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October 22, 2022

Welcome aboard Msc Splendida, ready to tell you about another cruise experience!

This is the second time for me on board Msc Splendida and I must say it was a reconfirmation! I love the fancy class, not that I don’t like the newest ships, but I find this class the best ever, I find it more intimate, elegant and the fun is always guaranteed!

This was the first post-Covid cruise back to normal, the only thing left in place was the pre-boarding swab to be done within 48h, unlike Msc Grandiosa done at the height of the pandemic where there were different obligations and fewer activities available on board.

After a nerve-wracking wait and a thankfully negative swab, here I am in Civitavecchia ready to embark on Splendida! The excitement is always the same, despite several cruises in the past, the heart is beating, the smile is at its highest, and the mood is like that of a child seeing his favorite toy!

Boarding

Upon arriving at the port of Civitavecchia, a free shuttle took me all the way under the ship. On my cruise ticket the boarding time was marked for 1 p.m., but I arrived early at the terminal and we immediately started with the boarding procedures. With the bags handed over, essential documents such as ID, green pass, negative swab and cruise ticket are quickly checked and then we move on to the actual check-in phase which was really fast! After taking your photo ID and receiving your cruise card you are invited to head to the ship where you find a fantastic welcome, welcome cocktails, music and lots of smiling faces!

Alle 11 eccomi già a bordo, fantastico! Mi avevano comunicato che la cabina sarebbe stata pronta per le 13, ma ero molto curiosa e quindi mi sono recata sul ponte 8 e con sorpresa era già pronta!

At 11 o’clock here I am already on board, great! I had been told that the cabin would be ready by 1 p.m., but I was very curious so I went to Deck 8 and to my surprise it was already ready!

My cabin

My cabin was 8122 balcony cabin with partial view, once you enter the smell of clean envelops you. It was very spacious, bright and colorful. The closets were also very spacious and the mini bar well stocked. The view was “obstructed” by the lifeboats that are located on the deck below, it was the first cabin with an obstructed view but I must say it was not very annoying. On the bed I found a welcome letter as a member, the daily program and pool towels. The only flaw in the cabin was the USB sockets that did not work well. The cabin steward, on the other hand, was very nice and neat, the cabin was cleaned and set up 2 times a day, impeccable cleanliness!

Once I visited the cabin to beguile the wait for my bags, which were delivered after lunch, I went to the pool to wait for lunch. Just in the central pool the animation games were going on and it was not so crowded because many were on an excursion to Rome! I had to bring a swimsuit in my bag and I could have taken advantage of that quiet!

The Bora Bora Buffet

Lunch time arrived and I rushed to the Bora Bora buffet located next to the outdoor pool on Deck 14. I found it to be in the normal range and it lived up to my expectations created by previous experiences. The buffet is back to normal, so now you are again making up your own dishes, the food was good and varied, I did not find the entrees excellent which always seemed a bit bland. Exquisite, on the other hand, was the pizza that you can find almost all day long! Here we talk about the buffet times.

The Bora Bora buffet was open from 6 to 11 a.m. for breakfast, 12 to 4 p.m. for lunch including grill area, 4 to 5 p.m. for afternoon snack, and 7 to 9 p.m. for dinner. While the pizza station was open from 12 a.m. until 1 a.m., I lost count of the number of pizza slices I ate (and when I returned, the scale confirmed)!

But the free culinary offerings did not stop there, as there was also the small square on Deck 6 open in the morning with breakfast, but also from 12 noon to 1 a.m. with sweets and savory snacks.

Once I had arranged the luggage that had arrived in my stateroom, I had a relaxing afternoon by the pool, including sun, games and dancing, not forgetting the important emergency rehearsal that took place at the theater, I think the emergency rehearsals need an overhaul, they should be organized differently and be less boring. After dinner there was Luna Park night, a new evening, never seen before on an Msc cruise, where the entertainment team created a real amusement park by arranging various game stations on the pool deck, while you could also dance to live band music. Very nice!

Of course, my experience on board didn’t end here, I still have a lot to tell you but I don’t want to keep you too long! So I look forward to seeing you next week to find out together how my vacation on board Msc Splendida continued!

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Giorgia Lombardo

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