This was my second msc cruise along with my wife and two boys (14,11) and it did not disappoint. Yes most people on the ship are european which i dont mind cause i am fluent in italian and spanish, yes many people smoke, yes people cut the lines but for an american if you can get passed this you will find that most people will go out of their way to help you or provide service to you! Probably your best tool in your belt if your an american is tipping. In europe its not customary but i always tip and always find that a small tip can yield unbelievable results. Any way the cruise the ports were fantastic, the ship was clean and easy to navigate, no days at sea so no need to worry about the kids and a water park as your not on the ship much. The food is definitely above average for the price point and the pizza Never disappoints. The crew was spectacular a special thanks to the assistant maitre’d giuseppe esposito who fulfilled our every request in the dining room. Also i had the pleasure to interact with the hotel director giuseppe russo, i have to admit the most gracious host i ever met on any cruise, he sat with us talked with us and was genuinely excited to see americans on the ship. He made us feel like a million dollars and sent us a special surprise with his compliments. Everything about the cruise was great and we will definitely be cruising with msc again! Don’t hesitate to give them a try you will not be disappointed! Read Less

My husband and I decided to book a very spontaneous trip on MSC Magnifica four days before the ship was to set sail through Expedia. We were coming from Boston, USA and took a non-stop flight to Rome, then a smaller flight to Bari, Italy where we embarked. We read some of the negative reviews (mostly about smoking on the ship and staff being rude) but decided to risk the trip anyway. We are so happy we did!! We found most of the criticisms of MSC and the crew to be completely inaccurate. From the moment we boarded, the staff, crew and bartenders were fantastic and very responsive to any of our needs. We did not have to wait very long for drinks, everyone was friendly to us and the ship was gorgeous. The cabin was ready when we arrived with our bags already in the room. The cabin was nicely furnished, very clean, comfortable bed and a beautiful room with a balcony. The dining in the main dining room at night wasn't my favorite. The food was good but nothing blew me away with flavor. If you are what we call in the states "a foodie", this is probably not the cruise for you. The buffet for breakfast and lunch was good, however. Very nice salad bar, hamburgers, french fries, pasta, homemade pizzas, rice, Thai dishes and lots of other choices. We went on the cruise for the Ports of calls and a spontaneous adventure. The dining portion and food were a low priority for us. The Activities on the crew were fun, we danced, had drinks at the cool bars, sat in the sun, and attended many of the Broadway-style shows. They were cute shows with skilled dancers and singers and a nice way to end the night. The thing we loved the most was the amazing ports of call. Every Greek island and/or city (Venice, Montenegro, Bari) was outstanding. Too much to write but a trip of a lifetime. Everything and more that we had hoped for. I highly recommend this cruise. The only small difficulties were lots of Europeans do smoke, but only outside. Not many people spoke English so we were a little isolated (but my husband found that to be a positive lol), the initial Embarkment was a 2.5 hour wait to get on board, and lines were a bit confusing in the buffet area for breakfast and lunch. I recommend going to the buffet right when it opens to avoid the frenzy. The only people I found to complain were the Americans who didn't have a lot of travel experience. Their expectations were too high for some of the places they visited off the ship. We understood that traveling to these ancient cities there would be lines and confusion since they are not equipped for the influx of thousands of tourists descending on their infrastructure at one time. Some of the ports of calls would have 5 cruise ships show up at one time letting 4,000 people off per ship. One last thing, I do believe you need to be average to good shape to walk around these ports of call. I am in good shape (45 year old female) and found it to be moderate to above moderate exercise to get around with lots of cobblestone walkways and uneven terrain. I was grateful my 80 year old parents decided not to attend the cruise with us as I don't think they would have had the energy to walk around. Overall I would rate this an excellent trip and would do it again with my family in a heartbeat. Read Less

