This was our first cruise with MSC having travelled quite a few times with both RCL and NCL, and our first without children. We were fortunate enough to stay in the MSC Yacht Club area of the ship, and cannot recommend it highly enough. The cabin was the best we've had by some distance, and the exclusive facilities the yacht club provides were well worth the additional expense. From the moment we were greeted at check in, to the morning of the departure, the service in every venue was faultless. English was widely spoken although some staff admitted that this was not so much the case on the ship in general, as we did indeed find at the Buffet and some bars, but it was never a major issue being eventually understood. As previously stated, the majority of passengers are from Continental Europe but we never really encountered any of the rudeness or excessive smoking others have mentioned. There were 3 main pool areas on the ship and sun beds always seemed available on the upper levels from what we saw, but there's no adult only space. We actually enjoyed the slightly unusual itinerary of arriving midday at some ports or leaving mid afternoon, as it gave some days the feeling of being both 'at sea' and 'in port'. We were also the only ship in most ports which meant there were no crowds or traffic when leaving and returning to the ship. The one thing that does let this ship down however is the food - that said it wasn't terrible, but something akin to one notch below that of the MDR standard of Royal Caribbean. And if you book the Yacht Club and are expecting haute cuisine in their exclusive restaurant - think again. It wasn't so bad that I'd never cruise MSC again, but there is definitely room for improvement. Oh, and a quick word about the suggested dress code. It is largely ignored. There are 2 formal nights and for men a Jacket and trousers without tie will more than suffice. Leave the Tuxedo at home. Overall, and yes it may well be because of the Yacht Club, we had a fantastic week on a beautiful ship with exemplary service. We didn't go hungry but MSC clearly has work to do in the food department. This will definitely not be our last MSC cruise.