THE ON BOARD EXPERIENCE - European Immersion

MSC Opera was in the same immaculate condition as when I sailed aboard this beautiful ship in 2006. MSC Cruises is a family owned company and the ships are maintained with great attention to detail so guests feel they are in a very well kept and stunning home.

We had three staterooms all Outside on decks 9 and 10; One quad, one double and one single.

The onboard ambience is distinctly European with Italian officers, mostly Italian crew. Dining room and stateroom staff were multilingual and we had no problem communicating with them in English. The dining room service was particularly good at both the open seating lunches and assigned dinner. We had early dining at 6:30pm. Our attentive waiter, Sang, was very efficient handling requests from our large table and six year old twins.

In Europe, passengers are predominantly European. On our cruise there were only 42 passengers from North America of the 1,726 on board. Most were from Germany, as Kiel was a port of embarkation and disembarkation, followed by Italy, Spain and France. The rest were from 16 other countries from Israel to Japan.

Walking down the hallways in the morning you are greeted with "morgan", "dia", "ola" and "bonjour"! It was delightful to be surrounded by Europeans while in Europe and made the experience so much more authentic.

Signs and announcements are in six languages (English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese). However, the cruise experience is traditional and quiet with few announcements and those are frequently in English first. Excursions and daily programs were available in the languages above except Portuguese which is used predominantly when the ship is in Brazil for the winter.

Cuisine on board is some of the best regional Italian cuisine at sea in the dining room - inspired by the slow food movement. The menu includes a daily pasta and risotto dish along with a good selection of appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts. The many veal and lamb dishes were superb and the sword fish was also delicious. The extensive "always available" list included salmon, chicken breast, spaghetti bolonaise and several others. The on-deck pizza was thin crust and superb. There were many types on the daily menu.

The wine list has many Italian and other European vintages to try which added to the meal each evening. The wine and beverage packages are well priced and can be purchased ahead of your cruise.. We found the beer, water , juice/softdrink, wine and cocktail packages were all worthwhile, offering savings and convenience..

Breakfast and lunch are open seating with early and late dinner seatings (6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. respectively), plus casual alternatives in the lido cafeteria and grill. Dress code for the evenings included casual, informal and gala evenings (formal) - there were three on our 11-night cruise.

There is a children's menu in the dining room with pasta, pizza, burgers, chicken, soups and fish. The waiters were very accommodating to our girls' requests. They soon found some favourite dishes which they ordered often.

The Aroma Coffee bar has a delightful selection of specialty coffees, teas, hot chocolates along with some delicious snacks throughout the day. Situated overlooking the main reception area and with lovely sea views, this brightly decorated lounge is an excellent spot to rendezvous. As with so many ships, the coffee in the dining room was disappointing making the Aroma even more popular.

Parties were merry affairs with lots of champagne, cocktails and appetizers circulating throughout the room, excellent music and much dancing. There was the Captain's welcome aboard, a special romance party with many repeat passengers and those celebrating an anniversary and a Captain's farewell party, something that many lines have dropped in recent years.

The Aurea Spa is excellent. This is an authentic Balinese Spa with special treatments by Balinese staff. The special massage where two practitioners use their special techniques on a full body massage, is a unique and rejuvenating experience. A sauna, steam room, hair salon and well equipped gym comprise the wellness area. Classes in yoga and fitness (stretching, abdominals, dance, circuit training) are offered daily for a fee. (9 euros for one, 25 for 6 or 45 for 6 classes.)

MSC Opera is very non-commercial. There is no pressure to spend money and on board products are well priced. These include good quality Italian fashions, sunglasses and jewellery and a variety of duty free liquor, cigarettes and cosmetics.

The Euro is the onboard currency and there is a money exchange desk separate to the front desk. Local currency was sometimes available. There is a charge for cashing travellers cheques unless you are using the funds to pay your on board account.( I was glad I had taken a lot of local currency with me and only used the ATM in Tromso, Norway. I was able to get some Danish currency at the on board currency exchange which I bought two days ahead of time. I had no problem using a Visa card for my on board account and everywhere I shopped ashore.)

OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT FOR KIDS AND ADULTS

The entertainment aboard MSC Opera certainly deserves special mention. Performers on board are outstanding. Every evening, musicians perform in the various lounges including a jazz trio, Latin trio and solo piano in addition to the disco. The Caruso Lounge is particularly lively in the late evening with the audience joining in the fun and games. There is a lot of classical music on board with concerts performances by soloists, and duo.

The after-dinner stage shows presented in the theatre, are excellent. The quality of performers is extremely high with classically trained Russian, Romanian and Spanish dancers able to perform any style of dance. Accomplished acrobats perform Cirque du Soleil style spots during some of the shows and the magicians are outstanding.

It was interesting that the acts are performed quietly. Since there are so many languages on board, there was no point in having a commentary many would not understand. The cruise director, Paulo Freitas, is very experienced and speaks nine languages. (He tells me he is working on two more.) He did an excellent job speaking to the audience in multiple languages every evening prior to the show. His accent is so good, it is impossible to figure out where he is from. It turns out he is from Portugal.

A large deck area behind the swimming pools is used daily for games and dance classes. The cruise staff called Animators or Pagliacci are also entertainers and create a lot of light hearted fun and mischief around the ship. Art auctions and bingo are available but understated with little hype about the snowball jackpot.

Photographers on board are also very good, taking their time to set up the portraits beautifully. We purchased many more than usual on this cruise.

For the children, the expansive play room is supervised by multi-lingual coordinators who take a sincere interest in the children. Our twins, Clara and Jillian, thoroughly enjoyed their time in the play room and were always ready to go there. It was open morning, afternoon and evening and closed for dining times. What a wonderful experience for them to meet children from across Europe and hear the various languages spoken.

Some evenings, the children were escorted to the theatre to watch the show with their friends. This was an excellent experience for the girls who were able to see professional dancers and gymnasts who inspired them to continue their own studies at home. When given the choice of attending with us or the kids group, Clara and Jillian did not hesitate to choose going with their new found friends.

ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS AND TIPS

Amazing Norway
Norway is a beautiful and peaceful country with much to offer visitors. It is quite wonderful what a population of under
5 million has accomplished over their long history since Viking times.

On the Norwegian Fjords/North Cape itinerary you'll have these experiences:

• Magnificent mountain and fjord scenery especially at Gerianger, said to be the world's most scenic fjord.
• Sail Cross the Arctic Circle
• Experience the midnight sun and 24-hour daylight on sailings close to the summer solstice (June 21)
• Stand at the most northern point of Europe at North Cape (71 degrees north) where the 300m cliffs rise dramatically from the sea.
• Breathtaking Arctic regions with lonely, rugged expanses of tundra.
• Cities dating back over a thousand years (Trondheim)
• The farthest north university city in the world (Tromso)
• See well maintained medieval structures at Bryggen (Bergen and Trondheim)
• Ride to the top of mountains to enjoy spectacular views and some good hiking, either by cable car (Tromso) or an amazingly modern furnicular railway (Bergen)
• Discover some of the most stunning modern architecture anywhere. (Tromso's city hall, library and the unique Arctic Cathedral)
• See North Sea oil rigs, jelly fish in the Skaggerak and beautiful sunsets during your strolls on deck.
• Our itinerary also visited Kiel, Germany the sailing capital with an extremely busy harbour buzzing with all kinds of boats from tall ships to a navy submarine. We also saw the entrance to the Kiel Canal however our ship was too large to pass through. We had reached Kiel via the Skaggerak and Kategat straits.

We were able to explore the cities easily and safely on our own armed with a map and sometimes using taxis or busses. If there is an excursion you particularly want to take, I recommend booking it ahead of time through a local company as MSC's English speaking tours may not run due to a lack of participation.

Nordkapp - North Cape - the most northerly point in Europe.
The highlight of this itinerary is visiting North Cape. Honningsvag is the port and gateway to North Cape so this tiny fishing town is also a tourist haven. Five ships were in town, some for just an couple of hours, the day we were in, typical for the time of the summer solstice and midnight sun. The museum is situated right at the port along with a well stocked shop. A wander through the streets is very interesting as you'll find a surprising number of shops and businesses and an ice bar. The library is beautifully maintained and has two computers with Internet connection free for visitors to use, but sign up for half an hour at the front desk.

