This really sounds like a flashback to MSC’s early ventures in the US. They had been very much an Italian cruise line catering to mostly Italian cruisers. I particularly remember the initial language issues and slow and inconsistent service. You didn’t mention it but the food quality back then was not up to other cruise lines in their market niche. Sounds like when they reconstituted their staff they relied more heavy on their old ways and drew from their basically Italian legacy staff. Supposedly this had all gotten better in the US and the line had started to establish a loyalist clientele here. I would not consider this typical of cruising but I also think lines are trying to adjust to whatever the “new normal” is and MSC has done a very poor job of it. I don’t track what cruising is like right now on the mainstream lines but reports I’ve read from luxury lines like Silversea are very positive.