If you’re a military family in Europe trying to decide which cruise to take, you should see this.
It’s a military mom’s review of her family’s cruise to the Western Med on the MSC Splendida.
It’s so helpful! She talks about the room, the food, what to do in port, the drink packages, the kids clubs, etc.
We figured many of you would be interested in every word she had to say, so we’re posting the entire review below.
And, she even let us post some of her pictures. Thank you, Kacie Rosario!!
Read Kacie’s review below:
The MSC Splendida was our first cruise! We had read some reviews on MSC, and it almost changed my mind, but we decided to test it out ourselves.
We could not have asked for a better experience! From the staff, the food, the amenities, and the ports of call – it was our best vacation yet.
We really enjoyed the ease of cruising and the relaxed atmosphere of the ship. There was always something to do, but if you just wanted to relax – there are plenty of places for that too!
Everything was well organized and ran smoothly – from embarkation, the excursions, dining services, and disembarkation. We never felt like we were rushed, crowded, or pressured. When we did have questions the concierge was always helpful.
It was also nice that everything was taken care of, by Mitch, before we cruised. He had our crib booked in our room, our tickets e-mailed to us and even signed us up for the excursions that I wanted to do.
I was a nervous first time cruiser and Mitch was great about promptly answering my dozens of emails.
We also enjoyed the dining experience onboard. Every night you have the option to enjoy a seven-course meal, and it does not disappoint. I consider myself a picky eater, and there was always something I enjoyed. The wait staff also goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome.
We have a two-year-old and I was really nervous about bringing him into the dining room and getting those annoyed stares, but the staff was so accommodating and understanding – as were our fellow diners.
We also decided to go with the Cheers package which allowed us unlimited drinks (beer, wine, soda, and water) during dining hours – which was a great purchase for us, and we certainly got our money’s worth! The buffet was also great for breakfast and lunch. They had a wide variety of options and the service, again, was phenomenal.
Our room was fantastic and far exceeded our expectations. From the reviews, I was expecting a tin shoebox, but our room was large enough for two adults to relax, and a toddler to run around.
We had a great view from our balcony, and it was nice to sit outside while we were arriving and leaving a port. The room service visited twice a day and was always quick to offer assistance.
We looked around the kids area, and we would have taken advantage if our son was older. The groups would come into the buffet at times and always seemed like they were having so much fun. It looked like they had costume days and plenty of arts and craft activities.
Even though we didn’t specifically use the kids club – the ship itself was very kid friendly. There are plenty of wide open spaces where we could ‘run off’ steam, or enjoy the views.
We enjoyed all of the ports of call – the only complaint I have is that we could not spend ALL day at some! We chose to do two excursions through MSC (Tunisia and Palermo) and we did the rest on our own.
We did utilize a shuttle through MSC at two of the ports, which was a great deal – it gave you a cheap and reliable way to the city center, but allowed you to still explore on your own.
Tunisia and Rome were our ultimate favorite ports.
I would suggest doing an organized excursion in Tunisia – especially if you have children. Tunisia is fantastic, but a bit overwhelming. For us, it was nice to just sit back, relax, and let the tour guide take us to all of the amazing sights.
I would also suggest porting out of Rome so you can extend a couple days on the front or back end of your cruise. We opted for this planned and it worked out great for us. There is just too much to see in Rome!
In every port, we ate at an authentic restaurant in that city or country. It was great to experience new things and we had fun tracking down the right place! In Barcelona we ate tapas, in Palermo a traditional Sicilian restaurant, in Rome, we had plenty of pizza, in Marseille we had beignets, and in Tunisia, we enjoyed some amazing local coffee. I would suggest just getting out and enjoying the culture and surroundings!
Kacie has even more pictures, great tips and info on her blog, Thanks so much for letting us share all that with everyone Kacie. I’m sure it was helpful to many folks.
