I found the OPERA to be quite appealing; with a sleek Italian decor and a feel of ships from the 70's. The public areas flowed with ease and their pool deck is one of the largest open decks of any ship. BUT..... as beautiful as the ship is, the service and cuisine is by far, one of the worst I've ever experienced.
As a former Cruise Director, I review a ship for its onboard services, which, include food, preparations, activities, crew and cruise staff. The food in the buffets were terrible and offered an array of choices. Meats were dry and vegetables were either soggy or uncooked. As the food in the dining room was good their in-dining lunch menu was weak and the food was no up to standard. On 3 occasions my meat plates contained bone chips. Not good at all.
The cruise staff was unprofessional. The CD was a woman who hardly ever appeared in public except to MC the evening shows which were done without excitement and interest. She (CD) seemed to feel that it was a bother for her to even be there. Other staff members appeared unshaven and clothes possibly worn to sleep in. The Animation Team were standard. Problem with both staffs is that their English was extremely poor.