EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA WITH MSC MUSICA Here's a home-made translation of the original Italian text you find below. Hope you can understand our scholastic English and forgive any mistake. Along with our sons (13- and 15-years old) we have cruised from February, 20 until march, 3 the Eastern Mediterranean Sea with MSC MUSICA. The international MSC's motto is "Beautiful, Passionate, Italian": that's all true, but should be added "efficient and well organized". In one trip, actually, we found out three of them: one inside the ship, which is a gem of technology, architecture and interior decoration; one, of course, to the ports of call; and at last one across Europe, fully represented on board by a crowd of German (the largest group), French, Italian, Spanish and Russian guests. There were Japanese passengers too, and others. We reached Genoa with our car. A few miles after leaving the highway, we were in the port in a MSC reserved place where a crew of genoese porters welcomed us. They took just a while to carry away all our baggage and drive our car to a guarded garage (12 days, 120 euros, payment in advance). Soon we entered the Sea Station and started check-in. At the check-in counter there were many MSC stewards - mostly from Naples, the same ones we found later on board at the reception desk or at the accounting office - so they got thru the whole thing smoothly and fast. That's when everyone of us has been given a personal "cruise card", which allows you crossing every entering- and exiting- gate on the ship, get in the cabin and charge orders, shopping and any other expense on the personal account. Our credit card wasn't accepted, but we did easily feed our on-board-account in cash. Once we crossed police's electronic gates and metal detectors and have been photographed on the gangway with MSC hostesses ... we arrived on the dock. The ship is really huge, and everything's so small compared with it. It's breathtaking. As we got on board and passed the MSC security controls, we've been escorted in our stateroom by a steward and invited to take part to the welcome-on-board cocktail. The cabin is not that wide, but even the last and slightest detail has been planned to make it so roomy: there's everything you need and many solutions are really smart. The bathroom is a concentrate of functionality, the furniture is carefully executed and made of pleasantly matched materials and colors. It's fully supplied with towels, beach towels and cushions, as well as with telephone, hairdryer, LCD television set, minibar and electronic safe ... and a fresh fruit tray on the table. The stateroom attendant (the always-at-your-service and kind Bruce) and his assistant tidy it up twice a day. Every public space on the ship - beginning from corridors and stairs - have been projected and executed with a special regard and attention to functionality and aesthetic quality. Elevators themselves - spacious, fast and silent - are beautiful and fully mirror-finished, including the doors which seem to be mirror-coated ... until you realize they're made of incredibly polished metal. There are aboard many places (mainly on decks 5, 6 and 7) where to meet, talk, read, listen to the music and dance, and there are obviously many restaurants and bars too. You can have breakfast and lunch wherever you like to; we had a great time choosing at deck 13 "RISTORANTE GIARDINO" or "CAFFETTERIA GLI ARCHI", which has tables outside nearby the swimming pools, because of the astonishing view from their panoramic glass walls. At evening, instead, we had at "L'OLEANDRO" restaurant a reserved table which Yunarta - an Indonesian thoughtful chief waiter - and his friendly assistant were assigned to. Each restaurant has a large choice of excellent food and especially at the buffet ones there's such a wide assortment that any demand can be satisfied both at breakfast and at lunch. At dinner is provided a complete wine list and, apart from all other courses, an every evening different Italian regional menu. The service is always quick and careful, and the buffet restaurant tables are all the time kept cleared off and clean. Entertainment is provided by a team of cool young people and many bands and musical ensembles. "LOS PARAGUAYOS", a mariachi band from South America (three guitars and a harp), and "ANGELS QUARTET" (a female set of two violins, cello, piano) from East Europe, are really good and interesting and play "unplugged" here and there near bars and halls. The band playing at "CRYSTAL LOUNGE" and/or "TUCANO LOUNGE" are successful too, although they use computerized instrumentation; and so are the single artists performing in the bars. The said lounges are places with as well a stunning stylish decoration as a special attention to acoustic, so that music never seems too loud. About every night are booked variety shows at the "LA SCALA" theater. That hall is incredibly nice, all in a warm red and equipped with leading audio- and light- systems. "LA SCALA" theater is surely better than many dry land theaters. Artists, stage designing, music and shows are overall all first-class, and several times they've been rewarded with spontaneous standing ovations. A talk with the cruise director Anna or with the guys at the public address system gives you the sensation of a great professional competence added to a real passion. Everyday many publications (program of the day, description and history of the ports of call) are available in Italian, French, English, Spanish, German and Japanese; communication during the shows and the games, and some of the ship's speaker announcements are not provided in Japanese (for oriental guests there was however a Japanese hostess at the reception desk). The crew is English-speaking, as well as two or three more languages. Everyone at MSC MUSICA is always really gentle, careful and efficient. All day- and all night- long there are people cleaning, painting and polishing and doing routine maintenance. Among the guest wander about discreet and watchful MSC security men - you can tell them by their earphone - young guys mostly from East Europe. The gym - at deck 13 - is equipped with TECHNOGYM machines and leaded by a German girl formerly international fitness champ; it's located at the bow and its glass wall allows to train with a terrific view. On board you can connect to the internet and e-mail, it's not too expensive but it's rather slow. We had to get in the MSC hospital too. It is run by a medical female staff from Russia; we found it out well organized (it's also provided with a surgery room...) and not expensive. Frequently you can have one's photograph taken, alone or in group (formal dinner, excursions ashore, entertainment). Pictures are to be bought, either during the cruise or the last day, at the "PHOTO GALLERY" store, where also three DVD (the ship, the ports of call, the-cruise-you're-taking-part-of: this last one is of course available just the last day) are sold. Such as other personal services (spa, hair dresser, etc.) pictures are not that cheap, although quantity discounted; that's why we couldn't help leaving some out. We had otherwise the nice surprise of discovering in the folder more copies than we expected, and all in large sizes. Excursions are supplied by external operators and they're both good. Buses are all European, modern, comfortable and fast, you get a gift of flowers (if you're female...) and free bottles of mineral water (even if you're male). Each guide is competent and well speaking your language: we've toured Rhodes sharing the bus with a party of French guests and we've been given a double explication. During the excursion you're not under pressure and you've got some free time. In Alexandria - a place where there's nothing you can buy without hard negotiation - the stamps we've got from the guide in the morning were very cheaper than the ones we needed to get in the afternoon in the town. Entertainment for children is well organized: our sons took part to some activities and seemed to appreciate them. Some, maybe, even too much: the teen music party at the "Q32" disco was supposed to end at 1 a.m., but about two hours later it was still going on ... Sadly, twelve days go by so fast. Friday night - after having taken tons of pictures - we had to line up outside the stateroom door our luggage, marked with an MSC pink ribbon. Saturday at 7 a.m. we came out of our cabin, we saluted Bruce, we went to the upper deck to have breakfast and then we waited for our color to be called, while we were taking a look at the crowd of people and various vehicles toing and froing on the dock downloading and uploading every kind of stuff. We crossed for the last time the gates, we said hello to the security crew (they left us our cruise cards ! ) and we smoothly got out of the ship. A little later we collected the bags and the car and, as "our" MSC MUSICA got smaller and smaller down in the port of Genoa, we went back to the dry land home ... with the sweet awareness we have a floating one too. Don't' go away MSC MUSICA, we'll be back soon.