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Public
Rooms:- The Beverly Hills Bar [Ponte Verdi 5] fwd of La
Bussola, in peaches & blues, is "circular" with lovely
large round windows to port. Also to port there is a bar in one
corner, and to starboard is the Rodeo Drive Shopping Arcade.
Usually quiet during the day. There is a central stage area with
piano and audio equipment, where "Music D'Ambiance" is
played during late afternoon and dancing later in the evening. A
relaxing room; just right for that pre dinner drink.
Beverly
Hills Bar |
The
shops are quite unobtrusive and were only open whilst at sea; which
didn't give us much time for browsing. There's a Jewellery Shop,
Cosmetic Shop, Boutique, MSC Shop & "Duty Free" Shop
[wines, spirits etc nearer the reception area]. Most goods are top
quality & Italian. The sales were not pushed, and there are no
walkway stalls set up of "50% Off Today Only" watches,
perfumes etc, but discounts of the same within the shops from time to
time. No "Inch of Gold". |
Jewellery
Shop |
The
Excursion Desk, where one can collect detailed maps and port
information, along with booking excursions, is behind Reception.
Lovely marbled floors, with plenty of seating and a stage with piano
where easy listening music is played. The Main Foyer and Reception Area,
again has a marble floor and staircase leading up to the Coffee Corner
around the Atrium's Upper Level. |
Stage
& Seating Area opposite the Excursion Desk |
To
one side of Reception is an interactive unit which you can use to
see details of the ship and ports, along with an Interesting Maritime
History section on the famous Explorers of Yesteryear. Reception will
post your postcards, e1 a time, hand out as many MSC Lirica postcards
as you would like, free, but charge you e1 for any postcards of the
Ports of Call. All the girls spoke reasonable English and were very helpful. |
View
more Photos of the Reception Area & Foyer
Top
The
Marble Floor of the Reception Area |
The
Lord Nelson Pub with red tartan carpeting, deep blue and red
decor, nautical pictures on the walls and polished wooden flooring to
the bar area, is another lovely room. The lower level of the Broadway
Theatre empties out into here, but within a few minutes the crowds
have walked through and departed. During the daytime various
quizzes, darts, card tournaments, chess, backgammon, draughts &
other games and Italian Lessons take place in here. See
more Photos. |
Lord
Nelson Pub |
Le
Cabaret |
Le
Cabaret [Ponte Puccini 6] midships, again in peaches, oranges
and blues, but much brighter colours and "modern art"
bright murals on the walls, has a central dance floor, disco lights
etc, stage with band to one side, and comes into its own in the
evenings with lively entertainment. During the day it was the venue
for, amongst others, the Mime Cinema Quiz, Dancing Classes, Aperitif
Game [water pyramid]. Bingo, Music with Punjabi Atmosphere, and
outdoor entertainment was scheduled for here if the weather was bad. |
L'Atmosphere
Piano Bar in strong reds & blues, with bar, tables with
candles, and a piano on a stage to one side, describes its own
function and intimate ambience. This was a very popular evening
venue, hard to come by a seat. The Las Vegas Casino is small,
made to look bigger by the clever use of mirrors, and slot machines
line the walls and walkway outside. I cannot comment on the type or
standard of games, as I never played.
Las
Vegas Casino |
L'Atmosphere
Piano Bar |
The
Lirica Lounge [Ponte Scarlatti 7] is beautiful, in pinks,
mauves, maroons, divided seating areas with tables, stage, dance
floor & band. Big Band Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, and such
Contests as "Mr Lirica", along with the Cocktail Parties
took place in here. During the daytime hours it was little used. |
Wanna
Be Mr Lirica? |
The
Blue Club [Ponte Rossini 12 aft] in bright greens & blues is
the Disco area. Very popular at night, but little used during the
daytime. Wonderful all round views over the stern and sides. To one
side is a small Virtual Reality Games room. The Blue Club was the
meeting place for the teenagers and many of their organised parties
took place here. It's a wonderful room, but in my opinion should have
been placed forward, and "swapped" positions with the
Lirica Health Centre, Gym, Saunas and Beauty Parlour. There is no
forward observation lounge on MSC Lirica and this room would have
been ideal. As it is, when coming into port, people crowd into the
gym for viewing [this is usually before anyone is using it for a workout].
The
Lirica Lounge |
The
Blue Club |
View
more Photos of these
Lounges
Top
The
Broadway Theatre
|
The
Broadway Theatre
is two-storey and well appointed with good lines of sight & comfy
seating in deep reds. Drinks are not served in here. With
such an International audience shows tended to be a variety of acts
which everyone can enjoy. Magic & Illusion, Plate Spinning,
Contortionists, Singing, Mime, Dancing & Flamenco. The
contortionists & "strong men" were superb. Some other
acts were not to my liking. I didn't go every night either.
