MSC Preziosa Taking photos of Venice from our balcony.Copyright Gretta Schifano

MSC Preziosa

MSC Preziosa is one of 12 cruise ships belonging to MSC Cruises and it’s simply huge. It’s 333m long, 38m wide, has 18 decks and was launched in 2013. I was a guest on board MSC Preziosa this summer when I went on a Mediterranean cruise with my daughter after she finished her GCSEs. I’d not been on a cruise before and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was worried about feeling seasick as I have done on cross-channel ferries but I felt absolutely fine for the whole trip. I was also concerned that being on a cruise for a week would make me feel trapped: it didn’t at all.

MSC Preziosa balcony cabin. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Our cabin

We had a balcony cabin with twin beds on deck 10. Our cabin was very comfortable and well-equipped. As you went into the cabin there was a wardrobe to your right and an en-suite bathroom to your left. Beyond that were the beds and then the sitting area next to sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. There was enough storage space for all of our things in the drawers and wardrobe and our empty suitcases slotted under the beds. Inside the wardrobe were our lifejackets, a safe and a thick, white towelling robe for each of us.  The comfortable sofa faced a low table and beyond that a desk with a fridge below it and a TV above it. Inside the desk was a hairdryer. There was a huge mirror on the wall opposite the beds. There was a locked door which could connect to the next cabin if you booked interconnecting cabins.

MSC Preziosa balcony cabin. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Cabin steward

Our lovely cabin steward tidied and cleaned our cabin twice a day so that it always felt like a relaxing place to be. Sometimes he left surprises for us like this impressive towel creation:

MSC Preziosa towel on my daughter’s bed. Copyright Gretta Schifano

You can have breakfast in your cabin if you order it the night before. You can also have drinks and snacks brought to your cabin.

Bathroom

The bathroom was compact but big enough. There was a shower, loo and sink with plenty of storage underneath. There were white cotton towels in various sizes. There was environmentally friendly shampoo and shower gel provided in the shower.

MSC Preziosa en-suite bathroom. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Balcony

I think that my favourite place on the whole ship was our balcony. It was private,  sheltered and just a lovely place to sit and watch the Mediterranean as we sailed through it.

MSC Preziosa balcony. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I loved the fact that the view was constantly changing according to the time of day, the weather and where we were. I never tired of looking out from our balcony.

MSC Preziosa view from our cabin balcony. Copyright Gretta Schifano

If you’d like to find out more about our cruise with MSC you can read my other posts on Cruising for beginners, Top tips for first-time cruisers, How to choose a cruise excursion, The spa on board the MSC Preziosa and Things to do in Dubrovnik with kids.

The lowdown

The price for this seven night MSC cruise staying in a balcony cabin from Venice to Bari, Katakolon, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik is from £1059 per person including return flights from London, transfers and meals. Thank you to MSC for arranging our cruise.

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