The church across the street is well worth a visit. It has photos of the destruction of Honningsvag after WWII when the retreating German army burned everything to the ground. (Rebuilding the Finnmark and Troms regions took from 1945 to 1960.) The church was the only building left standing in Honningsvag after the burning. There are photos and descriptions and you can see the beautiful reconstructed church interior still in use today.

We bought a North Cape transfer through the ship which took us by coach to the visitors centre, a beautiful 45 minute drive away across the wild and dramatic Arctic landscape of Finnmark, past a Sami encampment and Caribou herds.

We were at North Cape for midnight and the true midnight sun right at the most northern point of Europe. At 71 degrees North, only the Svalbard Islands separated us from the North Pole - an enchanting experience.

It was extremely cold and windy at midnight June 18, but we did take a quick look at the "Children of the World" peace monument before heading inside the visitors' centre to warm up. We stayed about 1.5 hours taking photos near the edge of the 300m cliff (it is fenced in), exploring the excellent museum displays and watching a movie about North Cape in four seasons. A highlight was walking through the tunnel to the lounge and bar carved inside the cliff face which overlooks the Barents Sea and the midnight sun. Many enjoyed a champagne toast at this magical spot.

There are restaurants, bars and of course a shop however, note that shopping was impossible due to the long line ups to get out. We would have missed our coach. Opt for shopping in Honningsvag so you don't waste your time in a shop while at spectacular North Cape.

Pre-Post Cruise Copenhagen
Copenhagen is Northern Europe's busiest cruise port and a very easy city to get around. The city is about a 20 minute drive from the airport. We were happy with our pre-cruise stay at the Hotel Bethel, a former seaman's hostel right on historic Nyhaven where a canal runs down the centre of the street. Accommodation is basic but fine for one night, very clean with a bountiful breakfast buffet. Note there is a staircase leading to the reception area but hotel staff were helpful getting luggage up and down the stairs. They also called a taxi to take us to the ship.

Meals and taxis were well priced in Copenhagen and English is spoken widely so it is easy to get around. Airport to downtown was DKR180 and about the same from Nyhaven to the ship.

There are two cruise piers, Langelinie with its row of shops in converted storage rooms, and Freeport, which is more industrial and a bit further from town. Taxis are available to take you into town and it is only about 15 minutes to get to the centre. Fron Langelinie you can walk through the park where the Little Mermaid is found and carry on down to Nyhaven and the city centre. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. From Nyhaven, catch the little train that takes you right down the shopping street to the city hall, museums and Tivoli Gardens.

Copenhagen has a rich collection of sights and museums. The National Museum is free and information is in English. It is situated near city hall and the design centre nor far from Tivoli.

Tivoli Gardens is the original entertainment park started in 1843 and a must for visitors to Copenhagen. Tivoli is a collection of gardens, restaurants, amusement areas, thrilling rides and concert venues in some stunning replica architecture including the magnificent pagoda. Seeing the lights come on at night is beautiful. It was looking much better than my last visit in 1971. Our meal at the unique Hereford Beefstew was one of the best on the entire journey.

Post-cruise we stayed at an apartment where four of our members remained for a week. It was situated in the Latin Quarter so very convenient, and had two rooms, both with beds, a modern kitchen/dining area and a tiny bathroom. While there is convenience in having your own place, there were some challenges. Being an older building the stairs were narrow and it was quite an effort to get all the luggage up to the room and back down to the taxi. To get to the airport, Dave had to walk to a taxi stand and find one that would bring him back to the apartment to pick up the luggage and the two of us who were watching the luggage, now on the street, and closing the apartment. The apartment owner had left a note that taxis never show up at the apartment when ordered. Good thing we knew that. So the logistics are a bit more challenging than staying in a full service hotel. This is fine when there is a group but as a single traveller, I find I need and use the help available in hotels.

WORTH  EXPERIENCING

MSC to Norway was a very unique experience and certainly an immersion into a variety of European cultures. I highly recommend this itinerary and MSC Opera which is not only immaculate vessel, but a good size, run by a delightful group of officers and crew who go out of their way to please.