When: 13 January 2019 (pre-meet up), 20 -24 January 2019(Cruise)
Where: Fiona's house
Cost: plate of eats, drinks, cruise
Patrons present: Clarissa, Carol, Linda, Nadine, Fiona, Lucy, Kerry, Amie
Non KKC members: Gerda, Walter, Juanita, Nicole, Louwrika, Carol K, Ina, Chrystina, Irene, Charnel, Megan and Vanessa
Organised by: Fiona
To cruise or not to cruise...Silly question really
Organising the cruise started in October 2017, with deposits paid on the 25th. Cruisers had a year to pay their fees in full.
Some interesting facts:
- Total passengers from our group: 20 occupied 10 Ocean View Cabins (two per cabin)
- Only 6 "virgin" cruisers among the group of 20
- Total cost for all 20 passengers: R150 718.00 (this included drinks packages, Easy onboarding and excursions).
Two pre-cruise meetings were held, 8 June 2018, and 13 January 2019. Everyone pitched in with eats on both occasions, and Nicole provided her "Stiletto cocktails" for the first meeting, and Gin for the last meeting.
Finally, the cruise day arrived. Boarding was so much easier and faster with the Easy Onboard option, most certainly R130 per person well spent. Although not all boarded at the same time, we all met up on deck and the party started.
As usual, the cruise had the food, lots of food, Cruise Director, entertainment crew, evening shows, performers in the lounges, photographers and the infamous midnight snacks. The group met for dinner (1st seating, much better option than the 2nd seating), and the shows in the evenings. Unfortunately, some could not make some of the dinners and shows due to not feeling well. They were missed!
During the day, everyone pretty much did what they wanted to do, some in groups, some on their own, some laying in the sun, some swimming, most shopping when not in the sun (some even got messages from their husbands telling them to stop shopping).
Dressing up for the gala dinner was fun and everyone looked absolutely stunning! We had one of the on-board photographers take official photos and a huge thanks to Amie and Carol who shared the photos with us all (to print if we so wish). The showers in the cabins were not as bad as we remembered, no complaints received about curtains hugging you while showering. Bathrooms seemed a bit bigger than what we could remember from previous cruises.
The shows were good, but have experienced better. The male lead singer will certainly "GGGHost" me for a few months. Overall, the food was good, but dinner was not as good as we had before, but could have been influenced by our (lack of) drinks waiter and extremely unfriendly waiter; most of us (except for one or two) gained a few extra kilos. I (Fiona) can honestly confirm that I was a "lift virgin" the entire cruise. Got into the lift once, but got out before it moved... who else can say that? Climbing stairs from the 5th deck to the 13th deck a few times was tiring, but so worth it. One goal achieved :-)
Gala evening... what are we allowed to divulge? What happens on the cruise stays on the cruise...or in the crew bar. Some were chatting to old people, while others searched all over for others, some even wanting to report a "missing person":-). The aim was to "rock you"and I think we managed that, with some angry stares, envious looks, smiles from passengers and performers...all worth it!
Two excursions were opted for: Megan and Charnel did the Dune Adventure and 14 of us did the Swakopmund Meander and Beer & Biltong pairing... the latter was way below our expectation and so not worth the money. Our disappointment was reported to MSC HQ, with specific mention of the racist and rude tour guide, and expensive excursion that added no value to our experience. Who does a beer and biltong pairing but doesn't have either on offer to purchase? And the biltong was delicious! We did manage to walk to Probst bakery in Walvisbay, but again, such a disappointment as we had the worst service ever!
We hit some rough water on our way back, specially towards the evening on our supposed last day at sea. Bags were put outside the cabins for collection at 12am for disembarkation as usual. But as we woke up on the 24th, we were still hovering out at sea, with the Twelve Apostles in Sea Point our view. The Cape Doctor was at it again, our ship could not get into the harbour due to strong winds. We anchored outside of Cape Town for two days, with the lovely view of Sea Point in the far distance. Juanita could almost see her home! We must commend the captain at this point, putting the safety of the passengers and the ship first, finding various spots where the water was calm and the ship movement minimal. These two extra days on the ship were just what was needed before getting back to chaos and routine of our daily lives. Yes, ended up spending more money, the ship running out of food and drinks (certain alcoholic beverages), but looking back, was so worth it!
Next cruise...definitely a Mediterranean cruise. Who will join?
Some commments and memories from fellow passengers in our group:
Positives:
- The Dune Adventure excursion is a must and was enjoyed by both Megan and Charnel!
- The whole ambiance of the cruise, amazing diverse group of people who were always welcoming others to join them, who just wanted to have fun and join in the various activities, no pressure if you did not want to join, good entertainment and excellent shows.
- Disco was awesome, danced until after 2-3am.
- Best foam margarita's EVER! Best Pongraz EVER! Best girls trip EVER! (and blush blush - best cruise organiser EVER!)
- From the moment you board the MSC Musica, you are transported into another world of friendly staff, good food, great cocktails and awesome entertainment. There is a little bit of something for everyone and was a perfect getaway from the rush of everyday life.
- Delicious sushi at the sushi restaurant
- The Bali massage was amazing, but a bit pricey
- Bar tenders were very friendly and funny and wanted everyone to have a good time
- The ship is beautiful, well designed and enourmous
- Everyone said that it was an amazing experience with special friends, made new friends and everyone contributed to making the trip worthwhile.
Negatives:
- The Swakopmund meander and beer/biltong pairing was not value for money
- Price of the photos are ridiculous
- Unfriendly waiters at dinner
