Rainbow cruise to the islands

Published Mar 2, 2011

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The compulsory safety drill interrupted my massage aboard the MSC Sinfonia. Lulled into a dreamy trance by a soothing massage in a spa at sea, I was rudely awoken by eight sharp blasts on the ship’s alarm – and the loud announcement that all passengers must proceed immediately to the lifeboats at the muster stations.

I made a feeble attempt to rise from my massage bed. The gentle hands of the Balinese masseuse pressed me down onto cool sheets. Showing up for the safety drill glistening with oil, wearing only a life-jacket, underpants and cucumber discs over my eyes, didn’t seem like a good idea. So I turned over so she could knead my other side.

Watching the waves from the Aurea Spa on the 11th deck of the MSC Sinfonia, I enjoyed a facial, and head and back massage in the true spirit of a renaissance man. It was only the start of a long weekend cruise from the port of Durban to Maputo Bay and back – and I was already in seventh heaven, prepared for more pampered luxury.

Finding my sea-legs, I went exploring while the showgirls of the MSC Sinfonia led passengers on a high-energy dance routine out on the pool deck. You need a GPS or a map to navigate this floating leisure zone of restaurants, cafés, pizzeria, bars, internet café, card room, casino, disco, theatre and duty-free shops spread over 12 decks – and a sports zone with jogging track, gym, mini golf and shuffleboard. Whenever I asked the mostly Italian crew for directions, they reply, “It’s on the other side!”

With every deck named after a classical composer, it helps if you can tell your Bach (deck eight) and Beethoven (deck five) from your Brahms (deck seven) and Bizet (deck 12). Talking of which, I’m off to my luxury cabin with a private balcony on Sibelius (deck 12) for a nap with a view of the ocean blue. I need to rest up for tonight’s bingo session with an impressive jackpot of $3 000, dinner and a dance show in the theatre. Life on the ocean waves is demanding. “Be prepared” is my boy scout’s motto.

We were guests on the first cruise of the new summer season of the MSC Sinfonia which operates two- to five-day voyages from Durban to the islands of Mozambique for six months until April. Based in Cape Town until March, the MSC Melody, a sister ship, offers three- to six-day cruises to Mossel Bay and Walvis Bay – as well as classic, longer Indian Ocean voyages to Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles.

One of the world’s leading luxury cruise companies, based in Genoa, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) showcases Italian la dolce vita (the good life) in its style, service and cuisine. No wonder Sophia Loren is the grand patron of the line – and has a new shapely liner named after her. At Il Galeone and Il Covo restaurants, Sicilian chef Pietro Roccasalvo and his cooks prepare classic Italian fare from Parma ham, minestrone and seafood to pizza and pasta – with a choice of affordable South African and Italian wines and liquors. Tonight I try the amaretto, pinot grigio and sangiovese. And for the night owls, there’s a pizza party or midnight feast on deck.

A quintessentially Italian liner, the MSC Sinfonia has a warm family feel – with activities for all the bambinos from the Pinocchio children’s club to the Planet teenager’s club. While mamma and pappa enjoy cocktails on the terrace, cappuccino at the Baroque Bar or play slots in the casino, children are safely supervised with on-board programmes.

The MSC Sinfonia comes alive at night – with world-class dance shows featuring Spanish flamenco dancers and a chorus-line of show-girls and singers. The after-dinner shows in the lavish San Carlo theatre are as good as any cabaret show in Las Vegas with superb choreography, dance routines and glittering costumes.

For adults only, there are nightly shows in the lounge to find the “Italian stallion” and Miss Sinfonia among the passengers – to that naughty tune You can keep your hat on.

As an experienced cruise passenger, I’ve experienced voyages on leading luxury liners all over the world – and rate MSC Starlight Cruises first-class for facilities, entertainment and service. Many people I chatted to aboard the MSC Sinfonia were repeat passengers. The affordable fares – excluding only beverages, port charges, compulsory medical insurance, spa treatments and service charges – are great value for money for South Africans. Two children under the age of 18 sharing a family cabin travel free with two adults – and drinks are cheaper than a restaurant on shore.

What I liked most about the voyage is its affordability – without sacrificing quality, MSC Starlight Cruises tempts experienced and first-time cruise passengers with fares which start from an average of R1 000 a day. These fares put cruises within reach of all pockets, making the MSC Sinfonia a truly rainbow cruise with an amazing cross-section of South Africans sharing the experience. Many families were celebrating special anniversaries, birthdays and occasions. The singing stewards presented birthday cakes to guests like me at dinner – and burst into song at the drop of a hat.

An idyllic day on Portuguese Island in Delagoa Bay off Maputo was the highlight of the cruise. After transferring from MSC Sinfonia via speedy zodiacs to this balmy tropical island, many passengers spent the day swimming in the warm waters and playing on terra firma, enjoying a beach barbecue laid on by the ship. Yet others went on organised shore excursions, snorkelling the rich coral reef, sea kayaking, whale watching, game fishing or exploring the seafood bars and markets of Inhaca Island. (If you’re on a nostalgic quest to find giant LM prawns peri peri, try Luca’s on Inhaca).

Local vendors who ferry across from Inhaca did a good trade, hawking ice-cold Mozambican beer, brandy and rum to all the day trippers – as well as colourful African crafts, fabrics and even wooden models of the MSC Sinfonia. I enjoyed drinking coconut milk straight from the husk, scooping out the sweet white meat with a husk spoon carved by an enterprising man with a machete who accepted my rands.

You spend a lot of time eating on a cruise. The time had come to walk off all the good food. Seizing the moment, I spontaneously set out with two passengers to circumnavigate Portuguese Island on foot (a 2.5km hike). Wading in the warm waters, our only company were starfish, echinodiscus (pansy shells), seabirds and crabs were our only company – and a solitary fisherman on a long white spit of sand in the bay. At low tide you can walk over the water between Portuguese and Inhaca islands – where the old lighthouse warns sailors of the treacherous shallow flats of Maputo Bay.

This beautiful place has a tragic history. For centuries, it was the headquarters of the ivory trade between Arab, Portuguese and African traders, marked on nautical charts as Elephant Island in a region known as Elephant Reserve. According to legend, the ghosts of 100 000 elephants inhabit the island – long after the traders left Portuguese Island and founded a mainland settlement called Lorenco Marques.

Portuguese Island is an idyllic destination for a weekend cruise to nowhere and back. Lying 30km east of the mainland, this uninhabited nature conservancy has golden beaches, a sheltered lagoon, mangrove swamps and rich marine life. It was time to leave all too soon and return to the mother ship. A playful pod of bottlenose dolphins escorted us from shore back to ship, making sure we returned safely.

p For information, fares and sailing schedules, contact MSC Starlight Cruises on 011 807 5111 or 021 555 3005, email [email protected] or see www.starlight.co.za - Weekend Argus

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