Embarkation: We arrived at the port around 1:45 p.m., and were in our room by 2:30 p.m. Port Everglades's staff and MSC staff was equally courteous and efficient, which left us with a good 1st impression. There was a small hiccup, in that my room was reassigned from 11161 to 12142 (same balcony category). There were no escorts to the cabins like I had read in other reviews. I suppose with the number of passengers on this cruise (Easter Week), it wasn't really feasible to escort everyone to their cabins. The room was exactly like the photos we had seen on the web. We noticed that the body wash dispenser was missing from the shower. When we asked the room steward for soap, he gave us several bars. (On the last night of the cruise, our body wash dispenser was magically fixed.) Once we dropped off our bags, we headed up one flight of stairs to the lunch buffet. The lines were long, but I fully expected this all week with the number of passengers aboard. Our muster drill took place in the Pigalle Lounge. There was no attendance taken, so we probably could have missed it without penalty.

Food: I thought the food was good, but I'm not that picky. They did have some unusual selections for American tastes like smoked herring and seafood stew with calamari, but they also had pizza, burgers, hot dogs, fries, vegetables, pasta, beef, chicken, etc. They also had a salad bar and fresh fruit. The drink selection was limited to unsweetened tea or water unless you wanted to order alcohol or soft drinks from the bar wait staff. We drank a lot of tea this week. They also had orange and pineapple juices for the breakfast buffet. We ate all of our dinners in our assigned main dining room (table 456): La Fontane Ristorante. We had the 1st sitting which was usually at 5:30 p.m. (a bit too early sometimes). Our table mates were great. We celebrated a birthday with them on the 2nd formal night. Service was slow at times. Our dinners were mostly hits, and a few misses. For example, the veal dish was very good one night, and so was the beef skirt steak. However, my mom ordered the filet steak one night, and it was overcooked and stringy (yuck!). On the 2nd formal night, I ordered the lobster, but it was a bit overcooked and rubbery. Appetizers and desserts were good, and so was the bread. Generally, their food was good, but not as good as Carnival. We certainly didn't go hungry.

Shows: We loved nearly all the shows we attended. There was juggling, beautiful cabaret singing by Mimma Barra, and Cirque du Soleil-style acts. We weren't too thrilled with the magic act though. We missed the classical opera-style show, so we only got to hear the male singer on the Thursday night show. We loved the Michael Jackson tribute! It was standing room only, so I'm glad we made it to the theater early enough to get a seat. Richard got a well-deserved standing ovation. They also introduced the rest of his entertainment team at the end of the show. The jazz trio in the Zebra Bar was excellent. Unfortunately, we only saw them on the way to the theater. The classical trio in the atrium area was good also. Read more