Travel Designers All-inclusive cruise holidays were first launched back in 2011 by MSC cruises with a fantastic deal of £1.00 to upgrade to an all-inclusive package on cruises for 2012. MSC now offers 3 levels of drinks packages for you to choose from and fit your needs.
All-inclusive cruise holidays have come a long way since then with many cruise lines offering drinks packages to soften the cost when checking out from your cruise.
I visited one of the MSC ships whilst it was docked in Southampton on a beautiful sunny September day. Doing a ship visit is something that I have done quite often with various cruise lines but MSC made it feel like a real day out on the ship rather than an inspection.
On arrival at the MSC Opera, we were checked in at security and allowed to board the ship going straight to the theater on the ship. Once we were all seated the entertainments manager welcomed us all and said to sit back and relax and enjoy a special viewing of their evening show. Personally, I’m not one for cruise ship entertainment but even I was oohing and ahhing at some of the acts and could not believe that an hour passed so quickly.
Once the show had finished we had a presentation on the new route from Abu Dhabi and on the latest offer of all-inclusive for just £1 per person. MSC already have some excellent deals such as free upgrades to balcony cabins and no charge for children sharing the same cabin as their parents. It was then off for lunch in one of the table service restaurants and the chance to experience the food onboard which was excellent.
On our way to the restaurant, we visited the other buffet restaurants and experienced the wide choice of food on offer basically 24-7. If I were going on a cruise I think I’d be dieting for the month before as I know I would be trying everything on offer on the cruise.
After lunch, we had a tour of the MSC Opera and all that she has to offer such as her many bars, restaurants, and casino as well as the gym, spa, and shops. It’s a lovely ship and most of the MSC cruises go straight into dock rather than have to tender so getting on and off is a lot less hassle than some cruise ships. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and service of the MSC Opera and would not hesitate to recommend to my clients.
MSC continues to develop its cruise product with the recent launch of MSC Bellissima in March 2019 with its own Cirque du Soleil performance on board. This ship was the first to feature voice-activated technology called “MSC for Me” a virtual personal cruise assistant called ZOE. Their second ship this year to be launched MSC Grandiosa will offer this same technology. It even has a Friends and Family Locator which is great if you have children on board and want to keep an eye on where they are on the ship.
All-Inclusive cruising certainly offers a family a great value holiday allowing them to visit multiple destinations at a cost-effective price. If you are looking for a different family all-inclusive holiday then consider all-inclusive cruising.
For the latest cruise offers to visit the easy travel cruise deals.