Hi Craig,

We did the Brazil cruise with Island Escape two or three years ago.

Sailed from Lisbon - November, weather cool. First stop Tenerife - weather very good, then down to the Cape Verde islands, across the Atlantic to Recifi, Salvador, Buzios, Rio then Sa Paulo. The weather all the way from Tenerife was excellent. The best cruise we have ever been on.

Enjoy your cruise,

Marn and Mike

Hi Craig,

that sounds like a good deal, well done.Thanks for the tip about Iglu. Gosh, a year since your cruise - where has time gone??

Elaine xx

Thanks Marn and Mike. I see that you stopped in Cape Verde, which must have broken the sea-days up nicely. I am a little disappointed that MSC aren't doing that stop this year. The Cape Verde islands look interesting and the opportunity to phone home would have been appreciated. What did you think of Brazil and especially your stops in Recife and Salvador? Did you feel safe enough on shore?

Hi again Elaine. A year is just too long isn't it . I hope you find something for yourself too.

10 weeks to go. I know because the balance was due today, which was a bit painful!

Hi Craig,

You will love Brazil.

Recife has a long beach, which was quite busy. We spent most of our time there in a taxi, looking for an ATM.

Salvador was great. It was a carnival day, so we joined in a street party. Drinking beer and getting to know the locals. it was fun, and quite safe.

When you dock the place looks awful, but don't be put off. Go ashore and make the most of it. Especially Rio. Do do the trips, it a shame to miss them. For us it was a cruise of a lifetime, never to be done again. So we made the most of it.

Our stop in Buzios was the best. It was only a small place, but so friendly. And the eating out was very cheap. We ended up having another street party with half the ships crew. A lovey day.

Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did ours.

LOL..Marn and Mike.

Forgot to mention Cape Verde. Didn't get off the ship as we thought there wasn't much to see. Wish we had now.

Finally, at long last, I have a glossy brochure to show friends my cruise. With only 8 weeks still to go, MSC have left it rather late. Still they have excelled themselves in that it features next summer's cruises and a preview of next winter's cruises - surely it's the most organised an Italian line has been yet!

Unfortunately for me I discovered that Musica, the current flagship, which I would much prefer to sail on, is sailing my route next year. If I had known that at the time of booking I may well have delayed my trip by a year and found something else this winter instead. C'est la vie. It's not that I'll be disappointed by Armonia, it's just that a larger, more stylish ship would have been preferable during the 8 full days at sea.

Also in the brochure are details of the new MSC Club. Past cruisers with MSC get 5% discount on the cruise price (rising to 10% with more past cruises), excursions and purchases on-board. Hopefully the club will be up and running by the time I board as the excursion discounts would be very welcome.

The cruise, apparently, is still available and is being advertised at £899 per person, 50% single supplement, if anyone cares to join me!

Less than a month to go! The price has now dropped to £799 but are apparently selling fast.

Another price change - and one I am very annoyed at as I was told the price would not drop - and it has plummeted 50% for me This time there is no single supplement charged.

Although it was a good deal before it is now extremely good value if you are travelling alone. Are there any single people out there who would care to join me?

I am currently enjoying planning what I am hoping to do in each port. This website is helpful but for the more exotic ports I am also using google earth (tick the google earth community box and the tourist info box), and http://www.virtualtourist.com

Never mind Craig, it is still a good deal and a cracking itinerary!

Belatedly here's my impressions of MSC Armonia's Voyage to Rio in December 2006:

The itinerary suited me well - plenty of sea-days to rest - and crossing the equator into summer in the middle of December was fabulous.

Initial impressions weren't impressive. The check-in had long queues and the ship, once on board was not as attractive as the Opera. Having said that on boarding the Opera i was mistaken for crew and sent down into the bowels - so it was an improvement on that! Gasping for a cup of tea and in need of a late lunch I headed to the buffet restaurant which was about to close even though people were still boarding. Knowing my way around I headed straight over to the tea and coffee machine to discover it was empty along with the chilled water. I was not happy to put it mildly. Asking a member of staff they said I could purchase a cup of tea from the bar. Not wishing to go out into the cold Genoan winter weather i suffered without.

Armonia was very similar to Opera but wasn't quite as attractive in my eyes as she wasn't as stylish or quite as well finished, however the layout was almost identical, meaning I instantly felt at home and knew my way around. She is still a very impressive ship and many commented on how beautiful she was. She takes fewer passengers than Opera anyway and she was sailing at well under capacity, somewhere between half and two thirds full, which meant there was always lots of space, and plenty of sunloungers available next to the pool even on the hottest sea-days.

