Posted in Ship Decks | Tagged Lirica Decks, MSC Lirica, MSC Lirica Ship | Leave a Comment »
Please click here for a full pricing list of the spa services available on the MSC Ships.
Posted in Spa Services, Uncategorized | Tagged Cruise Spa, MSC Spa | Leave a Comment »
La Bussola Restaurant (Main Dining Room)
Cuisine: Continental, Italian
Dress Code: 2 formal nights, others neat casual attire after 6 p.m.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Seats: 618
Hours:
Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 p.m – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: Early – 7:00 p.m., Late – 9:15 p.m.
L’Ippocampo Restaurant (Main Dining Room)
Cuisine: Continental, Italian
Dress Code: 2 formal nights, others neat casual attire after 6 p.m.
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Seats: 380
Hours:
Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 p.m – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: Early – 7:00 p.m., Late – 9:15 p.m.
Le Bistro Cafeteria
Cuisine: Assorted Buffet
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Seats: 318
Hours:
Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
La Pergola Restaurant
Cuisine: Grill
Dress Code: Casual (Outdoor Restaurant)
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Seats: 402
Hours: Check onboard for hours
***La Pergola is set aside for suite passengers, while others need to make a reservation. The food is better here, naturally.
Grill
Cuisine: Grill
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard for hours
Pizzeria
Cuisine: Pizza
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours: Check onboard for hours
In addition to the restaurants mentioned above, the Lirica also features 24-hour room service and celebrations for special occasions, celebrated with a cake, champagne and an Italian serenade.
***Please note: there is no food service available between the hours of 8:00pm and the midnight buffet, with the exception of room service.
Attire
The dress code is resort casual with two formal nights on ten-night, three on 11-night, and four on 17- and 18-night cruises. In the Caribbean, dress on formal nights is varied, with women wearing dressy pantsuits, cocktail dresses, or evening gowns, and men in either dark suits or tuxedo.
Dining Times
There is a welcome buffet from 12:30 to 4:30 PM on the disembarkation day
Breakfast
Breakfast begins with the Early Birds’ Coffee and Danish at 6:00 am
The full breakfast buffet runs from 6:30 to 9:30 am. Fresh eggs made to order and omelettes are offered at a station located in the grill, La Pergola Restaurant, just outside of,Le Bistro Cafeteria, the buffet restaurant. Piping hot coffee is served in cups and saucers by wait staff at the drink stations. No oversized mugs are available, or large sized drink glasses either for that matter. Juice is offered in the morning, replaced by tea during the day.
The dining rooms, La Bussola Restaurant & L’Ippocampo Restaurant, served breakfast open seating style, from 7:00 to 9:30 am.
A continental breakfast is available through Room Service from 7:30 to 11:00 am.
Lunch
Freshly made pasta and risotto dishes are available for Lunch. The dining rooms, La Bussola Restaurant & L’Ippocampo Restaurant, serve open seating lunch from 12:00 to 2:00 pm.
Entrees in the Le Bistrot Cafeteria during the lunch time of 12:00 to 2:30 pm ranged from the unusual octopus stew towards more American meal staples such as broiled fish and chicken. A carving station serving of either beef or poultry is available here everyday, along with the ever tempting huge selection of rolls, breads, and crispy breadsticks.
Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breasts and pizza are available in the poolside grill areas from 12:00 to 3:30 pm and then again from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. The freshly made pizza is hot and delicious. The all-American favorite pepperoni is present, along with a few other not so ordinary varieties.
Tea
Afternoon tea from 4:00 to 5:00 pm consists of finger sandwiches, cakes, and cookies, and is usually served in the Le Bistro Cafeteria and out on the adjacent deck area.
Dinner
Freshly made pasta and risotto dishes are available for dinner as well as a specialty dish from a different region of Italy each night. Grilled chicken, steak, and fish are always available as an option for more traditional fare. The menu lists appetizers, soup, salads, pasta, main courses and garnishes, as well as vegetarian and healthy choice selections. The dessert menu includes cakes, pastries, ice cream and sorbet, along with after-dinner drinks. Second helpings are yours for the asking, and portion sizes are above average.
The buffet, Le Bistro Cafeteria, is closed in the evening, so the dining room, grill and pizza stations, or room service are your choices for an evening meal.
Midnight Buffet
The MSC Lirica still hosts the traditional “midnight” buffet every night at 11:45 pm. On “gala” nights in the buffet areas, passengers are treated to Crepes Flambe and other delicious specialties artfully presented and served. On other nights, simpler snacks of sandwiches and sweets are served, usually by strolling waiters in the lounges and other public areas of the ship.
