From a first time newbie cruiser:
Family cruise centered around Athens, Greece for 2 week trip.
Picked up MSC cruise at Athens, Greece in Piraeus port - 12 noon check in - very easy & fast check-in, luggage tags already provided (no need to pre-print tags which we had) and luggage delivered before ship sailed at 5pm.
After being moved from interior to ocean view due to the noises above at night, we were delighted to have a quiet and peaceful remaining nights.
Room stewards were excellent and provided everything we needed.
Easy embarkation. Fast checkin. Luggage tags provided by port. Simple passport control & scanning.