My wife and I went on an Alaskan cruise on the NCL Pearl last September and had such a great time, we decided to go on a Mediterranian cruise this year. We also decided to include three of our adult children as well. We booked through NCL and our cruise advisor was attentive throughout the process, which included getting us additional deals as the price of the cruise changed. As a preface, because we had never been to Europe before, we spent a week in London and Rome prior to the cruise which was the icing on the cake to a great vacation.

Embarkation: We stayed in Rome prior to boarding in Civitavecchia. We used Shore Excursions in Rome for the transfer which we shared with an another couple. Although we were aware that the same cruise also used a Barcelona to Barcelona itinerary, we were not aware that more than 3/4 of the ship used that itinerary. As a result there were very few people at check in when we arrived at noon. Check in was a breeze and we on board within minutes of our arrival.

The Rooms: With five in our party we had three cabins. One large balcony, one inside stateroom and one studio. From reading past reviews and the NCL website, the unique nature of the rooms was no surprise. My wife and I were in the large balcony of course and it was a beautifu room although a little tight in going end to end. The one disappointment was our balcony. It was not a true balcony because we were forward so part of the ship's structure covered our balcony and we were left with a large picture window. If I had been informed of this beforehand, I would have chosen another balcony because it did not offer a true balcony experience. Our two boys ages 24 and 19 shared an inside room on deck 9 forward. There room was directly above Bliss and the theater and they could hear loud music into the early morning hours. I would recommend against these rooms. They were able to switch to another room the next night fortunately. Our 26 year old daughter had a studio and she loved the moderness of it. Read more