Three of us were going on this cruise so we decided to get an oceanview room rather than a balcony because the extra room that the balcony took up was needed for people space. There was plenty of room in the cabin for all three adults. The storage room was excellent and the luggage stored easily under the bed.
We booked our flight with Carnival and arrived in Rome about 9:30 am the day of the cruise. We picked up our luggage, met the Carnival tour rep and proceeded to a bus to be taken to the ship. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the port. Embarkation was a breeze, we were on board with our sail and sign card in hand in 20 minutes. We were not allowed in our cabin until 12:30 so we went up to get something to eat and then proceeded to the cabin, met our cabin attendant and unpacked.
This ship is beautiful. The Murano glass, paintings, and decorations truly embodied the European flair. There was a great variety of decorations in bar areas and the Silver Olympian dining room was very nice. The Maitre D' in this room was the best of any ship I have ever been on. His announcements were humorous and he participated in many of the dances with the staff. We sat at a table for ten at the 6:15 pm session. The time was adjusted each day based on the port activities and the time the ship left the port. The staff was engaging, although some nights we seemed to wait a long time for our entrees, however, the company was fun and we knew meals would last almost two hours. We always found something good to eat and many nights the food was outstanding.