Category Archives: MSC

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NOTE:  There is one (1) photo in this post taken by Linda with a Google Pixel 6.)

 

MONDAY 15 January 2024 — A test cruise on the MSC Magnifica (4 of 4), Return to Miami and home.

We took many more photos on this brief cruise than I have used in these blog posts, but they were mostly for our own documentation in support of a decision-making process.  During the cruise, we had not yet decided to cancel the World Cruise but were actively discussing the pros and cons of doing the trip on this ship with this cruise line.  It came as something of a surprise to us that we made that decision while sitting in the Miami International Airport waiting to fly home.  After letting Paul and Nancy know our decision, we called our travel agent before we even got on the jet.  But then, once it was clear that we did not want to do this trip on this ship, there was no reason to wait.  If nothing else, we had a significant deposit on file, and the sooner we got it back the better.

Apparently someone at the Miami International Airport has a sense of humor.  This waste basket had two separate holes, one marked “Waste” and the other “Recycle.”  Note, however, that the can contains no divider and has a single bag where everything goes.  (Photo by Linda)

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NOTE:  There are 16 photos in this post.  Photos by me (Bruce) taken with a SONY a6400 or Google Pixel 6 Pro, unless otherwise indicated.  (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)

 

SUNDAY 14 January 2024 — A test cruise on the MSC Magnifica (3 of 4), Ocean Cay

A panoramic view (Google Pixel 6 Pro panorama mode) of Ocean Cay taken from our stateroom balcony on the MSC Magnifica.

A composite of 8 images (SONE alpha 6400) forms a panoramic view of Ocean Cay, MSC private island in the Bahamas.  Photo composited with Microsoft Image Composite Editor.

A view of one of the elevator lobbies in the MSC Magnifica provides a sense of the “style” of the public areas of the interior.  I took very few photos of the interior of the ship, in part because I wanted to respect the privacy of our fellow passengers.

L-2-R, Nancy, Linda, and Paul on Ocean Cay, Bahamas.  The island was originally the site of mining operation.  MSC has rehabilitated it, creating both a marine reserve and pleasant place for their guests.

A map of Ocean Cay.

The MSC Magnifica as seen from Ocean Cay.  (Photo by Linda)

Another (better?) view of the Magnifica from Ocean Cay.

One more view of the MSC Magnifica from Ocean Cay.

L-2-R, me (Bruce), Nancy, and Paul.  We were not able to snag a cabana, but found these lounge chairs unoccupied.  (Photo by Linda)

Part of the coastline of Ocean Cay.  I recall that the day was pleasant but, as this photo shows, it was overcast.  Those are not mutually exclusive ideas.  (I am not a sun bunny.)

Not exactly the MSC Magnifica, but technically Linda is still in an MSC boat.

I (Bruce) try the same ship on for size.  (Photo by Linda)

Another view of the MSC Magnifica as seen from Ocean Cay.

Dramatic weather often makes for interesting photos.  Ocean Cay, Bahamas.

The lighthouse on Ocean Cay as a “Disney like” illumination system that is used to put on a light show just before a ship departs from the island.  We took videos of the show, but I don’t post videos here because of the large file sizes.

A view of the central lobby of the MSC Magnifica.  The interior décor of MSC ships is a somewhat glitzy “over-the-top Italian.”  I’m not saying it isn’t attractive, it’s just not really our style.  That was not a factor, however, in our decision to cancel our World Cruise booking on this ship.  Indeed, we found the ship, service, food, and entertainment acceptable given the price.

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NOTE:  There are 13 photos in this post.  Photos by me (Bruce) taken with a SONY a6400 or Google Pixel 6 Pro unless otherwise indicated.  (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)

 

SATURDAY 13 January 2024 — A test cruise on the MSC Magnifica (2 of 3), Nassau, Bahamas

We sailed overnight and arrived at Nassau, Bahamas early this morning.  The MSC Magnifica is tied up at the dock with guests going ashore (including us, obviously).

