MSC Lirica Review

3.0 / 5.0
231 reviews

Fine ship but that's where it ends

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on MSC Lirica
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Mickey Denbo
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jul 2013

We flew to Rome to embark and the embarkation process was very efficient. We soon made our way to our suite on the top deck and found the suite and the ship in general to be very clean and well presented. She's a mid sized ship which is just what we prefer. There are the usual amenities (gym, sauna etc) but we don't use them.

First stop was to the buffet while we waited for our luggage. There are 2 sides to the outer buffet, each serving different food. Here's the first disappointment! There were burgers, hot dogs, fries etc which were kept warm from underneath. This meant the top of the food was cold. We stuck to the inside buffet after that. This was a little better but still not too good. On sea days this became a bit of a bun fight with other guests pushing in front of you, standing blocking the aisles etc looking for a free table. The food in the restaurants was better though still not up to my standard. The potions were small and if the menu said "slices of veal", that's what you got. No accompaniments. This means having a 5 course meal to fill you up. There was no coffee afterwards and as others have said, water was charged for. No complaints with the service from the waiters and the room service.

One big problem for me was a lack of enforcing of the rules. People were smoking on balconies and adjacent to the pool despite notices saying this was not allowed. Food was also taken to the pool which presented a danger when dropped on the floor. There were lots of children on board who were well catered for with kids clubs, mini golf, wiis and so on. You could even leave your kids with the team while you went off on an excursion. Unfortunately, most of the kids preferred to run riot round the ship knocking things over, bumping into people, playing in the lifts pushing every button then running down the stairs to start again.

Cabin Review

Cabin 11

A suite on the top deck but there was sunbathing area on top. this was used a a jogging track and we were woken each morning before 6 am to the sound of footsteps above our heads. A lamp shade was missing upon arrival leaving a hot bulb exposed. This took 4 days to replace. The balcony door was very stiff to open and this took 10 days to fix. The view from the balcony was superb. The sitting area was overcrowded and could have done with one less chair. Squeaky floor and roof panels made for some disturbed nights too. The bed was very comfortable with a wide choice of pillows available upon request. Our memory foam pillow was delivered in 2 minutes flat! The bathroom and wardrobe space were better than most we have experienced and the suite was kept as clean as a whistle by Jose who couldn't do enough for us.

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