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ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was our 7th cruise together. ABOUT THE SHIP: If you have a specific idea of what cruising should be like, with a thousand detailed requirements, you will not enjoy this ship. It does not offer the same experience as Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian and probably never will. If, on the other hand, you find the interplay of cultures fascinating, and find differences stimulating instead of just "wrong," you’ll have a wonderful time. MSC is an Italian company. They are the second largest cargo line in the world and are relatively new to the cruise market so there are some good values to be had. At least half of the passengers on our ocean crossing were Europeans and the blessedly few PA announcements were in five languages: English, German, Italian, French and Spanish. Service personnel must function in most of these languages. Some do this better than others, but all seemed pleasant and patient. The MSC Opera is new and is a sleek greyhound. It was designed for the luxury trade before the decision was made to pursue the budget end of the market. The interiors are quietly elegant in dark blues, smoky plums, corals and creams. There’s no art in particular but the lighting fixtures are well designed like big sculptures. The ship lacks glass-sided elevators, high atriums and Vegas-style metallic glitz, but makes up for it by being really comfortable, human-scaled like a good European hotel. Lots of small places to settle in. Lots of glass and views of the sea. We had an inside cabin. It was not the largest we’ve been in, but the mirror layout was the best we’ve seen, giving more light and sense of space than we expected. The bathroom was equally well-planned, generously sized with an excellent shower. Water heat and pressure were both good. The smaller of the two restaurants, L’approdo, is a jewel box of red and pink. The larger restaurant, La Caravella, is very sophisticated in green, cream and yellow, with lots of columns and divisions so it seems more intimate than its size would indicate. There is a cafeteria on the top deck with indoor and outdoor seating. The top deck also has two pools and is very lively. There is often an excitable host screaming in 4 or 5 languages, running incomprehensible games and contests with enthusiastic passengers, Europop blaring on the speakers. If you want quiet, there are lounge chairs on the Boat Deck most days and also at the stern of many of the cabin decks. ABOUT THE FOOD: Extraordinarily good. Northern Italian. We were on for 17 days and they didn’t miss on a pasta or risotto once. Good pizza, superb homemade ice cream, excellent bread, good soup. We found the meat entrees a little lacking but others singled them out as exceptional. You could always get a grilled sirloin or chicken if you didn’t like the chef’s entrees. The cakes were of the baba au rhum variety. Very airy and not much chocolate, but plenty of variety. Lots of salads and fresh fruit, plus fresh fruit in the rooms. The waiters are Italian and joke a little heavily at first and not always successfully in an attempt to charm you. On the whole they are very good. When I expressed a preference for ice tea and breadsticks rather than rolls, I found them waiting every night. Luigi was an excellent waiter, Mario and Carlo excellent maitre’d’s (and Sylvie was a superb cabin steward too.) MSC has a policy that you don’t have to tip if you don’t want to. This is churlish, the staff deserves it, they work hard. We followed the policy we have always followed. We ignored management’s guidelines and tipped what we wanted to and felt was appropriate. THE BEST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: The intimacy and sheer livability of the ship are the main virtues for us, but one of the most civilized things is that they allow you to get duty free liquor and open it and consume it in your room. They don’t seal it for the voyage so you’ll order more from the bars like many lines do. THE WORST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: There are two really bad things about the ship: 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light up. Some Americans complained to the offenders but many of the smokers didn’t speak English, so it was futile. We never saw staff do anything to enforce the no-smoking areas. I am asthmatic and suffer from smoke, but I was able to get away from it OK. Judge for yourself whether it makes a difference to you. 2) MANAGEMENT: Charming but utterly chaotic. Generally inefficient and sometimes maddeningly so and in odd ways. The loading of the ship in Genoa, for example, was the most efficient I have ever seen. You checked in, reserved your dining table, and booked your shore excursions in one very smooth line. But once on board, both the purser’s and excursion desks were uninformed and uncoordinated. For example, we tried to book a transfer from the dock to Ft. Lauderdale airport. Reception said Shore Excursions handled that, Shore Excursions said Reception handled that, they bounced us back and forth, called each other and yelled into the phone. We eventually did get to the airport and make our flight, but a little more coordination would have worked wonders with the experience. Similarly the 24 hour internet service broke down periodically because the satellite gave them problems. Nobody had any idea when it would be fixed. There is a technician on board but service remained unreliable. Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved 24 hours later. THE PEOPLE ON BOARD: The Americans on board this repositioning cruise were largely retired people, many from Florida. They are very experienced budget cruisers. They have taken every line and they have very set expectations about what they like and want from a cruise. When they don’t get what they are used to from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc., they don’t perceive this European ship as different, they perceive it as WRONG! This makes some of them very hostile.   For example, there are only small cups of ice water on a hot day. Not spigots of iced tea or fruit juice like on other ships. There is iced tea but only in the dining rooms. Not in the cafeteria or on the outdoor patio. This one thing made a lot of people hostile. (Until management gets around to this one, bring a tall insulated mug and make your own). We were told there is little music for ballroom dancing at night. Only disco (I guess their Mediterranean cruises have more young people -Europeans have longer vacations than us and the American passengers skewed older). There are movies on the TV but they are dubbed in many languages. And the English-language originals are often not on at convenient times, nor are the schedules reliable. "Welcome to Mooseport" loses something when dubbed in German (I’m not kidding). And some passengers just don’t like it when they are so many people on board that they can’t talk to, and they grow impatient when instructions have to be translated. Also, some cultures are trained to get on line, while others just crowd in, which makes for conflict. If management would put rope lines like a bank in front of the reception counter, that might defuse a lot of bad feeling. We read some hostile reviews of this ship and its sister ship, the Lirica before we booked this, but we must say we enjoyed the experience thoroughly and found it a phenomenal value. You just have to know what you are getting in to. SHOPS: Very tasteful and very expensive, which made no sense at all. The shops were one part of the ship not recalibrated for budget cruising. The stock was entirely for the European market, the wrong weight clothing and not even in American sizes. They didn’t sell bottles of aspirin or Tylenol, but did sell several kinds of expensive anti-cellulite cream. Considering the average age and needs of the Caribbean cruisers this is pretty odd. Also, one lone bottle of SPF sunblock shared shelf space with plentiful supplies of old-fashioned tanning butter. If they sold some insulated mugs with the ship’s logo, they’d clean up and stop the no iced tea hostility, but they are not yet that sensible. The $350 dollar sweaters didn’t sell even at 50% off. When the temperature outside went to 90 degrees, people wanted tee shirts. They only had a few, they were expensive and for sale only in the liquor store! A simple $29 item in the jewelry shop would have sold out. But they didn’t have anything at all in that category. SHORE EXCURSIONS: The stops on our crossing were: Barcelona, Casablanca, Funchal, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St. Maarten, and Nassau. Generally well run. Remember to bring Euros for Barcelona and Funchal (not all the Americans on board did). The ship charges 3 percent to change money. This includes 3 percent to cash travelers checks which is a bum deal. They’re supposed to be cash. The full day excursion to Marrakesh from Casablanca which includes a 4 hour bus trip both ways is exhausting but sooo worth it! Don’t miss this one. In Madeira, we found riding a wicker … read more »

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ervice remained unreliable. > Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a > barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed > the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was > an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved > 24 hours later.

