This cruise liner was built in France for Festival Cruises in 2002 as
European Stars. After that company went bankrupt, MSC took it on and renamed it
MSC Sinfonia. The 58,600-ton ship takes 1,566 passengers, double occupancy, and an international crew of 710 on weekly cruises in the Mediterranean and from Brazil.
MSC Sinfonia is very similar in design to
MSC Armonia; they were produced in the same yard and had the same original owners.
MSC Cruises is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the parent firm operates one of the world's largest container fleets, numbering some 320 ships, owned and chartered. The cruise side began in the late 1980s when MSC bought out Star Lauro and took on second-hand ships, including the ill-fated Achille Lauro. After a slow start at the lower end of the cruise market, the line has continually expanded and updated its fleet that now numbers 10, with more on order.
Most passengers are European with Italians in the majority, plus Germans, French and Spanish. Some English-speakers are usually aboard, and all five languages are used in the programs and the mercifully few public address announcements. Lots of families come aboard in the school holidays. The closest competitor is Costa, both in the Mediterranean and in South America. The on-board currency is the euro.
The summer staple is a weekly Western Mediterranean cruise program based at Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, about an hour away by bus or train. In 2009, these cruises will embark and disembark up the Italian coast at Livorno (Leghorn). In the fall and spring, the ship makes a transatlantic cruise to and from Brazil for a South American program that is not marketed to North Americans.
During her 2008 drydock service, MSC Sinfonia received upgrades in the public areas. The ship's decor is European modern, with pleasing colors and attractively designed furniture. There are some similarities to Costa's older ships. The public rooms include a wide variety of settings to create different atmospheres during the day and night. Public areas include an intimate piano lounge, a lively night club, large casino, cigar bar, Baroque Cafe on the upper level of the atrium, White Lion Pub (for the British aboard), and combination library and card room, ample Internet stations, and a major two-level San Carlo show lounge for major productions and cabaret acts.
Il Galeone is the main restaurant with 610 seats. Il Covo has half that number. Both operate with two sittings at dinner, 7 and 9 pm. Breakfast and lunch are open seating. The menu is geared to Italian and European tastes, and the pasta and pizzas are freshly prepared. Otherwise the food is fair to good. La Terrazza is a nearly 24-hour buffet with separate stations to avoid queues. Cafe del Mare is operated as an outdoor grill for hamburgers, fries and the like.
Two outdoor pools and two whirlpools are lido deck centerpieces for longing and sometimes raucous pool games. A spa and fitness center provides the usual wide range of treatments at high prices. Sports include a jogging track, volleyball, basketball, mini-golf and rock climbing.
The cabins start out small for the standard insides and outside (140 sq ft). All are equipped with satellite TV, radio, minibar (for a charge), safe, hair dryers and 24-hour room service. Continental breakfast is complimentary, while everything else on the limited room service menu exacts a charge. Of the 710 cabins, 511 are outsides and 132 have private balconies with partial partitions, so they lack privacy if the next-door neighbors are present.
Cruising aboard the MSC Sinfonia provides a powerful cultural experience as most passengers are European and reflect the tastes and habits of their respective countries. Some North Americans will find the atmosphere pleasantly challenging and others will definitely not, especially if they have had very little experience with traveling abroad.
