I was astounded to read that MSC have only a 54% passenger satisfaction rating, so was apprehensive when I booked an outside balcony cabin for a 17 night Transatlantic cruise for the bargain price of just £770. My wife and I have cruised twice with P&O who set the bar very high, but we were not disappointed. On the contrary, the MSC experience was better in almost every way.

We bought a cruise-only package and flew to the embarkation port of Genoa a few days early in order to enjoy exploring the ancient Ligurian port.

Our balcony cabin was a pleasant surprise and with room for a sofa it was only slightly smaller than a P&O Superior Deluxe cabin, tastefully decorated with 2 mirrors and 2 cheerfully bright, colourful prints. There was ample storage space and a decent-sized fridge but no kettle or tea/coffee making facilities. Fortunately, thanks to a review on this site we knew this so packed our old kettle. The flatscreen TV had no reception while crossing the Atlantic (unlike P&O), but a free film was available daily, or alternatively films could be viewed ‘on demand’ for € 7. I would like to see free Wi-Fi being offered aboard. However a daily newspaper could be delivered freshly printed for just €2.50 a day. We enjoyed the privacy of not having cabins overlooking our pleasant balcony, with its table and 2 chairs. Read more