Finding ‘me time’ on a crowded cruise liner

Finding ‘me time’ on a crowded cruise liner

If you enjoy your personal space, the thought of being crammed aboard a floating hotel with thousands of other people is probably furthest from your mind. So, when I was invited to experience MSC Orchestra on a five-day cruise out of Durban, I, with much trepidation, said yes. Thankfully, the experience… and my desired need for space, way exceed my expectations.

As any avid cruise passenger would know, Durban’s passenger terminal has much to be desired, especially when thousands of people descend on it in the period of a few hours. Fortunately, we had a priority ‘Easy Board’ pass allowing us to fast-track the embarking process. It is a comfort to know that as part of the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal Consortium (KTC), MSC Cruises has invested over R200 million for the creation of a new terminal. It will be a multi-user, state-of-the-art building that will appropriately have an innovative Zulu design which will assuredly be iconic for Durban.

Our end of February 2020 cruise was pre-Covid-19 regulations in South Africa but MSC Cruises had already taken the health and safety of passengers to heart with pre-boarding health questionnaires, temperature checks and abundant sanitising in every shape and form. So, with paperwork dealt with and passport relinquished I was free to roam the extensive vessel.

I walk through the spacious elegant interiors… past a sweeping staircase, grand piano, and huge potted palms, along corridors where downlights dot the ceiling like a starlit sky. Past restaurants, bars, and coffee shops that I would soon become well acquainted with. The upper deck is vast, the pools crystal clear and the deck chairs await occupation. The sun gloriously warm and the sky blue.

A light three-course lunch with chilled chardonnay at Villa Borghese, the ship’s lower main dining room, sets the scene for the next few days, as does the wonderfully friendly smile from John Philip our waiter, who is from the Philippines - just one of the many international staff on board. I head to my cabin, slide the door open and take in the harbour views briefly before heading to the mandatory safety briefing before departure.

With tugs in place, excitement growing and two long blasts from the ship’s horn, we set sail, leaving the confines of Durban harbour for the deep blue sea. We are on the five-day Mozambique cruise to Pomene Bay, with a full day at sea each way. But for now, it is time to sit back and relax, make new friends, and enjoy my first cocktail.

Easing my way off the crowded deck I head towards the stern, through La Piazzetta, the ship’s buffet and pizzeria and the 4 Seasons à la carte restaurant located on deck 13, to discover a wonderfully peaceful deck with just a few tables and chairs and a wonderful view of the ocean in the ship’s wake. This would become my 88 responsible traveller

favourite spot, perfect for a quite cup of tea and plate of sweet treats from the buffet. Lingering over my tea, I enjoy the peace and quiet. So much so that I choose to stay and experience nature’s show – a magnificent sunset over the ocean, in preference to the early evening entertainment, a cabaret show.

There are several options for dining aboard MSC Orchestra… from Italian dining at La Piazzetta, which is said to have ‘the finest pizza outside Naples’ and ideal for those wanting a quick snack (or to ward off a hangover), the Four Seasons with its gourmet Italian dining experience to authentic Dim Sum specialties and a wonderful selection of sushi at the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant – perfect for a light lunch, amongst others.

There are numerous bars and lounges to choose from, whether its dancing to live music in the ‘leopard-style’ Savannah Bar, enjoying predinner drinks in La Cantinella Wine Bar with its great selection of fine wines or relaxing for a night cap in the La Cubana Cigar Room. an extensive menu that includes both Italian and a selection of International cuisine – I enjoyed crispy spring rolls, an authentic Durban curry, followed by deliciously refreshing sorbet. An Amarula laced coffee at the El Sombrero Bar on the upper deck was the perfect nightcap after an evening of compelling conversation and much laughter – we were after all a group of South African media.

The ‘at sea’ days offer a great opportunity to enjoy the varied entertainment and activities programme, and resort-style amenities available - from arts and craft classes and dance lessons to sports tournaments and even gym workouts. Then there is the option of just relaxing in the sun – be early, as the sundeck fills up quickly and the noise level can be excessive.