I will be sure to relay that message to Vanessa and her roomate Amanda Not that I am a proud father or anything! > HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: > MSC has hired management from American cruise lines to explain > American cruise culture to them, so improvement should be swift. They > are really trying hard. But we don’t expect they’ll ever be "plain > vanilla." If you like, by all means give them a try, but only if you > understand going in it’s going to be different, and that’s not a bad > thing.

Thank you for what sounds like a balanced and honest review, It meshes with what I saw on board and what my daugther (the aforementioned Vanessa) said about her experience on the crossing. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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Am I correct in understanding that "Opera" does have lounge chairs on promenade deck?  That is my favorite place to sit on any cruise and a ship without a beautiful promenade with comfortable seating is no high on my list.   I would love to try the "Opera" and wish MSC the very best of luck. Rick

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> ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. > We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., > 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was > our 7th cruise together.

 > Absolutely great and well rounded review!  Thank you.  I’ll be sailing on MSC OPERA next month and I’m really counting on something different than the mainstream American cruise lines.  It sounds like MSC might just be the ticket.  All the things that annoyed the demanding Florida passengers I will take in stride.  I don’t let the small things get to me, and it sounds like you don’t as well.  I think the most successful travelers are those that can roll with the punches and enjoy experiences that are different rather than the same.  Isn’t that the point of traveling anyway?  Too bad many American cruisers have gotten used to getting their way and having their hand held. It makes for some very unfriendly people  …. and we have all come across them on cruises. One thing …. MSC Cruises does not plan to be a budget line in the US. Their prices are on the budget level now to attract customers since they are relatively unknown.  They plan to offer a premium product with an Italian flair that will be a notch above Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL.  I imagine we will see their prices rise as they infiltrate the market and offer an alternative to Holland America and Celebrity. Thanks again for the review! Ernie

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> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up.

Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC anytime soon. — Charles

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. > Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC > anytime soon. > —

Maybe Rick Sasso will get the message. –Tom

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Thanks for posting your cruise review, I enjoyed reading it. You are a good writer, every entertaining. Many people may want to try this ship, but I am afraid the smoking problem will keep a lot of people away.  OTOH, it may attract a few smokers. Becca  <—–avoids smoke when I can… MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/ Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm Canada – New England http://www.cruisemaster.com/carnivalFall.htm Caribbean Princess http://www.cruisemaster.com/caribprin.htm

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they >> aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning >> smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the >> restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non >> smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the >> cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night >> (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were >> fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking >> area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed >> corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light >> up. > Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC > anytime soon. > — > Maybe Rick Sasso will get the message. > –Tom

The cruises originating from the US will have a much higher percentage of Americans and Canadians which automatically means less smokers.  I would imagine there will be no more smokers than on a typical Carnival cruise. I also hope Rick Sasso doesn’t "Americanize" the product to the point where it’s just another Princess or Royal Caribbean.  I think that would defeat the entire marketing strategy. MSC is definitely for people looking for something beyond the mainstream. Ernie

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> The cruises originating from the US will have a much higher percentage of > Americans and Canadians which automatically means less smokers.  I would > imagine there will be no more smokers than on a typical Carnival cruise.

Maybe. A counter example would be Costa. It has somewhat similiar origins and from the reviews I have read of their Caribbean sailings there are more smokers than other cruise lines. Also If the Carnival cruise I was on in October is typical then a typical Carnival cruise has more second hand smoke. — Charles

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> Maybe. A counter example would be Costa. It has somewhat similiar > origins and from the reviews I have read of their Caribbean sailings > there are more smokers than other cruise lines. Also If the Carnival > cruise I was on in October is typical then a typical Carnival cruise > has more second hand smoke. > — > Charles

My Carnival cruises have typically had more smokers than other cruise lines I have sailed, which is why I used them as an example.  MSC sailing from the US will probably have smoker’s in the same quantity as Carnival.  For me personally, this is nothing that would stop me from sailing Carnival or MSC. I’m traveling with my mom and some friends on MSC OPERA, and my mom is a smoker so I know she will be happy. Ernie

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> My Carnival cruises have typically had more smokers than other cruise lines > I have sailed, which is why I used them as an example.  MSC sailing from the > US will probably have smoker’s in the same quantity as Carnival.  For me > personally, this is nothing that would stop me from sailing Carnival or MSC. > I’m traveling with my mom and some friends on MSC OPERA, and my mom is a > smoker so I know she will be happy.

Okay. I was not sure if Carnival typically has more smokers or there was just more smoke on the one Carnival sailing. I can live with some second hand smoke, like what I have encountered on Celebrity, Princess and RCI. The amount I encountered on Carnival was over my personal threshold, so if it turns out MSC has the same quantity as Carnival I won’t book it. — Charles

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The review was quite good. My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. Smoking was not a problem in most areas. The outside patio area had most of the smokers. There is no smoking in the 2 main show lounges, the dining rooms or on the port side of the ship. Ship:  Very nice. Service: At the start of the cruise, Poor. At the end of the cruise, GOOD As the other reviewer noted, they have a few things to work out. THEY WERE TRYING. This was the 1st caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale. I had expected some problems with service. This is normal. I was on the 1st cruise of the Mariner of the Seas. It was not as good as the Operas 1st cruise. The food in the dining rooms was Very Good. The Buffet was Fair to Poor  It also was not opened every night. Has to be improved! The Casino:  2 Blackjack tables, 1 Caribbean Stud Table & 1 Holdem Table. 3 Roulette wheels. and Slot machines.  VERY SMALL, No Dice table. It also was only open from 2:30 to 6:30 and 8:30 till 1AM. Shows were excellent. Some of the best I ever saw. Cabins are very nice, Shower is small. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is a 7.  I would go back anytime. Brent

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Terrific review, thanks. Sue

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>The review was quite good. >My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. >Smoking was not a problem in most areas. >The outside patio area had most of the smokers. >There is no smoking in the 2 main show lounges, the dining rooms or on the >port side of the ship.

