Our first cruise with MSC. We were very apprehensive after reading lots of bad reviews.Last year we did RC Harmony of the Seas and the Mereviglia came up to the same standard. Food good, speciality restaurants excellent ,Cirque du Soile dining package amazing.The entertainment team work their socks off. Plenty of activities around the ship extra payment needed for some ,like most ships. We didn't do any port excursions as we had done same itinerary a few years ago.but you can easily get off ship and do sightseeing with hop on hop of buses in most ports. We also had the drinks package which was pretty good value for money although some "premium" drinks and bottled beers were excluded. This did not affect our use and enjoyment of the package as there were plenty of cocktails etc to try! It is worth pointing out that the British pub bar had a good range of draught beers to sample, although the draught cider was "off" for the whole cruise and no one could explain why. We weren't sure how the gratuity system worked but it became clear when a €10 per person per day charge appeared on our on board account! The interactive screens around the ship were were great for booking shows etc, there was something to see or do every night. A disappointment was a vague dress code for evenings which saw a lot of guests turning out in shorts and flip flops, a huge contrast to the ships crew who were all immaculately dressed. Cabin was a good size and tastefully decorated, our steward was polite, friendly, attentive and efficient. I noticed some guests ignored the no smoking on the balcony rule which made us close our door for the smell of smoke coming in on several occasions. All in all a very good experience though.