Okay, but won't go with MSC again

Embarkation was fine. I had the Aurea package, so embarkation was very fast and some time for drinks before the cabins were ready. Only issue would be everyone storming the buffet like a herd of wild animals while they waited to get to their cabins as if food was going out of style. I didn't really know what to do or where to go. But I didn't care. I was excited to be there and ready to have fun with our without the cabin being ready. Just didn't like lugging my stuff around until the cabin was ready.

We had a large group and were able to maintain the same waiter every night. He was a gem. Very sweet and attentive. However, the food leaves MUCH to be desired. The only two flavors for 95% of what I ate for the entire cruise were: bland or salt. Everything either had no flavor at all or was completely over salted with no other seasoning involved. Desserts at dinner were very good, though. Whenever I ordered a cappuccino during breakfast or after dinner, they were always warm and never hot enough. And all bars were super crowded having to wait very long to order and get a drink making my all-you-can drink package not very useful. I only found out about the private Aurea area on the 19th deck with an uncrowded bar late on Day 5. I could have been going there the whole time, but nobody from MCS ever informed my party. We had 13 people, and nobody knew. The Japanese Steakhouse was great. I loved it. But that was something we had to pay extra for and wasn't included like the other buffets and restaurants. The mixed drinks weren't alcoholic enough. I was bamboozled on Day 1 to "upgrade" my all-you-can-drink package to "Deluxe" and required to upgrade for everyone in my cabin, not just myself. So when I order a strong drink or a double, I think it should turn out that way. I don't want to drink all sugar, but I don't want to be doing just shots. I ended up drinking a lot of beer and wine instead, which made the Deluxe upgrade a total waste of my money. The staff at all the bars were very nice and attentive as can be considering the crowds. However, one bartender in particular was not. He was rude and condescending and tried to school me and embarrass me when I ordered from him. He was Russian or Ukrainian, and I think he had something against me because of the last name on my key card, which was a Russian-sounding last name. The buffets were always crowded no matter what. People acted like animals as if the ship was going to run out of food. The only thing it seemed to run out of was plates and cups. Often times I'd go to a buffet and couldn't find a plate or bowl or coffee cup and would need to walk to multiple stations to find one.

There seemed to be a lot of onboard activities listed but I never had time to participate in many. I did trivia once, and it was fun, but we couldn't find anywhere to sit. It was crowded.

The shows were elaborate and the performers did an excellent job. However, the shows weren't all that entertaining each night because a) I don't like opera b) I couldn't read the Madam Butterfly translation from where I was sitting on the left (it was on the right), so I had no idea what was going on c) sometimes the shows didn't make sense. I didn't understand why there was a Halloween style show with witches and broomsticks in February. I also didn't understand why during the show called Fly (which was great!) a futuristic woman in a weird costume came out with a baby to nursery music. It made no sense with everything else that was going on. The host, however, was hilarious. I would have happily listened to him talk for an entire show each night.

Everyone was nice if they could understand what I'm saying. I'm American and speak English and some Russian. If they couldn't understand what I said in English, I'd get a smile with a pleasant blank stare and nod :) I thought the staff was very nice except the a-hole bartender I reviewed above in the food section.

Ship design is WHACKED. Why do you need to get off the elevator then go up a flight of stairs just to reach your destination? Or down a flight of stairs? There were areas you had to go around and not through to get to others that could have easily been designed differently. I actually had a discussion with a staff member about this and he felt the same way after having worked on other cruise ships. The design is awkward in some places, but the ship looks nice. The ship was beautiful and seemed clean everywhere but did smell like a bathroom a lot in some places that weren't a bathroom. Also, not enough pools. Pools were small. Also, this ship was noted as having the highest deck space to passenger ratio . . . So why was there never a chair or cot outside by a pool or bar available? If you want a spot by the pool, you have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to throw a towel down, then come back later after breakfast to use it. People did that, then never used their "reserved" spots, so I literally never found one the entire cruise until I discovered Aurea had a private deck. Also, not enough hot tubs. Hot tubs were small. And they should be open all night. They closed too early, and you can't use a hot tub after you get done with dinner and a show.

The worst design is the tiny cabin and closet and bathroom. You can barely get to the closet since the couch is right in front of it. And if you're tall, you can't bend down in the shower to shave your legs or else you bump your head on the wall or glass. Also, I don't like that you can't use electricity in your room unless you have the key card inserted by the door. What if I want to charge my cell phone while I'm out? I need my key card to get back in or order drinks, etc. They provided wrist band watches to use instead of key cards for convenience, but they easily fall off and can get lost. And you can't gamble with those, so I need the key card, and can't just leave it in the room to charge phones, iPads, and portable chargers. Granted, I want to spend as little time in my cabin as possible besides sleeping, but while I'm in there, it would be nice to have some convenience. The balcony was great, though. I loved relaxing there each night before bed and having it there each morning to look at the water.

Rude staff once they were done with us. People in charge of getting us off the boat weren't friendly. They acted like they were herding cattle. Also, the 11pm time to set out the suitcases was too early. If I was to have all my bags packed by 11pm, then that means I'd have to miss out on something else on the last day at sea: being outside then not having my stuff to get ready for dinner or missing dinner or missing the show, etc. There was no time to pack and still be able to do other things I wanted to do. And there was an 11pm outdoor movie on the top deck. I went to that and packed afterwards, which meant I had to drag a giant suitcase around the next day plus a carry-on and my large purse. I think a 2am cut-off to get the bags out is reasonable. Most families with small children will be in bed early anyway but some night owls like myself need more time.