We travelled by Taxi to the Port of Durban, and got there early.... 2 hours prior to the stated embarkation time... This was to ensure that we would not have to wait in queues later in the day, and would get onto the ship before the heat of the day really set in. MSC started embarkation at 09h00, and went smoothly, until we got to passport control... They would NOT start processing any passengers until 09h30, which meant waiting in queue in the NOT AIRCONDITIONED shed. MSC did supply water and fruit juice, but this was NOT COLD.
Upon embarkation, our cabins were not ready for us.. which wasn't a problem for us, but we did overhear other passengers complaining. The previous cruise passengers had just disembarked, and cabin stewards had a big job getting all the cabins ready for the new cruise. Perhaps a little understaffed..... The cabins weren't ready until after lunch...
We went to the smoking bar on deck 5 (Sotto Vento), and had excellent service from the waitrons there.
We had a balcony cabin on deck 10, which was very nice, with ample room for 2 despite being small. I loved having the balcony, and sitting out there watching the scenery. Our cabin steward was very helpful, with cleaning our cabin, and providing ice and extra pillows when requested, despite the language barrier.