MSC Preziosa

In 2022, the MSC Cruises fleet will consist of 18 cruise ships of various sizes. One of the ships is the MSC Preziosa, which entered service in 2013. With 139.072 GT, she is the youngest ship in the Fantasia series. We got to know the ship on a Baltic Sea cruise in August 2022. In this case, "we" means: Our friend "BeLuko", long-standing supporter and experienced cruiser, represented us on board.

MSC Preziosa

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The travel experiences gained do not reflect the "usual" situation on board MSC ships. MSC Preziosa has 1.751 cabins. With double occupancy, around 3.500 guests or more would be expected. Instead, the occupancy on this voyage was approximately 1.400 passengers. Accordingly, the crew had plenty of time and leisure to take care of the guests.

Staterooms

MSC Cruises distinguishes between twelve cabin categories on its website. In detail, interested parties can choose between inside, outside and balcony cabins. There is also a distinction between Aurea cabins and suites. According to the figures given by the shipping company, the proportion of balcony cabins is almost 69 percent. We have noticed this better in comparable ships.

Our friend treated herself to Aurea stateroom 12085, located forward on the port side of the ship. The well-appointed 18 square meter stateroom features warm tones. The balcony is four square meters. Both values ​​correspond to the magnitudes that are usual for such ships. The cabin service is rated as "top".

Gastronomy – Dining on board MSC Preziosa

The number of restaurants amazed. Similar sized ships offer more options. However, that alone is not decisive for us.

Restaurants included in the price of the rice

Guests dine at the Golden Lobster, a two-story full service restaurant, L'Arabesque, and the Inca and Maya buffet restaurants.

The Golden Lobster

The "Golden Hummer" located on decks 5 and 6 aft can accommodate more than 1.100 people. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the service restaurant. Given the number of guests that normally need to be catered for, there are fixed table times at the Golden Lobster in the evening.

This does not apply to Aurea guests, who mainly dine at tables for two in a separate section of the restaurant on deck 5. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the food, its presentation and the service.
Breakfast table times: 6:30am to 8:30 a.m
     Lunch times: 12:00pm to 13:30 p.m
     Dinner times: 1st session at 17:45pm; 2nd session at 20:15pm
     Table times Dinner Aurea: between 17:45pm and 20:45pm

The Palm grove

Yacht Club suite guests dine at the nearly 100-seat La Palmeraie, the Palm Grove. La Palmeraie is located aft on the 15th deck.

Arabesque

Another spacious restaurant on the 6th deck is L'Arabesque located in the stern area. The à la carte restaurant, designed in Art Deco style, welcomes its guests with an ambience reminiscent of the color of amethyst. The menu features Mediterranean and international dishes. During the trip, L'Arabesque was not open.

Inca buffet restaurant

The Inca buffet restaurant on deck 400, which seats around 14 people, presents a variety of dishes. It is not surprising that many varieties of pizza and pasta are served, after all you are traveling on an Italian ship. Six different pizzas are on offer every day. It amazes us that at a time when the corona pandemic is still waning, guests serve themselves at the buffet. We experienced this differently on our last voyages on small and large ships.

Our expert finds that the food could often have been a little hotter. She didn't like that the wine was served in a plastic glass. She is quite capable of distinguishing between the interior and exterior of ships. Glass breakage should be avoided as far as possible on the outside of the ships, but inside? The Maya buffet restaurant adjoining the Inca restaurant was closed due to low occupancy.

Restaurants subject to surcharge

No cruise ship can do without paying restaurants. The reasons: Guests are looking for variety on vacation and the shipping companies are looking for additional financial benefits. These principles also apply to MSC Preziosa.

Butcher's Cut

In the Butcher's Cut on deck 7 middle, passengers enjoy meat specialties in the atmosphere of an American steakhouse.

Table times: 12:00pm to 14:00pm and 17:30pm to 21:30pm

Galaxy lounge restaurant

The panorama restaurant in the middle of the 16th deck is used for dining during the day. In the evening and at night it mutates into the Galaxy Lounge with disco.

Table times: 12:00pm to 14:00pm and 17:30pm to 21:30pm

La Locanda

To enjoy a delicious pizza outside of the self-service buffet, La Locanda is the right place. In the Locanda on deck 7 midships, pizza is served between 18:00 and 01:00.

MSC Preziosa - La Locanda

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Sports and Bowling Diner

The dinner on deck 7 is intended for sports fans. They combine a game of bowling with à la carte snacks or follow sports broadcasts on large monitors.

Bars and lounges

A ship that can accommodate well over 4.000 guests at full capacity cannot do without a large number of themed bars and lounges. There is talk of 17 bars and lounges. The shipping company promises to offer something for every taste and every mood. In the following we present the bars and lounges that impress us.

Preziosa Bar

We start with our friend's favorite bar. The Preziosa Bar is located on deck 5 next to the atrium in the middle of the ship. After a short time, the waiters had internalized which drinks our friend preferred.

