A good break to destress and relax at sea. The on board entertainment was excellent and our assigned waiter for the El Poque restaurant second seating for dinner provided exceptional service - Hadi from Indonesia. The food however was average on occasion, especially the Indian cuisine - was not well prepared. Also, my other family members who traveled, had issues with their Balcony suites not being ready on time when we embarked. The waiting for embarkation was also long with MSC systems being down. There should also be more activities provided to keep all guests entertained especially for the longer cruises. Some of the service staff were very rude and disrespectful during our stay. This matter needs to be addressed by Management, as is a very poor reflection of MSC service standards. Being my first cruise, this was shocking with the bad service we received, and hope MSC will address this. Read Less

I prefer a longer cruise to a 3 or 5 day and this was wonderful. We went to Mauritius and Reunion which was wonderful. Alcohol was extremely expensive and the collection of wines OK but the staff kept trying to sell you the really bad wine. Facilities were wonderful and it was a family cruise which encouraged lots of children. Swimming in the pool was a challenge but understandable at this time of the year. In the dining room water had to be paid for - I thought a jug of water would not break the bank and would be appreciated. The fruit juice at breakfast was powdered cordial which was not appropriate for a cruise of this nature. Entertainment was good. Cabins were very good. Would highly recommend one with a balcony. So peaceful to sit and read there. Dining room is definitely recommended for lunch and dinner. It is more relaxed and pleasant. Would definitely recommend the Easy Onboard option to minimise queuing for embarkation. Few challenges but overall a wonderful experience and amazing holiday. Read Less

We looked forward to a longer duration of our cruise and had a wonderful experience. However, we were dissatisfied with the dinner seating issue which was eventually resolved. Embarkation was a bit of an issue due to Home Affairs being offline. The ship was great with plenty of entertainment on board. More caution needs to be emphasized to guests that have not booked shore excursions as we were caught off guard with taxi costs from Port Louis to explore the Island. We were charged MAU 5 000 (five thousand Rupees) equivalent to almost R2 400.00 for about 6 hours of touring. We found out the next day that we could have used buses not far from the port for just 38 rupees. Special thank you goes out to Melvyn Noronha and Atish from Mauritius; their service and hospitality were excellent. They really hosted us extremely well and made our bar needs priority. They have a very friendly approach and hosted us to the best of their ability. I take my hat off to these two individuals; they an asset to your company. On the whole, entertainment, cabin cleanliness and food was great. We will definitely choose MSC for our next holiday. With the exception of a few issues pointed above, we would like to thank you for the great holiday, we enjoyed it thoroughly. Read Less

I prefer longer cruises than the standard three or five day cruises. I really cherish the days at sea and both Mauritius and Reunion are fabulous destinations. The thing about an MSC Cruise that I appreciate is the activities planned and presented - you can be busy 24/24 or you can be as 'laid-back' as you choose. Overall the Staff are friendly, attentive and go out of their way to make your cruise memorable - yet, they are seldom if ever 'intrusive'. The Musica is a very spacious and luxurious ship. The Public rooms such as lounges, bars, restaurants, Reception Area are very spacious and you never get the feeling of being 'crowded out'. I think that the Buffet-Cafeteria on Deck 13 is very large and well laid out. However, I am not a fan of 'Buffet Restaurants' and by far prefer eating in a more formal dining restaurant with linen table-cloths and linen serviettes and being served at table by friendly and attentavie Waiters. The problem with Buffet restaurants is that people tend to eat to excess - everything looks so good and interesting. What I also appreciated on the Musica is the 'Kaito Shushi Bar Restaurant'. Together with my Cruise Partner and some other friends on board, for Dinner we were booked for the 1st Seating in the 'Belle Epoque' Restaurant on deck 6. A beautiful Restaurant with a wonderful and 'classy' ambience and decor! Table service was top class with a wonderful Waiter and Wiatress for Table 760. Breakfast and Lunch I mostly had in the 'L'Oleandro restaurant' on deck 5 - also always a pleasant, delightful experience with good service all round.The 'La Scala Theatre' is maginificent and most of the Shows and Entertaiment 'top class', although I am not a fan of 'Comedy' so I did not attend when this was on. One complaint I do have as that on the whole, especially in the 'ILTocano Lounge', the 'L'Enoteca Wine Bar' as well as in the 'Blue Velvet Bar' the volume of the singing was far too loud - a little more 'subdued' would have been far preferable! My favourite Outdoor bar was the 'Blue Marlin Bar' on the Pool Deck. I was extremely fond of the MSC Sinfonia and preferrred her to the MSC Opera - always enjoying the cruises I did on her. However, I must say that the MUSICA is of a different class and I am most impressed - I really look forward to her Sister Ship - the MSC Orchestra - coming to do the 2019/2020 South African Season and have already booked my cruises on her. Read Less