Ice Cream Bar
The Ice Cream and Vitamin bar, not complimentary, located on lido deck is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Room Service
A variety of club sandwiches, chicken Caesar salads, cheese and fruit platters, along with ice cream and dessert of the day is offered on the 24 hour room service menu. The food is good, and delivered within 20 minutes.
Coffee Bar
A coffee and tea station is available at the casual dining area after hours, but the best coffee onboard is at The Coffee Bar. Authentic Italian Espresso ($1.60) and cappuccino are available at most of the bars onboard.
Alcohol
A glass of house wine is available for just over $4.00, a draft beer for $3.00, and a soda for $2.20. Signature cocktails are $7.95 and mixed drinks $7.25. Reasonable wine, beer, and soda packages are available for purchase. A $28.00 MSC Junior Card would bring a grin to your little one as they ordered their own special 5 virgin drinks and 5 soft drinks. Bar wait staff did not hawk drinks in the public areas, but servers are never very far away to take your order.
Water, ice cream and alcohol are all items you must pay for.
Posted in Dining Areas | Tagged MSC Lirica Dining, MSC Lirica Food, MSC Lirica Meals, MSC Lirica Midnight Buffet, MSC Lirica Roomservice | Leave a Comment »
Staterooms
Total Staterooms: 780
Suites
with balcony: 132 (250 ft²)
no balcony: 2 (237 ft²)
Each suite with balcony is furnished with a convertible double size bed , spacious wardrobe, bathroom with tub, T.V., telephone, mini bar, in room safe, a common space with sofa bed, guest seat, coffee table and desk.
Amenities include satellite television and radio, availability of internet connection by your own lap top (on payment), full-service mini bar, room safe and hairdryer.
Suites, the only category with a private balcony, are a roomy 250 square feet. The additional space is furnished with a glass shelf serving as a convenient entry table, a larger closet, a full size bathtub, and a comfortable sitting area with a love seat. The love seat is a sofa bed, making all the suites suitable for triple occupancy. The remote controlled television is perched on top of a long cabinet opposite the love seat, with additional storage and the mini-bar. A coffee table and chair in the sitting area, along with another chair serving the vanity area, and two nightstands, complete the furniture inventory. The private balcony is a comfortable size, completely sheltered from above, and furnished with two chairs and a table.
Family-sized suites
without balcony: 2 suites (22m²)
Offer 2 separate rooms, one of which is for children. Air-conditioning, bathroom with shower, T.V., telephone, mini bar, and safe.
Ocean View
no balcony: 370 (140 ft²)
Each Oceanview stateroom is furnished with a convertible double size bed, bath with shower.
Amenities include satellite television and radio, air conditioning, full-service mini bar, room safe and hairdryer.
* Note: some rooms on the Scarlatti Deck have this view blocked.
Inside Stateroom
276 (140 ft²)
Wheel chair accesable: 4 (226 ft²)
Each inside stateroom is furnished with two lowers convertible to double size bed, bathroom with shower.
Amenities include satellite television and radio, full-service mini bar, room safe and hairdryer, TV and telephone.
Inside staterooms at 140 square feet, are on the small side, but well appointed, as are the rest of the cabin categories, with a mini-bar, safe, and closet and drawer space for a one-week cruise. A corner vanity below a mirrored corner cabinet (here’s where the hairdryer is stowed), provides table top space, along with the usual two small nightstands. There’s a chair tucked under the vanity and another by the bed. Ask your cabin steward to have one of the chairs removed if you prefer more floor space than sitting space. If you book an outside cabin with a window, the only thing you will gain is the ocean view, not more square footage. The inside and outside cabins designated for triple or quad occupancy are outfitted with upper bunks.
The bathrooms are small, but offer adequate storage space. The towels, although not overly luxurious in texture or weight, are huge. The bath towel, measuring 3 x 5 feet, is more of a bath sheet, with matching oversized hand towels. Shampoo and bath gel are provided in small bottles, along with a shower cap, shoe shine sponge, and a travel sized sewing kit. There are 2- 220V outlets at the dressing table and 2-100V there also. (none in the bathroom)
2 singles push together at the request of your room attendant. Most of the mattresses on the Lirica have been replaced with extra firm new ones, without a cushy pillow top. Foam egg crates are not available, but an extra blanket folded up and placed under the mattress pad did the trick if you prefer a softer feel. Pillows are abundant, and you could bounce a dime off those expertly made crisp sheets.
