We chose a European cruise as a way of seeing this part of the world for the first time. This was our second cruise, our first with Norwegian. Embarkation and disembarkation was very easy and better than our experience cruising with Carnival. The ship was clean and well maintained. It was modern as well. We were on the 13th floor on the very back of the boat with a balcony room. Our room was very nice, and I'd highly recommend spending the little bit extra for a room with a balcony. The views were amazing. We found favorite bartenders - Nestor, Norman, and Vladamir. They made excellent drinks the entire cruise, came to know us by name and what we liked to drink, and were overall friendly. The bartenders at the Wave bar by the pool did not make good drinks and lacked any kind of personality. This was disappointing since the pool area is usually the "party" area. The buffet and restaurant food was good. Although, we were disappointed in the restaurant breakfast. We received a couples massage which was fantastic but did not utilize any of the spa amenities so I can't comment on those. The onboard activities were better than those on Carnival and kept us entertained. Shopping was limited. Our excursions weren't great, and the days were long but they were still worth doing for the chance to see some historical sites. We'd greatly recommend Pompeii and Flavors of Sorrento. Overall, we would not choose to do this type of cruise again, it was a little more hectic than it was relaxing, and will probably continue trying new cruise lines to find one to fit our needs.