We have just returned from our family summer holiday on the MSC Opera. Overall, we had a great time, but MSC have room to improve.
Embarkation : We started the cruise in Southampton. We live in Yorkshire, so drove to Southampton and took advantage of the MSC Free Parking offer. This worked great. We first dropped off the luggage at the cruise terminal and then dropped the car in the car park, that was about .75 miles from the cruise terminal. Shuttle bus then returned us to the cruise terminal for check in and embarkation. Embarkation was very easy and seemed well organised.
Cabin : We shared a 4 berth outside cabin on deck 8. This comprised of a double bed and 2 pull down bunks for my 2 girls. Cabin was well presented, clean, ample storage....but a little compact for 4 persons. The bathroom was small, as was the shower. However, the steward was fantastic and kept our room spotless, with 2 sets of clean towels daily (though the "white" towels did vary in colour from White to varying shades of yellow). I'd also give the beds 6/10 for comfort as the double bed was 2 singles pushed together with a ridge in the middle.