92-Day Cruise to Africa, South America, Oceania, and the Hawaiian Islands on MSC MAGNIFICA

Our experience aboard MSC Magnifica was very disappointing and fell well below what we expected from a cruise vacation.

The food was one of our biggest frustrations. We seemed to see the same dishes repeatedly, day after day, with very little variety. At times, it even gave us the impression that food was simply being recycled into succeeding meals. After several days, dining became predictable rather than something to look forward to.

The cabins were also disappointing because of the very limited storage space. For passengers on a longer cruise, there simply was not enough room to comfortably organize clothes and personal belongings.

Embarkation was another major problem. The process was chaotic, poorly organized, and stressful. A cruise vacation should begin with excitement and relaxation, not confusion and frustration.

We were also surprised by how few dining choices were available, especially around the pool area. Compared with other cruise ships, the casual food and restaurant options felt very limited.

Taken individually, some of these problems might be minor. But when combined, they greatly affected our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

Sadly, MSC Magnifica did not live up to our expectations. Based on our experience, we would not recommend this ship to our friends, and we would think twice before sailing on it again.

7 day Baltic round trip from Copenhagen in an Aurea Balcony.

Right from the start the cruise went smoothly, embarkation was very quick and straightforward. We didn't queue at all and were quickly on the ship. Our arrival slot was 12.00. The safety drill procedure was more efficient than the last MSC cruise we took - we basically went straight to our muster point on the way to the cabin and then watched the short video.

The cabin itself was ready when we arrived and was very clean, our cabin attendant was lovely and always really quick to service the room in the morning and refresh again in the evening.

As expected the buffet was a bit of a scrum but it always is. Breakfast and dinner were good, lunch seemed to have less selection than I have seen before. We mostly ate in the dining rooms, the service was excellent and the food was good. I think I only had one starter that wasn't great. We had anytime dining (or whatever MSC calls it) so were in a separate part of the main dining room.

The whole ship was really clean, it is easy to navigate and not so huge as some of the newer ships. It felt very manageable.

It was very easy to get served on the pool deck and at the bars, I think the ship was full but it didn't feel crowded, maybe because we were mostly up on deck and it wasn't particularly sunny. There are a lot of bars scattered around the ship, indoors and outside so everyone should be able to find something that they like.

I can't comment on the entertainment or shopping as we didn't bother with it, but the theatre was full every night and people seemed to be enjoying it.

Debarkation was very quick - we carried our bags off and there was a local bus waiting to go into the city. No need for a pricey MSC shuttle.

I think some of the bad reviews for Magnifica are a bit over the top or maybe people don't know what to expect from an MSC cruise - it's not a luxury experience unless you book Yacht Club

I was really looking forward to our first ever ocean cruise as a number of our friends are very keen on this type of holiday.

What a disappointment!

Our balcony cabin was spacious, comfortable & well insulated against any noise. However, that’s the only positive I can find.

The overall organisation of the cruise was chaotic - no clear queuing process at the breakfast buffet, more just a push and shove exercise. Much the same experience waiting, sometimes interminably, for a lift.

The dining room seemed to be over full, attempting to cram as many as possible into a small space. Food quality did not meet my expectations. Chaos at time rained with ordering food & drink with incorrect orders being delivered or in one instance no order at all. The majority of serving staff seemed relatively disinterested in their job.

Daily activities were inadequate and entertainment third rate.

Drink prices & wifi cost were excessive.

There appeared to be too many people on board as in many areas there were crowds and a crush.

To cap it all off our bill showed an 84euro per person charge for “Hotel Service” which should not have been charged as we had paid this upfront as part of the fare. The charge was eventually reversed.

Overall a very disappointing experience.