My husband and I just returned from the Mediterranean Highlights cruise (Barcelona to Athens) aboard the Marco Polo. The ship and the ports exceeded our expectations.

SHIP: The MP was much smaller than our previous ships, so we were a little concerned that we might be "trading down". We shouldn't have been worried, however, because the MP offered everything the big ships did with much more personalized service.

Cabin: We booked an inside cabin on the Main deck. It was very spacious and clean, although it could probably use a refurbishing. The carpet was slightly stained and the furniture scratched, but we had more than enough storage space for the two of us. I had read other reviews that indicated noise was a problem. We couldn't hear our neighbors, but we were near the funnel and heard a lot of engine noise. That was actually a bonus for us, because the rhythmic sounds, combined with the motion lulled us to sleep. Our cabin steward was very efficient, everything was clean, our ice bucket was filled every morning and evening, the turn-down service always included chocolates, and the towels were nice and thick. Television reception was limited to a few in-house channels and CNN Global and we had a phone in the room. Read more