We arrived in Athens the day before departure and were taken to the Athens Gate Hotel by Welcomepickups. We would recommend both the hotel and the car service. Welcomepickups also brought us to the port the next day - timely, clean car, polite driver, easy to reserve on-line. Athens Gate Hotel is in a wonderful location for exploring the Acropolis and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We dined in the rooftop restaurant of the hotel which has a fabulous view of the lighted Acropolis. Our room rate (205euros) also included a nice breakfast. Embarkation was a breeze. Journey is a lovely ship. Everything was clean and efficient. Our cabin (balcony, midship) was fine with the exception of the tiniest shower I have ever used. It serves the purpose and had great water pressure but you won't linger. Robes and slippers were in the closet and tons of hangers. Our cabin was beautifully kept the whole trip. We would put out the little sign indicating that we wanted the cabin cleaned when we went to breakfast and it was always completed upon our return. The food was really very good and the included wines and drink selections were fine. We sat with the same waiter every night who was fun and efficient. There was a very nice jazz brunch, officers barbecue, White Nights celebration on deck. We dined in both specialty restaurants and did not find them to be worth the extra charge. This may be because the food in the regular dining room was so good. Entertainment was okay but this is a small ship so don't have big expectations. Cruise director did a great job. The Captain was everywhere! He made you feel like you were in his home. We only did 2 excursions from the ship - Delos and Burano/Murano - both were well worth the money. That said, we did arrange for private tours in 4 other ports. We enjoy the intimacy of a small group and the cost is much more reasonable. We have only been on two other cruises(Alaska and Panama Canal)both on Princess so our experience is limited but we really enjoyed this ship. We liked the longer days in ports, the all inclusiveness (almost) of the fare pricing, the friendliness of the crew, the presence of the Captain, the quality of the food, and the general quietness of the atmosphere. There is no constant loud music or loud DJ around the pool. We liked it so much that we booked another for next year while on board.