Time for some entertainment! At night, MSC Lirica is literally buzzing with activity. No room for party-poopers here! After dinner, there is usually a show in the two-deck high, 713-seat Broadway Theatre. Done in the true theater fashion with seats sloping down gradually, this room reminds me of the theaters on some of the ocean liners of the sixties. Needless to say, sightlines from any of the seats just cannot get any better.  

Gaming action can be found in the large Las Vegas Casino which doesn't look like anything Las Vegas has to offer. In fact, I found the room to be a little boring. One nice thing is the open plan design that connects the casino with the arcade. Located a little out of the way on Scarlatti Deck is The Lirica Lounge, the ship's secondary show lounge. Done in a beautiful color combination of purples and pinks with matching artwork, this large room looks elegant yet inviting. The bar is semi-circular and perched way back in the room on the port side, while stage and dance floor are large enough to host the smaller production shows. 

All the way up on Rossini Deck, well outside the reach of sleeping guests, you will find The Blue Club. An appropriate name for this spectacular disco, done in a daring combination of blues and greens and surrounded by walls of glass that provide a wonderful view of sea and sky during the day. At night, things are heating up considerably when The Blue Club plays host to the younger dancing crowd. Seating 255 guests in rather cramped conditions (seats are really close together) this room positively rocks, even if I only had a look at it during the day. With its large stainless steel dance floor, the huge bar and the video wall, The Blue Club is easily voted the most trendy hangout on board. 

Looking at the Daily Program, the number of evening activities on board is virtually endless. One example is  Latin Night. It all starts with a "Viva Espana" flamenco show in the Broadway Theatre after dinner, followed by the "Conquistadores contro Indios" party in the Lirica Lounge and is topped off by an outdoor Paella Party in La Pergola. For those not yet tired by then, there is still the Brazilian Party in the Blue Club. On another night, you can enjoy the "Le Moulin de Pigalle" production show, while the teenagers head for the "Boys vs. Girls" contest. Now, who said cruising is for old people only? 

What MSC Cruises does very well is to provide an upbeat Italian cruise experience for a crowd that is looking for an active, fun-filled vacation. You might think twice about choosing MSC Lirica if you are looking for a quiet, cultural, clean-cut cruise. But if you are able to let your hair hang down, socialize with people from all over Europe and generally take life a little less serious for a week or so, I'm sure a cruise on MSC Lirica will leave you with many cherished memories. She is a magnificent ship, that much is clear. Or, as the Italians would say: "Splendido!"