Someone else remarked that smokers did not adhere to that stated policy. What did you observe?  Did the outside smokers stay on the smoking side or do I have to be prepared to punch out their lights if I sail on the Opera?

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> The review was quite good. > My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. > Smoking was not a problem in most areas. > The outside patio area had most of the smokers.

By your description, smoking is only a problem if you want to go outside. How about a show of hands? How many people like to go out on th e deck during a cruise?

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>> The review was quite good. > My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. > Smoking was not a problem in most areas. > The outside patio area had most of the smokers. >By your description, smoking is only a problem if you want to go >outside. How about a show of hands? How many people like to go out on th >e deck during a cruise?

me, me, me, me, and we, we, we, we.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. >Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC >anytime soon.

Same for us.  No MSC cruises as long as they don’t maintain lots of smokefree areas, including out on deck.   It’s a shame, because we are enjoy opportunities to mix and mingle with folks of other nations.  And foreign languages are no obstacle, either.  Between us we have several languages in which we are fluent and we are well-travelled. It’s not fair or truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys". Certain segments of some European countries include more smokers, and speaking from experience, that would likely include budget cruisers.   I lived and studied among well-educated upper middle-class Germans, Austrians, Dutch and Belgians and not even one of them smoked.  Neither did most of the other Europeans I knew well.   We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere else in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much smoking. Do we cruise less often because of this?  Yep, you betcha.

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> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere else > in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much smoking.

I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. — Charles

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> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere > else > in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much > smoking. > I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage > who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise > ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. > —

Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end up smoking both day and night during the cruise. –Tom

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>>> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they >> aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning >> smoking. >It’s not fair or truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys". >Certain segments of some European countries include more smokers, and speaking >from experience, that would likely include budget cruisers.   I lived and >studied among well-educated upper middle-class Germans, Austrians, Dutch and >Belgians and not even one of them smoked.  Neither did most of the other >Europeans I knew well.  

It is entirely fair and truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys," as people active in international campaigns to reduce smoking in public places can tell you. People who sailed on the Opera repositioning cruise can offer anecdotal support to the medical statistics, and we did. This doesn’t make us untruthful, it means that our experience was not what one writer expected. Our chimney-like characterization applies to offices, restaurants and public places in general. If one is fortunate enough to have spent time among a handful of European non-smokers, congratulations, so have we. Nonetheless, from a public policy point of view, the trends are clear – many European countries are way behind us in recognizing the harm in second-hand smoke, and doing anything about it. On our repositioning cruise, there were some areas of the Opera, like the restaurants, where smoking was not allowed and the prohibition was observed. There were other areas of the ship where the non-smoking signs were disregarded. If, as seems from Brent Stell’s excellent review, this is less of a problem with the winter-season Caribbean-only cruises, that’s good news. My wife is asthmatic and can’t tolerate tobacco smoke. We always found ways of working around it on our crossing, and it should be even easier now. We didn’t have room in our review to mention that you can request a non-smoker’s cabin, so you don’t have to deal with fumes from a previous passenger. If you are a militant non-smoker, as we are, don’t eliminate the Opera from consideration for that one reason. The entire ship is cleaner than most, and tobacco was a manageable problem. As a work-in-progress, I’m sure that over time the ship will become progressively more considerate to non-smokers. Dave

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>We didn’t have room in our review to mention that you can request a >non-smoker’s cabin, so you don’t have to deal with fumes from a >previous passenger.

You had room to classify and entire continent of people when you said that Europeans "smoke like chimneys," yet you could not fit into your review the very important and welcome news that there is a ship that has non-smoking cabins on it?  Check the size of your sentences.  You DID have room.   OK, it was your review, your choice, but that tidbit of information is one I would not have left out.  I am glad to now learn that the MSC Opera has some cabins that don’t reek of smoke.  Hopefully, there are many, spread across a wide assortment of cabin types and locations, including the most coveted. I enjoyed your review, in general.  Like you, we do not tolerate smoke well, and we patronize places where we can avoid it.  If MSC can provide a unique cruise experience and polices their own stated "no smoking" areas, we’ll be happy to give the line a chance.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere >> else >> in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much >> smoking. > I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage > who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise > ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. > — >Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people >who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may >find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where >smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end >up  smoking both day and night during the cruise.

Kind of like werewolves get caught in the cycle of a full moon?

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> Nonetheless, from a public policy point of view, the trends are clear > – many European countries are way behind us in recognizing the harm

They know about it. > in > second-hand smoke, and doing anything about it.

Is a different thing.

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Certainly this is true to some extent….I know a lot of social smokers who never smoke but may have 1 or 2 in a disco, etc. Jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people > who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may > find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where > smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end up > smoking both day and night during the cruise. > –Tom

