We have been on this ship (MSC ORCHESTRA) in January this year and understand what you are talking about as said below . dont think cruising is always like that. You should try OCEAN VILLAGE or even better Island Star out of Majorca. you can book Cruise Only for about £450 a week. We have just been on Island Star for two weeks (6th to 20th September). Some people (as Mr Burrows say THINK this is at the lower end of the market) Its not really as the food is just as good as the big ships leaving Southampton . More casual though and better atmosphere and a pint of Stella for £2.80. and 24 hour dining without being stuck with the same people each evening. Dress standards are applied to some restaurants ie NO SHORTS in evenings Have been on 10 cruises and the last one was nearly perfect. Horses for courses as they say ....happy cruising.

A very unfortunate choice for your first cruise I am afraid. As previously mentioned, all of the problems that you detailed with this cruise are already well documented on this site. It is a real shame that you did not do a bit of research before booking this cruise. Most MSC cruise publicity at the moment is plastered with "Children free all year", which is enough to set alarm bells ringing with most of us for a start off! Although a lot of people are suggesting that you try a cruise with a British line, I don't think that many of them have cottoned on to the fact that you are lucky enough to live in Almeria, Spain! Not the most convenient place to jump onto a P&O ship really? Unless you fancy trying a fjords or Baltic cruise, I think the flight to Britain would be rather a waste of time and money? I would stick to cruising out of Barcelona with either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Alternatively, you could get a short flight from Murcia or Alicante over to Palma where you can experience the likes of Ocean Village, Thomson and Island cruises. All providing a very British cruise experience, though all at the lower end of the sophistication market, so long as you don't mind that? Whatever you do, don't let this one bad experience colour your view of cruising completely. Not many people are fortunate enough to have a PERFECT cruise, but most are a damn site better than yours! Happy cruising.

What a shame you didn't enjoy your cruise but please don't let it put you off for life as there are some wonderful cruise ships out there. P&O, Royal Caribbean, Princess etc. They can be busy but in a good way. Some P&O ships are child free if you want that and the food is excellent as is the entertainment and the staff. The best people to ask about ports of call are the casino staff as they have the most free time in the day and have usually done all sightseeing and will tell you where to go and where to get the the cheap local buses,taxis, trains etc. We very rarely use the ships excursions except if you feel a bit unsafe ie some of the the caribbean islands. Do your homework and ask plenty of questions but don't give up after one cruise.

What a shame! Here you are writing a review about a bad experience, when all the information you needed was freely available on this site by reading the review section that you are now on. You could of even asked for advice as to whether MSC would meet your criteria & expectations. Everyone of your gripes could have flagged up to you before you bought the tickets, & as for 'Shopping Trip' tours, they are a complete no no on any cruise line. There are a number of 'rated' cruise lines out there with no where near the negatives that MSC, & others, have to offer. As others have said, give it a fair chance, go to a Cruise Specialist who knows the business & can give proper advice, not some silly bird in a High St travel shop who wouldn't know a cruise ship if it landed in her bathtub.

Do you always have a 'never again' attitude when you come across something that is not to your taste? How can you make a final decision about cruising based on one ship, one holiday, one cruise line? No doubt you had a bad time of it. But all you have to do is read reviews from other cruise ships and you'll find that they aren't all the same. Try another company. Cunard, P & O, Princess, Royal Caribbean are all top rated cruise lines and have plenty of positive comments about their ships and itineries. Don't give up on cruising because of one ship. You'll be silly if you do.

Not all cruise lines are like this, P & O for example only suggest what to tip it is not automatically added to your onboard spends. I think the success of picking the right ship is to read all the brochures, particularly the small print then talk to a good travel agent, preferably one that specialises in cruises.