MSC Cruises
This large, comfortable, family-friendly ship has elegant, chic decor
The Ship. MSC Orchestra will suit young adult couples, solo travelers, and families with tots, children, and teens who enjoy big-ship surroundings and a big-city lifestyle, with different nationalities and languages, mostly European. Children have their own meeting and play centers, video games room, youth counselors, and fun programs.
The ship’s deep blue funnel is sleek, and has a swept-back design with the MSC logo in gold lettering. The overall profile is quite well balanced. The hull has large circular porthole-style windows instead of square or rectangular windows.
MSC Orchestra is a sister to MSC Musica and MSC Poesia, though the fabrics and furnishings used in the interiors are nicer and softer. Among the numerous lounges and bars, the Out of Africa Savannah Lounge is stunning. A delightful four-piece classical ensemble regularly performs in the atrium lobby.
Plenty of real wood and marble have been used in the interiors, and the high quality reflects the commitment that MSC Cruises (a Swiss-based company with Italian roots) has in the vessel’s future.
The focal point is a three-deck-high lobby, with a water-feature backdrop and a crystal piano on a small stage that appears to float on a pond. Other facilities include a large main show lounge, a nightclub, disco, numerous lounges and bars (including a wine bar), library, card room, an Internet center, virtual-reality center, children’s club, and cigar lounge with specialized smoke extraction and a selection of Cuban, Dominican, and Italian (Toscana) smokes.
A shopping gallery has an integrated bar and entertainment area that flows through the main lobby, so that you can shop, drink, and be entertained all in one place. The expansive San Remo Casino has table games and an array of slot machines.
Drinking places include a pub-like venue as well as several comfortable lounges with live music. A 15 percent gratuity is added to all drinks/beverage orders. Some of the artwork is whimsical. And, speaking of whimsical, check out the ‘restrooms with a view’ – the men’s/ladies’ toilets adjacent to the forward pool deck bar have a great ocean view, and you can even watch the passing scenery while sitting on the toilet – if you leave the door open.
The decor has many Italian influences. There are clean lines and minimalist furniture, combined with a wide range of colors, soft furnishings, and fabrics that work well together, although it’s a little more garish than one would expect.
Anyone who is wheelchair-bound should note that the accommodation hallways are narrow on some decks. Note that there is no walk-around open promenade deck.
Although the interior layout and passenger flow is good, congestion occurs when first seating exits the two main dining rooms and second seating passengers are waiting to enter.
The MSC Cruises crew does its best to provide good service to a multi-national clientele, and the ship exudes a noticeable feel-good factor.
Accommodation. There are several price levels, depending on grade and location. There are suites with private balcony, mini-suites, outside-view cabins, and interior (no-view) cabins. Contrary to nautical convention, the cabin-numbering system has even-numbered cabins on the starboard side, and odd-numbered cabins on the port side.
All cabins have a mini-bar and personal safe, satellite flat-screen TV with audio channels, and 24-hour room service. Continental breakfast is complimentary from 7.30 to 10am, but snacks from room service cost extra at any other time.
Accommodation designated as ‘suites’ – not true suites, as there is no separate bedroom and lounge – is bigger than standard cabins, although suites are small compared to those on some on other cruise lines. Suites have a larger lounge area, walk-in closet, vanity desk with drawer-mounted hairdryer, and a bathroom with combination tub and shower. There is a semi-private balcony with light, but the partitions between each balcony are of the partial type. The suite bathrooms are plain, with white plastic washbasins and white walls, and mirrors that steam up.
Many cabins on Forte Deck have views obstructed by lifeboats. Cabins on the uppermost accommodation deck (Cantata Deck) may be subject to the noise of sunloungers being dragged across the deck above when it is set up or cleaned early in the morning. Some of the most popular cabins are those at the aft end of the ship, with views over the ship’s stern from the balcony cabins (on Virtuoso, Adagio, Intermezzo, and Forte decks). The 17 cabins for the disabled are spacious and well equipped.
Dining. There are two main dining rooms, Villa Borghese Restaurant and L’Ibiscus, located in the aft section of the ship, and with large ocean-view picture windows. There are two seatings for dinner, and open seating for breakfast and lunch. Tables are for two to eight, as well as some alcove banquette-style seats. Anyone occupying upper-grade accommodation typically gets the better tables in quieter areas.
MSC Cruises highlights regional Italian cuisine and wines, with menus that feature food from Calabria, Piedmont, Lazio, Puglia, and Sicily. Items that are always available include spaghetti (with a tomato sauce freshly made each day), chicken breast, salmon fillet, and vegetables of the day. All pizza dough is made on board, and risotto is a daily signature item, as is fresh pasta. Several varieties of Italian breads such as bruschetta, focaccia, and panettone are provided. Light ‘always available’ meals and vegetarian dishes are also provided.
Shanghai Chinese Restaurant makes a change from the main restaurants. This was the first real Chinese restaurant aboard any cruise ship – mainly because of the challenges of providing high-temperature wok and deep fryer preparation. Dim sum steamed dishes are also served, typically for lunch. The food embraces four main cuisines – Beijing, Cantonese, Shanghai, and Szechuan – and there’s Tsing Tao beer.
The Four Seasons Restaurant offers extra-cost, à la carte Italian cuisine in a garden-style setting with fine china, and a menu reflecting regional and seasonal fare. Food is cooked to order, so it tends to taste better than the meals in the main dining room. Reservations are required, and there’s a cover charge.
La Piazzetta Café is open 20 hours a day for casual, self-serve buffet-style breakfasts and for sit-down, served dinners in a relaxed environment.
Entertainment. Covent Garden is the ship’s stunning large showlounge. The Opera Lounge, one deck above, is the place for social dancing, with live music. The G32 disco is for the more energetic. A large poolside movie screen provides moviegoers with more choices. All the activities are provided by energetic multilingual cruise staff. Also, live music is provided in almost all bars and lounges.
Spa/Fitness. The Orchestra Health Center, operated by the Italian company OceanView, includes a beauty salon, several treatment rooms offering massage and other body-pampering treatments, and a fitness center with ocean views and high-tech muscle-toning equipment.
There’s also a thermal suite, containing different kinds of steam rooms combined with aromatherapy infusions, at extra cost. There’s a neat juice and smoothie bar opposite the reception desk. Gratuities are at your discretion.
Additional sports facilities include deck quoits, shuffleboard courts, tennis and basketball courts, mini-golf, and a jogging track.