Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
The week before last the MSC Musica arrived in Durban, South Africa and over 1500 people were treated to a night on board with a gala dinner, a show and live music with Jeremy Loops and Mi Casa.
Receiving my invitation to be one of those 1500 people was definitely one of the highlights of this year for me. I had never been on a cruise ship and although it was quite short notice so I had to juggle work and make arrangements for my kids there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity.
The 7th and 8th November was a whirlwind of travelling, networking and amazing events.
The Trip To Durban
Since I live in Saldanha I had to leave home at 7am to drive into Cape Town on Tuesday 07 November to catch my flight to Durban. Thankfully I had no problems with traffic driving in even though I added on an extra hour just in case, you never know right?
I had breakfast and some much needed coffee at Wimpy at the airport while waiting for my flight with Mango Air. The flight went well and I managed to get some shut eye which was great considering I had been working until after midnight for a number of nights in a row to get ensure I didn’t fall behind with my work taking time off for this trip!
When I arrived in Durban I made my way to the Mug & Bean for the airport transfer to the MSC Musica. It wasn’t long before I was on the bus on my way to the harbour.
MSC Musica Embarkation
Upon arriving at the harbour there was a crowd of people waiting to board – all media, public relations and bloggers like me. There was a great vibe and I chatted to people while I got my name tag organized and my arm band on. Then it was time to board.
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Buffet Lunch – The Cafeteria Archi
By the time I got onto the cruise ship it was already 4pm and I made my way to the Gli Archi Caffeterria which is on Deck 13. I was blown away not only by the beautiful views and pools on the deck but also by the buffet lunch. There was such an incredible variety of food available from pizza, burgers, curries, roasts, fruit, breads and of course the most amazing desserts. The only difficulty was choosing which amazing dishes to eat.
I sat and had lunch with daddy blogger Donovan from The Don Father – we chatted about blogging, traffic techniques, SEO – basically everything blogging! What an amazing guy and so easy to get on with. Big congrats to Don and his wife expecting their second child, you can follow their story on his blog or on his Instagram profile.
I managed to slip into the Baby Club on Deck 13 too and it looked lovely. Lots of prams, kiddie chairs, a play area, loads of toys and a tv available.
I could imagine spending some time on Deck 13 while out on the ocean, lazing on one of the deck chairs next to the pool while my kids get entertained. However I couldn’t sit around and relax since there were many more events to get to and I wanted to check out my cabin.
The Cabin
I had a lovely little cabin with two single beds and a comfortable couch. I had my own balcony which was lovely, it was big enough for 2 people to relax on.
The cabin was compact but comfortable, smart and clean. It had everything I could need from a television to a phone and a hair dryer. There was a mini bar and a room service menu.
One thing that surprised me each time I went to my cabin is that there were so many cabins and all next to each other yet I never heard a single sound from coming outside my cabin. I wonder if they have them all sound proofed? It was a lovely little haven away from the hustle and bustle of the day.
I got dressed for the formal part of the evening: pre-dinner cocktails and a gala dinner.
Pre-Cocktails and Gala Dinner
Guests gathered in the bar before dinner for some cocktails. Since I am a drug addict and alcoholic 10 years in recovery I stuck to Coca Cola for the night. I found myself a place to sit and watch everyone coming in. All the ladies looked so glamorous and beautiful and the gents were dashing in their formal wear. It’s not often I get to take off my slip slops and dress up so this was lots of fun.
The Gala dinner blew me away, such delicious food and beautifully presented. I went with the Salmon and Prawn Starter, then there was a pasta dish after that and the main meal was a choice between beef steak or lobster, I actually wanted to go with the beef steak but it was cooked in wine so I went for the lobster. Both main meals looked amazing and the lobster was to die for, so no loss there having to choose it.
Dessert arrived and it was heavenly – 3 mini desserts and they were all delicious.
The waiters were friendly and professional, the entire experience was a treat.
I was seated at a table with Jennifer Leppington Clark, the director of the PR firm that organized the entire event, and we chatted along with the logistics of getting everyone to Durban. She shared some amazing facts about the MSC Musica and some of the other cruise ships. She showed me photos on her phone of the Swarovski Crystal Staircase on the MSC Divina. Jennifer was great company and I’m so pleased that I had the chance to meet her.
Next on the agenda was a show so off to the theatre…
Wonderland
Honestly this show was one of the highlights of this trip. It was held in the La Scala Theatre which seats 1200 guests.
The show was highly entertaining with talented dancers, acrobats, singers and artists from all over the world.
Entertainment with Jeremy Loops and Mi Casa
The live entertainment with Jeremy Loops and Mi Casa was planned for outdoors on Deck 13 but we unfortunately had some rain that evening so it had to be moved indoors which was a pity.
The music was great and lots of fun was had all round. My heart wanted to stay up and party but by 1am I was completely done in and went to bed. As soon as I climbed into bed I fell asleep and I slept well.
Breakfast
I was up at 5am to pack my bag, have a shower and get myself to breakfast. Did I tell you breakfast is one of my favourite meals? There was a buffet offering anything you could possibly want for breakfast as well as a menu to order from.
Breakfast was divine and then all that was left was to grab my bag, disembark and get on the bus to the airport to grab my flight home.
The Return Trip
The trip back home was long and tiring. After getting on the bus at 7am and arriving at the airport I had about 2 hours before I could book my bag in and get my boarding pass. Then I spent another 2 hours wandering around and having some breakfast and coffee while waiting for my flight. I bought each of my kids a plane toy filled with sweets.
The flight back to Cape Town was with Emirates and I enjoyed it. I managed to film the plane taking off from my window seat for my son since he was so upset about me going on a plane without him. I wanted to have something exciting to share with him on my return.
After landing in Cape Town I still had to make the trip to Saldanha and I got home just before 7pm so all in all it was a very long day of travelling and waiting.
My Verdict For The MSC Musica
The short answer is AMAZEBALLS – there was so much to see and do that I could never write about it all in this one post. Everything was top notch from the service to the setting and ambience. The food was incredible and I love my food!
This cruise ship is absolute luxury, catering for everyone – young and old. I’ve never actually considered going on a cruise ship before but now that I have had a glimpse of what is on offer this looks like an amazing way to spend a holiday with my family. There is so much entertainment and fun on board for kids which means that my kids will love it and I will be able to get a chance to relax and enjoy myself too.
The only regret I have is that everything was so quick and it was so busy that I never got a chance to see everything I wanted to see. I wanted to check out more of the kids entertainment areas, I wanted to see the spa and I wanted to just walk around and take in more but there was so much on and so little time.
I guess that means I will have to make a booking for a cruise!
