I was surprisingly happy with this ship and this trip. If you wish to get a feel for the minutiae of this cruise, it’s well covered by other reviews; read them after this. By the way, the itinerary (Italy, Turkey, Greece) is interesting and educational. Herein, I’m having other observations: about guests, nationalities, drinking, entertainment, dancing and relaxing.

As a Canadian, I’m polite and easygoing. If you don’t know Canadians, sorry, it’s the national character. Personally, I’m gregarious and like to exchange conversation with people I meet. I seek this during my travels, and I was looking forward to meeting this challenge in Europe. In American waters, I meet plenty of nice and interesting people, English speaking, some even from the US. On this European vessel, “das ist” more fun, which I enjoy anyhow. Indeed we met nice and interesting people, both guests and hosts, of many languages and places, with whom we communicated as best we could, and that was “magnificent”. That is part of fun and charm of travelling for us, and I hope the same for them.

A new experience for me was hunting for language during lunch. I would promenade through the ship’s dining room (leaving the hostess behind) enquiring with guests at the tables whether they spoke English. Then I would politely ask if I could join them for lunch. How presumptuous? Well, I will confide that I enjoyed a couple of pleasant meals gathering with new people and making friends. I believe they did likewise. Read more