Our family planned our first trip on a MSC ship for the end of November, 2018. We have cruised with several other lines and are always looking to try a new company or ship to compare with the others. We had 2 cabins: one for our family of 4, including our tween-age daughters, and another cabin for our in-laws, who were celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary.
Upon arriving at the departure port in Miami, we were instantly welcomed by a friendly porter who pointed us in the direction of a long line to check in. The line wrapped outside of the port and around the building, but luckily it was a nice day so we tried to make the best of it. The employees guiding the passengers were not super friendly but they did keep the line moving. We got through security and finally were able to check in. The process took around an hour and a half, all standing in line. I didn't mind this as much but my mother-in-law has a "bad knee," and the standing was difficult for her. Checking in itself was fairly easy, although quite chaotic, and then we were able to get on the ship.
The ship is beautiful; it is a glowing, modern array of color and beauty. There are so many things to look at and so many lovely areas to discover, and it is easy to fall in love with the ship. We all really loved the style and overall ambiance of the ship. However, as beautiful as it is, we all quickly realized that beauty alone does not make a great cruise and ran into lots of issues that eclipsed the ship's beauty.