Let me preface this review by saying I have about 15 cruises on many cruise lines and in general MSC has a long way to go to compete in the US market. Embarkation: We arrived at the dock by Limo at 2PM with boarding supposedly having started at 11 am. After dropping off our luggage we entered the hall and we were given a number and told to be seated. One hour and 15 minutes later our number was called and we moved into a second hall and stood on line for another 15 minutes before we received our cruise card and were allowed on the ship. Never went through this before on any other line.

Cabin: We had a minisuite with balcony(actually the only balcony cabins on this ship. The cabin was lovely, clean and good size. The balcony while small had two wicker chairs and a table.

Steward service: On most cruises the Steward presents himself and asks if you would like anything special. On this cruise we had to introduce ourselves to our steward on the second day of the cruise, and that was the only contact we had with him on the whole cruise. Yes he kept the cabin clean but otherwise his service would not qualify him on any other line. Read more