I am the first to admit I booked with MSC and then did my homework. By the time I left for the trip I was very nervous based on other reviews.
We had been in Venice prior to boarding and arrived about 12:30 as our agent suggested. We waited for over 2 hours to board. The check in was smooth. The boarding was not. They called numbers and we were 250 numbers later. The buffet was open for lunch and was not impressive. The first warning about the availability of water, which was only available in juice size 6 oz glasses.
The ship is beautiful, very clean and most of the staff very nice.