We cruised with MSC for the first time but we are experienced cruisers (have more than 35 cruises with diffirent companies such as Princess, Oceania, Holland America, Celebrity, Costa, Viking, Amawaterways, Uniworld....).....The embarkation and disembarkation processes were very efficient and easy.... we were in in 15 minutes and out in 5 minutes....
The ship is very beautiful..the space in the cabin is great (we had a balcony for that time but usually we reserve inside cabin) the cabin was kept very clean, it was very quiet (we were near the middle of the ship near an elevator or steps)....We mostly walked around the town in every ports. some ports were easy to go from the ship to town (Palermo, Cagliari, Genoa) but the others we had to use a shuttle (Marseilles, Palma de Mallorca) or a tour (city tour for Valencia with time to walk in the old city and the new part (Opera, Aquarium, etc....) with that tour we had time to do both parts of the city in the same day....The shows at night were very excellent (every night we had a show with dancers, singers and some with acrobatic people) and the theatre was full every night...my only complaint was that a lot of peoples came late for the show and disturb every one listening to the shows...those people don't have any respect for the others.....
The FOOD: my complaint about that aspect of the cruise is: if you want to eat early (around 18h30) and go to the early show (at 20h00)...you have to eat at the buffet.... otherwise if you go to the show at 20h00 you have to eat in the main dining rooms at 21h30 or eat at the dining rooms at 19h30 and go to the show at 21h45.....for us it was a problem for us because we go to sleep around 22h00 so we had to eat at the buffet every night and the food is not so great there....usually we like very much the service of the dining rooms and for that cruise it was impossible for us to go in the main dining rooms.....
Excellent cabin kept very clean by the attendant.....there enough space for two people...
We took a sahred shuttle from the FCO airport to civitavecchia port...
Palermo is excellent if you like to walk...easy to reach from the port...and it is a mix of great buildings and old not very clean areas
Excellent port if you like to walk...very easy to reach form the port....greast area around the cathedral and on of the pettiest we ever saw.....
We used the shuttle from the ship to go to town....walk around the the town and very beautifull....
We took a tour (city tour) from the ship because the town is far from the port and for us it was an easy to vsit and have time (had to be back on the ship by 15h30) to walk in the both parts of the city (the old town area and the new part including the Opera house, the aquarium, a beautifull garden, etc....)
Tokk a shuttle from the ship (impossible to walk from the ship to town and having time to visit the cathedral and aroun the `vieux port area`) and had time to go to the cathedral, walk round town and the port area....
Very easy to walk from the ship and aorund town...it is a very nice town with a lot of beautiful buildings....