The telephone did not have the capacity for voice mail, but you could program it for a wake up call. The remote controlled television offered several different news and movie channels, as well as programming for children. Some of the programs are in European languages, but there is always something for the English speaking passenger.
Posted in Cabins | Tagged Cabin Amenities, Cabin Layout, MSC Lirica Cabins, MSC Lirica Staterooms | Leave a Comment »
Yield:4 cups (serving size: 2/3 cup)
Ingredients
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup cilantro sprigs
1 jalapeño pepper, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
Preparation
Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor, and process until minced. Combine onion mixture, lime juice, salt, and drained tomatoes in a medium bowl; stir until well blended.
Nutritional Information
Calories:43 (2% from fat)
Fat:0.1g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)
Protein:1.5g
Carbohydrate:10.3g
Fiber:2.7g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:0.5mg
Sodium:275mg
Calcium:31mg
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
The Company
Mediterranean Shipping Company’s MSC Cruises may be a relatively new entrant in cruising’s leisure travel niche (it was formed in 1987), but the Geneva-based firm is one of the world’s biggest players in international shipping — MSC currently ranks as the second largest container company.
Subsidiary MSC Cruises, which is based in Naples, was conceived around the premise of offering Europeans an affordable cruise vacation — a concept that was fairly revolutionary in 1990. Today, it competes primarily against Genoa-based Costa Cruises (as well as smaller, more regional lines like Spain’s Pullmantur).
The big difference between MSC and Costa, its main rival, is that the latter is owned by Carnival Corporation, and has begun to sport ships that more reflect the Carnival Cruise Lines ambience (indeed, Costa’s newest ships are built on the same platform as Carnival’s Conquest class of ships and designed by Joe Farcus, Carnival’s longtime theatrical maestro). MSC, which shows an equal commitment to not only building new ships but also expanding its passenger demographics, is privately owned and, as such, the designs of its vessels are unique to the line.
MSC Cruises was created when Gianlucci Aponte, owner of Mediterranean Shipping Company, acquired Starlauro, a one-ship cruise line whose fleet consisted of the Achille Lauro (which had been hijacked by Palestinian terrorists in 1986). This first ship continued its troubled history even while under the MSC flag — in 1996, the Achille Lauro, while sailing a passenger cruise, caught fire off the coast of Africa and ultimately sank. All passengers were safely rescued.
Other ships in MSC’s early fleet include MSC Melody and MSC Rhapsody (both are still sailing under the MSC flag though are not marketed to North American travelers).
The turn of the millennium was a massive breakthrough for MSC, which for the first time commissioned its own series of new-builds. MSC Lirica, a 59,058-ton, 1,445-passenger vessel, was the first to emerge in April 2003; MSC Opera, just slightly larger and carrying 1,756 passengers, debuted in June 2004. Both were christened by Italian goddess Sophia Loren.
Since then, the fleet was bolstered by the acquisition of several vessels from the now defunct First European/Festival. Now named MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia, both ships measure 58,625 tons and carry 1,566 passengers.
The introduction of a new class of ships — larger, more amenity laden and featuring an even higher ratio of private verandahs — emerged with MSC Musica. Measuring 89,600 tons and accommodating 2,550 passengers, that class “master” was launched in June 2006; siblings include MSC Orchestra (debuted in spring of 2007) and MSC Poesia (spring of 2008). MSC Magnifica, the fourth ship in the Musica-class, will launch in spring 2010, and MSC Meraviglia, the fifth, in early 2011.
But MSC’s biggest forward foot to date has been the December 2008 debut of MSC Fantasia, the first of two 133,500-ton, 3,300-passenger Fantasia-class vessels. Sister ship MSC Splendida is due out spring 2009. The largest ships to date for the line, the two post-Panamax sized vessels are based on an absolutely unique protoype. First-ever features include the exclusive Yacht Club, comprised of a private cluster of concierge suites with their own pool and butlers, and the line’s first glass-covered pool.
With all the new-building, the line will have 14 ships by 2011.
The Fleet
The MSC Cruises fleet, consisting of 11 ships, can be divided into four categories. First, there’s the very value-priced refurbished “classic” ships (which aren’t marketed to a North American audience), such as the 35,000-ton, 1,064-passenger MSC Melody (built in 1982; formerly known as Premier Cruise Lines’ Starship Atlantic); the 20,000-ton, 566-passenger MSC Monterey (a former U.S. flagged liner built in 1952); and the 17,495-ton, 780-passenger MSC Rhapsody (formerly known as Cunard Princess and built in 1977).
