My husband and I chose this cruise because we wanted to go to the French Riviera, Monaco, Portofino, and Cinqueterre and this cruise covered all these locations plus additional ports. The cruise was also round trip from Rome (Civitavecchia) back to Rome. Most Riviera cruises left from a port in one country (ie, Italy) and ended in another country (ie, Spain). We wanted to fly in and out of Italy, so that after the cruise we could continue touring Italy on our own. Many passengers had chosen this cruise because it included 2 days in Monte Carlo during the Grand Prix and these folks bought tickets to see the race and made arrangements for special dinners, etc. We did not, although we saw the track and enjoyed the general festivities of Monte Carlo during that time. We have cruised on very large ships before and wanted to try a small ship, like the Windsurf. We were very glad we did. The ship only had 200 passengers (although it holds over 300) and the crew was almost 200. We were given excellent service by the crew. The food was generally outstanding. The dining rooms were lovely. There was food available throughout the day in different venues and there was free room service until late at night. Our room was compact, was exceptionally well designed and gave us sufficient space for clothes, suitcases, etc. The rooms all had portholes rather than picture windows and there were no balconies. However, this was not a drawback on this cruise. Although the Windsurf did not have the kinds of activities available on large ships (the in-water activities of the Windsurf were not part of this cruise), there was live music, a lounge, deck chairs, hot tubs, movie and book libraries, a gym and some fitness classes. There was a small casino, but I never saw anyone there. Dress was casual and nice casual for dinners. The cruise offered many side trips at ports and one free excursion. My husband and I went off on our own to see Grasse (from Cannes) and Nice (from Monaco). The Windstar line offered some extras with the booking and we chose 2 nights at a hotel in Rome plus free transport to the Rome port. We had poor weather, which resulted in changes to the itinerary (although all places listed were visited), and which created problems with the use of the tenders to and from ports. We did have some problems related to maintenance work that were eventually sorted out. The reception desk could have done a better job regarding information for port visits. We highly recommend the Windsurf for cruising.