We are just back from the 10-day Oceania "Iberian Odyssey" cruise on Riviera that departed from Lisbon on September 12 and ended in Rome on September 24. The weather was great with only one day of rain and temperatures being very comfortable.

We went on this cruise with two other couples of the same age (66). This was our eighth cruise -- having been on Azamara, Royal Caribbean, Costa, Renaissance, Oceania, and NCL before. None of us are overly picky but all appreciate nice touches and good, not overly attentive, service. We had a butler once and thought it was 'a bit much.' Food is important but it's not the end-all/be-all for us. It's more about the variety of ports being visited and doing different things without having to pack and repack or deal with transportation over a week or so.

After being on both an Azamara and Oceania cruise previously, we opted to do Oceania again. And, the idea of a new ship -- the Riviera -- seemed like a good idea. And, we wanted to see most of the places Riviera was going. Read more