We recently spent a week at sea onboard MSC Preziosa sailing the Northern Europe route.
We were all first time cruisers so no one was really sure what to expect. Pre-embarkation research told me that MSC is known as a laid back, budget friendly cruise line and we found that really appealing.
If you’re considering a first cruise with MSC, or are a seasoned cruiser looking to try out an Northern Pearls cruise, I hope you’ll find this review useful.
Northern Europe Cruise onboard MSC Preziosa
The Northern Pearls cruise is a 7 night sailing departing from Southampton. The cruise includes shore days in Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge & Le Havre plus two full sea days.
MSC cruises are very relaxed. There is a Gala night and theme nights, but there’s no pressure to dress up and join in; casual wear is perfectly acceptable.
I’d seen some mixed reviews about MSC generally, but this sailing was a bargain (especially considering we travelled over half term) and a cruise has long been on my travel wish list, so I was happy to give it a go.
Here’s how it did go.
MSC Preziosa: first impressions
You board at Atrium level, which is home to sweeping Swarovski crystal stair cases , water features and huge chandeliers.
She is very sparkly. Very Swarovski. Very extra. And I loved it.
There were plenty of staff on hand to direct you, which is just as well as we were enchanted but totally lost at this point.
The Cabin
We booked a deluxe balcony cabin with a king size bed, a double sofa bed, ensuite bathroom with shower and a small balcony. The cabin also had ample storage, a safe, dressing table and hospitality tray.
Each cabin has a TV . We didn’t really use it, but you do need to view a safety video on there and confirm that you have done so.
An allocated steward kept the cabin spotless and well stocked throughout. Cabins are cleaned daily and turned down each evening. Fantastic service.
I was very happy with our cabin onboard MSC Preziosa. I knew she was an old ship by cruise standards and thought the cabins might be dated or tired, but not a bit.
The cabin we booked was classed as ‘restricted view’ and this was what we got. A view over the top of the lifeboats. I thought it fine and enjoyed sea views and sailing in/out.
What do you think, would you be happy with this?
The Food
Start with food, and I’ll be honest: I’m no foody. I pretty much live on 3/4 meals in rotation, I’m picky about how food is prepared and cooked. Food was the aspect of an MSC cruise that got the most mixed reviews.
We ate mainly in the buffet. A full review would be a post in itself, have the short version instead:
- The buffet has a lot of options, but it’s quantity over quality
- There was cake for breakfast and that made me happy
- It gets very busy. I found that a bit overwhelming. Also highlighted that at times, your cruise experience will only be as good as the manners of your fellow cruisers.
- On the plus side, loads of fresh fruit and salad available all day, every day.
- The MSC pizza is incredible from a dedicated station with a proper pizza oven. Meat & veggie options with herbs and spices on hand to personalise.
- Clearing & cleaning tables was slow at times. Staff struggled to keep up with the volume of guests and some seemed in need of a bit of training.
- There is cafe area on a lower deck- The Phoenician Plaza- with table service and a range of sweet and savoury snacks. My preferred option.
I always found something to eat on the buffet, but I didn’t love it. Mr THL and our son eat more widely than me and rated it as ‘good enough’. On this cruise route there are plenty of shore days so it was easy to break up meal times.
Drinks onboard MSC Preziosa
If the food was a bit ‘meh’, MSC redeemed itself with the drinks. There’s a full drinks menu and it delivers quality and quantity.
Sparkling and still bottled water was available freely but in plastic bottles. I’d like to see water refill stations instead or as well as.
Being an Italian cruise line, a full range of speciality coffees is available and they were delightful. A good range of all the drinks available including premium options.
I thoroughly tested the gin and cocktail menu and and confirm they were all grand. I discovered a new Italian gin and was thrilled to see the cocktail menu feature my favourite; a Hugo.
Bar service was fast and friendly, 10/10
We booked a Premium drinks package which effectively made the cruise all inclusive. All drinks up to €13 plus gratuities were included. If you prefer to pay as you go, each order will be charged to your cruise card plus an additional 15% per transaction.
Entertainment
It was exactly what I’d expect on a cruise ship- all singing, all dancing and lots of sparkle.
Evening shows took place in the vast theatre, a mix of music, dance, magic and comedy with a few bingo sessions thrown in for good measure. A bit cheesy at times, but all really good fun.
Each show was introduced by the entertainment team each night in 5 languages. I heard some guests moaning about the number of languages used onboard, but I loved it. I’m in awe of people who can switch seamlessly from one to another!
