Two nights in wonderful Barcelona prior to our July 13 departure. City is easy to navigate taking the Bus Turistic on and off unlimited (2 days 26 euro). The Gem was our floating hotel as we were off the ship for five full days. Cabin with balcony was well attended and food at the main dining rooms was more than adequate. Ate in Cagney's one night. That was superior and worth the $20 pp charge. La Cucina was not! We booked an excursion in Malta (canceled due to bus and taxi strike) but had to walk it. Hot and hilly. The other excursions were Sorrento and Pompeii, Classical Rome, Splendors of Florence, Scenic Monte Carlo and Monaco. All were worth it, although some were better than others due to the quality of the tour guides. Also, be aware that to get into Rome and Florence require extended bus rides of an hour and a half each way without traffic. Remember that you really can't go in depth on a cruise vacation, so it just whets your appetite for the places you want to return to. The shows on the Gem were average. I have cruised three times on Norwegian, and I am getting sick of the Second City Comedy. Improv is not always funny. The other complain from sun worshipers is that the outside lounges were hogged all day. They say that 30 minutes without occupancy will have your towels removed, but I didn't see it that way. The crew was outstanding. Mostly from the Philippines, they were always pleasant and accommodating. Departure was seamless, but if you were going back to Barcelona instead of the airport, your wait for taxi(on a long line) was forty-five minutes dragging your luggage. After the cruise we stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar by the beach. We needed time to relax after getting up at 6AM almost every morning. The hotel was magnificent, but not near most of the tourist sites. On a whole we loved the vacation and really enjoy "Freestyle".