This was out first Med cruise and the itinerary was perfect for us with a mix of amazing history and amazing scenery. We traveled with my parents (their first cruise ever) for our anniversaries. We spent 3 busy days in Rome before the cruise, home-based at the lovely Hotel Maryelen near Termini Station. The location of our hotel was perfect since we could walk two blocks to the metro, the bus or the trains. We used all three (the Roma Pass was great for the bus & metro), ultimately taking the train from Termini to the port at Civitavecchia. The train was a nice way to travel to the boat other than some stairs down then back up to cross the tracks at the end of the ride. There is a short walk to the port gate, then a complementary bus to the ship. The check in process was hectic looking but well run, and we were on board with little delay. Our cabins were ready upon boarding, though we were amongst the last to get our luggage.

We dined in the main dining room on all but one night of the trip and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service. It was rare that we weren't debating multiple choices on the menu and I never had a disappointing meal. We preferred the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch which always had a good variety and some really good veggie/salad selections & desserts. There was plenty of availability for water/flavored water/teas for those forgoing the soda program. The only time there was a shortage of anything was the last day's breakfast when silverware/napkin sets became sparse. We spent one very nice evening at the Portofino restaurant and had a very relaxed and delicious dinner. I was surprised to see that the fine dining venues did not seem busy despite the entreaties to book them early.

The public areas were gorgeous. One could see a little wear and tear in a few spots, but the ship was in amazing shape considering it's heading in for refit in the Spring of 2014. Some of the fittings in the cabins showed their age more than the rest of the ship. Our TV was an LCD, awkwardly mounted in a table designed for an old tube TV. We focused on our shore excursions and dining, so didn't use many of the ship's facilities, but I was impressed that places never got overcrowded (except the Promenade during special sales, LOL). The library didn't stock much at all and lacked reference books that would have been nice for looking up maps and information about other countries. Wireless internet access was only available in certain areas of the ship and ran $0.75 a minute, or less with packages (we didn't bother). Read more