Although MSC is an Italian cruise line, English is the main language spoken onboard. You’ll also hear announcements in German, French, Spanish & Dutch. Every announcement is made in each language.
The Gym & The Spa
A first for me onboard MSC Preziosa: a gym workout at sea. The gym was impressive. A large space with sea views and modern machines for cardio and weighted workouts. Classes were also available.
Unlimited gym access is included in your cruise price and Mr THL and I used it daily.
The spa area is something you pay extra for and to be honest, I didn’t love it. It’s too small for the ship which makes relaxing hard. Treatments are available, but very expensive.
No direct access from the spa to the pool area meant an awkward trudge through the ship to break up the spa session with a swim and hot tub. Not ideal.
The wellness area of the ship is also home to a small lounge with a bar serving fresh juice shots and made-to-order protein drinks, included with a drinks package.
Other things to do on MSC Preziosa
One of things I liked about this cruise was two full days at sea, giving plenty of time to have a relaxed start to the day and then explore the ship. Other onboard facilities include:
- Il Cappuccino: An Italian style coffee shop with relaxed seating and balcony views over the atrium
- The Sports Bar: Big screens for sporting events, a mini bowling alley, drinks and bar snacks available.
- Indoor Pool: Small but did the job, surrounded by hot tubs and plenty of loungers.
- Walking Track: An unbroken walk round the outside of the ship. Good to blow the cobwebs away. Especially after researching the cocktail menu the night before.
- Fun Zone: For big kids and small. Retro arcade games, F1 simulator and 4D cinema experience.
You don’t need to use MSC transfers
At each port, you are offered an MSC transfer from ship to city centre for €16 per adult return. We didn’t use this service at all, preferring to walk or use public transport . It’s very doable and fun figuring it out.
- In Hamburg we walked from the cruise terminal, past the Blohm & Voss shipyards and through the historic Old Elbe Tunnel into the heart of Hamburg.
- In Rotterdam the ship docks pretty much in the city centre; explore the city or head for the central station for trains to other Dutch destinations.
- Zeebrugge is an industrial port with no pedestrian walkway, so a free shuttle takes you from ship to terminal. Trams run from here, or a 20 minute walk to main line station Zeebrugge Dorp.
- Le Havre city centre is a 25/30 minute walk from the ship.
How much did it cost & what’s included?
We booked the 7 night Northern Pearls cruise in a Deluxe balcony cabin (obstructed view) the in February half term holidays. Basic fare included buffet meals plus all entertainment. We upgraded to a ‘Fantastica’ fare which allowed:
- Your choice of cabin location, as opposed to MSC allocation.
- Option of breakfast delivered to cabin.
- Ability to make a change to the booking at no cost. Great for a military family.
- Choice of dining time if you wanted to eat in the main restaurants. We didn’t.
Additionally, we added drinks packages ( 2 x Premium for the adults and Minors Package for the teenager) plus a Fun Pass for the arcades and F1 Simulator.
For all of the above, for three people, we paid £1697. Around £80 per person per day.
MSC Cruise: Would I do it again?
Yes. Not this ship and route as I don’t feel like there was enough to repeat the whole experience, but I would cruise with MSC again.
The Northern Pearls cruise was a great way to hit several destinations in the same week, mixing in old favourites like Hamburg with new discoveries like Le Havre.
MSC has taken a low cost airline approach to cruising; you buy a basic fare and add on all the extras. That worked really well for my family, we just wanted to give it a go and cherry pick things to try.
If fine dining and formality are important, not the one for you. But ideal for travellers seeking a relaxed, inexpensive cruise.
One last thing about MSC Preziosa
Remember I called her, ‘a bit extra’? She really is. Especially that Atrium. But the original plans for that space were even wilder: a giant shark tank.
In 2010 fourth son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi ordered himself a cruise ship. His design included a shark aquarium. Building began, but production halted when Libyan civil war led to a change in Gaddafi fortunes.
MSC swooped in, purchased the hull for a tidy sum and created MSC Preziosa. Original designs placed the shark tank roughly where the Atrium bar is now.
Just to create the perfect happy ending, her godmother is none other than Sophia Loren. How’s that for a back story?
If you liked this post you might also like to read my 10 Tips for Your First Cruise (coming soon)
Helen x
Glad to read about your experience on the cruise! Sorry to hear that the food wasn’t quite up to par, though — at least you found the hidden cafe at the basement, away from the rush of people.