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Please email me about your review. Thanks, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. > We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., > 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was > our 7th cruise together. > ABOUT THE SHIP: If you have a specific idea of what cruising should be > like, with a thousand detailed requirements, you will not enjoy this > ship. It does not offer the same experience as Carnival, Royal > Caribbean or Norwegian and probably never will. If, on the other hand, > you find the interplay of cultures fascinating, and find differences > stimulating instead of just "wrong," you’ll have a wonderful time. > MSC is an Italian company. They are the second largest cargo line in > the world and are relatively new to the cruise market so there are > some good values to be had. > At least half of the passengers on our ocean crossing were Europeans > and the blessedly few PA announcements were in five languages: > English, German, Italian, French and Spanish. Service personnel must > function in most of these languages. Some do this better than others, > but all seemed pleasant and patient. > The MSC Opera is new and is a sleek greyhound. It was designed for the > luxury trade before the decision was made to pursue the budget end of > the market. The interiors are quietly elegant in dark blues, smoky > plums, corals and creams. There’s no art in particular but the > lighting fixtures are well designed like big sculptures. The ship > lacks glass-sided elevators, high atriums and Vegas-style metallic > glitz, but makes up for it by being really comfortable, human-scaled > like a good European hotel. Lots of small places to settle in. Lots of > glass and views of the sea. > We had an inside cabin. It was not the largest we’ve been in, but the > mirror layout was the best we’ve seen, giving more light and sense of > space than we expected. The bathroom was equally well-planned, > generously sized with an excellent shower. Water heat and pressure > were both good. > The smaller of the two restaurants, L’approdo, is a jewel box of red > and pink. The larger restaurant, La Caravella, is very sophisticated > in green, cream and yellow, with lots of columns and divisions so it > seems more intimate than its size would indicate. > There is a cafeteria on the top deck with indoor and outdoor > seating. The top deck also has two pools and is very lively. There > is often an excitable host screaming in 4 or 5 languages, running > incomprehensible games and contests with enthusiastic passengers, > Europop blaring on the speakers. If you want quiet, there are lounge > chairs on the Boat Deck most days and also at the stern of many of the > cabin decks. > ABOUT THE FOOD: Extraordinarily good. Northern Italian. We were on for > 17 days and they didn’t miss on a pasta or risotto once. Good pizza, > superb homemade ice cream, excellent bread, good soup. We found the > meat entrees a little lacking but others singled them out as > exceptional. You could always get a grilled sirloin or chicken if you > didn’t like the chef’s entrees. > The cakes were of the baba au rhum variety. Very airy and not > much chocolate, but plenty of variety. Lots of salads and fresh fruit, > plus fresh fruit in the rooms. > The waiters are Italian and joke a little heavily at first and > not always successfully in an attempt to charm you. On the whole they > are very good. When I expressed a preference for ice tea > and breadsticks rather than rolls, I found them waiting every > night. Luigi was an excellent waiter, Mario and Carlo excellent > maitre’d’s (and Sylvie was a superb cabin steward too.) > MSC has a policy that you don’t have to tip if you don’t want to. > This is churlish, the staff deserves it, they work hard. We followed > the policy we have always followed. We ignored management’s > guidelines and tipped what we wanted to and felt was appropriate. > THE BEST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: The intimacy and sheer livability of > the ship are the main virtues for us, but one of the most civilized > things is that they allow you to get duty free liquor and open it and > consume it in your room. They don’t seal it for the voyage so you’ll > order more from the bars like many lines do. > THE WORST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: There are two really bad things about > the ship: > 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. > Some Americans complained to the offenders but many of the smokers > didn’t speak English, so it was futile. We never saw staff do anything > to enforce the no-smoking areas. I am asthmatic and suffer from smoke, > but I was able to get away from it OK. Judge for yourself whether it > makes a difference to you. > 2) MANAGEMENT: Charming but utterly chaotic. Generally inefficient and > sometimes maddeningly so and in odd ways. The loading of the ship in > Genoa, for example, was the most efficient I have ever seen. You > checked in, reserved your dining table, and booked your shore > excursions in one very smooth line. But once on board, both the > purser’s and excursion desks were uninformed and uncoordinated. > For example, we tried to book a transfer from the dock to Ft. > Lauderdale airport. Reception said Shore Excursions handled that, > Shore Excursions said Reception handled that, they bounced us back and > forth, called each other and yelled into the phone. We eventually did > get to the airport and make our flight, but a little more coordination > would have worked wonders with the experience. > Similarly the 24 hour internet service broke down periodically because > the satellite gave them problems. Nobody had any idea when it would be > fixed. There is a technician on board but service remained unreliable. > Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a > barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed > the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was > an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved > 24 hours later. > THE PEOPLE ON BOARD: The Americans on board this repositioning cruise > were largely retired people, many from Florida. They are very > experienced budget cruisers. They have taken every line and they have > very set expectations about what they like and want from a cruise. > When they don’t get what they are used to from Carnival, Royal > Caribbean, etc., they don’t perceive this European ship as different, > they perceive it as WRONG! This makes some of them very hostile.   > For example, there are only small cups of ice water on a hot day. > Not spigots of iced tea or fruit juice like on other ships. There is > iced tea but only in the dining rooms. Not in the cafeteria or on the > outdoor patio. This one thing made a lot of people hostile. (Until > management gets around to this one, bring a tall insulated mug and > make your own). > We were told there is little music for ballroom dancing at night. Only > disco (I guess their Mediterranean cruises have more young people > -Europeans have longer vacations than us and the American passengers > skewed older). > There are movies on the TV but they are dubbed in many languages. And > the English-language originals are often not on at convenient times, > nor are the schedules reliable. "Welcome to Mooseport" loses something > when dubbed in German (I’m not kidding). > And some passengers just don’t like it when they are so many people > on board that they can’t talk to, and they grow impatient when > instructions have to be translated. Also, some cultures are trained to > get on line, while others just crowd in, which makes for conflict. If > management would put rope lines like a bank in front of the reception > counter, that might defuse a lot of bad feeling. > We read some hostile reviews of this ship and its sister ship, > the Lirica before we booked this, but we must say we enjoyed the > experience thoroughly and found it a phenomenal value. You just have > to know what you are getting in to. > SHOPS: Very tasteful and very expensive, which made no sense at all. > The shops were one part of the ship not recalibrated for budget > cruising. The stock was entirely for the European market, the wrong > weight clothing and not even in American sizes. They didn’t sell > bottles of aspirin or Tylenol, but did sell several kinds of expensive > anti-cellulite cream. Considering the average age and needs of the > Caribbean cruisers this is pretty odd. Also, one lone bottle of SPF > sunblock shared shelf space with plentiful supplies of old-fashioned > tanning butter. > If they sold some insulated mugs with the ship’s logo, they’d clean up > and stop the no iced tea hostility, but they are not yet that > sensible. The $350 dollar sweaters didn’t sell even at 50% off. When > the temperature outside went to 90 degrees, people wanted tee shirts. > They only had a few, they were expensive and for sale only in the > liquor store! A simple $29 item in the jewelry shop would have sold > out. But they didn’t have anything at all in that category. > SHORE EXCURSIONS: The stops on our crossing were: Barcelona, > Casablanca, Funchal, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St. Maarten, and > Nassau. Generally

… read more »

