Decked out: A cruise on the MSC Musica from Durban to Mozambique’s Portuguese Island involves swimming pools. Photos: Lyse Comins
The MSC Musica’s horn reverberated across the Port of Durban, declaring its departure as it gained speed, whooshing through the harbour mouth on a sticky, late summer afternoon.
The farewell cheers of the enthusiastic cruise passengers above us almost drowned out the clink of our champagne glasses as we celebrated the view from our deck 12 cabin balcony, and our freedom on the Indian Ocean for the next few days.
With a little help from a tug and marine pilot, who was swiftly airlifted into the helicopter thwapping above, the ship broke away and powered effortlessly into the horizon.
Our destination: the pristine sands of Portuguese Island some 6 798 nautical miles away in Mozambican territory. Three nights and two full days of blissful escape.
On deck 13, the 2 550-passenger capacity cruise ship’s pools were already bursting at the seams with rotund bodies. Drinks flowed in anticipation of the late Friday afternoon sail-away party, signalling the first night of our journey.
Weather: idyllic. Sunshine, blue skies. A gentle, cool breeze.
Leaving the sunseekers to satisfy our gnawing appetite after the champagne, my cruise companion, a local Durban blogger, and I took a walk to the Il Giardino Buffet Restaurant and Gli Archi cafeteria, to find lunch.
It was around 4pm. We had not eaten earlier as we were boarding the vessel. This was done VIP style, through the MSC Privé Lounge and the MSC Yacht Club, a breeze.
We then settled into our cabins, polishing off a bottle of complimentary French champagne.
Cruising, after all, is about sun, sea, sipping and supping — in equal measure. By day, and night, passengers streamed the entertainment decks with exotic cocktails — electric blue, shocking pink — and icy buckets of beer to party the wee hours away, while some migrated to indoor bars for a more refined feast and entertainment.
A slice of Margherita pizza from the buffet — I had been looking forward to the buffet pizza until 2am thanks to happy memories of taking full advantage on my first cruise on MSC Sinfonia years ago — and a delicious chickpea salad with tomatoes, lettuce and generous chunks of Parmesan on the side did the trick.
Before I knew it, it was almost 6pm and dinnertime — preferable to the late 8pm sitting in the Belle Époque on deck 6. It’s one of the ship’s two main dining rooms, serving Italian and other Mediterranean food.
I opted for a Greek salad for starters, which was delicious, and a sirloin steak with vegetables for mains. Those who chose the spaghetti bolognaise were delighted, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lasagne during a subsequent dinner, not to mention the delectably decadent tiramisu.
Here’s another thing about cruising, especially for us Durbanites who embrace slops and sandals, shorts and skirts almost as a uniform: it gives us the chance to dress up for dinner — gala gowns and dinner jackets, saris, silk dresses and high heels are all welcome here. You won’t feel judged or overdressed.
Dinner was a delight. We were served by bubbly Kenyan waitress Jenny. MSC’s mission to hire Africans, in particular South Africans, was evident. From the bars and lounges to the cabin cleaners, they abounded. On the Sinfonia cruise in 2017 the staff were mainly Filipinos — who have perfected the art of hospitality — so the nationality difference was notable. It’s refreshing when companies live up to their promises.
Some of our group headed to the 13th deck for drinks after dinner, a few went to bed early, while the rest partied the night away at the disco.
I had a good night’s rest in the king-size bed in my well-appointed cabin and awoke to the inviting view of the island. We had arrived.
Deciding to avoid the breakfast rush in the restaurants I had ordered a meal to be delivered at around 7am.
MSC’s breads, not least their croissants are a star of the show at meals, and breakfast was no exception. The hot chocolate was a treat and the pot of coffee served wonderfully hot.
I had been nervous about going on the boat that would transport us from MSC Musica to the island, as my Sinfonia transit to Pomene Beach had been a little rough. My fears were unfounded.
In 10 minutes my landlubber feet were on the pristine island sands enjoying a stroll along the shore to the Exclusive Beach Lounge, far from the madding crowd. This experience includes a private bar and a lounger with an umbrella, which comes at an extra cost, but is worth it.
About 2 000 passengers had descended on the beach, so the general access area was extremely crowded. But there were sufficient bathrooms and buffet stations with the same lunch — braaied pork steaks, chicken, boerewors and salads — as the exclusive lounge.
My only regret was that I found the pizza station in the general access area too late — there was no pizza in the exclusive area — and it had closed.
Some in our group wandered off to explore the island before joining us for recreational activities. These included tubing — an invigorating activity for adrenaline junkies as two to three people sit in a floating tube that is dragged at speed by boat across the water — paddle boating and snorkelling in a nearby protected coral reef.
I opted for the most relaxing option, in my view — snorkelling. It involved a short ride on a zodiac-type boat to explore the coral reef.
It was a little disappointing because visibility was poor, possibly due to recent rainfall, but the dip in the ocean was refreshingly cool on the sweltering day.
When we arrived back at the main beach we found the MSC crew rounding up passengers to return to the ship. The day was over too soon and it was sad to see the mess fellow passengers had left behind, especially the beer and cider bottles washing around the shoreline.
But it turns out MSC Cruises hires locals from the main island Inhaca to handle clean-up services and ensure the island is pristine to receive the next group of guests.
Sun-kissed and weary, we returned to our floating hotel where we dined sumptuously on sushi in the Kaito Sushi Bar. I tried miso soup for the first time — made from fermented soybean paste — and loved it, but gave the array of raw fish a miss, tasting only the tempera prawns, which were scrumptious.
Then it was off to Teatro La Scala to watch a dance and music show that eased us into an evening of cocktails and karaoke, which was such a blast that we joined in again on our last night aboard, almost forgetting it was Sunday, and that work loomed large on Monday morning.
Apart from the lazy day on the beach, breakfast in bed and karaoke, without a doubt, the luxurious Balinese massage in the Aurea Spa and the time spent relaxing in the jacuzzi on Sunday was the highlight of my cruise.
And then, unfortunately, all too soon, our cruise was over.
We woke up in the Port of Durban on a bright Monday morning, feasted in the dining room on a buffet breakfast — Italian hospitality will never send you home hungry — and disembarked.
Invigorated to my soul, I stepped out to face a day of deadlines, the week and the long year that still stretched ahead.
The journalist’s trip was sponsored by MSC Cruises.
