Most people go on holiday over the festive season. I never go on holiday; instead, I go home. So when I got an invite to join other writers on the MSC Opera ship to the Portuguese Island for a week, it was as if the heavens opened up and offered me the break I deserved.
When thinking about places to go to for a holiday, I never think of a cruise, until recently. Mainly because I always thought that cruising was expensive. To my surprise, I learnt a lot about cruising and all my theories were proven wrong.
It’s not as expensive as you think.
Cruising is actually quite affordable; it could take you about a year to save, if you save R500 per month. I made friends with two women, who were there with their mothers. I asked how much they spent on the cruise, I got a whooping, “R17 000 for all 4 of us.” This amounts to less than R5 000 per person. Check out their prices here http://www.msccruises.co.za/.
Almost everything is included in your package.
Yep, including food. And the best thing about this is that the food on deck is available 24 hours. They make a minimum of 400 pizzas per day, which is great. The only downfall is the weight you’ll gain. You have to buy your own drinks, which isn’t bad because their prices aren’t too different from land prices.
The food is out of this world.
Still on the topic of food, it had been a while since I dined the way I did. They always have an Indian dish on the menu, and being a girl from Durban, I have to say, I love me some curry. I also found out something interesting about South Africans – when MSC has South Africans on board, they use about 26 000 eggs per week. Can you believe that?!
Your kids will be taken care of.
Family outings are fun, but sometimes as a parent, you need some time away from the kids. MSC has everything on lockdown. They have a daycare centre where you can leave your bambino for a couple of hours while you enjoy the jacuzzi or the spa. The little ones also have a number of activities to enjoy. Depending on the age, your baby can go to the disco and movies, and they can make their own pizza. There are eight staff members dedicated to looking after your children.
They are big on hiring.
MSC cruises hire about 700 staff members to take care of their 2 200 guests on board. So rest assured that you will never not find what you are looking for because there are always helpful people.
You will never run out of things to do.
Depending on your age and what tickles your fancy, MSC has entertainment for days. They have about six full production shows that are hosted at the theatre every night. They range from stand-up comedy to live music. If theatre is not your thing, you can spend your day and night by the pool area or go to the disco. There’s something for everyone.
You will see the most beautiful places.
You will be exposed to some of the most beautiful places in Africa. I went to the Portuguese Island, and I would go back in a flash. They have a beautiful beach; I thought Durban was the best, but I was proven wrong. My breath was taken away by the view I had, on and off the ship.
So get your passport ready, grab a friend, partner or take your whole family to the next cruise. You will have so much fun without breaking the bank. See some of their packages here http://www.msccruises.co.za/
I would personally like to thank MSC cruises for the amazing experience and Mango airlines for flying me to and from Durban.
