Background: This was our first cruise. 2 adults, no children. We attended the Cruise Critic meet & mingle.

Pre-Cruise: We flew from Cork to Barcelona on the Friday night, and opted to stay out of the city centre at the Ibis Viladecans. Hotel was fine - Ibis standard fare, and for less than €50 per night, it was a great deal. It was a straight forward bus ride into the city centre for €1.35 each on the Saturday. We ate tapas in the market for lunch, which was excellent. We went to see the Montjiuc fountain on Saturday night which was a real spectacle, highly recommended.

Embarkation: We ordered a taxi for 10.30am, which took maybe 15-20 minutes to get to the Port. Porters were waiting to take away our luggage; we walked straight into the check in area, paused only to fill in a swine flu declaration, and walked straight up to the counter. We hardly broke stride. Sea pass cards were issued, up the escalator & we were on board. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes. Very impressive. Read more