Why Cruising is the Best Holiday: Part 1

Date: 2018-04-30

The first time we stepped aboard a cruise ship was in early November 2012. The ship was MSC Musica, operated by the Italian company MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) — a mid-sized vessel carrying around 3,500 passengers and crew, measuring 293 metres in length and 32 metres wide.

MSC ships have a calm colour scheme of white and navy blue, with a clean, smart exterior design.

On board, there were 5 restaurants — including one paid Japanese restaurant — along with 10 bars and cafés, a sports gym, spa, hair salon, acupuncture clinic, medical centre, shopping arcade, casino, disco, children's club, pools, a mini golf course, tennis courts, a theatre, and more. It was truly like a small city.

"Musica" means "music" in Italian, and the ship was reportedly named by the great Italian actress Sophia Loren.

Dinner in the main dining room was served in two sittings — one starting around 7pm and another around 9pm. Throughout the voyage, you would sit at the same table, dine with the same group of people, and be served by the same staff. As first-timers, we requested to be seated with English speakers when booking. Our table of seven included three couples (ourselves included) and one elderly lady travelling alone.

Everyone else at the table was British, and they had all been on multiple cruises before. They shared stories of past voyages and gave us plenty of tips about recommended routes and ports of call. The elderly lady had been sailing exclusively with MSC ever since her first cruise with her late husband — she was an MSC Black Card member.

When you travel with MSC, you become a member of the MSC Voyagers Club and receive a membership card. The card has four tiers, from lowest to highest: Classic, Silver, Gold, and Black.

According to her, Black Card members have a dedicated booking agent who handles all the details, sometimes calling to suggest upcoming sailings. All she needs to do is confirm the dates, and they take care of everything else.

The pricing is also special for Black members. On departure day, a taxi comes to collect her from home and takes her to the airport. When she lands, a staff member is waiting to guide her to the bus to the ship, and her luggage is transported from her front door all the way to her cabin — she only needs to carry her handbag on the plane and bus.

On arrival in the cabin, a welcome card from the captain awaits on the table, along with chocolate-dipped strawberries and a bottle of champagne. At departure, there is an exclusive cocktail party hosted by the captain for Black members only. During the voyage, there is one special dinner with the captain in a private dining room. Every day, a personal butler visits the room to check on any needs or wishes. At each port of call, Black members get priority disembarkation with a Fast Track pass. And if it happens to be a Black member's birthday during the cruise, there is a cake to celebrate. It is truly VIP treatment.

One thing she mentioned that left a real impression on us: if a Black Card member had not returned by the time the ship was due to depart a port, the ship would wait.

One of the most important rules of going ashore is that you must return before the ship sails, no matter what. If you miss the departure, you have to make your own way to the next port of call — but for Black Card members, that worry simply doesn't exist.

Hearing her story made us think: one day, we'd love to sail as Black Card members too.

We have many holidays ahead of us while we're fit and healthy. Staying in one place and taking it easy has its appeal, as does wandering through unfamiliar streets with a map. But rather than coming home from a holiday exhausted — too tired to face work the next day — we'd much rather return feeling refreshed and ready to say: "Let's save up and go again!" And for that kind of holiday, a cruise really is the best.

(This site is a participant in the Amazon.co.jp Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program.)