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ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was our 7th cruise together. ABOUT THE SHIP: If you have a specific idea of what cruising should be like, with a thousand detailed requirements, you will not enjoy this ship. It does not offer the same experience as Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian and probably never will. If, on the other hand, you find the interplay of cultures fascinating, and find differences stimulating instead of just "wrong," you’ll have a wonderful time. MSC is an Italian company. They are the second largest cargo line in the world and are relatively new to the cruise market so there are some good values to be had. At least half of the passengers on our ocean crossing were Europeans and the blessedly few PA announcements were in five languages: English, German, Italian, French and Spanish. Service personnel must function in most of these languages. Some do this better than others, but all seemed pleasant and patient. The MSC Opera is new and is a sleek greyhound. It was designed for the luxury trade before the decision was made to pursue the budget end of the market. The interiors are quietly elegant in dark blues, smoky plums, corals and creams. There’s no art in particular but the lighting fixtures are well designed like big sculptures. The ship lacks glass-sided elevators, high atriums and Vegas-style metallic glitz, but makes up for it by being really comfortable, human-scaled like a good European hotel. Lots of small places to settle in. Lots of glass and views of the sea. We had an inside cabin. It was not the largest we’ve been in, but the mirror layout was the best we’ve seen, giving more light and sense of space than we expected. The bathroom was equally well-planned, generously sized with an excellent shower. Water heat and pressure were both good. The smaller of the two restaurants, L’approdo, is a jewel box of red and pink. The larger restaurant, La Caravella, is very sophisticated in green, cream and yellow, with lots of columns and divisions so it seems more intimate than its size would indicate. There is a cafeteria on the top deck with indoor and outdoor seating. The top deck also has two pools and is very lively. There is often an excitable host screaming in 4 or 5 languages, running incomprehensible games and contests with enthusiastic passengers, Europop blaring on the speakers. If you want quiet, there are lounge chairs on the Boat Deck most days and also at the stern of many of the cabin decks. ABOUT THE FOOD: Extraordinarily good. Northern Italian. We were on for 17 days and they didn’t miss on a pasta or risotto once. Good pizza, superb homemade ice cream, excellent bread, good soup. We found the meat entrees a little lacking but others singled them out as exceptional. You could always get a grilled sirloin or chicken if you didn’t like the chef’s entrees. The cakes were of the baba au rhum variety. Very airy and not much chocolate, but plenty of variety. Lots of salads and fresh fruit, plus fresh fruit in the rooms. The waiters are Italian and joke a little heavily at first and not always successfully in an attempt to charm you. On the whole they are very good. When I expressed a preference for ice tea and breadsticks rather than rolls, I found them waiting every night. Luigi was an excellent waiter, Mario and Carlo excellent maitre’d’s (and Sylvie was a superb cabin steward too.) MSC has a policy that you don’t have to tip if you don’t want to. This is churlish, the staff deserves it, they work hard. We followed the policy we have always followed. We ignored management’s guidelines and tipped what we wanted to and felt was appropriate. THE BEST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: The intimacy and sheer livability of the ship are the main virtues for us, but one of the most civilized things is that they allow you to get duty free liquor and open it and consume it in your room. They don’t seal it for the voyage so you’ll order more from the bars like many lines do. THE WORST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: There are two really bad things about the ship: 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light up. Some Americans complained to the offenders but many of the smokers didn’t speak English, so it was futile. We never saw staff do anything to enforce the no-smoking areas. I am asthmatic and suffer from smoke, but I was able to get away from it OK. Judge for yourself whether it makes a difference to you. 2) MANAGEMENT: Charming but utterly chaotic. Generally inefficient and sometimes maddeningly so and in odd ways. The loading of the ship in Genoa, for example, was the most efficient I have ever seen. You checked in, reserved your dining table, and booked your shore excursions in one very smooth line. But once on board, both the purser’s and excursion desks were uninformed and uncoordinated. For example, we tried to book a transfer from the dock to Ft. Lauderdale airport. Reception said Shore Excursions handled that, Shore Excursions said Reception handled that, they bounced us back and forth, called each other and yelled into the phone. We eventually did get to the airport and make our flight, but a little more coordination would have worked wonders with the experience. Similarly the 24 hour internet service broke down periodically because the satellite gave them problems. Nobody had any idea when it would be fixed. There is a technician on board but service remained unreliable. Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved 24 hours later. THE PEOPLE ON BOARD: The Americans on board this repositioning cruise were largely retired people, many from Florida. They are very experienced budget cruisers. They have taken every line and they have very set expectations about what they like and want from a cruise. When they don’t get what they are used to from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc., they don’t perceive this European ship as different, they perceive it as WRONG! This makes some of them very hostile.   For example, there are only small cups of ice water on a hot day. Not spigots of iced tea or fruit juice like on other ships. There is iced tea but only in the dining rooms. Not in the cafeteria or on the outdoor patio. This one thing made a lot of people hostile. (Until management gets around to this one, bring a tall insulated mug and make your own). We were told there is little music for ballroom dancing at night. Only disco (I guess their Mediterranean cruises have more young people -Europeans have longer vacations than us and the American passengers skewed older). There are movies on the TV but they are dubbed in many languages. And the English-language originals are often not on at convenient times, nor are the schedules reliable. "Welcome to Mooseport" loses something when dubbed in German (I’m not kidding). And some passengers just don’t like it when they are so many people on board that they can’t talk to, and they grow impatient when instructions have to be translated. Also, some cultures are trained to get on line, while others just crowd in, which makes for conflict. If management would put rope lines like a bank in front of the reception counter, that might defuse a lot of bad feeling. We read some hostile reviews of this ship and its sister ship, the Lirica before we booked this, but we must say we enjoyed the experience thoroughly and found it a phenomenal value. You just have to know what you are getting in to. SHOPS: Very tasteful and very expensive, which made no sense at all. The shops were one part of the ship not recalibrated for budget cruising. The stock was entirely for the European market, the wrong weight clothing and not even in American sizes. They didn’t sell bottles of aspirin or Tylenol, but did sell several kinds of expensive anti-cellulite cream. Considering the average age and needs of the Caribbean cruisers this is pretty odd. Also, one lone bottle of SPF sunblock shared shelf space with plentiful supplies of old-fashioned tanning butter. If they sold some insulated mugs with the ship’s logo, they’d clean up and stop the no iced tea hostility, but they are not yet that sensible. The $350 dollar sweaters didn’t sell even at 50% off. When the temperature outside went to 90 degrees, people wanted tee shirts. They only had a few, they were expensive and for sale only in the liquor store! A simple $29 item in the jewelry shop would have sold out. But they didn’t have anything at all in that category. SHORE EXCURSIONS: The stops on our crossing were: Barcelona, Casablanca, Funchal, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St. Maarten, and Nassau. Generally well run. Remember to bring Euros for Barcelona and Funchal (not all the Americans on board did). The ship charges 3 percent to change money. This includes 3 percent to cash travelers checks which is a bum deal. They’re supposed to be cash. The full day excursion to Marrakesh from Casablanca which includes a 4 hour bus trip both ways is exhausting but sooo worth it! Don’t miss this one. In Madeira, we found riding a wicker … read more »

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ervice remained unreliable. > Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a > barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed > the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was > an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved > 24 hours later.

