Great cruise! The port stops do make it well worth it. Mrs K has mild claustrophobia so no interior or even ocean view cabins for us. From cruise #1 20+ years ago we’ve always had a verandah. I share your concern about MSC though I’ve read they are doing better with their Caribbean cruises with staff, meals, entertainment, etc., better suited for the typical demographics of a Caribbean cruise. Still some mixed reviews but better than they were years ago. May pebble some of those improvements are spilling over to their other itineraries.

Hopefully flying into Dubai is better than flying out. It is huge and busy. Didn’t help that our flight was a 1:30 AM departure. We’d paid for and kept our hotel room until 10:30 PM so not totally beat but not great either. I probably wouldn’t do it again unless it was another spectacular itinerary.