This was my first and not my fifty seventh cruise, so it is possible that my perspective is than some of the other reviewers but it had been a lifelong dream of mine to cross the Atlantic Ocean by sea and MSC made this possible, so I don't get a lot of the complaining.

I realize that other cruise lines offer transatlantic cruises but we chose MSC because I fell in love with the itinerary. How else would one be able to see Italy, Spain, North Africa, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean islands of St. Thomas and Puerto Rico in one trip and for such a reasonable price of under $100 a night? On the sea day between Tunis and Malaga we spent about 75% of the day cruising about 9 miles off the coast of Algeria; there was the Barbary Coast right outside my window! This was an experience I never thought I would have in my life yet there it was, and at the same time I hear people onboard (whose viewpoing I'm sure is similar to the negative reviewers) whining about how the dancers in the shows didn't vary their steps enough. My advice to these people is to get out of the theater if you don't like it and go gaze at the natural wonder of the sea or of the place where the sea and land come together; and if this is your nineteenth transatlantic cruise and you've seen it all, then try another form of vacation as this one seems to have lost its luster for you and some of us don't want to hear your complaining anymore!

I thought the food was excellent though we were not fans of the assigned seating in the dining room so we subsisted mostly on pizza in the evenings but it was hardly necessary because we were filled up by the excellent breakfasts and lunches in the cafeteria. Read more