Although all the ports were interesting, the Italian ports were the best on this cruise and offered the most options for a variety of cruisers. Also, I read many reviews by avid cruisers but most things were better than I expected since I have not cruised frequently enough to make big comparisons (this was our fourth cruise over a 30 year period the last before this in 2007).

Barcelona: Do take a day or two at the beginning or end of the cruise to enjoy this great city. We had visited 30 years ago on a Monday so returned a day early to see the museums that were closed then. We walked, used the T-10 ticket, and also took the airport bus to Plaza Catalonia then walked down to the Hotel Gaudi where we stayed. I got this hotel from this board and was very well pleased-you can walk to it in about 20 min from Plaza Catalonia if you do not have too much luggage down Las Ramblas. It is very well located and again if you are traveling light walking down to the Colombus plaza (less than 10 min) and getting a bus (less than 5 euros) to the ship (blue line) allows for some more sight seeing on the way. The hotel had a good free breakfast and kept our bags safe and sound both on the day we arrived and on the day we left for several hours. It is down Las Ramblas and across from a small plaza with many inexpensive but decent restaurants that serve early for those of us who do not want to eat at 9 or 10. We were given a room that did not overlook the Gaudi Palace across the street but was very quiet and would normally be given to a family. It was not fancy but very large and good value for our 91 euros booked at the hotel website. There are cheaper accommodations but this was very well located (near a Metro stop), safe, and friendly. Take advantage of the Art Ticket which includes 8 museums (Miro, Picasso, Catalunya, Casa Mila and others)which you can buy online before you leave and activate at the 1st museum. It is worth is if you see at least 3. We went to all those mentioned and recommend all. This is a city to walk around and really you only need to use normal big city precautions to avoid problems.

The ship: As we have not used cabins,balconies or windows much on our previous cruises, we opted for a less expensive inside cabin and took what was given and lucked out. Inside cabins are not for those who must see daylight or must have lots of room but we had all the room we wanted (double bed, small sofa and desk, small bathroom)for the time we spent there (sleeping and dressing). Our cabin was located on deck 3 below the atrium and one deck above the departure area for most ports. We were not on the elevator side and it was extremely quiet, we did not hear noise from the lounge above, the nearby passengers or docking etc. Our steward was very nice though I admit the only thing we asked of him was fresh ice every day. We got it and new towels almost more than we needed. The family members we were traveling with had a suite on the port side on deck 10 that was spacious but their steward was not as friendly (they got a deal upgrading for only $300 and another perk mentioned below). Read more