We began our cruise in a port that is supposed to be associated with Rome which was actually about an hour and a half away from the city. Our check in was quite easy and not as intense as people had prepped me for. No serious long lines, check points went quickly, and pretty soon we were on the ship. This ship is docked in Rome yet has a Hawaiian theme. Not everything on the ship is themed that way but there are aspects of it throughout.

We got to our room and were quite pleased. We had a porthole because of the location of the room being in the middle of the ship and I was concerned about rocking and sea sickness since I have never cruised before. It was actually much larger than I had thought it would be or was warned. There was more than enough space for both my husband's and my clothes to fit perfectly, our suitcases placed carefully under the bed. The bed was very comfortable. I had no trouble sleeping in it. The bathroom is tiny. REALLY TINY! But efficient. Our steward was very helpful and answered any questions we had. Our room was always perfectly kept and comfortable.

Meals.... I really feel the food tasted the same no matter where we ate on the ship. It was all premade and sitting in mass produced covered dishes that came out. Like the kinds you get in hospitals with the plastic lids. It didn't make me feel like the food was made just for me- even when we were in the nicer dining room. So, we began venturing into the specialty dining. Which was a tad annoying because we had already paid all that money for the food to be included. There wasn't enough variety in the regular dining halls and the buffet would remind you of a typical chain buffet found on a popular highway down South. Breakfast was the only meal I didn't mind eating at the buffet. Read more