Let me start by saying that I am the person who reads everyone's reviews religiously before my cruise with sheer appreciation, then conveniently moves on with my life with no further thought. Not this time! I had to add my two cents. I was so afraid to go on this cruise because of the mixed reviews, I am so glad that we went. In fact I did not encounter one person in the whole week who did not love the cruise, and could not wait to book again. Msc definitely reads the reviews and you can tell they take customer satisfaction seriously. All the things I was afraid of, (rude staff, bland food, lack of activities,small cabin) was far beyond and better than any of my previous cruises. In fact I could not walk past a crew member without a warm smile, and hello. We also made great friends with staff in the buffet area and looked forward to talking to them everyday. We were sad to say goodbye.

Everyone who did write reviews had a consensus on the evening shows and said they were wonderful. Let me tell you, they were beyond your wildest dreams. I went every night, and gave a standing ovation and clapped until my hands were raw. I teared up many times not because the show itself was emotional, but because I really appreciate when someone gives their all. They made you feel as if they knew you were coming, so they wanted to pull out all the stops. All the way to even how they exited the stage. It was remarkable.

The buffet is one of the largest at sea. It goes on forever, with so many stations. Kinda reminds you of Vegas with so many selections. There are so many nationality's on this ship and you can tell they try to appeal to everyone with the food. I did see the dreaded bake beans for breakfast that others talked about. Someone liked it because it was always being refilled when I seen it.Different strokes for different folks around the world. For someone to say that the buffet just had the basics is delusional. I am a true foodie, and felt like a kid in a candy store. Only complaint I would give is the juice at the buffet. It was never strong enough. More like flavored water. It would also be nice to have flavored cream for coffee. Wishful thinking:) Read more