We were on this cruise because friends had signed up while on a previous cruise and asked us to join them on this cruise. We flew to Barcelona a day early and spent some time exploring before we went to the ship. Embarking was very well organized and went smoothly. Since this was not our first cruise we were not surprised at the size of our cabin! But, we had a balcony which was a lovely addition this time. I highly recommend a room with a balcony. My only complaint was that the bathroom had an offensive odor. Our cabin attendant tried to eliminate it, but it came right back. Also, unless you used the sink to brush your teeth first, the water was not cold. I was not used to brushing my teeth in warm water.

We enjoyed eating in the Minstrel Dining Room. There was a wide variety of meal choices and the food was delicious! Our waiters were the best! So friendly and personable, very attentive! They made our dinner that much more enjoyable! We went to a few of the evening entertainments, the magician being my favorite! Since we had many early excursions and our dinner was a 8:30, we did not get to many shows.

Many of our excursions were well organized with wonderful guides. We had chosen a "small group" tour for Rome and were surprised to be on a regular bus with more people than I would consider to be a small group! Our tour guide did not go out of her way to guide us! In fact our friends that were on the regular tour got more instructions than we did! The description of the tour said we would have 2 1/2 hours to explore on our own, but we ended up with 3 1/2 hours on our own. We paid more for a "small group" tour and got less than the regular tour. A regular bus load of people did not fit my idea of a "small group". Read more