you will be in a rush! Also avoid queues at the elevator by walking 2 minutes to the next set or taking the stairs.
• Although food at most of the restaurants is free, they do have specialty restaurants which do cost. You can charge it to your own board account.
• Let them know in advance of dietary requirements.
• Drinks are not included in lunch and dinner. Breakfast provides coffee, tea, milk and juice.
• Family photographs will be taken and can be purchased at the ship photo gallery.
• If booking in Europe, make sure to get the 1st dining seating as it’s not till 7pm, the next being at 9pm!
• Avoid lines at the cafeteria with good timing. You also can move toward the back of the café which has the same food buffet style without the line! Some other countries have different etiquette as far as waiting in lines, be prepared to be brushed up against and sometimes butted in front of!
• If you want to give extra gratuity make sure you have some euros, as you can’t put it on your on board account very easily as a lot of European countries aren’t used to tipping the way we do in America.
• Most of the restaurants have dress codes including at least one formal night, pack accordingly!
• Kids under 11 are free!
• If you book a spa package, be sure to schedule as soon as you have your on board schedule / itinerary to make sure you get the times you want.
• Count on spending some extra money in the duty free (no tax) shopping areas! You won’t be able to help yourself at the good prices!
• Some of the activities on board such as the 4-D cinema do have a cost. There is plenty of free activities such as a nightly show in the theater, dance classes, water slide and work out area.
• The pools close in the evening.
• Excursions are a must! Avoid getting ripped off by cabbies and other tour companies by booking an excursion instead. While it does take longer to get started then just disembarking on your own, you save time and walking distance by just taking the MSC Buses.
• Packages and excursions are cheaper if booked in advance. I recommend buying a drink package and a spa package!

 

Barcelona, Spain

We actually spent a week here before departing from this city so I can’t advise you on the ship’s excursions but I can say it’s a beautiful city full of character and great food. The port is actually 2 KM from the nearest metro station so you might want to share a cab to the excellent public transportation which can get you anywhere in the city.

Must See: La Ramba, La Sagrada Familia , La Casa Batlló , La Fontana Magica (video shown below), La Cascada, Nude Beaches
Watch out for: Cabbies (always go by the meter, no meter get out of the cab!)

La Goulette, Tunisia

I highly recommend booking an excursion in this port. Tunisia went through a revolution in 2011 and is now stable again but it’s best to be in the safety of a guided tour company. From recommendation of the excursion desk we went with the History & Colours of Tunis excursion that took us to Carthage then Bardo Museum which houses artifacts from before 3 AD. The tour then gives you about an hour to tour Sidi Bou Said a quaint shipping village known for it’s blue and white buildings. This village has a typically arab market in which some of the merchants can be rather aggressive to try to get you to purchase! Just remember unlike in America, haggling is encouraged and can get you up to half off!

Must See: Carthage, Bardo Museum, Sidi Bou Said
Watch out for: Aggressive Merchants

 

Valletta, Malta

If you are an active person, you could actually walk the 1km hill from the port to the main city and do tourism on your own. Otherwise there are cabs, buses even horse drawn carriages that can take you up the hill. The city seems pretty safe and very friendly so we went out on our own. For 15 euros per person there is a guided tour bus which you can hop on and off at the main attractions. This city has excellent shopping so bring your check book!

Must See: St. John’s Cathedral, Palace Armory, Fort St Elmo
Watch out for: Lots of Walking

 

Messina, Sicily

This is another port very close to public transportation. We went without an excursion but I kind of wish we had picked one for this city because there isn’t much to see in Messina. We took the public transportation to the beach, which was filthy with trash so we didn’t stay long. We took the train back and got off when we saw the Fontana del Nettuno outside the window. We then walked up the hill to the Castle Matagrifone then took a little train back to the port. There is also the 15 euro sight-seeing buses available here.

Must See: Fontana del Nettuno a Messina, Castello di Matagrifone
Watch out for: Trash! Very messy city.

Civitavecchia, Italy

We took the Rome & The Wonders of the Vatican Excursion from this port which is a one and a half hour bus ride from the port to Rome. It starts with a guided walking tour of the Vatican. We actually chose this excursion because we’ve been to Rome before but the line was always so long for Sistine Chapel, this excursion lets you skip the queue and get right in! During the hour lunch break after the Vatican we took a cab to the Trevi Fountain to make sure we followed the Trevi Fountain Tradition that if you toss in a coin you will return back to Rome! We made it back just in time to get on the bus for the seated bus tour of Rome. This bus tour does not allow you to get out so any pictures must be done from inside the bus which has tinted windows, so not the best pictures! The pictures of the Coliseum and The Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II shown below are from a previous trip my husband and I took to Rome.

Must See: Vatican, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain
Watch out for: Long Bus Trip to Rome, Pushy Tourists

 

Genoa, Italy

This city is another you can easily do on your own. The port is pretty close to public transportation and they also have the sight-seeing buses for 15 euros which you can get on and off. The side streets were my favorite so I’d encourage you to walk around this charming city.

Must See: Palazzo Ducale, Piazza De Ferrari, Via San Lorenzo
Watch out for: Unsafe Drivers

 

Marseille, France

J'aime la France! Finally a country where I can kind of speak the language! I loved Marseille and since my husband and I both speak a little French we decided to wing it without an excursion. However where our boat docked to the public transportation takes forever and is extremely boring so you might consider taking an excursion or cab to the Vieux-Port (old port) downtown. Once downtown there are sight-seeing buses and a little train which takes you to all the best locations. We took the little train tour, but unfortunately only after taking the metro to the Castellane station and walking up a treacherous hill to the Notre-Dame de la Garde. We took the metro to the Colbert metro stop to see the La porte d'Aix which we found out is not the safest of areas! We were fine but you might want to skip seeing the La porte d'Aix if you have kids with you or just take a guided excursion!

Must See: La Vieux Port, Marseille Cathedral, Notre-Dame de la Garde
Watch out for: Bad Neighborhoods

 

 

For more MSC Cruises Check out their website: http://www.msccruises.com

Going on a MSC Cruise? Check out my MSC Review: MSC Mediterranean Cruise Review