8-Day Cruise to the Adriatic Sea on MSC ARMONIA

Was sceptical initially given bad reviews but was pleasantly surprised - Suites are huge with bath plus huge walk in wardrobes and luxury amenities - Fortunately had upgrade to suite with benefits which made cruise best value for money - fantastic port stops, top quality dinings and attentive maitre d , guest services could not do more to appease, fantastic evening shows - for an old ship extremely intimate & well maintained, clean, comfortable with excellent entertainment by the hour …. took MSC excursions in all ports which were pricy but well organised with too early rushed starting times of 08:00 … then back at 14:00 - too late for lunch …. Crew is largely South African where many still need training but most are Zulu, very friendly & eager to serve given ship is to be based in Durban over the summer season ( southern hemisphere) - Thermal area is small with only steam rooms sauna , spa and massages are excellent and gym has latest equipment… 4/5 stars

I took an Adriatic Cruise with MSC Armonia from 1-8 Aug 26. In general, I thought the ship and food were very good, but the customer service of the employees on the ship was extraordinary! They were helpful, engaging, happy (always smiling!), and even remembered my name. I upgraded to the Aurea suite and my cabin steward was Amiroucine (we called him Din). Fabulous attendant at our beck and call for 7 days, worked around our schedules, provided everything we needed, always there to help—kudos to such great service! Our waiter was Jonald and we had 2 assistant waiters (Fahmi & Karnish) and they were awesome as well, refilling wine, bring more amazing bread, quickly serving dinner, excellent food and service!

Overall, the ship was moderate size (~2500 guests), very clean, with an overabundance of personnel to help. The best food on the ship by far was the PIZZA!!! I tipped the regular pizza maker for the thankless job he does every day (failed to get his name though). Customer service center, tours desk, bars, restaurants, all clean and well serviced. I had a reaction to oil used during a massage that landed me in the Medical Center onboard and even they did a fabulous job. I need to call out some folks though for fantastic service: Bartender Lindokuhle for the best Bloody Mary I’ve had in a long time! Dining hostess Ana for remembering my name and always seating us quickly; Bar waitresses Nathifa & Patricia (from Brazil) for smiles and great service; Dance instructor Monier for keeping us moving; Café San Marco server Allan for attentive service with a smile; White Lion bartender Wesley for great drinks; and last but not least Effy employees Ana Clara and Manuel for helping me choose 2 diamond rings to remember my trip! I wish I could call out everyone, but one thing I did do was tip and tip and tip! So many on board, all great service. This was my first cruise in 12 years and my first in Europe, I will most definitely take an MSC cruise again! Kudos to everyone and highly recommend both the MSC cruise line and the ship!

Took an MSC tour at the Dubrovnik port: Dubrovnik caves & snorkeling adventure by boat. I was disappointed to see it was a little rubberized zodiac as our boat for the day, but Damien, our captain for the day, was a great companion and full of information. He provided historical and relevant info about every location we drove past/stopped at and assisted onboarding and disembarking. I could not jump off the boat and get back on due to a healing broken arm (disappointing), so I spent time on the boat talking about Dubrovnik and Croatia in general with Damien, great company. 10 stars for Damien, 4 stars for the boat since 2 things should really be told to folks before you book: 1) you must climb up a very rickety ladder at the back of the boat to get back onboard, and 2) there are no bathrooms available anywhere for the first 3 hours of the tour.

The food was bad enough that I feel obligated to warn others before they see the price and think the savings are worth it. The ports themselves are beautiful and absolutely worth visiting, but we found ourselves loading up on food ashore before returning to what MSC called a buffet and dining experience. Calling it disappointing would be generous.

The wait staff for paid items (coffee and alcohol) were genuinely pleasant. As for dinner service, don’t expect anything personalized, but don’t worry, you probably won’t be looking forward to dinner by day two anyway.

We booked a balcony room, yet still found ourselves shuffling around a space that felt cramped and dated. Oh, and conditioner isn’t included. My condolences if you have long hair. Boarding didn’t inspire much confidence either: a thrown-together welcome, forgotten room keys, and a rotating collection of mysterious smells throughout the common areas. We happened to be sailing over the Fourth of July, and the entertainment staff did a genuinely sweet job celebrating it for the American guests. It’s unfortunate that thoughtful moments like that are overshadowed by so many avoidable issues throughout the rest of the cruise.

One critique for the Venice port process, and some free advice for MSC. After taking many cruises, I’ve always found it incredibly clear how to get back to the ship. Here, we were dropped off and left to figure it out ourselves. (Dropped by a bus we weren’t told to load at port of Venice but no one said wether bus or shuttle would take us back/ if we needed to taxi) A simple map or one-page guide explaining how to get between the port and the city would have made all the difference. Ironically, I could generate one with AI in about 30 seconds, yet we were left relying on kind—but equally confused—Italian port staff who weren’t even affiliated with the cruise line.

All in all, spend the extra hundred dollars and book with a trusted cruise line like Holland America or Norwegian. The lower price wasn’t worth the tradeoff. This was my first experience with MSC, it will also be my last.