Our first booking on MSC was made with great expectations based upon the webinar viewed by my better half, who advises clients on the various cruise options one can take. We are both experienced cruisers with over 80 cruises between us and were so excited about trying this new ship. So excited, we invited 2 other couples to join us based upon those expectations.

Let me identify the positives (which are few but important) first. The ship is very attractive and well maintained, the onboard entertainment is spectacular with high energy, and the casino is well laid out with attractive promotions to encourage activity. That's it for the positives.

Now to the negatives. Let me give the MSC management some very important advice. If you expect to compete in the US/Caribbean market, against the experienced cruise lines which already know what I am about to say, you had better get your management act together in a hurry. The evening dining room service was a disaster. What should have been a pleasant opportunity to share our on-board and port experiences with friends over dinner, became an ordeal. Every meal, until the last two days, lasted over 2 and a half hours, with the staff service poorly undermanned (according to our waiter) and meals that were poorly prepared (under/over cooked on many occasions). The seating never started on time until half way through the cruise and was ALWAYS ending well after 11pm. Half the time we did not even try to have deserts since it was so late we could not make any of the late evening shows. That is not to say the waiter did not try; he did, but was also more than willing to tell us where the problems were and why the food was late, luke lukewarm and not very good. So much for the normal dinner service. Read more