This was our 8th cruise, second time with Royal Caribbean. We traveled with my in-laws (in their 80's), and our two children (9 & 13).

Embarkation: We arrived in Barcelona on the day of embarkation on an early morning flight. After going through a very organized customs check in Barcelona, we went to the bank within the airport to exchange our money. The best way to withdraw/exchange money in Europe is to use your atm. The fees are minimal. We found a van/taxi driver to take us to the port. We were able to board the ship by 11 a.m. The check in process was extremely easy and quite organized. Once on the ship we were able to go and have lunch in the Windjammer buffet. Our staterooms were not ready until later that afternoon. We had an ocean-view stateroom. It was quite lovely and clean. Didn't meet our stateroom attendant, and rarely saw him throughout the cruise. There was actually one day at sea he didn't clean the room.

Day 2 -Cannes: This was our first port. We didn't have any formal plans for this port. This was the only port with a tender. Once we left the ship, we were stopped by a tour guide who offered a tour with another couple from our ship. Making it a total of 8 in our party. He took us to the medieval town of Eze. We didn't make it to the top of the village since my in-laws (both in their 80's) were with us and couldn't make the climb. We had lunch in Eze at a nice little restaurant that served Italian food. We stopped in Monaco at the National Cathedral where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace are buried. Gorgeous church. Our driver also made brief stops in Monte Carlo (casino) and down the lower Corniche. We were back on the ship by 5 p.m. Read more