Service got off to a poor start but that was because to sail in Brazilian waters cruise lines need to have one quarter Brazilian staff. It was fairly obvious a lot were new to their jobs but within days everyone was up to speed. I think the staffing levels were higher than usual too, and with the lighter passenger load, it meant we were very well looked after.

Food, like the service, got off to a poor start, I wasn't impressed with the first couple of meals, but again it rapidly improved. Choice was reduced compared to the week long cruise but I recognised a lot of dishes from Opera and no dish was ever repeated - quite something in 17 nights.

The itinerary suited me very well. After sailing from Genoa, there was a day at sea, which I needed to recover from the journey and the boarding, then Alicante, which was attractive enough, what little I saw of it.
Next up was Malaga. We were docked at the end of the pier and no transport had been arranged. I was stuck on board, but I was relieved in a way because i was so exhausted from the day before.

Casablanca next was daunting. We docked in a very industrial and very dusty port. Not wanting a tour meant a long walk to the taxi rank and a frustrating half hour haggle with agitated moroccan taxi drivers. Eventually we settled on a price and set off. The drive to the Hassan 2 Mosque took us through some very deprived areas, I even saw someone doing the toilet in the street. The mosque was a huge contrast, having been built at the cost of $800m just 15 years ago. It was stunning and well worth seeing. Also attractive were the new and the old markets - but I was constantly hassled by people trying to pull me into their shop. When i did see something I did like negotiations over price seemed to take forever and was very tiring. Walking away helped speed things up. Returning to the ship I found it filthy, the dust and dirt had blown in and covered every surface. The staff were besides themselves trying to clean up, as apart from that the ship was absolutely spotless. Although glad to have seen it I am very glad I wasn't spending a week there! The sail away from Casablanca was rough, there were fumes from varnish in my cabin, and i was exhausted from the day and the pollution in Casablanca. All three things combined meant I was sick that night. Being the start of the Atlantic crossing meant i started to wonder what i had let myself in for, but i needn't have worried.

Another day at sea, with the weather warming up, took us to Madeira. A stunningly beautiful island and I thoroughly enjoyed my day there, taking a taxi tour with friends and enjoying the Monte toboggan ride and the cable car. The Funchal market was interesting with fruits I had never seen or even heard of before on offer.

The next day I had a wander round Santa Cruz in Tenerife as the tours didn't go where I wanted them to but the taxis could have if I'd be off the ship a little sooner. I enjoyed my day, never-the-less.

I'd packed four books to read during the five full days at sea and i didn't even finish one, there was so much happening. By this stage I had made a lot of new friends so as i lay in the sun, next to the pool, as they passed they'd stop and have a chat. With lunch, afternoon tea and the early evening quiz the days passed so quickly and before i knew it we landed in Brazil, but not before the equator party where i got egged and floured and then we all jumped in the pool - great fun.

Brazil was great. I'd booked tours for the first time ever because i'd been warned about the crime so often i really was quite concerned. But in the first two ports i felt quite safe. In the old town you could have been in Portugal - or Madeira, it was so similar. The beaches were fantastic but there was so little time to spend on them. I'd wished I'd organised my own trips as usual and then had time to enjoy it. Salvador was a different story. This is a large, poorer city and we saw some rough areas. I made the mistake of giving an old woman a handful of coins, which was spotted, and a crowd literally chased us back to the mini bus. We had to shut the door on their grasping hands. I certainly won't do that again. Then in the beautiful old part of the town - a much more tourist friendly area, my half eaten lunch was begged from me. i wasn't really wanting it so was happy for the woman, but it was not a pleasant experience. The poverty, as in Casablanca, is quite shocking.

A final day at sea - during which we had thick fog, took us into Rio. Thankfully, having only 24hrs there the weather was fantastic and the sail in was stunning. I organised a minibus tour for eight of us and we managed to go up the statue of Christ and then SugarLoaf mountain on the cable car. The views were simply breathtaking - I can't ever imagine seeing anything to rival it again. I collapsed at the hotel and missed the famed Rio nightlife. The next day there was only time for 90 minutes on the fantastic Copacabana Beach before our coach to the airport. I have never had so much difficulty leaving to come home from a holiday!

Rio was undoubtedly the highlight and definitely saved the best till last. If the journey had been in the opposite direction everything else would have been an anticlimax.

