MSC Magnifica Review
Rating by category
Additional details
The advertised price for this cruise was too good to ignore - but having experienced it, I would change that statement to "too good to be true". The saying "You get what you pay for" certainly applied in this case...
Having experienced five cruises with five different companies, I feel I can give an objective account. It was not all bad - but it certainly was not good.
The Good:
Cabin Review
Interior Stateroom
Inside stateroom on Deck 9 (Panarea). Unusually spacious for an inside room. Clean and well decorated. Could have done with a bit more space for doing hair and make up - as the vanity area was dominated by the tea and coffee tray - as well as bottles of water on sale. The tea and coffee facilities were most welcomed though.
There is also a mini bar at an extra charge.
Ample wardrobe/draw space.
Decent bathroom - with basic shower gel/shampoo/hand wash included.
It was kept clean and well stocked throughout our stay - although we have no idea who our cabin steward was - as we were never introduced. Shame...
Other than that - the room was quiet, and was easy to access the facilities etc.
Port Reviews
Southampton
Swift and efficient embarkation. No problems.
Luggage waiting outside stateroom and we were unpacked and enjoying the ship in no time.
Le Havre
A pleasant town - but nothing much of significance to visit (i.e. cultural sites).
We did enjoy the modern church - something a bit different.
Not a lot to enjoy in terms of shopping - mainly shops for residents (i.e. bakery, butchers, florists etc)
Local shuttle into town offered at the reasonable cost of 4 euros.
Hamburg
Had I been going on a shopping trip, Hamburg would be brilliant. There must be every shop known to man! Nothing much to see of a touristy nature - other than the impressive city hall. There appears to have been a lot of investment into the city making way for modern facilities. Quite difficult to navigate (although the traffic in the centre was quiet) - not particularly tourist friendly.