We were a group of 17 of various ages, some in their 20's and others in the 70's. In the group there were 4 that had sailed MSC before but for everyone else (including myself) it was the first MSC cruise.
The embarkation went smooth. We arrived around noon and after check-in proceeded to the Ship. Our room steward (Stone) introduced himself on the first day, I requested ice in our stateroom and he always stocked with fresh ice.
DINING:
We had a great balcony cabin for the price we usually pay for an inside cabin on other cruise lines. We stayed on 13219, it was Aft under the buffet and infinity pool, great location and surprisingly never heard much noise. The cabin was very roomy with a beautiful glass balcony - do beware that some cabins in lower floors towards the front of the ship have metal balconies which means you can't just sit or lay down and have a view out the balcony.