We chose this cruise because a friend recommended it and said it was her favorite cruise line. The itinerary was great and the ship was very clean and the staff extremely friendly. On the negative side, a room that was advertised as having "partial obstruction" really was understating the obstruction. We made the best of it and enjoyed room service breakfast on the balcony, trying not to look down. The dining room staff was attentive and friendly, the food was excellent the first 5-6 days, but declined after that. We bought a 4 night dining package for speciality restaurants. Murano was incredible, so was Silk Harvest. Both were first class in service and food. The Tuscan Grill was not that good - the food unimaginative and in two cases overcooked. We were not impressed with the sushi restaurant at all.

The excursions were good but on previous cruises, all-day tours usually included time for lunch or actually included a meal. We were out from 9:30 to 3pm in several cases and while the tour operator offered water we were given no opportunity to purchase lunch or even a snack. Since the buffet shut down at 3, that left only pizza or pasta, and a few salad options at the buffet. Forget about trying to get a chair at either the indoor or outdoor pool unless you get up at dawn and toss personal belonging onto them. The Solarium is a great spot if you want to just relax without the blasting of pool side entertainment, but the lounges were attached to large platforms. If you were agile enough to climb up onto one, if you could even find an available one, the chair was so uncomfortable that it wasn't easy to achieve the zen-like feeling the area was supposed to create.

For those like me who are active and like a great running track on the ship, forget this one. It is an extremely short track that requires you to dodge lounge chairs, sunbathers, and waiters. On the plus side, the gym was usually empty so I ran indoors. The activities available on the ship itself were pretty slim and not very well advertised. We had to hunt around for three days on the TV before we found the cruise director's show. There really wasn't a whole lot to do on days at sea. The shows were just OK. If you aren't very active physically and don't mine getting up really early to just sit by the pool, this is probably a good choice. We did have a great time and loved seeing all the new ports we had never visited before, but I think I'd stick with other cruise lines in the future.