My wife and I are back from a wonderful cruise on MSC Armonia. What a pleasant surprise, given some of the reviews. We wanted to try a European cruise line with more Europeans than Americans on board, for a change of pace. (My 13th cruise.)

Itinerary was excellent. Marseille, Mallorca, Malta, Sicily, Southern Italy, then back to La Spezia. (We flew into Milano, and took train down.) Embark/Disembark was very easy and well done by MSC. Price was remarkably reasonable. Ship, first to undergo MSC's make-over a few months ago was attractive in a classic way, slightly under 70,000 tons. Cabin with balcony was fine, typical cruise cabin. Staff was friendly and helpful for everything we needed. Music on board was very good in all lounges. The shows perhaps sometimes catered more to European tastes, but we enjoyed a couple very much. Excursions were well done and smoothly run. One guide was a little boring, but others excellent. Given most days in port, limited activities on board compared with larger ships we've been on, but that was fine.

The food was really outstanding. Given that we were "Fantastica" class, we apparently had a bit more choice on the menu, and we had a "dine when you like" policy. Excellent pasta and fish, actually just about everything was quite good. I'm not sure that I can pick out a ship with notably better cuisine in my experience. Waiters were efficient and friendly. The buffet had a bit fewer choices than on a big boat, but all was good. Pizza was excellent, and they even had hamburgers and hot dogs. Wine list was good and inexpensive. We focused on the Italian white wines we hadn't tried before.