We had sailed once before on MSC's Poesia out of Kiel Germany, and were excited to hear that this enjoyable line had launched a new ship in our neck of the woods--Miami. This ship, evidently christened by Sophia Loren, was decorated beautifully, and we appreciated the fact that unlike with some other cruise lines, we got to spend all day in the ports. Also, the rooms were quiet and the mattress very comfortable. However, management of this ship definitely needs tweaking. For one thing, the emergency drill, despite the fact that a ferry had just sunk off of South Korea, was dangerously shoddy. We were told only to go to "D." New to the ship, we had no idea where "D" was. Only after asking employees did we finally find our muster station, which was so full of screaming children that we couldn't see or hear the emergency directions. To this day, we don't know what room we wound up in our how to fasten our life jackets! Few of the ship's clocks worked. Buffet breakfast, which the schedule said ended at 10 a.m., was so mobbed when we arrived that we often were unable to find a table. Plus, food was scattered every which way with no menu or info as to what our options were. I found myself knocking over a child in my effort--and everyone else's--to find the coffee station. We learned about a prime rib option for lunch about a mile away at the other end of the cafeteria only after we had already eaten. Bowls of fresh fruit--our preferred breakfast option--often sat empty as did silverware containers. The ship also had a shortage of chaise lounges in shady locations. We enjoyed the classical European entertainment, but except for a single Michael Jackson show, shows were a bit lacking in high energy. The opening show honored Frank Sinatra, while the closing show featured an opera, that, while beautiful, at least initially was so depressing, we wound up leaving early. At dinner, our waiter often left our bottle of wine sitting on the table unopened--until we specifically asked to be served so we could enjoy a glass of wine before dinner. Due to a language barrier, employees often didn't understand our requests. Each time we ordered "gelato" for desert, we received plain, ordinary ice cream in a flavor that was different from what the waiter had quoted. While some food, like escargot and baked Alaska, was terrific, pasta--of all things on this Italian ship--was soggy and tasted like the sauce was boxed. Lobster tails clearly had been frozen. Plus, a 6 a.m. wake-up call we requested on our last morning never materialized. Unnecessarily long lines and clogged elevators made settling bills and exiting the ship a nightmare in an era where most check-outs generally are handled simply by viewing credit card charges on a computer or television. In addition, it would have helped to have some advance information on the ports. Unless we took a tour--most of which were designed more for kids or outdoor adventurers--we had no access to a port map or currency information. We had no idea until after we were on the street that Cozumel actually was an $8 cab ride from our port. Having said all this, my husband and I both had a terrific time, and we hope to sail MSC again with, hopefully, significantly improved U.S. service.