We live in Spain, near Alicante and booked through Holiday Gems, after seeing an advert. in Euro Weekly News. We flew to Barcelona and stayed in the Hotel Lloret, right on the Rambla, close to the Plaza Catalunya. Dream location, very cheap and hotel fine for City foraging. Taxi to the Dock and smooooooth boarding onto the "Spirit" (Miami could learn something here!)Nice ship, a wee bit smaller than others, but cabin was fine and plenty of space in the shower room.

Food was good and plentiful, so much so that we didn't feel the need to book the speciality restaurants. Occasionally, we had to wait for a table in the evenings, but we were treated to a glass of bubbly to compensate. Fine! The entertainment was first class, with a great act every night. The troupe of singers/dancers deserve a special mention - great enthusiasm and professionalism. We Loved the Happy Hour (2 hours, actually, from 5pm-7pm)with half price drinks. All in all, a very friendly ship. Passengers and crew all seemed good tempered. Nice mix of nationalities, predominately Brits, but many from other European countries and a few Americans.

This cost us £70 per night (that's for the pair of us, not for each person!) Must rate as one of the best deals that we have ever had and this was our 10th cruise, apart from other, frequent, worldwide travels. Read more