We are seasoned travelers and cruisers. We wanted a break from the standard ports and mega-ships. Embarking from the Dominican Republic and visiting Martinique, the British Virgin Islands, and Guadeloupe as well as some of our favorite ports piqued our interest.
Our usual travel agents said they didn't book with MSC, we were wary, so we read reviews and researched all we could about the ship.The reviews seemed to emphasize, as the only negative, the diversity of the mostly European passengers' languages. That made the trip more intriguing.
Embarcation was quick and refreshing compared to the many other experiences we've had on other carriers.