I will be sure to relay that message to Vanessa and her roomate Amanda Not that I am a proud father or anything! > HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: > MSC has hired management from American cruise lines to explain > American cruise culture to them, so improvement should be swift. They > are really trying hard. But we don’t expect they’ll ever be "plain > vanilla." If you like, by all means give them a try, but only if you > understand going in it’s going to be different, and that’s not a bad > thing.

Thank you for what sounds like a balanced and honest review, It meshes with what I saw on board and what my daugther (the aforementioned Vanessa) said about her experience on the crossing. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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Am I correct in understanding that "Opera" does have lounge chairs on promenade deck?  That is my favorite place to sit on any cruise and a ship without a beautiful promenade with comfortable seating is no high on my list.   I would love to try the "Opera" and wish MSC the very best of luck. Rick

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> ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. > We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., > 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was > our 7th cruise together.

 > Absolutely great and well rounded review!  Thank you.  I’ll be sailing on MSC OPERA next month and I’m really counting on something different than the mainstream American cruise lines.  It sounds like MSC might just be the ticket.  All the things that annoyed the demanding Florida passengers I will take in stride.  I don’t let the small things get to me, and it sounds like you don’t as well.  I think the most successful travelers are those that can roll with the punches and enjoy experiences that are different rather than the same.  Isn’t that the point of traveling anyway?  Too bad many American cruisers have gotten used to getting their way and having their hand held. It makes for some very unfriendly people  …. and we have all come across them on cruises. One thing …. MSC Cruises does not plan to be a budget line in the US. Their prices are on the budget level now to attract customers since they are relatively unknown.  They plan to offer a premium product with an Italian flair that will be a notch above Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL.  I imagine we will see their prices rise as they infiltrate the market and offer an alternative to Holland America and Celebrity. Thanks again for the review! Ernie

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> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up.

Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC anytime soon. — Charles

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. > Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC > anytime soon. > —

Maybe Rick Sasso will get the message. –Tom

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Thanks for posting your cruise review, I enjoyed reading it. You are a good writer, every entertaining. Many people may want to try this ship, but I am afraid the smoking problem will keep a lot of people away.  OTOH, it may attract a few smokers. Becca  <—–avoids smoke when I can… MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/ Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm Canada – New England http://www.cruisemaster.com/carnivalFall.htm Caribbean Princess http://www.cruisemaster.com/caribprin.htm

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they >> aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning >> smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the >> restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non >> smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the >> cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night >> (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were >> fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking >> area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed >> corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light >> up. > Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC > anytime soon. > — > Maybe Rick Sasso will get the message. > –Tom

The cruises originating from the US will have a much higher percentage of Americans and Canadians which automatically means less smokers.  I would imagine there will be no more smokers than on a typical Carnival cruise. I also hope Rick Sasso doesn’t "Americanize" the product to the point where it’s just another Princess or Royal Caribbean.  I think that would defeat the entire marketing strategy. MSC is definitely for people looking for something beyond the mainstream. Ernie

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> The cruises originating from the US will have a much higher percentage of > Americans and Canadians which automatically means less smokers.  I would > imagine there will be no more smokers than on a typical Carnival cruise.

Maybe. A counter example would be Costa. It has somewhat similiar origins and from the reviews I have read of their Caribbean sailings there are more smokers than other cruise lines. Also If the Carnival cruise I was on in October is typical then a typical Carnival cruise has more second hand smoke. — Charles

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> Maybe. A counter example would be Costa. It has somewhat similiar > origins and from the reviews I have read of their Caribbean sailings > there are more smokers than other cruise lines. Also If the Carnival > cruise I was on in October is typical then a typical Carnival cruise > has more second hand smoke. > — > Charles

My Carnival cruises have typically had more smokers than other cruise lines I have sailed, which is why I used them as an example.  MSC sailing from the US will probably have smoker’s in the same quantity as Carnival.  For me personally, this is nothing that would stop me from sailing Carnival or MSC. I’m traveling with my mom and some friends on MSC OPERA, and my mom is a smoker so I know she will be happy. Ernie

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> My Carnival cruises have typically had more smokers than other cruise lines > I have sailed, which is why I used them as an example.  MSC sailing from the > US will probably have smoker’s in the same quantity as Carnival.  For me > personally, this is nothing that would stop me from sailing Carnival or MSC. > I’m traveling with my mom and some friends on MSC OPERA, and my mom is a > smoker so I know she will be happy.

Okay. I was not sure if Carnival typically has more smokers or there was just more smoke on the one Carnival sailing. I can live with some second hand smoke, like what I have encountered on Celebrity, Princess and RCI. The amount I encountered on Carnival was over my personal threshold, so if it turns out MSC has the same quantity as Carnival I won’t book it. — Charles

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The review was quite good. My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. Smoking was not a problem in most areas. The outside patio area had most of the smokers. There is no smoking in the 2 main show lounges, the dining rooms or on the port side of the ship. Ship:  Very nice. Service: At the start of the cruise, Poor. At the end of the cruise, GOOD As the other reviewer noted, they have a few things to work out. THEY WERE TRYING. This was the 1st caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale. I had expected some problems with service. This is normal. I was on the 1st cruise of the Mariner of the Seas. It was not as good as the Operas 1st cruise. The food in the dining rooms was Very Good. The Buffet was Fair to Poor  It also was not opened every night. Has to be improved! The Casino:  2 Blackjack tables, 1 Caribbean Stud Table & 1 Holdem Table. 3 Roulette wheels. and Slot machines.  VERY SMALL, No Dice table. It also was only open from 2:30 to 6:30 and 8:30 till 1AM. Shows were excellent. Some of the best I ever saw. Cabins are very nice, Shower is small. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is a 7.  I would go back anytime. Brent

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Terrific review, thanks. Sue

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>The review was quite good. >My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. >Smoking was not a problem in most areas. >The outside patio area had most of the smokers. >There is no smoking in the 2 main show lounges, the dining rooms or on the >port side of the ship.

Someone else remarked that smokers did not adhere to that stated policy. What did you observe?  Did the outside smokers stay on the smoking side or do I have to be prepared to punch out their lights if I sail on the Opera?

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> The review was quite good. > My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. > Smoking was not a problem in most areas. > The outside patio area had most of the smokers.

By your description, smoking is only a problem if you want to go outside. How about a show of hands? How many people like to go out on th e deck during a cruise?