We often go on different cruise companies, and we have a large experience of service on cruise ships, but we were 1st time on the Opera MSC ship And unfortunately our vacation was very poor :( As soon as we entered the ship, we were surprised about the small the size of the cabin, although we had a cabin with a balcony, there were not even napkins in the cabin. On the diversity in the restaurant and the buffet, it is better not to remember. The food was from low-quality products and there was no varied choice. Its was no season fruits , except for melons and apples, there was nothing, only apricots were given on the last day Excursions were also not on the high level Where it was possible to stay a little longer, time was abbreviated and one day they just stole from us. We planned this trip mainly because of the city of Mykonos, so this port was canceled altogether and went to another completely un interesting city Chaina The captain's squad referred to bad weather with a storm warning,  although we looked on the Internet, the weather was good everywhere. It was also very economical with parking and time in another port because Chaina was cheaper port than Mykonos The people understand that they not stupid, that on our ship there was an accident on June 2 in the city of Venice and compensation was paid to the people. But we were suffered in the capital, they were saving money on us We decided that we would never again use the services of the company. MSC P.S It was not possible to go out on the balcony and open it, because smoke stood all the time people was smoking on their balconys The administration of the ship did not announced  to prohibit smoking on the balconies, without at all caring for the fire safety of the people and the ship itself. And the night disco started at 9.30 and ended 1.30 -2.00 From loud speakers it was not possible to fall asleep   Read Less

The ship was clean and well cared for. Staff very nice, I even tipped extra. The food however was horrible. Very few dinning choices and most had an extra cost to eat such as hamburger or even a pizza. I get that if you want something that cost more like lobster but a hamburger really? Speaking of the lobster one of our group members tried it. He said it looked green and slimy and thought that was just how it was prepared. It was hard to tell because of how bad the food was everywhere else. He ended up with food poisoning as well as my wife whom had eating some eggs. The serving times where so short that you had nowhere to sit and eat. The staff even stopped the serving lines 15 to 20 minutes early so many time we went with out eating. No big loss their. They allowed smoking on most of the ship including dinning areas so you couldn't get fresh air. We even had my own balcony but we couldn't even use that because our neighbors smoked on the balcony next to us. We totally waisted our money. They also have several hidden charges that we discovered later. Geev Galvez and his helper Charle Ramirez. They worked in the main dinnig room for the special dinner. The service was spot on. Drinks before we even had to ask for them and offered different food choices as they notced people not eating the food. Not their falt on the food qulity but they did their best. Other service in restraunts was good to vary poor. We ate one night at the pizza / hambeger place and after asking 6 times to get someting to drink we all took turns to go to the buffet to get drinks and come back. We never did get any drinks that we didn't go get our selfs. Read Less

Our first cruise. Cabin was comfortable, albeit shower a bit small. Will definitely book a balcony cabin in future, just to have that outside private space for a coffee in the mornings and to relax with a book watching the world sail by. Mainly used the buffet for meals, as this suited us more due to itinerary and having a teenage son. only ate lunch and evening meal once in the main dining rooms. The meals in both the buffet and main dining room offered plenty of choice, were freshly prepared and were all really edible. Staff were friendly and helpful, although occasionally appeared rushed, especially around the pool bar - this is the only area were we felt the customer service was a little lacking. Saw 2 shows and both were entertaining. Casino was worth the occasional flutter although sadly no wins. Two further cruises booked, one with MSC and the other with Cunard. Read Less