I choose rather to enjoy a day at the Aurea Spa and make the most of my day pass to the Thermal Area with its steam room, sauna, hot tub and relaxation area - a great way to unwind and let the cares of a busy work life disappear. A 30-minute Bali massage at the expert hands of therapist Gretchen Mee Ylaran has me well rested and relaxed. I return to my cabin, grab my book and head out onto my balcony, but the

sea breeze and fresh air soon induces the need for a nap. The comfortable double bed, and ship’s motion soon lulls me to sleep.

Much fun awaits when evening comes, from world-class International shows at the Covent Garden Theatre, dancing the night away at the disco, getting into the karaoke groove at the Shaker Bar or taking your chances at the casino. More relaxed options include whiling away the time at the internet café, relaxing in the library with its great selection of books in a variety of languages, or just chatting over coffee in one of the coffee shops with new friends.

The highlight of the cruise is our shore day. Up bright and early to catch the first tender out, we catch the sunrise, a quick cappuccino and breakfast on the run, and join the queue – thankfully, we have priority boarding, so we are soon heading to shore. Our destination, Pomene Bay, on the Mozambique mainland set between the blue Indian Ocean and the waters where the mangroves grow.

It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Pomene Island - which I can understand why as it is a spectacular sandbar extending along the shore giving it the appearance of an island. The lagoon that protects this extraordinary bay is part of the Pomene Nature Reserve, a protected marine area that has managed to preserve its authentic and wild beauty thanks to its remote location.

On arrival, which was from the lagoon side, we are greeted with soft white sand, mangrove swamps and palm-thatched cabanas. A wooden walkway leads us through the local market, with the usual Mozambique curios and textiles as well as fridges stocked with chilled local beer, but 7:30am was way too early!!

I decided on a long (9.3km return) walk along the beach to the end of the sandbar before the heat of the day. Being the first footsteps on a beautiful deserted stretch of beach is quite a privilege. The warm Indian Ocean waves roll over my toes onto the pristine sandy beach, the clouds reflected in their wake as they roll back. MSC Orchestra looks small in the distance – feeling miles away, I breathe in the fresh sea air and enjoy the peace and tranquillity that comes with being alone with just my thoughts and a few seabirds.

A fellow passenger, clearly also enjoying some ‘me time’, takes a skinny dip in the ocean – visible, but far enough away for modesty. I meet an Indian man who lives a few streets

‘More than anything else, we care for the environment in which we operate, the guests who sail with us, the people who work with us, the cities we call, and the communities we visit...’

away from me – it really is a small world – and try solving the world’s problems with two African businessmen from Johannesburg. This was one of the things I loved about this cruise – the demographics were so representative of South Africa, a South Africa where everybody got along with everybody else. No politics and no animosity.

In addition to long walks, one can explore the surrounding nature reserve with the help of a guide, immersing yourself in lush leafy vegetation, with an abundance of different species. Other excursions include a trip to the ruins of the old Pomene Hotel, either by vehicle or, for the more adventurous, by quad bike, mangrove lagoon boat trips and, weather permitting, snorkelling in the pristine waters offshore.

Beach time done and body and soul well sun kissed, an icy cold local Laurentina beer from the market was on order. Shopping at local markets is a great way to support the local community, many of whom are employed by MSC Cruises at Pomene Bay.

We had decided that lunch back on the ship was preferential to the long queues waiting for the beach braai… and opted for the first return trip to the ship. A quiet lunch at La Piazzetta is followed by a few hours of gloriously quiet pool time before the crowds return. Add some more spa pampering, a well-deserved nap and then another spectacular sunset. Such bliss!!

We have the opportunity to meet with a few of the high-ranking members of the crew and learn a little about the history and ethos of the company.

MSC Cruises is borne out of a long line of captains and ship owners who have been playing their part in the history of navigation and seamanship - a family journey that started at sea in 1675 and which hasn’t stopped since.

