Where shall I start? From the moment we set foot on the ship at Abu Dhabi and found that my partner's preferred tipple - Cider - was not available and we weren't allowed to bring any alcohol on board to drink whilst we were there. The attitude of the serving staff was diabolical - no eye contact, no smiles, and they didn't even get out of your way! This attitude was also adopted by any crew who walked past - no eye contact, smile or greeting.

MSC Lirica is an Italian owned ship and approximately 90 per cent of the passengers were Italian. Unfortunately, the food leant very much towards the Italian palate but the pasta was very disappointing. Other food was often tepid and there were no Arabian dishes on the menu - strange, as that was where we were sailing!

Tea and coffee was served in blue, plastic mugs - very similar to children's, and the crockery in the Bistrot was all plastic! Read more