DGM-Fascination Ballet were the dance troupe and "OK".
There was a Spanish night "Eviva Espana" with Duende
Flamenco [Flamenco dance troupe], and an Oriental Amulet which was
very good. Bit of a mix 'n match really. By the time one has heard
the CD introduce and applaud the acts at the beginning and end of
each show in numerous languages, where the word "Applause"
appears to be the same in every one of them, it does get a bit
tiresome. Movies are sometimes shown here in the afternoons, usually
in English with sub-titles, but not always. |
Quizzes
of all types are held daily, very popular it seems. Various types of
music can be found all over MSC Lirica during the afternoon and
evening. Piano, Violin, Duo's, Trio's, Instrumental, Italian Music,
Classical, International Music, could be heard in the Beverly Hills
Bar, L'Atmosphere Piano Bar, Lirica Lounge, Blue Club, in the Foyer;
a myriad of types and styles. People just sat and listened. The Mr
Lirica contest caused a laugh, as did those for Miss Teen & Lady
Lirica. There was a large Indian group aboard from London for whom a
special Diwali Night was held, along with other Punjabi parties and
activities during the week.
There
is Bingo, Ballroom Dancing, other Dancing, Deck/Pool Games, Dance
Classes, Arts & Crafts, Learn Italian, Carving [fruit & veg]
Demonstration, Cocktail Demonstration, Cooking Demonstration,
Meringue Lesson, Mini-golf, Shuffleboard, Table Football Tournaments,
Millionaires Game, Talent Show, Grease Party, Dance Contest, Magic
Tricks. All in 7 nights with 6 ports! I didn't do any of it, except
obtain a Diploma in Italian. There are no Art Auctions. See sample Daily
Programmes for Barcelona
and Palermo. |
Minigolf,
8 Holes around the Funnel |
The
Cabin.
We had 2 identical inside standard cabins on Ponte Panganini [8],
4043 & 4047 [these both had 2 upper berths if required]. Howard
& myself in one, and Beverley with her friend Katy in the other.
Nicely decorated with light beige/cream furniture, blue carpet and
yellow & blue bedspreads; Not overly large, but well laid out
& plenty of storage space. A double wardrobe with plenty of
hangers, another wardrobe with 6 deep drawers and 2 shelves above.
Mini Bar [with price list] in fridge in cupboard under the TV. Pool
towels [blue] supplied and changed by your cabin steward when
required. Corner dressing table unit & chair, with central drawer
and thin cupboards either side. Large mirror which swings open to
reveal shelves and a safe with which you use a 4 digit number of your choice.
The
beds can be made up as a double or 2 singles. Two cupboards with
shelves between the beds, both with lamps that had arms to swing out
over the beds. Upper bunks had their own individual lights recessed
in the ceiling. A large mirror made the room seem bigger than it was.
The room temperature was fine throughout the cruise. Two large
pillows are placed on the beds during the day. Sheets & blankets
used, rather than duvets. The beds were very comfortable and the
cabin quiet, so we slept well. The phone can be used for an alarm call,
The
bathroom was small but adequate. The basin had cupboards underneath.
A selection of toiletries are provided and replenished as required,
including sewing kit, shower hats & shoe shine. The shower is
small, curtained and it sticks! Need to be careful one doesn't flood
the floor, but any spilled water drains away through an outlet under
the toilet. Water temperature remains constant and a decent pressure.
The hairdryer, attached to the wall, is not too powerful, but
adequate unless you have very long thick hair.
The
TV shows the "Report from the Bridge", the Navigator's Log
including the ship's position, heading, speed, next sunrise/sunset,
air temp/humidity/pressure, wind speed & direction, sea
conditions, time aboard and arrival and departure time in the ports.
Bridge Cam & "Safety on Board" pages showing how to do
everything from following the floor lights to loading the lifeboats.
Various
channels showed documentaries on the ports of call, including
historical facts & what to do and see, and how to get around, no
"Shopping Tips". BBC News 24, English Films, Foreign
Programmes & many other items, but I didn't see any of these to
comment. There are electrical outlets for both 110v [US flat 2/3 pin]
& 220v {European round 2 pin]. Having a multi point extension
lead is useful if one uses a laptop & battery charger.
A
bowl of fresh fruit was in the cabin [but no chocolate on the pillow
at night], replenished daily by the cabin steward, who was excellent.
His command of English was not brilliant, but we got along fine with
a few gestures & laughs. The girls' cabin was always a mess, as
they appeared to try on every item of clothing they possessed, every
night whilst changing for dining and the Teens Activities, discarding
the "unsuitable" ones on the floor. I was not amused and
the poor steward picked them up all the time. He got a good tip!
MSC
Lirica does not have a self-service launderette, but the standard
laundry is reasonably priced. See
the Tariff. In the higher category suites/balcony
cabins, I understand robes are provided, but I didn't see them myself.
