We have not been on one before and wanted to do something the whole family would enjoy. Our concerns were naturally being sea sick, but the ship is so stable you hardly notice the swaying, and none of us had issues.

The Embarkation took a lot longer than expected and by the time we boarded it was after 1pm and with child, we were irritable and hungry. The buffet hall was completely full and we resorted to eating outside the back end of the buffet hall. This however we came to realise was going to be an ongoing problem during the cruise... we never got to eat inside the dining hall as it was always full. So most meals were had around the pool area. The queues inside the buffet was another frustration.... people are total gluttons and this made our journey less enjoyable. At one stage I asked a staff member for if they had more walnuts as they has run out at both the fruit and yoghurt stations and all I got was "no", we don't have anymore.... I found this disturbing as we were day 3 into our 5 day cruise. So breakfast and lunches, whether onboard or on Pomene were negatives for us.

Portuguese Island was a lovely day and the beach was nice and clean and the MSC provided shade was welcomed. Pomene however was the complete opposite. by the time we go there, just before 11, there were no shaded seats left. The queues for food and drink were shocking again so we decided to go back to the ship and spend our day there. Read more