MSC Lirica Cruise, Feb 11-22 2007
As an American who is not afraid to try new things, I looked forward to cruising on a truly Italian cruise ship. Although open-minded, I do have certain expectations about cruising. Some of these MSC met and even exceeded, but many came up short of the mark. First, this was a cruise in the Caribbean. Virtually nothing about the cruise was Caribbean, no reggae or steel bands, no island dEcor or cuisine. The music was largely old Italian standards or familiar old standards from American-Italian music icons of the 50's. It was apparent MSC Mediterranean cruise ships were moved to the Caribbean with no attempt to adopt the spirit of the region. The beverage servers wore blue flower pattern shirts, and there was a minimally decorated "tropical" night, the only nods to the Caribbean theme.
Guests - I would guess that nearly ½ of the guests were European, for whom the cruise was most likely more familiar, if not more satisfying. Advice to MSC - market your cruises solely to Europeans and not the American market. Both Americans and Europeans would be better served.