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>> The review was quite good. > My review is on the 7 night cruise Dec. 4, 2004. > Smoking was not a problem in most areas. > The outside patio area had most of the smokers. >By your description, smoking is only a problem if you want to go >outside. How about a show of hands? How many people like to go out on th >e deck during a cruise?

me, me, me, me, and we, we, we, we.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. >Thanks for the review. The above scratches the idea that I will try MSC >anytime soon.

Same for us.  No MSC cruises as long as they don’t maintain lots of smokefree areas, including out on deck.   It’s a shame, because we are enjoy opportunities to mix and mingle with folks of other nations.  And foreign languages are no obstacle, either.  Between us we have several languages in which we are fluent and we are well-travelled. It’s not fair or truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys". Certain segments of some European countries include more smokers, and speaking from experience, that would likely include budget cruisers.   I lived and studied among well-educated upper middle-class Germans, Austrians, Dutch and Belgians and not even one of them smoked.  Neither did most of the other Europeans I knew well.   We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere else in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much smoking. Do we cruise less often because of this?  Yep, you betcha.

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> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere else > in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much smoking.

I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. — Charles

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> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere > else > in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much > smoking. > I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage > who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise > ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. > —

Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end up smoking both day and night during the cruise. –Tom

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>>> 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they >> aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning >> smoking. >It’s not fair or truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys". >Certain segments of some European countries include more smokers, and speaking >from experience, that would likely include budget cruisers.   I lived and >studied among well-educated upper middle-class Germans, Austrians, Dutch and >Belgians and not even one of them smoked.  Neither did most of the other >Europeans I knew well.  

It is entirely fair and truthful to say that Europeans "smoke like chimneys," as people active in international campaigns to reduce smoking in public places can tell you. People who sailed on the Opera repositioning cruise can offer anecdotal support to the medical statistics, and we did. This doesn’t make us untruthful, it means that our experience was not what one writer expected. Our chimney-like characterization applies to offices, restaurants and public places in general. If one is fortunate enough to have spent time among a handful of European non-smokers, congratulations, so have we. Nonetheless, from a public policy point of view, the trends are clear – many European countries are way behind us in recognizing the harm in second-hand smoke, and doing anything about it. On our repositioning cruise, there were some areas of the Opera, like the restaurants, where smoking was not allowed and the prohibition was observed. There were other areas of the ship where the non-smoking signs were disregarded. If, as seems from Brent Stell’s excellent review, this is less of a problem with the winter-season Caribbean-only cruises, that’s good news. My wife is asthmatic and can’t tolerate tobacco smoke. We always found ways of working around it on our crossing, and it should be even easier now. We didn’t have room in our review to mention that you can request a non-smoker’s cabin, so you don’t have to deal with fumes from a previous passenger. If you are a militant non-smoker, as we are, don’t eliminate the Opera from consideration for that one reason. The entire ship is cleaner than most, and tobacco was a manageable problem. As a work-in-progress, I’m sure that over time the ship will become progressively more considerate to non-smokers. Dave

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>We didn’t have room in our review to mention that you can request a >non-smoker’s cabin, so you don’t have to deal with fumes from a >previous passenger.

You had room to classify and entire continent of people when you said that Europeans "smoke like chimneys," yet you could not fit into your review the very important and welcome news that there is a ship that has non-smoking cabins on it?  Check the size of your sentences.  You DID have room.   OK, it was your review, your choice, but that tidbit of information is one I would not have left out.  I am glad to now learn that the MSC Opera has some cabins that don’t reek of smoke.  Hopefully, there are many, spread across a wide assortment of cabin types and locations, including the most coveted. I enjoyed your review, in general.  Like you, we do not tolerate smoke well, and we patronize places where we can avoid it.  If MSC can provide a unique cruise experience and polices their own stated "no smoking" areas, we’ll be happy to give the line a chance.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> We notice significantly more adult smokers on cruises than we do anywhere >> else >> in our daily lives, and maybe it is because ships still permit so much >> smoking. > I think there are somewhat more smokers on cruises than the percentage > who smoke in the general population and it probably is because cruise > ships are one of the last refuges of smokers. > — >Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people >who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may >find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where >smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end >up  smoking both day and night during the cruise.

Kind of like werewolves get caught in the cycle of a full moon?

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> Nonetheless, from a public policy point of view, the trends are clear > – many European countries are way behind us in recognizing the harm

They know about it. > in > second-hand smoke, and doing anything about it.

Is a different thing.

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Certainly this is true to some extent….I know a lot of social smokers who never smoke but may have 1 or 2 in a disco, etc. Jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Also, it could be more of a "pattern of behavior" type place.  Many people > who don’t smoke regularly, or at least not frequently during the day, may > find themselves in night clubs, discos, casinos, etc., each evening, where > smoking is more frequently found.  They get caught in the cycle and end up > smoking both day and night during the cruise. > –Tom

