MSC is one of the biggest and fast-growing cruise agencies in Europe. I love cruises and big cruise ships. MSC allowed me to visit their newest ship: MSC Grandiosa, one of the ships in the Meraviglia group.

We left early in the morning for a long drive to Le Havre. It’s not the most ‘sexy’ cruise port, but the impression of the ship was magnificent! Time to explore it with al here benefits!

We entered the ship by the central hall, a place with magnificent stairs filled with Swarovski crystals. Just take 5 minutes to look around. It’s amazing. The next visit is the promenade. A street with bars, shops, and restaurants. But the most amazing thing is the big LED Wall. Every night you can enjoy a light show on it, or just walk hand in hand with your lover under a heaven of stars… isn’t it romantic? MSC takes care of the design of the ship. Mostly you love it or hate it but on this ship, it’s perfectly chosen.

How can you please your guests on the ship? Well… by good food, great service, and good entertainment. Let’s try the food!

Or you choose the buffet on Market Place or one of the 5 restaurants with first and second seat. It’s an explosion of good taste. MSC let you enjoy of the good Italian cuisine in every way. They even make their own mozzarella in the restaurant and the pizzas are freshly made. From breakfast till lunch and midnight snack… everything in the main restaurants was just perfect!

If you want something special, then choose a specialty restaurant. For a little more, you have a great food experience. L’Atelier Bistrot is a traditional Paris Bistro. ‘Hola!’ serves the best tapas of Spain made by 2-star chef Ramon Freixa. For the Asian lovers go dine in Kaito Teppanyaki & Sushi bar. But we tried the real American Steak restaurant. When u are lucky to have a great and funny waiter, the food always tastes better. We had luck! You can choose a la carte or for a good price the Chef’s menu. But… only go there when u are really hungry. The portions are big!

Not good for my diet, but I love desserts! And then u need to go to ‘Jean-Philippe Maury’s Café and Chocolat’ and his Gelato shop. Drink a magnificent coffee, a Chocolat milk or buy some chocolates in the shop and make your own tablet. I tried the gelato and found great sorbets! Yes, I think of the calories!

After dinner… party time!!! We started our evening at one of the many bars with a cocktail and some nice music. The whole night long you can find different kinds of artists. Go for jazz, smooth romantic or a strong disco song! Then up for the sky lounge. A place with an amazing view, so be on time for a view at the window. If you like a special drink then visit the Champagne bar for the bubbles or the British pub ‘Masters of the sea’. And then it’s time to go into the night at the disco. But not before u try the midnight snack at the buffet. With a drink package, you can enjoy the many drinks and cocktails of the ship… So have fun!

MSC invests also in great entertainment, during the day and the evening. Grandiosa has an amazing sports area and a gym with the newest equipment. Check your daily male for the group sessions like spinning! Do you like fun? Even that is amazing on the ship. I tried the XD cinema and The Virtual Reality maze. Magnificent!!! But also try the bowling or the F1 race simulators. But what is a ship without a swimming pool? You find one outside with an Aquapark or an inside with hot tubes. On the sea, enjoy also the Imperial Casino with 164 slots.

And then the shows… In the evening you can visit the theater with 8 amazing shows. Every night you can see a new production on the cruise. For me, ‘Voyage Fantastique’, was close to a real Broadway production!
But the most amazing thing is the Promenade on the ship with the biggest Led sky on the sea. Every night you get a great light show.

MSC is not the agency of exclusivity… but they have an exclusive contract with Cirque du Soleil for the ships in the Meraviglia group. They build their own theater onboard. The Carousel Lounge is only made for one of the 2 exclusive Cirque shows on the ship (and every ship has 2 different shows). For a small price, you can enjoy a show on the sea of 45 min with a cocktail or an exclusive 3-course dinner. So for me a reason to come back!

MSC is a family cruise agency. They gave the children their own space. When the parents enjoy a spa or restaurant, the children will not be forgotten on this ship. You have the Chicco Baby Club, Mini Club and Juniors Club sponsored by Lego and the young Club and Teen club for the older children. It’s their space with their own Disco and movie theater. And they have even a gaming lab and a web creator room.

But many people like luxury on a ship. So you can book yourself a luxury cruise or choose for ‘the ship in a ship’ possibility by MSC: MSC Yacht Club. It’s an amazing place with their own private butler service, their own restaurant and pool deck. You can choose to stay there the whole trip or visit other parts of the ship. It’s an amazingly beautiful place. The benefit: you have everything of a luxury cruise, but with the possibility to go somewhere else during the day… and less expensive.

In a time of climate change, there is a lot of critics on cruise ships. People do not find them ecological. With this new generation of ships, MSC chooses for cleaner engines and more effective use of everything on the ship (even the water!). In 2021 every ship of MSC will be clean.

MSC is a family cruise, but is it LGBTQ friendly? For sure! During my time on the ship, I saw openly gay staff and LGBTQ passengers. MSC has a policy of ‘be who you are and we accept everyone’. At the end of the trip, MSC also announced that they will follow the suggestion of Touristicogay: they will make official social hours on all their ships, starting in the USA! Proud on MSC.

Should you book a cruise on this ship? For sure: MSC chooses for good food, great entertainment, and friendly staff. All these ingredients are enough to make your cruise the best holiday of the year. and they also have their own privat island: “MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve”. It’s an amazing spot close to Miami. And as LGBTQ, I’m proud of the decision of MSC!