1- Food in the buffet was horrible (makes Norwegian's tasteless buffet look delicious). The only buffet food that is somewhat acceptable is breakfast.
2- Service in the main restaurant is very slow, it takes about 1.5/2 hours every single night to finish dinner, which meant we did not make it in time for the Euro games and shows. Additionally, the portions are very small and to be satiated you have to order at least 3 portions of what you should.
3- Entertainment is very boring and lousy at the very best, there is no common knowledge on how to keep the passengers entertained with music and parties like on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, etc. Even Princess does a better job at this.
4- Kids are allowed to be rude and noisy around the ship with no reprimands by parents, staff, or lifeguards. Pools are filled with kids, and adults have no space to swim or relax. There should be a dedicated pool just for kids and one for people at least 18+, just like on other cruise lines. Furthermore, kids below the age of 18 should not be allowed to drink and enter the disco at night. To prevent such thing, a bouncer should be hired just like on other cruise lines.
5- When getting off and on at ports and scanning the card keys, there should be two dedicated lines for people entering and people exiting, not both on the same line.
6- MSC is supposed to be an Italian cruise line however people dress even worse than Americans on Norwegian. A cruise line with such reputation is supposed to enforce the dress code much more.
7- Even though this is an Italian cruise line, the hours at the restaurants and buffet should be geared towards the needs of the foreigners. For example, restaurants for lunch need to be open from 11am at least, and for dinner 6pm at least. Moreover, in the afternoon and later at night it is almost impossible to find something to eat, especially for somebody who is diabetic.
8- The elevators are very small with no air conditioner, which is highly unacceptable especially in the summer when they are crowded. Saying that the ship is small is a very feeble excuse because I have been on many different small ships from other companies that did a wonderful infrastuctural job at designing decent and efficient elevators.
9- In the cabins, the shampoo and body wash have the same ingredients and I know this because there was a list of ingredients attached on the shower wall. Moreover, there is no shower cap, no conditioner and no lotion, unlike on other cruise lines.
10- While I was taking a nap in the afternoon, I received two phone calls in the span of two hours from the same photographer inviting us to take pictures in the studio, even though I told him no the first time. I thought the cruise is supposed to be a relaxing vacation and not an harassment.
