My husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with this 7-night cruise. After reading the older reviews here, we were more than a little worried that we'd made a bad choice. I'm happy to report that this cruise was as splendid as the ship's name!

The big concern in past reviews seemed to be that no one spoke English and that English-speakers were discriminated against by passengers and crew alike. We had the completely opposite experience. Every crew member spoke enough English to not just help us, but to chat with us. The mostly-European passengers also spoke English, and everyone was good humored about trying to communicate. The captain and all the key officers spoke excellent English, and when we boarded in Barcelona, there was a separate English lifeboat demonstration. There is also an English hostess on board, whose sole purpose is to make sure you get any info you need on shore excursions or ship events, but our daily newsletter was in English, and all the shore excursion brochures are in English. Heck, all the signs--even for the drink of the day--are written in English as well as Italian. Most of the crew hail from the Caribbean or Polynesia, so they know at least some English. There was no language barrier.

We stayed in one of the Yacht Club rooms. The service is extraordinary. The butlers, the concierge, and the bartenders are all friendly and eager to help. The food in the Yacht Club's dining room (L'Olivia) was gourmet, and we quickly learned that ordering an item from every course was too much for one person to eat in a sitting! I became quite addicted to the cheese course. In L'Olivia, the Yacht Club lounge, and the Yacht Club poolside bar, all drinks (including bottled water) are included. Wines and a few liquors could be upgraded for extra money, but all the alcohol was already top shelf, so why bother? Yes, it is a long walk from the cabin at the front of the ship to the restaurant at the back, and yes, you have to go down a few levels and then back up again to get there, but walking through the ship is hardly a chore. Read more