Mediterranean Shipping Cruises

MS Sinfonia

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Operator: Festival Cruises (outside of U.S.)
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2002 / 2002
Length / Tonnage: 815 / 56,800
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 783 / 1,500
Officers / Crew: Greek / International
Operating Area: Year-round Greek Islands, Mediterranean

She entered service in March of 2002 as the Sinfonia for Festival cruises.

Our tour of the Sinfonia starts on Deck 12-Bizet Deck aft where the Pasha Club Discotheque, Galaxy Video Arcade and The Planter teen's Club are located. Walking forward via either of the narrow walkways above the pool will bring you to the suite accommodations and a stairwell to Deck 11-Debussy Deck. Just outside the stairwell is the first climbing wall in the First European fleet. Overlooking the bow on deck 11 is the Le Terme health club and beauty center which offers a wide variety of equipment and services. Moving outside and heading aft you pass the Pool Bar, The Capri Bar and the Bolero Bar which offers a variety of beers and the "Gelateria" ice cream bar. Next you pass the two swimming pools with semi-separate children's splash pools and two hydromassage pools. Past the pools is the La Terrazza indoor/outdoor restaurant/bistro which serves buffet food throughout the day.

Deck 10-Sibelius Deck, 9-Tchaikovski Deck and 8-Bach Deck consist entirely of passenger accommodations. The aft part of deck 7-Brahms Deck is also passenger accommodations while the forward part includes the Sinfonia Show Lounge, a Library/Card room and a small bar.

Deck 6-Mozart Deck is where most of the action takes place, with the two deck San Carlo theatre occupying the forward part of the deck. The theatre consists of a single sweeping auditorium which is For easy access there are four entrances over two decks. As you exit the theatre's upper level entrance, you will pass through Caffe Greco which overlooks the reception foyer and serves as central meeting place throughout the day.

Continuing aft you pass through the unusually large Business Center which is fully-equipped for hosting business conferences, sales conventions, lectures and similar group events. It includes, a cinema/auditorium with seating for 120, which can be increased to 200 by opening out 2 adjacent meeting-rooms, with video-recorder, television, screens, projectors, and equipment for simultaneous translation, and a fully-equipped work-station, with PC, fax and Internet connection via satellite.

Moving aft you reach the San Remo Casino, which is stark by comparison to some of the other ocean-going casinos but it is equipped with the standard ocean-going casino fare including roulette, poker, black jack and slot machines.

Just beyond the casion is the Buddha Piano Bar, a small shopping area, the Photo gallery and the entrance to the Il Covo Restaurant which is reserved principally for guests traveling in suite accommodations. The restaurant, which seats 296 passengers at a time, is a combination of modern and classic design with a creative use of lighting and decor. The quality the food and level of service on board are good.

The main dining venue onboard, the Il Galeone restaurant occupies the aft section of Deck 5-Beethoven and seats 610. Midship on Deck 5 is another shopping area, a small bar and the Internet Cafe. The forward part of Deck 5 contains the reception area. Extensive use of marble gives this area a modern look similar to that found on the newer members of the Costa fleet. The Ambassador Cigar Room, Shalagh's House Irish Pub and lower level entrance to the theatre are all adjacent to the reception area.

Meals in are served in two sittings in the Il Galeone restaurant and are geared towards the European market and as such are a bit richer than the typical menu on a Caribbean cruise. Meals in the Il Covo restaurant are similar but the service is more personal. Besides meals in the restaurants are buffet breakfast and lunches upstairs in the indoor/outdoor restaurant/bistro on Deck 12.

There are a total of 783 cabins on board including 132 suites with balconies. In general, the cabins are smaller than average although they all include refrigerators and televisions. The ship's 132 suites are more spacious and offer additional features such as a walk-in wardrobe and private balcony, a sitting area, bathroom with bathtub, as well as a wall-to-wall vanity counter.

Your fellow passengers will be mostly Europeans of all ages. The atmosphere on board is lively and active with most passengers happy to party, swim in the sun, and explore the various ports. During summer and school holidays she attracts lots of families with lots of children.

She sails year round in the Mediterranean: from the sweeping Bay of Naples on Italy's stunning amalfi Coast to the 13th century Moorish architecture and bustling souks of Tunis; the gleaming holiday island of Palma to the stylish Catalan capital Barcelona and the razzmatazz of the South of France. In the autumn, there is also the possibility of taking in the wonderful climate of the Canary Islands and Madeira teamed with the south western Spanish cities and North Africa- a combination to put the shorter days of approaching winter to flight.

Overall she provides a good quality product and the staff on board aim to please. She can feel a bit crowded when the weather turns bad but if you open to mixing with a variety of passengers and languages, she is a comfortable ship to sail on.