Abu Dhabi to Southampton, 7th April 2013

Having read some reviews of this ship I drove to Southampton fully expecting to have a pretty dreadful trip. After 24 hours I thought those bad reviews must have been written about a different ship. After 48 hours I was sure they must have been. The boarding process was well organised and smooth. The cabin much more spacious and well furnished than anticipated. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food excellent. Of course there were queues at the buffet at busy times. This is surely to be expected when 2000 want feeding at the same time! The choice of evening meal in the restaurants was excellent. There are a few things I can't eat but I never had a problem with that. The service was also very good. We heard some moans from people who wanted food 'like home' and who even complained because announcements had to be made in five languages! I would agree that anyone who wishes to stay in a little bit of Britain whilst visiting foreign parts would probably be best to choose a British ship full of British people. There were a couple of minus points (internet connection dodgy) but generally we had an excellent experience and have no hesitation in recommending both MSC and the Opera to anyone who doesn't mind trying food they may not have eaten before and chatting with people who do not come from the UK.