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October 29, 2022

Our journey aboard Msc Splendida continues, ready to discover my adventures (and misadventures, because sometimes they happen)! If you missed the first part you can find it here, otherwise enjoy continuing!

Here we are in Genoa

After a pleasant sleep on the soft mattress in my cabin, we wake up on the first actual day of the cruise. We are in Genoa, a city I already know, so I decide to opt for a do-it-yourself excursion to Portofino. Many excursions were available with Msc, but being a nice group this way we saved quite a bit!

After a hearty breakfast at the buffet, I head off the ship, the station is right at the exit of the maritime station and it is there that I take the train to Santa Margherita Ligure where I would then find a bus that with a trip of about half an hour takes you to Portofino!

After a fairly sunny train ride, and the joy of visiting a new destination, having arrived in Portofino after about ten minutes a heavy thunderstorm came down, how unfortunate, forcing me to set off on my way home. So I was not able to fully explore this small and exclusive village, I will definitely return!

Back on the ship, what consoled me was a nice lunch at the buffet and then an afternoon of relaxation and games with the animation where I won one of the many Msc gadgets!

At 6 p.m. Msc Splendida sets sail for Marseille, leaving Genoa under a cloudy sky with Bocelli’s stirring “Con te partirò,” I love this moment!

La reggia restaurant

The main restaurant assigned to me was La Reggia, very classic and elegant, but well-maintained. My dinner shift was the second, at 9:30 p.m., (my favorite because then you can take your time getting ready for dinner), impeccable service, friendly and helpful staff. I noticed some new courses in the menus compared to past cruises, but I was not fully satisfied with the tastes, the first courses were bland, appetizers and main courses good but did not leave me fully satisfied as in past cruises, but I must also say that I do not eat much fish, so my choice among courses is narrow, while my fellow passengers were very satisfied with the fish courses.

After dinner, the Flower party was waiting for me at the aft lounge because due to bad weather it had been canceled at the pool. It was an evening full of dancing and music in the company of the animation and could not miss a floral dress! I tend to stick to the theme of these evenings.

Marseille

Here we are in Marseille, having visited it several times I decided to stay on board and enjoy the uncrowded ship. A very warm sun was shining and there was no wind, for the first time I found good weather! So I spent a whole day relaxing.

What I could notice wandering around the pools is that the ship is a bit dated is still well maintained except in the pool areas, as in the indoor pool there were obvious signs of wear and tear such as small tiles missing, or in the outdoor pool I noticed a reddish colored corner as if it was rust. While the rest of the common areas such as bar, lounge, sofas, and carpeting were as good as new!

After a good lunch at the buffet with lots of pizza and a post-binge nap, here I am again at the pool, always the central one! You should know that this is the only pool I go to, both because I love the entertainment and music and because of the indoor pool I don’t like the fact that there are no loungers to be able to relax.

Highlight of the day was the sail away party, music and dancing by the pool with the entertainment team. I love dancing, so I can’t tell you how wild I got! Finally, a casual evening concluded my day on board.

Navigation

The third day was entirely at sea, given the distance to Syracuse.

The ship was not fully loaded, but still crowded!

And in these cases you can also notice some rudeness on board, as at 8 a.m. the pool chairs were all occupied despite the fact that the pool was empty-this is the one thing I hate about sailing days, as they are my favorite!

The sun was very hot so I decided to counter it right away with a swim in the pool and then relax in Msc Splendida‘s fantastic poolside with shallow water and fountains! The games were also very crowded, the lines were long, only to be repeated a couple of times otherwise you would become a lobster! So I alternated between games and swimming in the pool until it was time for dance class! Each day there were about 3/4 dance classes open to everyone, and I who am passionate about dancing did not miss one! (Except for tango which is not my thing).

I will leave you again today, halfway through my experience with Msc Cruises, so I look forward to seeing you next week, be sure not to miss it!

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Giorgia Lombardo

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