The oceans and seas have always been integral to MSC Cruises, and thus they have a deep responsibility to preserve and protect them. ‘More than anything else, we care for the environment in which we operate, the guests who sail with us, the people who work with us, the cities we call, and the communities we visit. Our environmental efforts are an ongoing journey’.

We are given an overview of these environmental initiatives which include energy, water, waste, and recycling initiatives, but my penchant for more detail requires I dig a little deeper - see sidebar for more details…

With some of the horror stories one hears about waste been dumped overboard and streams of pollution streaming behind cruise liners I am delighted to hear that MSC Cruises is committed to preserving the environment and being responsible in the way they deal with their waste as well as their carbon footprint.

As they say, ‘Our environmental efforts are an ongoing journey. We will keep exploring and developing new solutions for our future – and existing – ships and will be fitting our fleet with even more innovative solutions for a lower environmental impact’.

Meeting done it was time for some elegant dining, the Captain’s Lunch. I find myself seated next to the very charming Captain Nicola Gravante, who tells me that he loves

South Africa and just happens to live in the Eastern Cape.

Born in Italy, he is a third-generation seaman, after his Grandfather and Uncle, and fell in love with the sea and ships going to visit his relatives when they were close by in the port of Naples. His MSC Cruises journey began in 2018 on the MSC Musica, followed a year later with the promotion to Master on MSC Orchestra.

He continues to grow in experience and says that ‘in this business there are no days that you do not learn, and I am happy to continuously learn and enrich my endless backpack called experience. My goal at the moment is to help the young talents to develop in their careers, to empower them and make them ‘grow bigger’ than my generation’.

The menu offers a choice of traditional Italian dishes with a hint of local – I had Parma ham with grilled vegetables in basel sauce, spaghetti aglio olio (garlic and olive oil) with a sprinkling of parmesan, a delicious chicken biryani, and delicious carrot cake for dessert. With chilled South African white wine.

Our cruise was almost over… one last sunset, another cocktail or two, some dancing perhaps, and one more night being gently rocked to sleep.

So, the big question… did I find my ‘me time’? And would I do this again? The answer to both would no doubt be a resounding ‘yes’. •

www.msccruises.co.za

ENERGY : Only energy-efficient LED and fluorescent lighting is used as well as energyefficient appliances including refrigerators, water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. The HVAC - smart heating, ventilation and air conditioning, systems on board are designed to reduce energy consumption by distributing heat and cold intelligently, and are set up to recover heat from warmer areas of a ship in order to heat those which need it more.

WATER PRESERVATION : A philosophy of using water sparingly and efficiently has led to the use of technologies to reduce water usage and to awareness campaigns on board their ships to encourage water responsibility. As a rule, they do not take away water from ports and coastal communities and virtually all water we use on board is produced onboard using high performance water production technologies to produce thousands of litres of fresh tap water per day from seawater. On a cabin level, all MSC ships are fitted with vacuum lavatories, which require little flushing water.

WASTEWATER : No black wastewater from shipboard operations leaves their ships without proper treatment and any discharges undergo a comprehensive purification process. Using an Advanced Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS) wastewater is treated to an extremely high quality by mixing different waste streams together and filtering out the larger components. What comes out on the other end then gets processed even further through exceptionally fine filtration and treatment processes, to produce water discharges of a higher standard than most municipal wastewater requirements around the world. Hazardous substances and pollutants are filtered out by the AWTS digested by bacteria.

To avoid risking harm to marine life, the remaining purified wastewater is disinfected by UV processing and never chlorine. Key indicators are monitored to ensure any remaining bacteria levels are favourable, rendering the wastewater near tap water quality before discharge.

The separated solid residue is removed from the cycle. It is then dried, compacted, and compressed into high-grade pellets. These pellets can act a source of fuel for specific onboard energy needs, or as in the case of MSC Orchestra, offloaded in Durban where it can be repurposed for energy production. Other liquid waste that may be hazardous to the environment such as cooking oil, oily water, machinery lubricants and cleaning products are never discharged into the sea but are offloaded ashore by authorised companies.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT : All organic waste, as well as recyclable disposable items including plastics, metals, paper, and glass, are collected, and separated by specially trained waste handling crew members. Waste is compacted, separated, or incinerated, and residual waste is carefully delivered to dedicated port facilities, in this case Durban.