We choose this cruise for the Itinerary and wanted to try a new cruise ship other that what we have been on.To start getting on was no problem bags taken to our rooms except mine never turned up until four hours later as I had a travel iron in my case which is not allowed. The minute you get on the ship you are hassled to buy the drinks packages we explained numerous times we already had this.my husband went to the bar to order some soft drinks to be told we did not have the right card,eventually sorted by reception it was there mistake.Dining we was first sitting and seated in a nice area waiters seemed great until you order,they are so busy trying to look after so many tables we got forgotten about on numerous occasions for drinks.The food is average very small portions but other tables were ordering more than one starter and dinner.Entertainment is geared up for Italians very poor same thing most nights,shows were ok but the stage is so small they look cramped up together I kept looking to see if they were going to fall of the stage.Most night we ate at the buffet as the food was better than the dining area but this is like being fed at the zoo with people pushing and shoving to get at the food.Hygiene is hit and miss I have never seen so many people walk past the gel stations there to stop infection,including staff.Cleaning is not great on board buffet are is strewn with empty plates with the staff trying there best to keep on top of everything which was in possible. Don,t think the windows have ever been cleaned on the deck is littered with empty glasses most days.The pub area Lord Nelson is absolutely freezing you need to wear a jacket to keep warm this was the worst place to order drinks yet the quietest. What MsC don,t tell you is about the transfers to the ports of call as the ship is big it cannot dock near so you have to use the shuttle which you get a ticket for and pay at the end of the week.Most times it is much cheaper to get a local taxi than use there own.as sometimes you only on for five minutes.Dubrovnik was the worst 14 euros each taxi outside 12 euros for four people total rip off.The staff try there best it is just too busy for them to cope.Beware if you intend to use the gym there is a 20 minute curfew on all the equipment which is crazy as a runner it takes this time to warm up it clearly is not big enough for the amount of people on board. Disembarkation on the final day was the worst we have seen nobody knew were they should be we got separated from family and went to three exits to be told we were at the wrong place it took longer to get of the boat than to get on.Value for money its not great better ships to go on it is defiantly geared up for European customers. Read Less

We selected this cruise to introduce the cruise way of seeing countries to family members who never been on a ship before. This was an affordable way of seeing many places although we have seen some of the location already on a previous cruise. The fact that food is included makes it worthwhile. the cost of any drinks is however too high for us being used of paying more reasonable prices in our own country for soft drinks etc. The very long stay at Mykonos was not very well planned since there is not much to do apart from the short excursion. More time could have been granted at Dubrovnik for example to enjoy this fabulous city and areas. The food was good but not as good as on Sinfonia and less available during evenings. The shows was very good and enjoyable. Just not enough emphasize on English guests, we again were in the minority and felt left out in the entertainment on board. not enough done for English speaking guests. This will therefore probably be my last MSC cruise. Not enough space in gym. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the great port calls; Italy, athens, olympia, Kotor, and Split. The destinations did not disappoint. They were fantastic and we avoided much of the crowds by cruising in the winter. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to explore Venice before our cruise departed as Easyjet canceled the flight. Needless to say, we had to scramble to find alternative transportation to Venice and it cost us an extra day of travel. The embarkation and disembarkation was extremely smooth at Venice. We had no issues getting on the ship four hours before the departure. Customs was smooth and friendly and this was the easiest embarkation we have experienced. The Luminosa allows you to embark or disembark at any of the port calls but I'm unsure how smooth the process was at the other locations. Like other reviewers, we found the Luminosa to be average. Compared to other cruises, the food was disappointing. Mainly pasta dishes and you pay extra for the dishes that are included on other cruises such as steak and lobster. Costa cruise lines charges extra for things like coffee, bottled water, ice cream, and even pizza. We found the layout of the cruise ship to be very similar to other cruise lines of this size. Spa on the 9th floor near the front of the ship, cafeteria style dining on the ninth floor, restaurant on the 2nd floor, casino, bars, etc. Our classic cabin with a balcony was nice; easily accommodating two adults and two children. The cabin was well insulated but we did hear some children running in the cabin above us. Thankfully, no issue with neighbors that smoke. The kids club seemed fine. My nine year old only went a few times but there didn't seem to be any language barriers. The teen club, however, was given over for infant space. As a result, the teens didn't really have a place to hang out and they would meet on various parts of the ship. It was a poor compromise and our teenage daughter, whom usually likes the teen club, chose not to participate on this cruise. It is apparent the crew is overworked. We were told they work 13 hour days for nine months without a day off. Our steward was responsible for around 20 cabins and it showed. Although hard working and friendly, you could tell the staff was stressed. Also, be prepared for lots of Italians and a lack of personal space and no regard for queues. Of course, this happens with other nationalities as well. Also, the announcements must have been in at least three languages which got tedious after a while. We did not attend any of the entertainment options but other passengers had good reviews for the nightly entertainment. All in all, we had a good cruise thanks to the port calls. Costa Luminosa has the potential to be a great cruise ship. Unfortunately, the quality of the food and overworked staff prevent the experience from rising to the next level. I would recommend the ship to those who are excited about visiting European ports and the timing works or the Luminosa price is significantly less than the competitors. Otherwise, it would be wise to consider other cruise ships. Read Less

