As we had never traveled with MSC prior to this trip we researched and scoured the internet prior to taking the plunge. I will say that it seemed a majority of the information was neutral to negative. I will first start by saying we had a great time, and thought there where things we did not like or could be improved, it did not really ruin any of our enjoyment.
Embarkation: It was simply the best we have ever experienced in all our cruises, it was fast and friendly. I know a lot of delays are beyond the cruise operators control, and fortunately there was nothing to cause a problem.
The Ship: It is a very nice ship, beautiful classic lines. Lots of different lunges to find a place to relax, entertain, or people watch. Some of the problems (most where minor), the clubs sometimes felt like pass throughs, not really a destination (specifically the Jazz Club, Divina Bar, the Silver Club and the Piano Bar). The seating was odd, most had very low back seats, I am just over 6 feet tall, and could not really get comfortable. The pool deck was beautiful, wished it was more open to let the wind blow through, especially to clear out the smokers toxic fumes. Some periods it was liking being in a smokers lounge. You had to fight for a lounge chair, but we found a great spot on deck 15 that had plenty of breeze and shade. The pools where nice, especially the infinity pool aft. Not enough servers on the deck though, it was easier to get up and go to the bar to get your drinks.