View
More
of our Cabin Photos
& Photos of
10060 Bellini Deck [10] Balcony Suite |
All
those Drawers
Bathroom
Radisson
Diamond sails by -
shame
I'm in the Shower! |
Top
The
Library |
The
professional photos were not too pricey, and the photographers were
not intrusive. There were the usual embarkation photos, and they did
the rounds of the decks, entertainment venues, and dining rooms, but
no endless photos taken at every port of call, nor with scantily glad
women! If there had been, I doubt there would have been time for
passengers to see them all. You could have a formal photo taken if
required, anytime.
The
Library was situated in the Card Room, with the books
locked in cabinets, only accessible for an hour each morning and a
couple each afternoon. I don't think many had the time for reading. I
had my own books, but never got one finished. Board Games, Packs of
Cards etc are all available. There is mini-golf around the funnel,
table tennis by the pools, and table football on the Sun Deck
[Solarium], all of which require a deposit to be held [e10] by
reception for any equipment borrowed. View
Outdoor Sports Photos. |
The
Children's Mini-Club, "I Pirati" was in a
lovely room, themed as Treasure Island, brightly decorated. Open
during different times of each day depending on the hours in port.
Children could be booked in whilst parents went ashore on excursions.
Howard loved it in here, even though he was the only English speaker
most of the time. He made good friends with a French boy & a
Chinese boy. Italians as a whole are very child friendly.
Teen
Mummies |
The
Teens had many activities during the evenings, not so many
during the daytime, but once they had all met at the first disco,
they met up in the Blue Club most of the time, or could be found
playing board games and cards in the Library. Beverley & Katy
made many friends from all over, and keep in contact via email now.
My only gripe was that the teens discos & activities often did
not start until 10 or 11pm each night, so I could never get them up
in the mornings!
View
More
Children's Playroom Photos. |
|
"I
Pirati"
|
To
the Sauna & Steam Rooms |
The
Lirica Health
Centre had lots of good equipment, all sorts of programmes
running and was very popular. The Beauty Parlour & Hairdressers
was always busy, various packages of 'treatments' were available and
there is a small shop selling sportswear.
Gym |
Lirica
Health Centre
There
are steam & sauna rooms, mixed sex I believe, I did not use them
to verify, and a relaxation area serving soft drinks & juices.
View
the "Treatments" on Offer |
What
a let down arriving in back in Genova. Disembarkation was by way of
colour coding depending on ones forward transport arrangements. Fully
explained and laid out in Reception for you to collect the right
coloured labels the previous day. We had a late afternoon flight back
from Milan [arranged by MSC], were given lunch on board and
disembarked well after embarkation commenced for the following
cruise. Nice touch. So as not to get in the way of embarking
passengers and push back down the gangway they were boarding by, we
were taken out through the baggage loading area. Whilst having our
cards swiped for the last time we were able to watch the incoming
baggage go through the scanners. Surprising the number of hangers
people bring aboard. I am obviously not the only one who leaves
everything on their hangers for a quick unpack in the cabin.
Tipping
is done in the "Old Fashioned" way, by handing an envelope
to your Cabin Steward & Waiter. They share the money with their
assistants. No guidelines are given, but passengers suggested amongst
themselves around e8 per person per day between the staff, more or
less depending on how you rated the service. It is cashless onboard
and everything is charged to your cabin using the MSC Lirica Card
issued on embarkation. This is also used for security purposes when
going ashore and returning in ports. Your picture shows up on the
operator's screen. No other ID is required.
The
Passenger mix was very International. As a guess, 40% were Italian,
20% British, 20% German, !0% French & the remaining 10% were
Spanish, Austrian, other Europeans, Australian, New Zealanders,
Canadian & American. The language barrier was evident at times,
and occasionally the announcements seemed to go on forever in
numerous languages. Thankfully they were few and far between. Most of
the time it's fun to try and converse with other language speakers. I
can see the food may not be to the liking of Americans, as it is very
Southern European both in Style & Flavour. French Toast is not
the sort which comes with Maple Syrup, and bacon is not the streaky
crispy variety. Steaks are thin and there are few "Death by
Chocolate" or Cheescake type desserts.
Please
note that this is an Italian Ship mainly catering to Southern
Europeans, and we were on a cruise in the Mediterranean. Cruises
sailing from Florida, may be slightly different, with amended menus,
tariffs and entertainment.
All
in all we had a wonderful cruise. MSC Lirica is a beautiful ship and
we'd return anyday. All was not perfect however. When is anything?
For
hundreds of Photographs of the Menus, Food, Midnight Buffets, Staff
& Ports of Call during MSC Lirica's Caribbean Cruises sailing out
of Fort Lauderdale, please see Buil & Diane Chamless's excellent
website CruiseClues.
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