This was our first cruise ever; we didn't knew what to expect, but it was all very good and it won't be the last cruise we make. More than enough space on the ship. You don't notice that there are more than 2.000 guests on board. Nice room (inside cabin 1248). Friendly personel, enough place on deck to find a nice/silent spot to sit in the sun. The food is good; for dinner you can choice for a luxury dinersetting on deck 2 or self-buffet on deck 9. When having dinner on deck 2 (restaurant Taurus), it takes sometimes a bit longer to finish dinner and therefore coming to late for the entertainment in the theater. Every evening we got the daily program for the next day in our cabin. We were with the two of us. You can see than Costa cruises are interesting for family's with children, because there were quit a lot of them. Not many older people. We didn't wnet with a shore excursions; we did it all bij ourselves. That's the nice thing with cruising, you are never very far away from the cities. Read Less

I choosed this cruise to discover the greek islands !! Because, last year we visited "Fjords" MSC Música. It was our honey moon, and it was Perfect !!! this time, we decided to visit the coast, and enjoy summer days with our lillte baby 8 mouths. Everything was niced, each port, unless Saranda !!! Not nice at all !!!! poor people who wanted to touch our bags, our children, awful beaches, not kind people and nobody speaks english at all. I dont recomend Saranda, if I have to repeat, if saranda is in the stops, I wont do it. Into the Poesia: Dinners were fantastic The cabin perfect with the little baby the crew very nice and 10 !! to Antonino !!!!!! And B Travel Brand. I will repeat it !!! very nice everybody with my baby !!! Next time, we are thinking to visit Baltic Capitals, so if you have any discount !!! Read Less

We´ve chosen this cruise to sail for first time. We were looking for a well rated cruise and not very expensive, and we found this cruise. The embarkation and the disembarkation were very smooth. The ship was really big compared with other ships! The excursions were very good, we bought some tickets for the shuttle bus to Dubrovnik. The cabin was very comfortable and modern. The entertainment was very varied, you could do yoga or swim. The kids had a lot of fun in the clubs. In the Teen Club, Musi Santos was very kindly to us. The service was very good, they clean the cabin twice per day. The Buffet was great, but the waiters were very slow. We´ve traveled with children, and they loved the cruise. They made friends and had fun. Every day they ask me "When are we going to a cruise?" We hope that we can sail in other cruise again. Read Less

I'm Alessandro, and i'm from Italy, i'm embark on MSC Magnifica the 27th March 2016, the embarkation was really speed in 30 minutes we are on the ship, the cabin was located at deck 11 and was with balcony. The turn of dining was for the first thing at 6.30 p.m. (we have forever the dining turn at 9.00/9.30 p.m) the service at the table was really cool, we does the dinner in 1h and 30 minutes or 2 hours respectively at second turn that finish forever at 11.00/00.00 p.m, In my week the activities at pool or in the ship was few, the people was at excursion and the game or activity was removed from daily. The service was very cool (unfortunately for the luggage that don't find for 5 hour next the departure but fortunately the luggage are reappeared). The port of our cruise was Katakolon, Mykonos, Pireaus (Athens), Dubrovnik and Venice then return at Bari. At Katakolon we have remained on the ship because we have already visited this city in other cruise, at Mykonos we have tooked a tender from old port of Mykonos to city center (the cost was of 6.90€), at Athens we have took a company of tour in Athens knowed already in Mykonos called "PireausExpressBus" and we have visited the Acropolis, Old Olimpic Stadium, Square Syntagma with the change of the guards and the way of shoppig called "Plaka", at Dubrvonik we have going to old city (Ragusa) and we have walked around at the city and at Venice we have visited Place S. Marco and the Basil of S. Marco and then we have going around to the city for shopping. We have travel with me that i have 15 years old, my parents and my cousin. Read Less