wow!! we have only cruised 2 time before, the paul gauguin to tahiti and a celebrity cruise to alaska with our children. this was an unbelievable experience from beginning to end. we chose to fly into athens on the am of the cruise, we were met by a taxi, arranged and paid for by us through seabourn. we were very early and couldn't get on the boat, so we were kept in the port waiting area. not great, but seabourn has no other options. we were shown to our original cabin, 608, but it was literally reeking of smoke. we complained and were told that they were full. finally, the cruise manager looked at the room and agreed that it was much too smoky and moved us after a little wait into 818. the room was identical to the one we booked, except higher up. our luggage was waiting in our new room(we used the seabourn valet and had our luggage shipped because of very tight connections in our flights.) we were met with champagne and canapes. this initial part was the only glitch. we loved the cruise from beginning to end, all the ports and excursions were wonderful. the food was very good, but towards the end of the week, became almost too rich for me. they had the best hamburgers on board, so try one. the restaurants are varied but all primarily continental food. a good sushi bar would be lovely if they would add one. the people are what make the seabourn experience, from the staff to your fellow travelers, this was the absolute best part of the cruise. we fell in love with many of our fellow travelers. for the most part, the fellow cruisers are world traveled, sophisticated, wealthy but in a very understated way. we will be doing seabourn cruises again. one more note, the fitness facility was small but very serviceable, it got crowded at times, but for the most part was very good. what an amazing journey!!