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Please email me about your review. Thanks, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > ABOUT US: We are 55 and 60 years old, and have traveled extensively. > We took the Westbound Transatlantic crossing of the Opera in Nov., > 2004, starting in Genoa, Italy and ending in Ft. Lauderdale. This was > our 7th cruise together. > ABOUT THE SHIP: If you have a specific idea of what cruising should be > like, with a thousand detailed requirements, you will not enjoy this > ship. It does not offer the same experience as Carnival, Royal > Caribbean or Norwegian and probably never will. If, on the other hand, > you find the interplay of cultures fascinating, and find differences > stimulating instead of just "wrong," you’ll have a wonderful time. > MSC is an Italian company. They are the second largest cargo line in > the world and are relatively new to the cruise market so there are > some good values to be had. > At least half of the passengers on our ocean crossing were Europeans > and the blessedly few PA announcements were in five languages: > English, German, Italian, French and Spanish. Service personnel must > function in most of these languages. Some do this better than others, > but all seemed pleasant and patient. > The MSC Opera is new and is a sleek greyhound. It was designed for the > luxury trade before the decision was made to pursue the budget end of > the market. The interiors are quietly elegant in dark blues, smoky > plums, corals and creams. There’s no art in particular but the > lighting fixtures are well designed like big sculptures. The ship > lacks glass-sided elevators, high atriums and Vegas-style metallic > glitz, but makes up for it by being really comfortable, human-scaled > like a good European hotel. Lots of small places to settle in. Lots of > glass and views of the sea. > We had an inside cabin. It was not the largest we’ve been in, but the > mirror layout was the best we’ve seen, giving more light and sense of > space than we expected. The bathroom was equally well-planned, > generously sized with an excellent shower. Water heat and pressure > were both good. > The smaller of the two restaurants, L’approdo, is a jewel box of red > and pink. The larger restaurant, La Caravella, is very sophisticated > in green, cream and yellow, with lots of columns and divisions so it > seems more intimate than its size would indicate. > There is a cafeteria on the top deck with indoor and outdoor > seating. The top deck also has two pools and is very lively. There > is often an excitable host screaming in 4 or 5 languages, running > incomprehensible games and contests with enthusiastic passengers, > Europop blaring on the speakers. If you want quiet, there are lounge > chairs on the Boat Deck most days and also at the stern of many of the > cabin decks. > ABOUT THE FOOD: Extraordinarily good. Northern Italian. We were on for > 17 days and they didn’t miss on a pasta or risotto once. Good pizza, > superb homemade ice cream, excellent bread, good soup. We found the > meat entrees a little lacking but others singled them out as > exceptional. You could always get a grilled sirloin or chicken if you > didn’t like the chef’s entrees. > The cakes were of the baba au rhum variety. Very airy and not > much chocolate, but plenty of variety. Lots of salads and fresh fruit, > plus fresh fruit in the rooms. > The waiters are Italian and joke a little heavily at first and > not always successfully in an attempt to charm you. On the whole they > are very good. When I expressed a preference for ice tea > and breadsticks rather than rolls, I found them waiting every > night. Luigi was an excellent waiter, Mario and Carlo excellent > maitre’d’s (and Sylvie was a superb cabin steward too.) > MSC has a policy that you don’t have to tip if you don’t want to. > This is churlish, the staff deserves it, they work hard. We followed > the policy we have always followed. We ignored management’s > guidelines and tipped what we wanted to and felt was appropriate. > THE BEST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: The intimacy and sheer livability of > the ship are the main virtues for us, but one of the most civilized > things is that they allow you to get duty free liquor and open it and > consume it in your room. They don’t seal it for the voyage so you’ll > order more from the bars like many lines do. > THE WORST THING ABOUT THE SHIP: There are two really bad things about > the ship: > 1) SMOKING: Many Europeans smoke. Like chimneys. And seemingly they > aren’t even aware it might hurt others. They are behind us on banning > smoking. Fortunately they were not allowed to smoke inside the > restaurants, but the outdoor patio area was rendered unusable for non > smokers. This was a big disappointment to us, but didn’t ruin the > cruise. We don’t go to the lounges at night > (we like to get up for the dawn) but we understand there were > fights in the lounges about people who ignored the non-smoking > area designations. And there’s nothing like being in a jammed > corridor trying to exit the ship in a port and having someone light > up. > Some Americans complained to the offenders but many of the smokers > didn’t speak English, so it was futile. We never saw staff do anything > to enforce the no-smoking areas. I am asthmatic and suffer from smoke, > but I was able to get away from it OK. Judge for yourself whether it > makes a difference to you. > 2) MANAGEMENT: Charming but utterly chaotic. Generally inefficient and > sometimes maddeningly so and in odd ways. The loading of the ship in > Genoa, for example, was the most efficient I have ever seen. You > checked in, reserved your dining table, and booked your shore > excursions in one very smooth line. But once on board, both the > purser’s and excursion desks were uninformed and uncoordinated. > For example, we tried to book a transfer from the dock to Ft. > Lauderdale airport. Reception said Shore Excursions handled that, > Shore Excursions said Reception handled that, they bounced us back and > forth, called each other and yelled into the phone. We eventually did > get to the airport and make our flight, but a little more coordination > would have worked wonders with the experience. > Similarly the 24 hour internet service broke down periodically because > the satellite gave them problems. Nobody had any idea when it would be > fixed. There is a technician on board but service remained unreliable. > Our two valiant American hostesses, Amanda and Vanessa, bravely took a > barrage of passenger criticism, justified and otherwise, and relayed > the complaints to management. Often the response from the bridge was > an automatic "no," but then the problem would be mysteriously solved > 24 hours later. > THE PEOPLE ON BOARD: The Americans on board this repositioning cruise > were largely retired people, many from Florida. They are very > experienced budget cruisers. They have taken every line and they have > very set expectations about what they like and want from a cruise. > When they don’t get what they are used to from Carnival, Royal > Caribbean, etc., they don’t perceive this European ship as different, > they perceive it as WRONG! This makes some of them very hostile.   > For example, there are only small cups of ice water on a hot day. > Not spigots of iced tea or fruit juice like on other ships. There is > iced tea but only in the dining rooms. Not in the cafeteria or on the > outdoor patio. This one thing made a lot of people hostile. (Until > management gets around to this one, bring a tall insulated mug and > make your own). > We were told there is little music for ballroom dancing at night. Only > disco (I guess their Mediterranean cruises have more young people > -Europeans have longer vacations than us and the American passengers > skewed older). > There are movies on the TV but they are dubbed in many languages. And > the English-language originals are often not on at convenient times, > nor are the schedules reliable. "Welcome to Mooseport" loses something > when dubbed in German (I’m not kidding). > And some passengers just don’t like it when they are so many people > on board that they can’t talk to, and they grow impatient when > instructions have to be translated. Also, some cultures are trained to > get on line, while others just crowd in, which makes for conflict. If > management would put rope lines like a bank in front of the reception > counter, that might defuse a lot of bad feeling. > We read some hostile reviews of this ship and its sister ship, > the Lirica before we booked this, but we must say we enjoyed the > experience thoroughly and found it a phenomenal value. You just have > to know what you are getting in to. > SHOPS: Very tasteful and very expensive, which made no sense at all. > The shops were one part of the ship not recalibrated for budget > cruising. The stock was entirely for the European market, the wrong > weight clothing and not even in American sizes. They didn’t sell > bottles of aspirin or Tylenol, but did sell several kinds of expensive > anti-cellulite cream. Considering the average age and needs of the > Caribbean cruisers this is pretty odd. Also, one lone bottle of SPF > sunblock shared shelf space with plentiful supplies of old-fashioned > tanning butter. > If they sold some insulated mugs with the ship’s logo, they’d clean up > and stop the no iced tea hostility, but they are not yet that > sensible. The $350 dollar sweaters didn’t sell even at 50% off. When > the temperature outside went to 90 degrees, people wanted tee shirts. > They only had a few, they were expensive and for sale only in the > liquor store! A simple $29 item in the jewelry shop would have sold > out. But they didn’t have anything at all in that category. > SHORE EXCURSIONS: The stops on our crossing were: Barcelona, > Casablanca, Funchal, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, St. Maarten, and > Nassau. Generally

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