Next are the step-siblings — the 58,625-ton, 1,566-passenger Armonia and Sinfonia, which were acquired from the now-defunct First European/Festival Cruises. And third? The glossy new-builds. MSC’s first new ship, the aforementioned MSC Lirica, was launched in April 2003; MSC Opera followed one year later. These two, like all others on the new ship list, were built at Aker Yards in France, the same shipyard that constructed Queen Mary 2 and Celebrity’s Millennium.
Building on its success with its debut new-builds, the line has since commissioned and launched a new series of Musica-class ships — starting with MSC Musica, which debuted in 2006 and represented a quantum leap in evolution. The 90,000-ton, 2,550-passenger MSC Musica represented a major leap in size. Musica (along with its younger siblings, Orchestra and Poesia), features even more cabins with balconies, MSC’s highest ratio. MSC Magnifica, the fourth ship in the class, will launch in spring 2010, and MSC Meraviglia, the fifth, in early 2011.
There’s more to come. The introduction of the Fantasia class — two ships that clock in at 133,500 tons and carry 3,300 passengers — was even more revolutionary for the line. MSC Fantasia debuted in December 2008; Splendida, a sister ship, will debut in 2009, and the line holds an option on building a third sibling (ETA to be determined).
Onboard
Whether new ship or old, MSC Cruises emphasizes a strongly Italian-influenced ambience. For the most part, its ships traverse the Mediterranean (winter and summer) and are geared to European travelers. But the line has made a major commitment to not only sail elsewhere (South America, the Caribbean, South Africa) but also expand its passenger base to include English-speaking travelers. Regardless, passengers should be prepared for announcements to be read in Italian, French, Spanish, German and English.
Life onboard, particularly when it comes to mealtime, follows a more traditional cruise schedule with set dining times and seatmates, along with a handful of optional eateries, including sushi, a buffet and an Italian restaurant.
Fellow Passengers
In the Mediterranean and South Africa, expect a very European crowd, though Caribbean sailings are geared more strongly to North American travelers. In all cases, MSC Cruises appeals to travelers interested in a moderately priced european cruise experience.
Itineraries
MSC Cruises’ main playground is, of course, the Mediterranean, and itineraries include stops in Italy, Greece, Malta, Canary Islands, Croatia, Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Istanbul and even the Ukraine. MSC Cruises began serving the Caribbean in 1997 and has since added cruises to South Africa and South America. Interestingly, one part of Europe the line does not serve — at least not yet — is the Baltic.
Posted in MSC Cruises | Leave a Comment »
Best Spa Facial
Mix together:
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon almond oil
1 tablespoon yogurt.
Honey stimulates and smoothes, almond oil penetrates and moisturizes, and yogurt refines and tightens pores.
Avocado Dry Skin Facial
1 egg yolk
1/2 avocado
Beat the yolk of an egg until it is light and frothy, then add the mashed pulp of a half avocado, blending it well (you may use a blender at this point). Cleanse your face thoroughly before using this masque (or any masque). Spread the avocado mixture over the face and neck evenly; relax on a slant board or bed for about 20 minutes. Remove with clear tepid water and a face cloth, followed by a rinse of cold water or a mild skin lotion. The result should be a marked improvement in skin texture, and all-around revitalizing.
Blueberry Toner
3 tablespoons steamed, crushed blueberries
1/2 C. sour cream or plain yogurt
Purée ingredients in a blender at low speed until well mixed and fluffy. Apply to face and neck. Let penetrate for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with tepid water. If you find the mask is too runny after blending, you should refrigerate for one hour or until of the consistency you desire.
Posted in Spa Face, The Year of the Spa | Leave a Comment »
Well here we are in 2009, and my waist line is creeping ever farther from my married weight. My skin feels like a pillow case washed in bath towels. My hair resembles the corn broom on the porch. As for my nails they are pealing their way shorter and shorter.
I have decided that this will be the year of the spa. Not a spa, but my spa. This is the year I invest in myself, so I can improve my investment in others. I am going to do this alone, without the help of outside agents because I know I am capable. There is nothing more satisfying than living with the success that you have created for yourself. My areas of focus will be body, spirituality, home life and travel.
May you always be the change you wish to see in the world.
Posted in The Year of the Spa | Leave a Comment »
