The port of Harwick England which is a two hour drive from Heathrow air port was an expense in time and money you have got to consider. Personally I thought it was a bit to much.
The embarkation was extremely fast and efficient, our cabin was a nice balcony on the ninth deck, which gave us a nice view every morning.
Our shore excursions varied as some countries were difficult to figure out what we wanted to see, so we took the hop on hop off bus to discover.