Many thanks'Johnstone', our cruise is for 22 days & since I booked I have been reading MCS reviews & a lot of them were not very favourable so now I'm a little concerned,hopefully everything will be fin

haven't been on the Rhapsody but have sailed with other MSC ships. Dress Code is normally Forma/Gala ( 2 on a 7 night, 3 on a 11 night, 4 14 nights, 5 18 or 10 nights) The rest are normally a mix of casual and informal. However I was on the Lirica's transatlantic sailing last month and they only had casual and formal. Don't know if this was because we embarked in the US or if MSC has 2 changed to just 2 dress codes. On Gala nights they say Tux or suit fro men, evening gown or cocktail dress for women. having said that some will do this and others may not be quite as formal. Informal is more formal than casual and officially jacket with or without tie or shirt with or without tie for men(not meant to be t shirt or polos hirt, but again some do) ladies dress or pants suit ( a lot will will wear a nice skirt or trousers 9full length or three quarter length) and a nice blouse/top. casual is as you'd expect fairly casual. No shorts or baseball caps are allowed in any lounge, bar or restaurant after 6pm regardless of what the dress code is that night. As far as tipping goes they add either US$10 or 6 euros per person per day to your account (depending on what the currency is for the cruise). You can vary this up or down or remove it all together by simply completing a form that you will get at the Accounts Desk. there are no tips added on to drinks or any other purchases on board. I presume your South Africa trip might be a longer one? if that is the case they may not add a tip for every day. On the Lirica i was on 17 nights and some people 18 and we were all only charged a maximum of 11 days (no idea why) Hope this helps. have a great tim