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MSC Magnifica review
Review of my 2023 cruise on MSC
June 02, 2024
Guest contributors: Acescruising
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Indoor pool area

In December of 2023 a friend and I did a 3 night cruise on the MSC Magnifica. Here are some thoughts on that cruise and MSC in general.

I always tell all my guests to set your expectations before getting on MSC, its a budget cruise line, and the product reflects that.  Their new ships are nice, lots of beautiful and original design and stunning atriums with something for everyone.  The service, food and cleanliness could use some work.

The Magnifica is a very unique ship with interesting design and decor.  They did have al their christmas decorations out, which I thought gave it a nice touch.  You will usually find this starting in December on many cruise lines.

I had a standard balcony stateroom.  Not really that great.  The towels were worn out, same with the pillows.  The bed felt more like a cot.  For a balcony cabin, there isn't much space to maneuver around. I suggest bringing your own soap and shampoo when going on MSC.

The weather wasn't the best on this cruise, so, we did miss the private island, which is for many, a big reason to go on this cruise. MSC has a great private island. There was just too much wind to dock.  We did go to Nassau, which was not that great.  There are things to do, but make sure you have an excursion.

A lot of people returned from Nassau early and hit the sports bar, which is one of the best I have seen anywhere, especially for a ship.  However, it wasn't operating till 3pm.  Not even the TVs were on.  We found a staff and told them people were waiting for food and drinks in the sports bar as NFL is really important for a lot of guests on board.  They opened immediately, which I thought was really great.  However, its odd to think this hasn't happened before.  They must know people want to watch NFL.  Sadly, they did not have enough staff to keep the tables and area clean of spills and food scraps, which was kinda sad.  

During the day at sea, the pool was very busy, as was the game room and casino. This isn't really exclusive to MSC, its just the way cruising is. Popular places on the ship will be busy.

Walking around the ship, I noticed a lot of smells that were not pleasant, and in some places garbage and other debris strewn about.

The food and service at the main dining room was sub par.  I did not finish my food nor did I return at any point during the cruise.

Overall, I would really hesitate to suggest this particular cruise to a guest.  If they do want to go, I would really stress that this is not generally the "cruise experience" I'd want someone to have.  I hope MSC can improve a bit in 2024 and moving forward, especially with all their new ships and how many cruises they plan on operating in North America in the very near future.

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For those of you not familiar, Backroads tours is a luxury adventure travel company that offers worldwide biking, hiking, adventure tours that incorporate top notch hotels and river cruises.  In this instance, we were on AMA Waterways, the AMASonata.

To begin this trip, I took a private tour from Berlin with a stop in Dresden on the way to Prague.  This took around 4.5 hours.  You could also take the train or fly.

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The first day of the Backroads trip departed the hotel first thing in the Morning.  The bus ride was about 90 minutes, we arrived at Tittling, Germany around noon.  Backroads had a beautiful lunch set up for us while they discussed safety and biking. After 26 miles of biking, we reached the ship in Vilshofen!

This was primarily a backroads biking adventure, so, you pay for that experience.  You can do as much or as little as you want however, and take advantage of the river cruise experience as well.
 
I biked every single day besides one, we went to the castle in Cesky Krumlov instead. Cesky is a really cool place with a lot of history dating back to 30000 BC!  
 
The most interesting ride was probably between Weirkirchen and Melk, the guide warned us the hill was steep, he wasnt lying!  About 30 minutes riding up hill.  Once to the top, amazing views of the valley and a great downhill to Melk.
 
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Vilshofen
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Linz (Salzberg)
Weissenkirchen (Austria)
Vienna
Bratislava (one of my favorite cities!)
Budapest
 
 
The rest of the trip was bike rides, world war two sites and history with a lot of Daube river valley in between.
 
Look for an acescruising.com hosted trip with backroads in 2026! 
 
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A journey through Greece to Turkey
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May 24 - Boarding day.  In the morning I will do a walking tour with the Acropolis and museums.  Around 3pm, I will board the ship and prepare for my welcome party that evening abord the beautiful Explora I.

This cruise is a seven night Greek Isles cruise that will end in Turkey. Below will be a quick overview.

May 25 - mykonos. In the Day I will do a Catamaran with Project Expedition excursion providers.  That evening, I will visit a Greek farm.

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May 31- June 3. -  Check into the Ritus hotel in central Istanbul.

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The Norwegian Fjords trip came to an end and I disembarked the ship in Rotterdam.  I decided to take a taxi to my hotel in Amsterdam.  The Grand, which is a luxury historical property near the "red light" district. Let me take you through the next few days as I make my way to Prague.
 
Day one in Amsterdam
 
After dropping my bags off at the hotel, I used the spa facilities for a bit, using the early afternoon to catch up on some rest and relaxation.  The Sofitel Grand was an amazing hotel, I highly recommend it.
 
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The next day, I hopped on a train to Brussels.
 
 
In Brussels, I stayed at  HOTEL DES GALERIES
 
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