I traveled with my wife and our 15 year old daughter. This is a compilation of the thoughts and feelings of the three of us.
Food Grade - C - We all found the food to be mediocre. The dinners in the dining room took a little too long for our liking but we normally do not dawdle over dinner. Some people would find this to be a good thing. Food in the dining room (Marco Polo) was just okay most nights. The entrees in the dining room were almost the exact same thing served at the buffet upstairs. They served a nice baked bread basket of which we like the Focaccia the best. The desert were also mediocre. The best desert was the peanut butter pie on night and a lovely rum cake with coconut ice cream on night 4 or 5. The best desert on the ship as was evidenced by the long line day and night was the Gelato served pool side on deck 11. Always the same three flavors (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) but seriously yummy. The best food on the boat is the pizza which is served outside of the buffet on deck 11 until 1:00 am nightly so that is wonderful. We also had one nice dinner at the Surf and Turf Restaurant on deck 5, which is a $35 per person up-charge. The food was a little better there and different selections from the dining rooms. All-in-all, the food was just so-so.
Rooms - B+ - We had a comped outside cabin (ocean view, no balcony) which was the smallest room I have stayed in on any ship. We arranged the room to make it more usable for the three of us and it worked just fine for us. The shower was hysterically small, but again, it worked fine for us. The service by our steward, Alexis, was very good and he kept the room clean and well stocked. There was a safe for us to use (which we did) and a mini-bar (which we did not). Plenty of drawers and closet space for our clothing and other items.
Staff - A+ - I saw lots of bad reviews about this ship prior to leaving and was so pleasantly surprised by the wonderful service we received from all of the crew. The service at the dining hall was attentive. The service at the buffet was nice. The room service as stated above was great. The service all around the boat was great.
Ship Amenities - C+/B- - There was not a lot to do on the boat. Also, a big thing for my wife is being able to find a comfortable chair in a quiet place to read. Neither was available . The two best chairs on the whole boat were in the cigar room. We sat in there one morning until the smokers showed up but that was short lived. Our daughter did find some friends her age on the boat but only one spoke any English so it was bitter-sweet. Most of the kids on the boat spoke Italian. They were all super nice and they tried to include her but it was difficult. She made friends with a lovely girl from Portugal who spoke enough English and Spanish that my daughter was able to communicate with using her English and Spanish. The teen group had fun together. If you are looking for live music and nightlife/dancing, there is a ton to do. I spent most of my evenings in the casino.
Casino - B+ - VERY SMALL!!! A few dozen machines and 5 tables. Blackjack - 1, Dream 21 - 1, 3-Card Poker - 1, Ultimate Texas Hold "em - 1, Roulette - 1. That's it. No Craps, no Pai-Gow, that's all.
They did have some very strange rules/practices that just boggled our minds. Every time anyone got a Straight or Higher on 3-Card Poker or a Flush or higher on Ultimate Texas Hold 'em they had to "Wash the cards" which meant they spent 30 seconds mixing the card around on the table. It was seriously strange and wasted way too much time. Smoking is allowed in one area of the casino at some machines directly behind the 3-Card Poker table.
Casino Staff - A+ - FANTASTIC service. The dealers and the pit bosses were excellent and treated me like a VIP from moment one. They all knew my name and called me by it immediately whenever they saw me (in or out of the casino). The bar and service staff in the casino were also fantastic. They comped my drinks and even if they saw me on the pool deck, they made sure I had what I needed and went out of their way to serve me and my family. Alona and Elvira, the two pit bosses kept the casino running smoothly and were delightful. The dealers (Manfredi, Mina, Sumiti and the rest of the gang were top-notch).
All-in-all, we had a great trip and would recommend the MSC Armonia for an "entry level" cruise. If you expect too much out of this boat, you will not be happy.