All in all it was an amazing experience. One that i would happily repeat, despite my preference for exploring new horizons, but next time I'd insist on having more time in Rio and perhaps exploring a little more of Brazil.

thanks for the update, allways good to have views on the slighly out of the ordinary trips.

Better late than never Craig but definitely worth waiting for! Will you do the same trip with MSC again or perhaps chance another line? There do seem to be several heading to Brazil later, including both Island ships and I believe a Holland America ship (wouldn't swear to that one!) The Island experience would of course be rather different in that it is a much more casual affair I believe, but whether the ships would measure up to Armonia or Opera I don't know. Perhaps Raych (who has just returned from an Island cruise) could tell us!!! Anyway Craog, thanks for the report!!!

I'm pricing MSC up again just now. Prices are currently about £100 more than i paid last year. Sinfonia is full already and MSC have got their act together in releasing these cruises and marketing them so i am wondering if i should risk leaving it much longer before booking.

Three Costa ships also cross to Brazil but two are full and the third is more expensive than MSC. Island Star has supplements of 100% so it is ruled out and Escape is 50%, making it the same price as MSC before my past cruiser discount. I'd forgotten about Holland America, so i'll check that out and, for the first time, Royal Caribbean is sending a ship from Europe, so it's worth checking too. Marco Polo, if the price drops to the same extent as it has done for recent shorter cruises is tempting for it's itinerary and the amount of time it spends in port - three days in Rio!

I suppose the other option is to find a cabin mate, but if that was an option there are other parts of the world i'd like to explore. The far east and Hong Kong and Thailand in particular is exciting and there's a stunning cruise i have my eye on on Costa which sails from Italy, through the Suez Canal via Jordan, Yemen, Kenya, The Seychelles, Madagascar to the Maldives. Anyone want to bunk up?

How's your cruise hunting going, Magsy? Any ideas for yourself?

Hi Craig,

The far east is a wonderful place to cruise. We went on the Seawing several years ago, sailed from Bombay to Goa, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Penang, Phi Phi island and flew back from Phuket..

Of course, that was before the tsunami hit Thailand. Phi Phi was such a beautiful place and I was devastated to see it on TV after the tsunami.
Singapore is another place I would love to go back to, but never will.

Hope you have some luck finding your cruise.

Marn.

Craig,
Have you now got your MSC past cruiser membership? I applied as soon as it was announced and haven't heard a thing! MSC admin is still a bit hit and miss! I think I requested the brochure about 5 times and eventually got it from Ember Travel!

I wasn't aware of Marco Polo doing the Brazil trip. I have heard some excellent reports from friends who have cruised on her recently and there was an excellent review on Cruse Critic's recent newsletter. I know other people who cruised on her last year and they too had nothing but praise. All have said that yes she is an old ship but that service, food and general ambience are wonderful.

Nothing planned immediately, Craig. There seems to be a big shortage in availability and hardly anything to suit solo cruisers! Pockets that is!

After much nagging I finally got my MSC club card from Italy on the morning I flew out to join Armonia, which wasn't much use as I was flying from Heathrow! It was too late for the discount but I gave them the number at check-in so that i gained the 5% purchase and tour discount. That never happened and for the paltry sum i spent it wasn't worth complaining about. However I did get an invite to the repeat cruisers cocktail party , with a glass or two of "champagne" and a very impressive cake in front of which you had your photo with the captain (you could get the photo - for a fee!). The strange thing is they never cut the cake!

Since then I've heard nothing more about MSC club, but when i phoned for prices and availability I spoke to the man in charge of MSC club in the UK and he promised to send me out a shiny new silver card. Whether it ever happens remains to be seen. As you say MSC aren't the most organised of companies. Why they taking this opportunity to build up their database and post out brochures and special offers to past customers: I don't know.

There is one single cabin left on Marco Polo but it is beyond what I can justify paying. I want to stay onboard all the way to Buenos Aires - 30 days in all! If the price drops to the same extent as recent cruises have and the supplement is dropped I'll jump at the chance. The repositionings to Mauritius and Dubai are sold out unfortunately and Hong Kong on Costa Allegra only has one date left, so it's looking unlikely too. It seems repositionings are gaining in popularity, which isn't good news for those of us who like a bargain.

Marn's Bombay to Thailand cruise sounds fantastic. I'd have loved that: so exotic. I dont' know of any companies sailing that route these days sadly.

I'll keep looking - if anyone has any suggestions they will be gratefully received.