I wanted to LOVE this ship, I really did, but on leaving the ship after a very enjoyable weeks cruise I actually felt glad to be off it. I really don’t know why as what I am about to say it mostly positive.
Firstly, embarkation - We landed in BCN at around 1030hrs and by midday we were sitting in Central Park enjoying the highly recommended first day lunch – the roast beef sandwich! Check in at the port was so quick and stress free it was almost unbelievable. In addition to this we managed to get into our cabin by 1245hrs. Perfect start! Post unpacking we explored the ship before taking in the view of Barcelona from the huge hot tub that hangs out of the ships side and offers amazing views.
The ship lives up to the hype.. its big and tricks you into forgetting you are actually on a ship at all. At times you are reminded how many people are on board but for most of the time there is enough space for it not to feel crowded. We loved the central park area which, as well as the solarium, was the most relaxing part of the ship. Sitting outside Vintages in the evening, enjoying a nice glass of wine, was bliss. On the other side I thought the Boardwalk area was a bit tacky and the Aqua Theatre underused. If only Central Park extended right though and the Aqua Theatre was actually a nice pool.
Nice cabin. Really comfy bed, good shower, good storage and our attendant was excellent.
We had a Boardwalk view room which is great for a one off experience but would go back to Sea View balcony in future.
Amazingly the balcony windows are extremely soundproofed so you get no noise from the boardwalk below.. however this is a connecting room and the connecting door is not soundproofed. We could here everything going on in the cabin next to us..!! On the first night I woke up convinced they were in our cabin!
TIP - AVOID connecting rooms!!
Very organised transfer operated from the ship to the town for EUR 5 round trip.
Lovely town with fantastic Cathedral. Well worth going inside and doing the audio tour.
I love France but Marseille is awful. It would help if the port looked at Palma in terms of 'how to run a transfer properly' Probably better off heading out to Avignon or Aix.
La Spezia is a lovely port and so many things to do. The port provides a free regular transfer to town where we decided to take a train to RioMaggiore which is part of the Cinque Terre. Take swimwear as there are some lovely spots to swim. Beautiful part of Italy and we aim to pop back for a weekend.