MSC Cruise - The Melody

Our cruise experience began on the 2nd of March 2009. Check in took place in a very large 'shed' at Durban port. Everyone was 'colour-coded' to ensure ease of operation for embarkation, requesting a dinner sitting & paying approx. US$250.00 as a deposit for the cruise 'cash' card. I found this 'system' rather time consuming as most cruise companies offer you the choice of a dinner sitting upon making the reservation. Upon embarkation, we were escorted to our cabin (superior, outer cabin on the Continental Deck). Our cabin consisted of 2 single beds, en-suite bathroom & sleeper couches. The decor was much to be desired & rather outdated. The MSC Melody can take approximately 1492 passengers, has a total of 532 cabins & has 8 decks. The amenities include: Casino, beauty salon, 2 pools, 2 whirlpools, Library/card room, Fitness & Health Centre, Massage room, Jogging track, Theatre, Duty-free shops, 2 Bars, 2 Discos/cubs, 4 Terraces/cafe's & one main restaurant. I found the decor on the ship to be very outdated & in a desperate need of renovation. The service was not very good at all (the staff really struggled to speak Basic English, so orders were continuously been misunderstood!). Food in the main dining area was of poor quality as well as the buffet offered on the upper deck. Entertainment onboard consisted of various theme evenings & competitions during the day. The entertainment staffs were very good. Our first port of call was in Maputo. We paid approximately US$8.00 per person for a return transfer to Maputo centre. We were dropped off at the Maputo Mall & were not informed of the various places of interest that we should visit, so we had to discover these on our own! Maputo was formerly known as Lourenco Marques. We visited the Casa do Ferro (house of iron) which was designed by Alexander Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) as well as the Natural History Museum (which was very disappointing). Maputo was once a beautiful city, but sadly is now quite run down. No pictures of governmental buildings are permitted! Although we did not experience the local cuisine, they are renowned for their seafood & excellent restaurants. It is very affordable. It is advisable to carry some of their local currency as it is easier to purchase goods at their local market. Our second port of call would have been at Barra Lodge, but unfortunately, due to choppy seas, we were unable to dock there. Barra Lodge is one of the top holiday destinations on the mainland coast of Mozambique. Snorkelling & scuba diving are excellent! Nearby Inhambane has much historical interest being the 2nd oldest inhabited settlement in Mozambique. Craft goods, cashew nuts & the infamous palm wine are normally available. Our cruise duration was for 4 nights, most of them being at sea. The sea was relatively calm throughout, expect for the last night, where we sailed through a terrible storm. This was the only time that stabilisers were used! Overall, I really enjoyed the cruise, but would not easily sail the Indian Ocean again.