7 Nights Mediterranean from Piraeus (Athens) Cruise

Eastern Mediterranean cruise: excellent staff, service, and great value from a US cruiser.

From a first time newbie cruiser: Family cruise centered around Athens, Greece for 2 week trip. Picked up MSC cruise at Athens, Greece in Piraeus port - 12 noon check in - very easy & fast check-in, luggage tags already provided (no need to pre-print tags which we had) and luggage delivered before ship sailed at 5pm. So glad we planned to arrive into Athens 2 days prior because we had a British Airways flight cancellation segment which caused a day delay to arrive. Filed UK 261 compensation for 4 of us... First MDR of the evening was very good - had previously joined 2 stateroom bookings into one table which allowed all of us first seating dining time. Glad we chose the Fantastica package that allowed us to choose dining time and get included bottled mineral water. First evening in the stateroom was a VERY BAD experience - was booked underneath the kitchen of the buffet and after midnight they cleaned heavily the noises were awful - also confirmed by our neighbors. Lodged a formal report complaint with chief of boat officer who had visited our room at 3am to confirm. First port of call: Split Croatia which was fantastic - great to see they now use Euros instead of their local currency of recent change. Guest services complaint from first night turned into a change of cabins to a deck underneath and upgraded cabin type. Second night was quiet and peaceful. Next day Guest Services delivered canapés and a bottle of sparkling wine on ice for the previous night's issue with an apology card. Remaining days at port and sea were excellent - no complaints at all. The water was so calm and glassy that I never needed to use any motion sickness meds that I was prepared for. Only time ship was 100% full was the stop at Venice Italy when a huge group of Europeans, mostly Italians & Russians boarded and caused issues with queues and waiting their turn. Many times they would cut in front of us at the bars, lounges, guest services, excursions, boat tenders, elevators, etc... Apart from US and UK folks, I learned most Europeans don't queue. Note about Venice, Italy: Eastern Italy has been undergoing major immigration issues while we were there and caused our entire group of passengers to bring their passports along - required when disembarking. Tender boats all had to stop at an MSC island for passport control & immigration checks along with Xray & metal detector scans in order to embark back onto the ship. Food - perfect. Buffets were great for port days and upon returning afternoon tea & snacks were great. Kids loved the pizza bar and late night snack bars. MDR was excellent - great service every night and could not ask for anymore! Drinks package - none. Since I am the only drinker out of our group of 4, I went a la carte and paid a total of $190USD whilst a drink package would have easily cost us $1440 USD ($360 x 4). Entertainment - excellent. Well done every night with varied shows & presentations. Last night the captain and officers all appeared before the show and a huge applause to them. Internet package - basic 4 people worked out well for messaging and emails. Since the ship did not have the MSC app, it was a necessity when a family of 4 were trying to communicate. For the money, it was an excellent cruise. Overall, an excellent cruise experience and will be looking forward to another MSC cruise in the Western Mediterranean or Middle east cruise.... Thanks of course to everyone on this forum for your help & knowledge.

Best time ever

A big thank you to everyone on MSC Sinfonia for unforgettable experience. Service provided in every part of the ship is excellent, cleanliness immaculate and entertainment superb. I am very grateful to Disco Bar team: Kennet, Adhi, Wirwan and Bayu for their assistance, they work in different sections on the ship throughout the day and administer guests orders instantly. I also would like to say how much is the hard work of entertainment team appreciated, everyone is doing great job, they are very professional and know how to ,,kick-start" the public and make everyone smile. Mostly we communicated with Ettayeb, he has excellent communication skills, is supportive and very good listener. He's definitely perfect addition to the team and it wouldn't be the same without him. We can't leave chef's unmentioned, they prepare an excellent meals, there is a choice for everyone, food is lovely, service in buffet and restaurant areas is also top class. Thank you again to everyone and best of luck in the future, hope our ways will cross again

Fantastic! Ignore the negative comments!

Just returned from an amazing cruise on Sinfonia. I’ve cruised Celebrity, Scenic, Royal Caribbean and P&O and I can say MSC were fantastic. Food was absolutely delicious, the Italians know how to cook. I can only assume others have killed their tastebuds if they didn’t like the food. Please ignore negative comments about the food, it’s simply not true. Yes the itinerary is tight but that is no surprise. Just line up and get in early for tender tickets so you are first off the ship and make the most of your time in each port. Santorini and Mykonos were both spectacular. Cabins were comfortable and roomy, I had an inside cabin. Staff were so friendly and helpful. I got calls to my cabin making sure I was happy with everything, Entertainment was fantastic too, good singers and guitarists in the lounges. Only negative was the fact you can’t get second cabin keys when you are a family sharing two cabins with children. This is very problematic and frustrating.