MSC SINFONIA Reviews

Nice clean ship with lots of stops and beautiful weather throughout the trip. I stayed in a balcony cabin on deck 10. My cabin steward couldn’t been better even got 2 free bottles of Prosecco . I ate mostly from the buffet and the food was good albeit a little heavy on the pasta side . I didn’t see any shows but I spent a lot of time sunbathing and sightseeing .

An enjoyable trip and I would go back again. The cruise originated in Bari, Italy with stops in Corfu, Santorini, Mt Olympus, kefalonia,and Piraeus(Athens) Getting to the port of Bari is very easy , I arrived at Bari central train station and it is a short walk across the street to where the #50 bus takes you to pier . It is about 10 minutes away . It costs 1 Euro each time . it was a great trip and I am already considering going again

Our MSC Symphonia cruise around the Greek islands was an unforgettable experience! From the very beginning, everything was perfectly organized, smooth and comfortable. The entire crew was incredibly friendly, professional and attentive, always ready to help with a smile. Our cabin was comfortable, clean and well maintained, with excellent daily housekeeping.

The entertainment program was absolutely fantastic. Every evening brought a new and exciting show with talented performers, beautiful costumes, music, dancing and an amazing atmosphere. There was always something fun to do, and we never had a boring moment. The food was delicious, with plenty of variety, and the service in the restaurants was excellent.

A special thank you to Anna and the wonderful girls in the kids’ room. They were so kind, caring and creative, keeping the children entertained and happy throughout the cruise.

We truly enjoyed every moment and would happily recommend MSC Symphonia to anyone. Thank you for such a wonderful holiday! We will definitely come back again!

Disappointment started at booking. 1350 EUR for the cheapest (BELLA) experience on a 7-night cruise (Greece/Italy). MSC managed to cancel the booking and forgot to send me a message about it. Got blocked at boarding and had to purchase a second "on spot" ticket after waiting 5h30 so they could figure out the situation. The lack of organization and problem solving is top class.

The ship is 25 years old, got renovated 10 years ago. It is an Italian company (based in Switzerland), so the overall experience feels made for Italians. Politeness on board is a luxury.

Cabins are good. But if yours is on the 7th floor, you will be able to listen to the Manhattan bar music (5th floor) till 1 or 2 AM.

Lunch "rush hours" are a literal battle, be careful not to get stressed at it. The food is a big frustration at the buffet. Always cheap protein options.

Dinner is different, and a good surprise. Food at "Il Covo" is pretty decent, especially the everyday salmon and desserts. Also, the waiters and the manager are good.

The Deck area is a big downside. The ship has two small 14 person at a time pools and two 4 people Jacuzzis. It sounds/feels like a joke considering the 2.500 guests’ max capacity.

The Gym is ok equipped, but far too small for the number of passengers.

They do have a Sauna/Steam room, but if you are not on their premium experience (AUREA) you need to pay 49 euros day use.

If you don’t have a beverage package you will have a hard time. MSC does not allow you to bring food/beverages on board.

You will pay 1 euro for a glass of water, 4.5 for a bottle. 2.5 euros for an espresso. 3.5 for soda. For drinks and beer, expect prices above 10 euros.

Internet quality is great, it is Starlink. Prices thou, salty 125 euros for 7 days. Take into consideration that you will have mobile coverage at every stop.

The Guest excursion employees are not very clear, looks like the they are always forcing you to buy their overpriced packages. If you are planning to leave the ship at the ports, book your own. You can rent cars at Corfu, Santorini and Kefalonia at cheap prices (40-50 euros/day). There is a bus from Katakolo to Olympia, 4 euros a leg.

If the overall ship experience could be saved, their hero would be the San Paolo theatre spectacles. The songstress is very, very talented. The acrobats and the female dancers are a joy to watch. Kudos to Oleg and his partner! Olympic stuff. Unfortunately feels like wasted talent on that ship.

The entertainment director is funny on the first 2 days. But after that, you get annoyed by the exact same jokes he makes every single night, and since he wants to cover 5 different languages when presenting, he speaks too fast.

One thing amazed me, they do a "photo with the captain" night. People actually line up for that. It’s like taking a picture with an A-380 plane pilot, makes no sense.

Overall, it was a first and probably last cruise ship experience. It’s not the place to enjoy the ships’ capabilities since they are far from great, and it’s also not the best occasion to tour at the stops/cities cause of the time limitations. It’s an expensive low quality experience. Sorry for the actual good crew members that work there, but I don’t recommend it.

Wasn't expecting a super cruise but, overall, it delivered good time. The boat has seen better days but the upkeep was solid.

Plusses: staff was great. Room was nice. Food was above average especially seafood.. Good drink selection but weak at the high end. Excursions pretty good. Gym was nice. Disembarkation was great. Above average itinerary. Guest services were great. Laundry service outstanding.

Minuses: No photos taken at embarkation. Slow service at embarkation. Baggage slow to arrive. No shampoo, no conditioner, no body wash in shower. No tissues or facial soap. No specialty restaurants. Buffet & pizza bar were crowded with pushy people. TV was pretty useless for an American. Upper deck was crowded and not enough service people working. Theater shows were okay. Dancing solid, singing averAge

We enjoyed the ports of call. We skipped Bari and stayed on the boat. We used excursions at 3 of the 4 ports. Glad we did especially Corfu.

Let me start by saying we have cruised with several other companies (P&O, Cunard, NCL and Celebrity) and whilst we had 'reasonable' expectations for our first MSC cruise, this fell so far below our expectations. The customer service is non existent and at times rude (aside from the Il Covo restaurant where staff are very good) , and the food (even the Italian dishes) is generally poor.

The real kicker is that we have been short-changed in port time at every single port. They advertise each port call will be 0800-1800 online when you book, and in the booking confirmation, and then once onboard it changes completely (by a few hours). The ports in Brazil are very close together so there is no excuse for this and also no excuse for 'oh but the ship needs clearance' being the reason for being late. It's a real shame to have travelled so far to see a lovely country, only to be hemmed in to a sub-par ship due to poor planning (with an overwhelming feeling of 'we don't care') . Even as I write this review our AOB time was 1.5 hours ago, departure should be now (but isn't), and the advertised departure time during booking is still an hour away.

We were thankfully successful in upgrading to a suite (with priority tender access that we had to complain to the UK office to actually get), but have come to the conclusion that if we had been in an inside cabin, we would have left the cruise early.

The two saving graces are the access to the Aurea thermal area for suite guests and the suite dining room.