I booked this cruise mainly because the price was right and the destinations were all new to me. We had never been on MSC before so could only try and compare to some Royal Caribbean ships I've been on.
First, the ship in beautiful. It has all the feel and charm of a high class, elegant cruise ship. Everything is always clean and the cabin was very well attended to. What you don't get are the little extras that you might desire on other ships. The water slide was very poor. I am an average side male, but found myself pushing myself through the entire slide. The outdoor "court" is not much to look at. One small basketball goal that you have to share with those playing soccer. If you are looking for rock climbing walls, surfing simulators, and putt-putt you best look elsewhere. There is also not a pool for just the adults, and since kids get to travel free, there were a number of families trying to compete for the lounge chairs closest to the pools. For an extra $10, you could go to the over 21 deck (no pool, just one hot tub) but it was well worth it. They brought you cold towels and fruit skewers.
The food is what I hear the most complaints on. And yes, it's probably not the best food offered in the cruise industry, but I found it to be pretty good. Considering they are cooking mass quantity items and trying to get everything out at the same time I thought they did an ok job. The table waiters could have asked to refill waters and offer bread a bit more often. The buffet had enough selection for the average person but use the buffet in the back of the ship as the crowds are fewer there. We ate one night at Galaxy because we wanted a more romantic dining experience. you wont get that at the Sports Bar or Eataly. The gelato and desserts are amazing.
Clean and plenty of room to put things. Our steward was very attentive and even helped me surprise my girlfriend with a proposal.