We ended up sailing March 9, 2008 and had a great time.
We just completed two cruises on MSC: the MSC Sinfonia, Febrauary 1, sailing from Buenos Aires to Brazil; the MSC Lirica in March on a 10 night S. Caribbean. they have some faults like all ships. My wife missed pastries at breakfast as that is usually what she has but the croissants were great and the freshly made pancakes at the grill were the best I have had on a ship. The coffee is strong (as we like it) and the food very Italian. They could offer more deserts but the sugar free ones were delicious when I tried them. Cleanest and best maintained ships I have ever been on. The entertainment rivalled Celebrity which I thought was the best up to this point. The tips are included in the drink and wine price not added (15%) on other ships making them quite reasonable. We bought carafes of wine for $6 on Sinfonia and $8 on Lirica! It is more of a European experience vs. American which we like. I travel to experience new things. If you like to experience new cultures you will like this cruise. We plan to use them again. The MSC Lirica received a 100 from the USPHS December 24 and in March during our cruise. I have not heard of any other cruise ship doing this.