I have taken many cruises. This was my second Med. cruise and 5th NCL cruise. We arrived in Barcelona three days before the cruise. Took the aerobus after the flight. Cheap and easy way to get to hotel. Stayed at the beautiful Hotel Soho on Gran Via. Hotel very modern, in a great location-about 10 minute walk from Las Ramblas. We had fabulous meals at Cinq Sentits and Gilda by Belgious. Shopped, drank, ate, wandered Las Ramblas,went to the beach. Loved Barcelona.

Sunday we took 2 taxis to the ship-one for luggage, one for us. Left hotel at 10:30AM. Easy embarkation. We were on the ship before noon. Cabins available at 12:30. Had 2 aft facing balcony cabins. Cabins were more then adequate for our needs. Lots and lots of storage space and I pack ALOT. Nice size balcony. Had read about the bathroom situation on cruise critic. I thought it was perfectly fine. Really like having the sink in the cabin. My sink never splashed on the floor at all. The three girls were fine in the cabin. No complaints from them at all. We went to the spa and bought spa passes for the week. Best purchase of the cruise. We went there every single day. Sooooo relaxing. Great after a long day of touring. We at at Shanghai's, La Cuchina, La Churrascaria, Cagney's twice(by far best meals) and did the Cirque Dreams dinner show. I thought the food was good and the show was fantastic. We e went to Howl at the Moon-lots of fun, Blue Man Group for 10 minutes(not our cup of tea), both martini tastings-great fun! Casino is immense. Visited every night-never really lost any money. Carlo the piano player in Shakers was our favorite. He is an amazing musician! The Abba party was my favorite. Also had a great time at White Hot Party.

In Naples, we took the Leisurely Sorrento excursion. Fantastic views on the bus. Loved Sorrento. Purchased a gorgeous inlaid wood table there. In Rome, I had hired a private driver with Joe Banana limos. Met us at 8am and took us everywhere we wanted to go in Rome. Made us lunch reservations at a fabulous restaurant. He was very very informative. It was really hot and crowded in Rome. Saw Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain. many other smaller sights also. We took the Pisa and Florence on your own excursion from Livorno. Plenty of time in each place. Loved Pisa. Very quaint and peaceful. Shopped alot in Florence-Leather! Visit Mario at Estro leather factory. He is a character and gave us great deals on leather jackets. Walked all over the city. Really fun day. In Cannes, took tender and went to the beach for a few hours. Had lunch at a sidewalk cafe and did some more shopping. Loved Cannes. Friendly and clean. Only got off the ship in Marseille to go to the souvenier shop right off the ship. Wanted to use the last day to really relax and enjoy the ship, which we did. Read more