Thank you. I wish I was more bold with food but it’s not me. Coffee and cake though, I enjoyed trying all the options there 😆
A great and very thorough review! It seems there were more plusses than minuses and the cruise was enjoyable for you 🙂 We’ve had some occasional and not always conventional cruise experiences – it’s not something we especially like but sometimes it’s the best option. From a conventional ship in the Antarctic to a Rhine river cruise (recommended if you want plenty of shore time) and a small 16 berth boat in the Galapagos, with the latter my favourite by far in terms of the boat/ship 😀 We’re trying again in August, doing an Arctic expedition cruise!
Thanks Sarah! I was determined to write a thorough review because I struggled to get balanced info before booking. I don’t think I’m a fully converted cruiser, but I’m glad I did it. An Arctic expedition sounds incredible!
This is such a wonderful read. I love the idea of seeing multiple locations and ports during a trip and how they allow for a nice relaxing holiday while making stops at multiple interesting and fun locations without the added stress of having to get there yourself. But I also love an itinerary that is set by me as well as experiencing the local hotels. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Thanks Avia, I’ll always love a good road trip or hotel stay but it was fun to try our hand at cruising. There’s something magic about waking up at sea with nothing to do but enjoy yourself! Have a wonderful day
Glad you enjoyed it
I’ve been on a trans-Atlantic cruise twice, because I moved to South America and then back to Europe two years later. I found it more romantic to travel by ship, although sadly, there weren’t any pirates.
I chose the cheapest option, of course. The second time I had a cabin next to the engine room, without any window. But when you’re tired, you can sleep anywhere.
I had never been to a gym before I was on the ship. You have to, because of the quantity of the food. Also, if you don’t want to pay extra, there is nothing much else to do. (My cruise was different from yours, of course, because there were plenty of days on the high seas.)
Overall, I liked it as a means of transport. (You can also take much more luggage than on a plane.) But for tourism/travel, I don’t think I could enjoy it. 10 hours or so for each city, that’s just way too little for me. And you can’t really venture far or get lost, because you are always afraid of being late to the ship and being stranded, without one’s luggage on top of that.
And honestly, it’s not the most intellectual crowd, is it?
I mean, you find some interesting people after a couple of days (you need to look at the books that people read), but most people just talked about other cruises and bored me to death. It was also shocking to see how scared many of the passengers were of going on land without being guided and supervised at all times.
This did make me chuckle. The idea of being judged by my reading material. I am side eyeing my book shelf as I type!
I enjoyed a day in each city, it wasn’t my first trip to Hamburg or Bruges so I knew what I wanted to do, but I am now planning to take my camper van to Normandy to explore Le Havre and that coastline. So my cheap cruise was quite expensive as it triggered future trip plans.
A trans Atlantic sailing sounds like quite the experience!
I really loved the slowness of it.
And the absence of interweb. (I think you could buy it extra, at some ridiculous price, but of course I didn’t.)
And I was very surprised how calm the Atlantic was for most of the time. Honestly, I have been on lakes that had more waves.
Another beautiful sensation was to see birds as we approached Brazil. It’s really like in the stories of the ancient seafarers, that you experience the birds about one day before you spot actual land.
Such an interesting and informative post Helen as we’ve never been cruising apart from a Nordic overnight luxury ferry!
Thank you Marion. I’m glad I gave it a go. I enjoy a nice ferry sailing too. It’s always fun to do something new.
I’m never going to cruise (people!) but enjoyed reading this – thanks
It is a very people-y experience. Good fun though!
I do like a good ferry trip, not so keen on the idea of cruising though.
I enjoyed giving it a go. I don’t think I would do it often, but it was a great way to fit lot in. We met some real cruise fanatics, there’s a whole cruise ship world out there I had no idea about!
Oh dear, the whole styling looks horrible. We would never go on such a cruise. Nevertheless, we were on two expeditions to NE Greenland, and to Jan Mayen and Bear Island. But that was with 10 people the first one, and on a real boat without entertainment and the second with 35 people, neither in such a fancy styled ship, but with scientific lectures.
It would be a boring world if we all liked the same things, wouldn’t it? Those do sound like very interesting sailings.
I know so many people now who have tried cruises. Most are converts. 🙂
Interesting read. Thank you for your honest review. I have never been on a cruise and I am not sure I would like to try. If feels overcrowded for me.
An interesting review, thanks for sharing your experience. I don’t think cruises are for me, I just wouldn’t cope with all the people, but maybe I shouldn’t be so presumptuous, and give it a go sometime! It does look fun and I’d sign up just for those cocktails…!
Great overview of your cruise. We haven’t done a cruise yet too. I’d like to do fjords
I’d love to do a fjords cruise too! I enjoyed my first cruise, I’d definitely say it’s worth trying.