The embarkation and disembarkation was a nightmare. Hours of standing in line in a hot badly ventilated warehouse. It was very unorganised with people jumping the line and no-one there to stop them. Disembarkation was late and we had to stand in yet another long queue in the Durban heat to get onto the shuttle that we arranged through MSC. We had a pregnant woman, 3 senior citizens and 2 minors in our group and we had to stand in line like the rest of the people while others received preferential treatment because of their size. We all paid the same price for the shuttle. This actually ruined the cruise for me. MSC needs look at their embarkation and disembarkation procedures, it was really pathetic. The food did not impress me whether it was in the buffet area or the restaurants. I would have liked to have had some Mauritian cuisine on the ship. But once again the staff made up for it some what. They were always helpful and smiling. We basically only went to the restaurant because our waitor Didin from Indonesia was amazing along with his assistant Read Less

This was my first cruise. I wanted a cruise going far away from South Africa and I made a good choice by choosing this cruise. The food is excellent. The bar service was so magnificent. The entertainment was out of this world. I made a mistake of leaving my children behind as I wanted to spend some time with wife alone but my next cruise I am definitely taking my kids with. The cabin was neat and comfortable and felt like one of those upmarket hotels. I Choose the easy-on-board embarkation and the experience was good considering the long queues during embarkation. I would recommend to my friends and family to also choose easy-on-board. The shopping experience was good. High quality products were on offer at affordable prices. I will definitely be on my next cruise very soon. I enjoyed all the excursions that I booked. I wish we could have stayed for more days at Reunion Island as I believe there was more that someone could have explored. Thank for the good experience. This will be a life time memory. Read Less

Its top cruise company and has great service and staff working for it. The MSC Musica is the best experience I think anyone MUST experience at least once in your life!! It was the best holiday I have ever taken in my life and one of the best time of my life. From the moment you enter the ship from passport checks , to the moment you disembark the ship, the service is of excellent quality, you feel like royalty. The shows are out of this world, so much effort and detail to give the best most entertaining production, food was the best of the best. Prepared and displayed with class, nice activities at pool deck, the boat cruises to island were nice too. Thank you to each and every staff member that I encountered for the hospitality and beyond friendly service!! Special thanks to from kiddies day care place - all ways informing and caring, Budi and Jackie from Leonardo restaurant for serving us dinner with great pleasure and advising us on best meals. I cannot wait to go on my next MSC cruise. Once again thank you. I will definitely see you again in the very near future!!!! Read Less

I chose the cruise because I wanted to explore African Islands which I think the MSC routes provides but this trip would have been even greater if MSC focus more on execursions by investing in providing more to do activities even by joining affiliating with othe lodges or hotels and focus on increasing list of activities. Another concern is that the most of the execursions do not accommodate kids below the age of 12 even with the onboard activities for kids should also be looked at. Otherwise kids safety is good I did not even had to worry about my daughter as kids safety is guaranteed and clear measures are put in place for parents assurance. Overall the I enjoyed sailing with MSC and I would do it again and would definitely recommend it to friends and families very happy I took part in this adventure loving and enjoyed it Read Less

We cruised after 16 years, so a major improvement in the cabin and dining for breakfast/lunch and excursions and facilities at the destinations. My highlights of the cruise were the excursions to the Portuguese Island and Pomene. The port excursions at Maputo were pricey for the family and also the hiring of loungers. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and evening shows. Our waiter, Eko Budiyatno and barman, Jay Castillo provided excellent service. The entertainment team were excellent. We looked forward to rhe daily printed itenaries. I feel improvements can be made in providing more shade areas on the deck. Being a non-alcoholic and cruising with kids, I feel there should be a designated area for drinkers or non-drinkers. We really enjoyed the photographers but felt that the photos were highly overpriced. A suggestion would be to rather have electronic copies to view and then print copies requested at a more reasonable rate. The Aurea spa was enjoyable. An improved system for embarkation needs to be devised to make the experience more enjoyable. I will cruise again after a few years but a different destination, perhaps UEA. Read Less

