Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)
MSC Lirica
★★★★
Berlitz’s Ratings
Ship: 388 out of 500
Accommodation: 150 out of 200
Food: 236 out of 400
Service: 299 out of 400
Entertainment: 55 out of 100
Cruise: 279 out of 400
Overall Score: 1407 out of 2000
MSC Lirica Statistics
Size: Mid-size Ship
Tonnage: 59,058
Lifestyle: Standard
Cruise Line: MSC Cruises
Former Names: none
IMO Number: 9246102
Builder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique (France)
Original Cost: $266 million
Entered Service: Mar 2003
Registry: Panama
Length (ft/m): 830.7/251.0
Beam (ft/m): 94.4/28.8
Draft (ft/m): 22.4/6.8
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel (31,680kW)/2 azimuthing pods
Passenger Decks: 10
Total Crew: 701
Passengers (lower beds): 1,560
Passenger Space Ratio (lower beds): 37.5
Passenger/Crew Ratio (lower beds): 2.2
Cabins (total): 780
Size Range (sq ft/m): 139.9-302.0/13.0-28.0
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 132
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 4
Wheelchair accessibility: Good
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 9
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools: 2
Hot Tubs (on deck): 2
Self-Service Launderette: No
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: No
Library: Yes
Onboard currency: Euros
This is a large, Euro-style, informal, family-friendly ship
Overview. MSC Lirica is best suited to young adult couples, singles, and families with tots, children and teens who enjoy big-ship surroundings and facilities, and passengers of different nationalities and languages (mostly European). The decor has many Italian influences, including clean lines, minimalism in furniture design, and an eclectic collection of colors and soft furnishings that somehow work well together without any hint of garishness.
The Ship. MSC Lirica, sister to MSC Opera, was the first of a pair of newbuilds for Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC), Italy’s largest privately owned cruise line. The ship’s deep blue funnel is quite sleek; it has a swept-back design. The ship is fitted with an azimuthing pod propulsion system.
Inside, the layout and passenger flow is quite good with the exception of a couple of points of congestion - typically when first seating passengers exit the dining room and second seating passengers are waiting to enter.
An abundance of real woods and marble are used extensively in the interiors, and the high quality reflects MSC’s commitment to high quality. The interior fit and finish is good.
Facilities include a large main showlounge, a nightclub/discotheque, multiple lounges and bars, an Internet center, a virtual reality center, a children’s club, and a shopping gallery named Rodeo Drive with stores that have an integrated bar and entertainment area so that shopping becomes a city-like environment where you can shop, drink, and be entertained all in one convenient area. The Las Vegas Casino offers blackjack, poker, and roulette games, together with an array of slot machines. There is also a card room, but the integral library is small and disappointing and there are no hardback books.
The ship is designed to accommodate families with children, who have their own play center, youth counselors, and activity programs. Anyone wheelchair-bound should note that there is no access to the uppermost forward and aft decks, although access throughout most of the interior is very good and there are also several wheelchair-accessible public restrooms. But passenger hallways are a little narrow on some decks for you to pass when housekeeping carts are in place.
Some things that passengers find irritating: the ship’s photographers always seem to be in your face; the telephone numbering system to reach such places as the information bureau (2224) and hospital (2360) are not easy to remember - single digit numbers would be better. Gratuities are extra even though bar drinks already includes a 15 percent service charge added to all drinks/beverage orders.
In August 2015 the ship will undergo a ‘chop and stretch’ operation which will add an 82ft (25m) mid-section, almost 200 additional cabins, more public rooms and entertainment facilities, new shops, more exterior deck space to include a large waterpark for children, but no additional elevators.
Accommodation. There are several different price levels for accommodation, depending on grade and location: one suite category including 132 ‘suites’ with private balcony, five outside-view cabin grades, and five interior cabin grades.
All cabins have a minibar and personal safe, satellite-linked television, several audio channels, and 24-hour room service. While tea and coffee are complimentary, snacks for room service incur a delivery charge of €2.50.
Accommodation designated as suites - they are not true suites, as there is no separate bedroom and lounge - has more room, a larger lounge area, walk-in closet, wall-to-wall vanity counter, a bathroom with combination tub and shower, toilet, and semi-private balcony with a light but partitions that are partial, not full. The bathrobes are 100 percent cotton. However, the suite bathrooms are very plain, with white plastic washbasins and white walls, and mirrors that steam up.
Some cabins on Scarlatti Deck have views obstructed by lifeboats, while those on Deck 10 aft (10105-10159) can be subject to late-night noise from the discotheque on the deck above.
Dining. There are two dining rooms: La Bussola Restaurant, and the smaller, slightly more intimate L’Ippocampo Restaurant, located one deck above. Both have large ocean-view picture windows at the aft end of the ship. There are two seatings for meals, in keeping with all other ships in the MSC fleet, and tables are for two, four, six, or eight.
La Pergola is the most formal restaurant, offering stylish Italian cuisine. It is assigned to passengers in accommodation designated as suites, although other passengers can dine in it, too, on a reservations-only basis. The food and service are superior to that in the main dining room.
Other dining options. Casual, self-serve buffets for breakfast and lunch can be taken in Le Bistrot Cafeteria, which is also open for 20 hours a day, for sit-down, served, but casual, dinners each evening. For fast foods, there is also a grill and a pizzeria, both located outside, adjacent to the swimming pool and ship’s funnel.
Coffee Corner, located on the upper, second level of the main lobby, is the place for coffees and pastry items - as well as for people-watching throughout the day and evening. Although there are windows, the view is not of the ocean, but of the stowed gangways and associated equipment.
Entertainment. The Broadway Theater, the main showlounge, is located in the forward section. It has tiered seating set in a sloping floor, and sight lines are good from most seats. The room can also serve as a venue for large social functions. There is no separate bandstand, and the shows work with recorded music, with little consistency in orchestration and sound balance.
High-quality entertainment has not, to date, been part of MSC’s mindset. Hence, production shows and variety acts tend to be adequate at best. The Lirica Lounge, one deck above the showlounge, is the place for social dancing, with live music. For the young and lively set, there is The Blue Club, the ship’s throbbing, ear-melting discotheque.
Additionally, live music is provided in most lounges by small musical groups and solo entertaining musicians.
Spa/Fitness. The Lirica Health Center is located one deck above the navigation bridge at the forward end of the ship. The complex has a beauty salon, several private massage/body treatment rooms, plus a fitness center with ocean views and an array of cardio-vascular equipment. There’s also a thermal suite, containing different kinds of steam rooms combined with aromatherapy infusions, available at extra cost.
The spa is run as a concession by the Italian company OceanView, with European hairstylists and Balinese massage and body treatment staff. Gratuities to spa staff are not included, but left to your discretion.