A composite image of the lobby of the British Colonial hotel in downtown Nassau, Bahamas.

The area near the port in Nassau, Bahamas has a quintessentially Caribbean look.

An outdoor “mall” of little shops near the cruise port in Nassau, Bahamas.  Linda is in the lower right corner (white shirt) walking away from the camera.

The MSC Magnifica in the Cruise Port in Nassau, Bahamas with two more cruise ships behind it.  The Disney WISH is just behind the Magnifica.  The ship in the background is a Royale Caribbean vessel.

We did not spend very much time in Nassau, as we explored it when we were here in 2012 &/or 2013 and not much had appeared to change since then.  Following are a couple of views of our stateroom.  We had the room next to the room we booked for the World Cruise in 2025.  Paul and Nancy were in the same suite that they booked for the World Cruise.

Our stateroom as seen from the balcony doorwall looking towards the door to the hallway.  Closet to the left and bathroom to the right.

Our stateroom as it appears when coming into the room.  Beyond the queen-size bed is a desk (on the left) and 2-seat sleeper-sofa.  There’s a hassock under the desk and a small table in front of the sofa, and two chairs on the balcony (which stay out there).  The sofa was so uncomfortable that we could not sit on it for more than a few minutes.  Although this was not our stateroom for the World Cruise, it was next to it, and we had no reason to believe that the sofa in that stateroom was any better.  This ended up being the deal-breaker for the World Cruise.  Paul and Nancy were equally unimpressed with their suite.

Pulling away from the cruise port in Nassau, Bahamas shortly after 5 PM.  (Photo by Linda)

Linda on the starboard promenade as the Disney WISH backs out of its berth at the cruise port in Nassau, Bahamas.

Every cruise line has a logo or emblem that they display on each of their ships.  MSC’s emblem is patterned after the compass rose.  I believe MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company, or did at one time.  MSC is a major shipping company, headquartered in Switzerland, but I think the MSC Cruise Line division operates out of Genoa, Italy.  We often see their pale-yellow shipping containers.

A view of the starboard bow of the Disney WISH with the Royale Caribbean ship sailing away behind it.

I think this is another Royale Caribbean ship leaving Nassau, Bahamas ahead of us.

The MSC Magnifica leaving the dock at the cruise port in Nassau, Bahamas.  This is a view of the dock from the stern of the MSC Magnifica.

After a pleasant enough day in Nassau, Bahamas our ship set sail at 6 PM for an overnight trip to MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay.

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NOTE:  There are two (2) photos in this post.  Photos by me (Bruce) taken with a Google Pixel 6 Pro unless otherwise indicated.  (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)

 

FRIDAY 12 January 2024 — A test cruise on the MSC Magnifica (1/3), Embarkation & Sail Away

A subtitle for this post would be “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” (but not in that order).  As mentioned in the previous post, back in February 2023 Linda and Nancy found an “around the world” cruise on MSC for what seemed to be a very good price.  The World Cruise was scheduled to depart Genoa, Italy on 6 January 2025, head west across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil and take 116 nights to circumnavigate the globe.  Much of the trip would be south of equator, eventually coming up the Suez Canal into the eastern Mediterranean Sea and back Genoa.  The itinerary included 50 ports-of-call spread across 21 countries.  We have never been south of the equator, and this seemed like a unique opportunity to visit places me might likely never get to otherwise.  And the price seemed really fair—almost too good to be true—but it would only be a bargain if it was truly “value for money.”

Reviews of MSC from sources like Cruise Critic, and Gary Bembridge’s Tips for Travelers Youtube channel were mixed, so we had our concerns about basic cruise things like food, service, and entertainment.  But top of your list was whether we would enjoy being on this ship for that long, and especially whether our staterooms would have adequate storage and comfortable seating.  The later, we have learned in limited but recent cruising experience, is not a given.