Great cruise experience that focused on providing excellent service to family oriented fun, entertainment, facilitates, personal feeling and care. Excellent staff especially the waitress at dinner, Emiliana from Bulgaria and her assistant Naidu from Mauritius. Buffet at breakfast and dinner was of great value and catering for my family special need. My teen age children had fun at the welcoming party, they enjoyed the disco, music. The live bands across the various lounges were exciting to listen to. The entertainment director was funny. Loved the safety environment, excellent security during embarking and disembarking. Excellent cruise card, payment, process simplified. We also enjoy the Indian delight menus that cater for our culture and religion. The waitress understood our personal requirements. The braai lunch was tasty and excellent, and would be better with more lamb products. Photography was excellent. Pools were clean. Pool furniture was neat and tidy all the time. The shows were eye catching and fascinating. Hope to go on another cruise soon. Read Less

We came as a family to experience the sun, sea, shows and excellent food. We loved the top class shows, excellent shopping. I purchased a beautiful Invicta watch and perfume for myself and daughter at a reduced price. We enjoyed the casino experience with my hubby winning over 150 dollars. The Portugese Island was a real treat with us purchasing unique gifts from the locals.we cruised for 3 days and would like to cruise for a longer period next time preferably to Dubai or Europe. I really think that. A basic family photo should be included in the cruise price. We love sushi and would like to suggest that each family receives a voucher for the sushi restaurant. My son thoroughly enjoyed playing soccer. On my next trip I will like to make use of the sauna room and gym. Most of all i loved the delicious cocktails and even met a South African who came from Mpumalanga where we stay. The staff are excellent. madelein from Brazil was very helpful and when our cocktail order was incorrect duw to it being alcholic instead of virgin she was very good in fixing things. Read Less

The Cruise was great. I was impressed with how efficient the process of onboarding and disembarkation went. The photographers are a bit too much, i understand its all about upselling photos, but its a bit too much in your face. Staff were great and always helpful! Excursions were poorly communicated and over priced. I specifically asked how long the snorkeling trip would be and a 3 hour snorkeling trip ended in 30 mins snorkeling and a long uncomfortable ride to and from the snorkeling spot. I would not even do that excursion if it was for free. The staff in the shops were always friendly and helpfull. The Waiters were good company when discussing their origins. The Balcony cabin was really nice, and the overall experience was luxurious. The bedding were clean and towels were fresh. The boat overall was quite nice and clean. The Visit to the Island was really nice, and well planned. I will sail again with MSC Read Less

The time spent on the Cruise was excellent. There were lots of entertainment and activities. There was always something for everybody, doesn't matter which age group you belong to. All the areas and sections of the Cruise including cabin were very clean, neat and tidy. The luxury on the Cruise was very good. My family has enjoyed the entire experience. It is indeed a massive operation run in a very systematic manner. It starts from embarkation process. Everything was managed well. The communication, information about daily programs and all the arrangements were commendable. I was amazed by the catering arrangements for such a huge number of people. The parties at pool side were fabulous. Overall it was memorable experience. Certainly, me and my family would like to join another Cruise sometime in the future. I will recommend Cruise holidays to my friends and colleagues. I believe that every person must try Cruise experience at least once in life time. Read Less

Traveling is my forte, and a cruise was on my bucket list for 2018 with my family. Our first family holiday! Which we enjoyed thoroughly. Excellent service all round, great food, entertainment and activities. Embarkation and disembarkation was good. Dining was fantastic, service of the waiters and waitresses were excellent. Very friendly and always obliging. My son enjoyed the excursion as his goal is to work on a cruise liner someday. We absolutely loved the island, a day well spent!! Not forgetting the boat ride to the island! It was amazing with the cool breeze and water splashing on us, enjoyed it so much! The people on the island were so friendly, the markets sold beautiful souveniers and clothing. I will definitely cruise again, it's on my bucket list for 2019!!! This time i will pack much lighter as i was'nt aware that it was so cool and casual, and nobody really notices what you wear. Everyone has so much fun!!! Read Less

This cruise was fantastic. The interior designing, the cabin, the staff, the lounges, the food and drinks, the entertainment, the singers and actors. Everything was brilliant and I will definitely go again, as soon as possible and recommend it to others. My only problem was the fact that it was so full and in particular with kids, but that was just the type of cruise and the time of year that was wrong. I would've liked more pool areas and different types as well as slides of some sort and stuff. I would've liked to spend some more time doing more child like things like ping pong and swimming and all. Also the ice cream queue needs to be more efficient and there needs to be ice cream available elsewhere. I also think I would've enjoyed it even more if it wasn't with South Africans on board. Without saying anything bad about them, I think the ship is so out of the ordinary that it would be more enjoyable with people who are as well, and that are different cultures and nationalities which I don't see often. The drinks packages really didn't work for me, and I do not like how they overlap with eachother. I would like more specific ones to the drinks I would like. If you get the alcoholic one for example, then how do you buy anything other than cocktails, because if you do, you will be making a loss or no saving at all because cocktails are the most expensive.. Also, if you bought an extra package while on the ship, it works out more expensive than buying the drinks alone because they charge you a admin fee or something. Which makes no sense. Lastly, I understand that the deck must be open but it is too susceptible to wind and that makes the experience unpleasant. I lost a new Adidas cap that was tight on my head and just flew off. My cocktail glass also blew away and I had to go fetch it again. Read Less

