I chose this cruise because of the itinerary which included Tunis and Algiers. This brand new ship is spectacular and the service & food was wonderful. My only complaint is that the entertainment in the lounges before dinner and the evenings is virtually non-existent with a trio of violinists playing very somber music and a piano player and guitarist playing solo. this aspect of the cruise experience for such a beautiful ship should be made more "entertaining". Other than that minor flaw it was a marvelous cruise and certainly comparable with the service and food on my previously favorite cruise line - Crystal. The shore excursions were very well done although I did my own walk abouts in Valencia and Cagliari. The absolute highlight of the shore excursions was the visit to the spectacular Botanical Gardens in Algiers which afforded us a chance to interact with many, many Algerian families out for a beautiful day in the park. Carthage in Tunis is of course historically significant as the once third largest city in the Roman empire but there is not much left there to see. Valencia is still one of the must charming and visitor friendly cities in Europe.