MSC excellent value for money

I’m fed up of reading negative reviews about MSC. We have just returned from our 3rd cruise on MSC Musica and it represented superb value. We had a midship balcony cabin which was almost identical to balcony cabins on Princess and Royal Caribbean and for a week in the UAE we paid ?œ949 including Emirates flights from Manchester (booking a year in advance – last minute cruises were available at ?œ149 & BA or Emirates flights at ?œ350 return pp) The food is good – admittedly the self service cafeterias are busy at breakfast and lunch – but we always preferred the served breakfast and lunch options in the Oleandro restaurant and the service was excellent. There is an excellent range of salads and delicious fresh fruit in the cafeteria and always a choice of four different pizzas which were to die for! We had the same table in Maxim’s restaurant every evening and only one main course (Arabian chicken) in the week was disappointing. Every evening we had an appetiser, soup or salad, pasta or risotto, a main course and a dessert or cheese. The wine list, whilst predominantly Italian, is varied and excellent value, starting at 19 euros per bottle and the service was friendly and professional.
The entertainment was hilarious – it’s difficult to cater for many different nationalities and languages as acts relying on language such as comedians obviously don’t work. However, it was always possible to get a comfortable seat in the theatre and it was very entertaining! The many bars on Musica had something musical for everyone and the drinks (especially cocktails) were superb value for money (compared with Princess whose cocktails are much more expensive and have hardly any alcohol in them!) Please give MSC a chance and don’t be put off by the negative reviews. It’s a great way to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi at an affordable price.