We (an old friend and I) chose this cruise because we got a good deal on a balcony (my 8th cruise but first balcony) and because of the itinerary. We started in Venice which is one of my favorite cities and went to Kotor, Corfu, Cagliari, Naples and ended at Rome. Embarkation was remarkably easy. The ship is beautiful, not at all glitzy, but understated. The service was exemplary, everybody was friendly and accommodating. We liked our cabin which was kept spic and span, but wished it wasn't so far forward. Dinner was enjoyable with congenial companions, all from the UK, which was fun for us Yanks. Still, it would have been nice to have an "anytime dining" option. The food was fine but I remembered better food on QM2 ten years ago. In general, since my first cruise in 1999 the food has deteriorated on most middle level cruise lines. We liked the various bars we tried and enjoyed the wine. As Americans we are used to paying a gratuity when we order drinks and they all seemed fairly priced. The entertainment that we saw was good but one night we went to the theater five minutes before the show started and could not find two seats together. We enjoyed watching the ballroom dancing at night but declined offers by gentlemen hosts to dance due to knee issues; still it was nice to be asked. We enjoyed the ports, having a bite to eat, a glass of wine and shopping. We went on one excursion to Pompeii which was fascinating but hard to keep up with the group on uneven surfaces. We disembarked at Civitavecchia which is really not all that convenient for Rome. In general we loved this cruise - I'd give it four and a half stars if I could.