With the high number of guests and crew on board annually solid waste management is a key area of focus and our practices aim at reducing, reusing, recycling the waste that is generated. The onboard Environmental Officer is responsible for ensuring that the MSC Environmental Plan is correctly executed and oversees the onboard garbage management. Eliminating single-use plastics - Under their Plastics Reduction Programme, MSC Cruises is in the final phase of effectively eliminating an extensive number of plastic items from all its ship operations and ashore and will replace them with environmentally friendly solutions. As a first step, all plastic straws have been replaced with 100% compostable and biodegradable substitutes. Moreover, drinks are no longer automatically be served with a straw. Guests who may require a straw will still be able to choose from a variety of environmentally friendly options.

MSC Cruises is working with a range of international and local suppliers in areas where the ships are deployed and is providing eco-friendly alternatives made of 100% biodegradable resins, consisting of renewable resources including corn- or sugar-based polylactic acid, bamboo, paper or other organic materials. In addition, MSC is also actively working with suppliers at all levels in the supply chain to effectively remove single-use plastics in products and packaging wherever possible.

EXPLORING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS : All their newly built ships either have hybrid Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems

(EGCS) installed or, in the case of some of the future ships, will be fuelled by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). For the longer-serving ships in their fleet, a robust retrofitting programme has been initiated to equip older ships with hybrid EGCS technology.

Compared to standard marine diesel using conventional fuel, LNG reduces SOx emissions by more than 99% and NOx emissions by up to 85%.

In addition, all future new builds will be equipped with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. SCR technology helps reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) into harmless nitrogen (N2) and water through advanced active emissions control technology - MSC Grandiosa will be our first ship equipped with SCR technology.

COMMITMENT TO CARBON-NEUTRAL STATUS : To bring the climate impact of their entire fleet to zero, MSC Cruises will be carbon-neutral, compensating all the CO2 emissions from the fleet as of 2020 (date to be confirmed).

MSC Cruises will offset the emissions directly and on behalf of its guests through a portfolio of projects, including a growing portion of existing blue carbon offsets while working to develop additional projects that are generated from the oceans and that enhance marine biodiversity and support communities that rely on the sea.

Click HERE for more info...

Commitment to increasing job opportunities

MSC Cruises is committed to increasing job opportunities for South Africans. In partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, the company’s Shosholoza Ocean Academy provides free three-month training courses for young South Africans who qualify through MSC Cruises’ medical requirements.

Those who successfully complete the course will be eligible to be employed on MSC Cruises’ ships across the world. MSC Cruises plans to get 3 000 to 5 000 new placements from South Africa over the next five years, which will bring around R5 billion in salaries back to South Africa. MSC said in a statement recently that Captain Salvatore Sarno, the chairperson of MSC SA, said, “It is part of our company’s long-term vision to support the president’s call for job creation by creating 5 000 more jobs within five years.”

MSC is adding 17 new ships as it invests into its fleet it had invested in for over the next 10 years, which would need an average of 2 000 crew members. It would add up to between 30 000 to and 35 000 new crew and MSC

plans to get 3 000 to 5 000 new placements from South Africa from now until 2024.

In addition to crew placement, the new academy aimed to provide training that was relevant to the cruise sector, as well as technicians, welders, boilermakers and maintenance and repair personnel for the container and cargo sector. Students would be required to do theoretical training and serve on either a cruise or container vessel on any of MSC’s vessels globally to gain handson experience and expertise while studying towards their chosen area of interest. MSC Cruises said it was committed to investing in African tourism. “This investment has included infrastructure development in Mozambique – a popular cruising destination for South Africans – and continued collaboration with the Namibian government, as Walvis Bay is one of the ports that MSC Cruises sails to.

There are also knock-on benefits for the tourist industries in the destinations that MSC Cruises sails to, which have been enhanced by increased passenger volumes.”