We are a couple in our mid forties from Australia who undertook this cruise at the end of a two month trip through Britain and Europe. We were originally looking for an alternative way home from Europe that didn't involve another long tedious flight. Unable to find a cruise from Europe to Australia that fitted in with our time frame we settled upon one that would get us as far as South America which would leave us with 'only' a fourteen hour flight home. Whilst researching this ship and company we did come across a lot of negative comments but as our first priority was the actual voyage we went ahead with the booking anyway. So here, dear readers are the results. The cruise commenced in Venice on the 15th of November at what is essentially the end of the Mediterranean cruise season. Therefore this ship was being repositioned to South America providing us with an interesting itinerary. The ports of call where Dudrovnik, Tunis, Malaga, Casablanca, Las Palmas, Recife, Buzious, Salvador de Bahia, Rio De Janeiro and finally, Buenos Aries. In all a total of twenty one nights with ten sea days.

Boarding went ahead with no real dramas so far as we could tell but as this is only our third cruise we don't have much to compare it with but the process was no better or worse than the other two cruise lines that we've travelled with.

The ship itself was launched in 2001 making it one of the oldest in MSC's fleet. However we heard that it had just spent a month in dock prior to this trip so had obviously undergone a great deal of work. Apart from the a complete repaint our cabin appeared to be brand new with not one bit of wear and tear on any fittings or fixtures....no scuff marks, scratches or anything! I do not know whether this applies to all cabins, it is hard after all to imagine a complete revamp in only four weeks, or whether this is part of a gradual overhaul. Anyway we were very pleased when we first set foot in our cabin which was located on the 10th deck on the port side near the stern and had a window. We did originally try to get a balcony cabin but as this is an older ship it doesn't have as many as the newer ones so subsequently they were booked out early on. The overall condition of everything else was very good and everything was spotlessly clean. Read more