Sometime in the intervening months, Linda found that the Magnifica was doing a 3-night round-trip sailing, January 12-15, 2024 from the Port of Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, and back.  The cruise started on a Friday and returned on Monday, which meant it was going to be a bit of a “party cruise,” but that was not really relevant to us.  We wanted to check out the general condition of the ship, especially the staterooms, as well as the food, entertainment, and service.

The Miami Cruise Port is about a 4-hour drive from Polk City, Florida.  Rather than spend that much time in a car, and pay quite a bit for parking at the Port, Nancy and Paul had decided to take the relatively new high-speed rail from Orlando to Miami, which meant we were going to take it as well.  The Orlando International Airport was about a 1-hour drive from Paul and Nancy’s house and had convenient parking dedicated to the train.  The parking was under roof and reasonably priced, at least compared to the cost of parking at the Port.  We all purchased our tickets well in advance and had reserved seats.

We enjoyed taking the train, which allowed us to relax and doodle on our iPads (or read).  The end of the line terminal in Miami was walking distance from the Cruise Port, so we decided to walk there with our roller bags rather than hail a cab or call an Uber/Lyft.  That turned out not to be our best decision of the trip; it was a warm, sunny day, and we found the most direct route blocked by construction.  We ended up walking a bit father than we originally planned, but we got there, so all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

I distinctly remember that embarkation was relatively smooth but, ABIR, we had to wait a bit to get into our staterooms.  This is not uncommon, and we found a lounge to sit in while we waited.  (Drinks are always available immediately upon embarkation.)

 

Sail Away was at 6 PM.  A few minutes later, the Magnifica pulls away from the MSC Terminal at the Port of Miami.  The view is from our starboard side stateroom balcony.  ABIR, we were on Deck 9, just above the lifeboats (obviously).  (Photo by Linda)

 

Looking back at the Miami skyline with sunset well underway.  The ship has cleared all of the buildings but has not yet cleared the breakwater.  (Photo by Linda)

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Note:  There are four (4) photos in this post.  Photos taken by me (Bruce) with Google Pixel 6 Pro unless otherwise indicated.  (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)

 

SATURDAY 06 – THURSDAY 11 January 2024 — A quick trip to Florida in advance of a short cruise

Back in February 2023, we were waiting for a couple of days before boarding the NCL Joy for our trip with Paul and Nancy from Los Angeles , California to Miami, Florida via the Panama Canal.  While Paula and I were our buying some beverages, Linda and Nancy found an “around the world” cruise on the MSC Magnifica for what seemed to be a very good price.  Paul and Nancy had never sailed with MSC, but we had on two previous occasions (2012 and 2013).  We were on the MSC Poetia both times and had a good experience each time.  These were the first cruises we were ever on, and they were special Holistic Holiday at Sea programs organized by Taste of Health out of Miami, Florida.  The program featured plant-based food and provided its own ingredients, executive chef and assistants to supervise the regular kitchen workers.  It was basically a floating educational experience.  As best we could recall, the ship was very nice, the service was fine, and the staterooms were comfortable.  Indeed, we had a waiter who was outstanding!  We did not, however, have any experience with the usual ship food or entertainment, nor had we signed up for any shore excursions.  It had also been 10 years since with sailed with MSC, so there was a lot we did not know about what it would be like to be a regular passenger on one of their ships.

The world cruise was scheduled to depart Genoa, Italy on 6 January 2025 and take 116 nights to circumnavigate the globe back to Genoa, much of the trip south of equator.  Sailing west from Genoa through the western Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean, the itinerary went to South America, around Cape Horn, and up the west side of South America before heading off to French Polynesia and points west, with stops in New Zeeland, Australia, and Malaysia, eventually coming up the Suez Canal into the eastern Mediterranean Sea and back Genoa.  21 countries and 50 ports-of-call.

