We arrived in Athens the night before the cruise left and stayed at the Electra Palace Hotel. We were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a Junior Suite on arrival. The room was very elegant with wood floors and overlooked the garden. We had dinner at the Roof Top Restaurant in the hotel and it was a gourmet meal with a fabulous view of the Acropolis. Breakfast is included in the room rate with many choices. The hotel is in a great location and is just a few minutes walk to the Plaka and Acropolis. We took a cab from the hotel to the port and were met curbside by a Seabourn representative who walked us into the check in area. Check in was fast and within a few minutes we were on board. We had been assigned cabin 619 which is a handicap cabin and were unable to switch it before our departure from the US, so when we got on board we went straight to Seabourn Square to see if we could switch it. The ship was full so the friends we were travelling with offered to switch with us as they were not going to be using the bathtub. I love to soak in a tub so everyone was happy! The handicap cabin is larger and the bathroom is big with a shower curtain. There is no walk in closet in this cabin and instead there is a closet with a sliding door. The closet is not very deep. Our cabin was 709 and everything was just perfect. Plenty of storage in a walk in closet, a little vanity with mirror to do make up with US and European outlets. The bathroom was elegant and within a few minutes of being in the cabin, we were greeted with champagne, canapes and a choice of soaps for the bathroom.

There were six of us travelling together and we ate in the main restaurant 5 out of the 7 nights. My sister in law is on a gluten free diet and she met with the chef the first evening and was assured she would be well taken care of in that regards. And she was. By the next day, she had gluten free bread sticks and rolls at the table every meal and she could choose anything she wanted on the menu and it was prepared for her gluten free. We were all very impressed by how easy they made it for her. The food in the main restaurant was wonderful. The wines were always good and the one night when Pinot Noir was offered and I said it was not really my favorite kind of wine, they brought me a Merlot instead. We didn't get around to making reservations for Restaurant 2 until midweek and by then it was fully booked for the rest of the cruise. We ate at the Colonnade 2 evenings as one was a French theme and one was a Spanish theme and both meals were absolutely fantastic. We were very lucky with the weather so breakfast was usually al fresco at the Colonnade. We did get room service one morning and it was good but frankly I prefer to decide what I want to eat the morning of instead of having to decide the night before! The table on the balcony is also a little small for having several different items and plates. We ate lunch every day at the Colonnade although I believe the main restaurant was open for lunch. The staff were terrific. They were friendly and efficient and always full of smiles. Nothing was too much trouble. Captain Thue-Nilsen was around the ship a lot and was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. His lovely wife was on the ship that week and they made us all feel like we had been invited on a vacation on their yacht! Due to the fact that we were in port every day, we were pretty tired after dinner and were happy to go back to our beautiful cabin and relax and read so unfortunately I didn't go to any of the shows. We did book shore excursions in Corfu (Achilion Palace), Kotor (Budva and Sveti Stefan), Dubrovnik (Cavtat ) and Zadar (Krka National Park). All were most enjoyable. Due to a windy day the cruise part of the Dubrovnik tour was cancelled and they included a city tour instead which was excellent. We did walk the walls in Dubrovnik as it was a warm sunny day and I highly recommend it. Ravenna was wonderful. We managed to do all five of the churches with the mosaics. They are very beautiful and a must. The shopping was good in Ravenna! I have reviewed the ports separately but would be happy to answer any questions on them. If you are going to Kotor, get up early to watch the sailing into the fjord as it is stunning. If you are able to climb a few stairs, do walk the walls of Dubrovnik as the views are amazing. None of us wanted to leave the ship when we docked in Venice! We took a cab to the airport, left our baggage at the Left Luggage in the arrivals hall and went back into the city on a Water Bus which was 25 euros roundtrip as our flights were only in the evening. So was it everything I dreamed it would be? Absolutely! Would I do a Seabourn cruise again? Absolutely! We all said we were ruined and would never be able to do any other cruise line after this.