Complaints: 1) Even before the cruise started, upon booking at the said price, 30% of the cruise price was added on as taxes. That was a surprise to me - I never found out who got that tax money, or what it was used for. €300 wasted? Time wasted trying to find out, unsuccessfully, what it was about.
2) Before I even got on the cruise there was chaos. Despite reading all paperwork - I was not informed that I need a negative Corona test. I would have got one done in Austria for free on the spot if I had have known - however, one failed to inform me, saying only “a vaccination is sufficient for travel”. Then, I was made to get one at Genoa, pay €45 and wait 90 minutes (standing in a queue, which turns out to be a trademark of MSC Splendida). Understaffed and very mismanaged here. €45 lost and 90 minutes.
3) Wrong advice: Saudi Visa link. I did as instructed, submitted. Waited for weeks, using the link MSC ‘provided’ us with. Pending. Always pending. Spoke with other guests using the link - all highly frustrated that they were pending with no visas as well. Finally spoke with another traveller who advised me he submitted from the main Visit Saudi website (after also waiting weeks for the visa link). His new visa was submitted same day. I used his link, received that visa same day. Money wasted: €40 visa fees and 1 hour submitting forms in Arabic language website.