Phoenician Plaza

The Phoenician Plaza is located on the 6th deck, surrounded by shops. A good place to order a drink or an included snack and/or listen to a musician. The snacks can be ordered between 6:30am and 11:00pmpm

MSC Preziosa - Phoenician Plaza

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The cappuccino

This coffee bar is located midships on the 7th deck. The guests enjoy coffee of the finest kind.

The Green Jazz Sax Bar

The Green Jazz Sax - midships on the 7th deck - stands for musical entertainment and an unusual design.

La Locanda Wine & Beer Bar

La Locanda is not just a pizzeria. It makes sense to consume a good glass of wine or a refreshing beer outside of mealtimes.

MSC Preziosa - La Locanda

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Safari Lounge

During the day, guests find the Safari Lounge, located aft on the 7th deck, a place of relaxation and tranquillity. Towards evening, the room, which can hold almost 300 people, is transformed into a dance hall.

Sport & Wellness

Sport and wellness on ships are particularly popular on sea days. In both areas, MSC Preziosa owes its guests nothing.

MSC Preziosa-Spa

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Sports

The well-equipped fitness studio (front on deck 14) is part of the Aurea SPA area.

MSC Preziosa has one indoor and two outdoor pools and several whirlpools. Ball games are possible, as is shuffleboard. The jogging course, called the Power Walking Track, is on the 15th deck. It is very short for a ship of this size. Children and young people especially like the Aqua Park with the Vertigo slide. MSC naturally offers sports courses. Our rapporteur normally uses such offers; on this trip she decided not to take part, as the courses were held in public on the pool deck without exception.

wellness and relaxation

The Aurea SPA offers relaxation and various treatments. Massages and sauna experiences are also on offer. Aurea guests enjoy free sauna visits. Normally, a visit to the sauna costs EUR 29,00 per day. It should be noted that the relaxation area is very small. In addition, users of the sauna cannot stay in the fresh air. An exclusive solarium is reserved for guests of Aurea cabins on the 18th deck in the middle of the ship.

On sunny days, sun worshipers will find enough space; There are plenty of sun loungers.

Entertainment

The heart of the entertainment is the massive, three-story Platinum Theater. It extends over decks 5 to 7. The shows and the show crew are impressive. Our friend counted eight dancers, four singers and four or five acrobats integrated into the shows. The show program also includes the introduction of the officers and the presentation of parts of the crew.

Onboard casinos, like the Millennium Star Casino, are a must on Italian ships. The sprawling casino, located forward on deck 6, offers slots and table games. It opens its doors at 19:30pm

Live music is offered at different times in the bars. We don't want to forget the "Virtual World" in the middle of deck 16 with the 4D cinema and the F1 Grand Prix racing car simulator as well as the already mentioned disco with the nightclub.

Children and young people are offered a lot; after all, they represent the coming Crusader generation. For children aged 3 to 17 there are playrooms, a teens disco, a kids club, a teens zone, video games and a children's pool.

Information about the MSC Preziosa - facts and figures                                                    

Model series	Fantasia class
Commissioning	2013
Size:	Length 333 meters; Width 38 meters, draft 8,30 meters
measurement	139.072 GT
Number of decks	18
Machine performance	43.600 KW
Power Type	diesel-electric
Speed	24,2 knots
Staterooms	1.751
passengers	3.502 with double occupancy
Crew	approx. 1.388 employees
Flagge	Panama
shipyard	STX France SA, Saint Nazaire
Godmother	Sophia Loren
Board language	multilingual
Currency on board	Euro

MSC Preziosa in everyday ship life

Our friend went on a 12-day Baltic Sea cruise with the MSC Preziosa. After a long break, she once again sailed on an MSC cruise ship. The decisive factor for the booking was primarily the route, which took her to new, previously unknown ports.

Your findings and observations: In the ninth year after commissioning, the MSC Preziosa is visually in very good condition. The interior of the ship appears overloaded or baroque at first glance because of its opulent, if not downright pompous, furnishings. But it would be inappropriate to criticize that. The ship is influenced by the Italian way of life and has a different style than cruise ships from Celebrity, Norwegian, Princess or TUI Cruises.

Our rapporteur does not find the winding paths and corridors pleasant. This applies in particular to the area of ​​the cabin decks. The gears are constantly changing direction. The guests move forward in a “zigzag”. The view is restricted.

The service is "top" in all areas of the ship. The gastronomic offer is varied. The meals in the service restaurants are well decorated and taste good. Individual restaurant areas were probably closed due to the low occupancy. We cannot assess how the processes will be at full capacity utilization. – With regard to the ending Covid pandemic, care is taken to ensure that guests disinfect their hands. This applies especially to the restaurant areas. Crew members wear masks at all times. With regard to Corona, we find it critical that the shipping company has returned to self-service in the buffet restaurant. Other companies are more reserved in this area.

Sports and wellness are rated well. The show program was not used much by our friend, since the times were not compatible with personal meal times. Apart from that, the shows - as far as perceived - are rated as "great". She liked the live music in the bars and lounges.

Summary

MSC Preziosa is a recommended ship from the point of view of experienced and well-travelled "crusaders".

Dezember 2022