We had been anticipating our first family cruise for quite a while. With an early fall break for the kids due to Eid, this seemed like the perfect time to get to some great ports of call. Original schedule had Rome, Istanbul, and Athens but unfortunately the Turkish ports were cancelled due to security. This was disappointing but out of our hands. The addition of Montenegro turned out to be a revelation and we had a great time regardless.

Embarkation was a breeze, better than prior experiences with RC and Norwegian. We walked straight on and to our cabin, even though we arrived prior to our designated check-in time. These early couple of hours before the ship filled were nice to wander around and get a feel for the ship. The buffet was fully operational as well, and a positive sign of great food to come.

We did excursions in four ports, all found through TripAdvisor: tour of Pompeii (thru DriverinRome.com), sea kayaking in Montenegro, AquaWorld reptile rescue in Crete, and sea kayaking in Mykonos. The Blue Caves in Montenegro was a highlight, not too strenuous, plenty of time for swimming, very friendly guides. The reptile rescue was a bit off the beaten path but appealed greatly to our kids. We rented a car at the port no problem (cheaper than two taxis). Read more