We have never been south of the equator, and this seemed like a unique opportunity to visit places me might likely never get to otherwise.  And the price seemed really fair—almost too good to be true—but even “value for money” involves money, and it was enough money that we had our concerns about whether we would be comfortable and enjoy being on this ship for this long.

Sometime in the intervening months, Linda found that the MSC Magnifica was doing a 3-night round-trip sailing on January 11-13, 2024 from the Port of Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, and back.  The cruise started on a Friday afternoon and returned on Monday early morning.  The timing meant it was going to be a bit of a “party cruise” as people local to the area could take Friday afternoon and Monday off from work and go to the Bahamas on a big cruise ship.  That was not really relevant to us, however, as we wanted to check out the general condition of the ship, especially the staterooms, as well as the food, entertainment, and service.

On January 6th we flew into Tampa – St. Petersburg International Airport, where Paul and Nancy picked us up and drove us to their new home in the Mount Olive Shores North (MSON, pronounced “Moe-son” or “Moe-sen”) development in Polk City, Florida.  MOSN is an RV community that includes several lakes.  Some of the lots are just RV pads, with perhaps a small storage shed and/or a gazebo, while others lots have large homes with carports or garages for maximum-size Class A RVs.  This fenced/gated community has a strong HOA.  The homes and properties all have a certain look, albeit a nice one, and are all well-maintained.  Class A motorhomes and large 5th wheel travel trailers have to be under cover or inside while smaller motorhomes must be inside (out of sight).  Travel trailers are not permitted.

We were familiar with the Polk City area and MOSN, having wintered three times at the LeLynn RV Park and visited Paul and Nancy at MOSN when they had their previous Winnebago Tour motorhome on a lot there for one winter, and again when they had the American Coach Eagle motorhome on a different lot there.  But this was our first opportunity to see the lakeside house/property they had purchased.

 

L-2-R:  Paul, Nancy, and me (Bruce).  In the central plaza at Disney Springs.  The stairs to the closest parking garage are to the left.  (Photo by Linda)

We spent five (5) nights at Paul and Nancy’s home.  We had just spent all of November with them at Luxury RV Resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama, but it was nice to see them again.  As usually happens when we are together, Nancy and Linda did joint menu planning and took turns as chef and sous chef.  Paul and I did our part, and ate whatever we were served.

 

Almost every store at Disney Springs is interesting.  Some are unusual, and a few are amazing.  The M&M Store, was all three!

But first on the list of things to do was a visit to Disney Springs.  When we get together with Paul and Nancy in this area, we always visit Disney Springs at least once.  Once turned out to be all the time we had for this visit, but we did manage to find some things at the Marvel Studios store for our cruise in February on the Disney Cruise Line DREAM.  After all, the cruise included a “Marvel Day at Sea” and a “Pirates Day” themed events.  We had dinner there, somewhere close to the Cirque de Soleil building, but I don’t recall exactly where or what we had to eat.

 

L-2-R:  Paul, Linda, and Nancy pose in front of the Sorcerer Mickey LEGO statute in front of the Disney Springs LEGO store.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is still my all-time favorite Disney animation, but I grew up involved in classical music, so …

Marty and Pat, our friends and fellow Great Lakes Converted Coaches (GLCC) and Converted Coach Owners (CCO) members from Michigan, were at LeLynn again this year, so we arranged to have them over to Paul and Nancy’s one evening for dinner.  It was great to see them, and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.  Our GLCC friends from northern Indiana, Pat and Vickie, were also in the area, staying at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness campground resort, as they do every January (and have for quite some time).  We drove up there one day to visit with them.

 

 

 

 

 

The LEGO Store at Disney Springs has an amazing outdoor display of life-size and greater-than-life-size, figures.  Star Wars is heavily represented in this collection, but this serpent in the water has always been a favorite of mine.

Those are the highlights of these six (6) days; a bit of running around and socializing, with plenty of time to eat, relax by the lake, watch Morning Joe, and chat about RVing and cruising and being (mostly) retired.