Sister-in-law and I took this cruise mainly for the itinerary - we view cruises as a good way to get a quick look-see of an area. If we like what we see, we return. We are in our 50s and VERY independent. We didn't think we'd like a big ship and we were right.
We went to Athens a couple days early on our own and had a great visit and a better stay at the lovely Hera Hotel. Post cruise we had a few days in Rome at the lovely Hotel Ponte Sixto. We arranged all transfers via email based on recommendations found on this and other websites.
Embarkation was easy enough - we were concierge level but that brought few,if any, perks.