Embarkation was very disappointing, one queue only and passengers "pushing" into the queue, only one person scanning in the luggage, passengers disembarking exiting through the same passage as embarking passengers. Notwithstanding above once on board it was a lovely experience. Cabins are top class, the dining rooms and the staff looking after you are really professional and the food is very tasty and well presented, thanks very much to the chef's and their staff. The entertainment was also world class, every night had a different theme and the costumes are amazing. The different 'themes" bars with their own selection of live music gets the jiving, dancing mood going and is also very relaxing just to look and listen. The pool deck I feel is a bit crowded for the amount of passengers on the ship, if there was maybe a separate "deck" for the smokers it could leave more space for passengers that would like to enjoy the outdoors. Luckily the cruise had the day on the beach else three days on board good have been a bit testing. Read Less

I chose this cruise because it was going to the Portuguese Island which was the highlight of the cruise. The food and service was good.. The ship is huge but was easy to navigate. I was abit concerned that the service charge on my bill was so high. It would have been nice if we were told about this when loading money on our card or using our card. The lines at reception were long. The food was okay but the restriction on the dining times made me stress a little. Not all the staff are helpful but those who are helpful, really out do themselves. The live entertainment was amazing. The DJ was satisfactory because the same songs were playing throughout the cruise. Some of the public toilets are not well kept especially at night. The shower curtain in the cabins are really not good. I was very impressed with the embarkation process. it was very well structured. We did not get our invoice in our cabin to review and this made it difficult to correct mistakes such as being double billed for drinks etc. Read Less

We had a wonderful time and we will definitely recommend MSC cruises to friends and family. There are some things we would do differently in the future. We would opt for a longer cruise as we just found the places we enjoyed the most on the ship when our cruise was almost over. We would also prefer taking a themed / special occasion type cruise in future. The excursion was wonderful and I would definitely recommend getting the special lounge on the beach. Unfortunately one of the excursions we booked got cancelled before our cruise and we were not told that we could take an alternative option. We were told we would get a refund which we are still waiting for. I treated myself to a hair colour treatment at the on board salon. Unfortunately this was one of the things that I would not recommend to others as the hair colour end result was much darker (black) than the colour I had selected (brown). The stylist seemed nervous when rinsing my hair. I'm not sure she was qualified or experienced enough to do this job. Over all we loved the experience. Food and drinks were good. Being on the sea and island was amazing. Our cabin was great and the bed was so comfortable! We loved standing on our balcony in the suite...our private little deck where we could enjoy the ocean sounds, sunset and sunrise. Read Less

A birthday gift. Family cruise, a truly memorable time. Kids didn't do activities. Just spending time together exploring. Not enough time though. Too short, a definitely will be a 2nd cruise. Cleaning crew very friendly and helpful, professional. Dinner wasn't so good, the lateness and not much of a variety. Brekkie and lunch was lovely. Definitely would recommend to others. Thx MSC The coffee and juices wasn't nice. I think the check out time was chaotic since the was only one side of the reception open. Lines was super long. Boarding experience was fun and very organized for a huge crowd. The lady at reception explaining about the card system was so helpful and didn't rush even though the was a line. Very patient. We had a awesome time with our family. Didn't feel sick, got lost lots but was fun finding our way around. Thank you to your very capable and friendly team. Read Less

Our four day cruise with msc musica. One of the main reasons we have chosen this cruise is due to the postive reviews from people who have previously been on the MSC. The Food was delicious,the restaurants were exquisite. The staff were friendly and accommodating and we always had good service. They were always there to help.The entertainment was BRILLIANT. Tucano lounge and the Pool Deck were the places to be.There was never a dull moment on our cruise. Everything moment was filled with smiles, cheers and laughter. When it came to shopping there was a variety to shop -Clothing, perfumes, suvoniors, chocolates and so much more ... Our cabins were always in good condition. One of the highlights of the trip was going to pomene getting onto the boats then experiencing the amazing sight of looking back at the MSC musica as we disembark to the island. Our experience on Msc Musica overall was accommodating, entertaining and one of the best experiences I've had. Read Less

