We were a family of 9 cruising with MSC for the first time , we have previously cruised on p&o and my parents with the royal Caribbean, we like many were a little put off by the few bad reviews we had read and did wonder what the holiday would be like.. well all i can say is there are moaners out there, that even if all was absolutely 100% perfect they would have to find something to moan about! we had a fantastic cruise the staff were so friendly(more so than p&o) the food was lovely & plenty of it , a good range of choices to suit everyone.The Algrissimo drinks package is a must as the average drink is 5/6 euro each after 3 days we added up the receipts we had and we would have already spent 450 euro! we were on a 10nt cruise. included is a great choice of alcoholic drinks, most of the cocktails which were delicious, cappuccinos, latte, ice creams etc. We had chosen the last sitting for our evening meal at 9pm, our table waiters were Simon and Hassan who were excellent at their job, so friendly and always willing to please . The cabin 8053 was clean and welcoming and plenty of storage areas one tip if on a 10nt cruise is to take a few more clothes hangers with you.The cleaning staff kept the rooms and corridors constantly clean , we had clean towels twice a day i never saw any litter or crumbs or any dust on any floor in the whole 10 nts and with the volume of people up and down and food open 24 hrs i feel that was excellent. The evening entertainment was superb from singers to acrobats very talented and kept you watching. There is an automatic service fee added to your bill at the end of the cruise but if you speak to the receptionist at the start this will be cancelled and if you choose you can tip the staff yourself for the amount you choose.My children are age 8,15 and 19 my youngest chose not to use the kids club although i had heard people saying how good it was, he was happy to play in the pool and the jacuzzi with the friends he had made, my two eldest enjoyed the pool and evening disco on top deck. The pool is not heated so unfortunately very cold, once in though your body gets used to it and the children don't seem to feel it! When arriving at all the ports we found it easy to get off and on with no hiccups. our last port was Le havre France and i strongly recommend either excursion or arrange to travel else where as they is nothing to see at the port ,we had planned to get the bus to honfleur as on a previous review they had said it is very nice and a 20 minute bus ride unfortunately they failed to mention the bus time table once we arrived at the bus station and payed for our ticket we had a 2 hour wait for the next bus a lady had already stood at the bus stop waiting an hour and the return bus wasn't until 19.37 we had to be back on board the ship by 19.30! luckily we explained and had a full refund. then spent a few hours walking around before deciding to get back on the ship. Throughout the cruise yes the photographers take many photo's and no they are not cheap but very nice and of good quality, it is your choice whether to purchase or not. MSC opera is apparently 10 years old but is constantly maintained, throughout our stay staff members were painting, glossing and cleaning and when in port cleaning and painting the outside of the ship . Overall MSC opera is a lovely ship with very friendly helpful staff we would most definitely cruise with them again.