My husband and I had never traveled to the Mediterranean. This trip had been on our bucket list for years. We are so thankful to have had this amazing experience. Our main reason for cruising is to give us an opportunity have a taste of many ports, unpacking only once. We look for a clean ship, with good food and friendly service. Holland America delivers on all points. Our balcony room on deck 5 toward the back was perfectly located for meals at the Lido restaurant where we ate breakfast and some lunches and dinners, which was just a few decks above us and the main dining room was just below. I loved having a balcony as we were able to sit and enjoy the scenery and get a breath of fresh air at any time.

We booked all of our excursions independently and used cruise critic to find other cruisers to join with us. Most excursion companies give you a better rate if you have 4-8 people willing to sign on. We used Rome Private Excursions in Florence, Rome and Pompeii/Sorrento. They were fabulous! It does take a bit of work to get everything organized, but Cruise Critic was a big help in that organization. Through the process we met some wonderful people and traveling in a 9 passenger van complete with air conditioning and wi-fi was a real plus - much better than a large bus. In Toulon, Monaco, Corfu, Kotor and Venice we did our own thing. Just hired a taxi right in the port. Some people are worried about missing the ship when taking an independent excursion. Don't be! We were back to the ship every time with plenty of time to spare. And by doing the excursions privately we paid about half of the ship's cost.

My only complaint was with the wi-fi. It is TERRIBLE. Very slow and expensive. We often looked for free wi-fi while in port. Cruise lines need to understand that wi-fi access is not just a luxury any more. People need to connect with business and family back home without all the hassle! Read more