Our embarkation was great as we paid for the 'priority board' option. This made it a smooth entry and the staff were extremely helpful in getting the people flowing through customs. The ship is beautiful and cabins are very comfortable. The space provided is worth it and sea view, even if just small balcony, is still spectacular to experience. I must compliment our waiter that served us during dinner - Selvin (table 610). He was very friendly and informative from the start. Even when we saw him during the day at the pool restaurant, he still greeted with a friendly smile and remembered us. In the evenings, he remembered our drinks orders and was very polite. He joked with us and really made us feel welcome (even though we are just another table for him)... we enjoyed it thoroughly. The entertainment was good and we thoroughly enjoyed the Tucana Lounge musicians. Music played was for all ages and the entertainers were social and interactive with audience. Read Less

On Monday the 10 December 2018 we went on our Cruise from Durban to the Portugues Islands and Pomene and back to Durban. The embarkation process seemed to take forever because of the long queues for the Customs Control. On the ship we were directed to the 13 Floor for a buffet Style Lunch. More queues however the table next to the window and the tasty food made up for it. We were allocated to the Belle Epoche Restaurant and our Waiter was Sukadana from Indonesia, a very friendly Waiter who did his best under the pressure he found himself. The food served in this Restaurant gave you the impression that this kitchen was there to serve the Masses. The food on the plate was no feast for the eye and gave the impression that the Chefs in the kitchen didn't care how the food was platet and served to the guests. No sauces were served with the meat dishes. The Spaghetti Bolognaise that we chose the Wednesday evening looked as if it was the last bit left in the pot and warmed up in a Microwave. The dining experience in this Restaurant as a whole was not a good experience. The day we arrived at the Portugese Islands the weather was not safe for going ashore so we cruised onto Pomene where we went ashore and had a maical time strolling along the beach and enjoying the sun. Entertainment on the Ship was excellent, especially the shows in the theatre. The relaxing atmosphere and different styles of music was also very good. Sitting in these lounges you forget you are on a Cruise Ship. The overall service and friendly staff makes it a cruise to remember and something I will do again. Read Less

In the beginning of 2018 we thought it will nice to go on a family cruise. We told the kids and they have been excited since. The thought of being in a big ship like the MSC Musica and being on the ocean was just exciting. Our experience was generally great. Embarkation was a bit overwhelming in the beginning with thousands of people queued up for what seemed like eternity. A big THANK YOU to DEON du TOIT who saw us with a wheelchair. He took us through immigration control, registration and showed us around the ship. He was OUR HERO. He was PATIENT, CARING and made us comfortable. Without HIM, we would have been frustrated and probably overwhelmed by what we would have experiences. So a BIG THANK you indeed to Deon du TOIT. :) MSC, please reward him. The MSC MUSICA staff were very helpful. We, with a disabled child, were looked after very well, given priority pass and places reserved for us, although we always found people who did not need such places already occupying them. We enjoyed the food, there were enough variety and always available. Without proper check, one would eat a lot more than they need. There was sufficient entertainment. Albeit too short in some instances, the stage plays for example. Just as we sit to enjoy the Disney Characters they were finished. Although we had all the help we could get from all the staff members, the excursion at Pomone was just not comfortable. So, I felt traumatised by the experience... Would I go again? Maybe, but not anytime soon. Read Less

Previously I used sinfonia so I just wantef to try musica, you the best food and your entertainment was outstanding, i must say thumbs up to the entertainment department more specifically Raphael , the guy is talented And also your bar services is very good as well as different performers who were performing, the performances was catering all people across different races Besides the motions sickness the whole cruise experience was outstanding, you have the best photographers And the experience at pemene island in Mozambique was so outstanding, one was just reconnecting with nature while laying on the sand watching the waves, it was a marvelous experience....................,,,,, What can i say im so speechless msc is the way to go, it was my second msc Cruises and im gonna do it agan, im happy all my expectations were met And the msc staff are so friendly always smiling Above everything i give the entertainment department 10/10 they are so good specifically Raphael the guy is very talented he made my stay at the cruise outstanding Read Less

well done to the best children's teacher MARYNA she had so much love and patience for the Children well served by gabriella and anom at the restaurant, such nice person so loving, smiling and helpful at the time. Well done to all the cooking stuff, all the food was supper nice. entertainment team well done, Cabin cleaning stuff well done , the cabins well taken care off. Photo studios where very nice, but i will the price of the photos can be reasonable to accommodate us. All photos where nicely printed. Theatre what a nice experience, well done to all theatre stuff. Well dressed and very well performed. Security at the parking by the harbour, they stole my spare wheel. It is so dissapointing that you come back and the car is damaged while we payed so much for the parking. THANKS to all the stuff during the cruise great cruise Read Less