We chose the cruise because of its itinerary and as we get older, the idea of packing and unpacking has become far less appealing. The size of the cruise ship and the number of passengers was very high on our list of priorities. Having been to Venice previously, we kept our exploration to a minimum in the general vicinity of our hotel, the Monaco and Grand Canal. The transfer from the airport to the hotel was seamless, as was the transfer to the cruise terminal. Embarkation went smoothly, as did disembarkation. The fact that we did not have to wrestle with our luggage was a convenience. Our cabin was a Classic Verandah, pretty much midship on Deck 6. The bathroom has both tub and shower, with plenty of water pressure and hot water. The cabin had plenty of storage and was spacious, as was the verandah. The only issue that we had with the cabin was the lack of USB ports and power outlet on one side of the bed. Our butler, Chetan, and Suite Attendant, Christophere, were both wonderful. There were more than sufficient dining options, and we tried them all. Breakfast in La Terrazza was excellent, albeit a little chaotic sometimes, especially with the timely delivery of coffee and toast. Several times we had breakfast in our suite as we had early departures for excursions. It was always delivered on time and sometimes even ahead of time! One evening, we just wanted a hamburger and this was kindly ordered for us from the room service menu when we were in Spaccanapoli. We felt that there should have been more entertainment options (danceable music) for baby boomers earlier in the evening (maybe 9 p.m.) not at 11 p.m. Service was always excellent. We took excursions in every port and they were mostly excellent and informative, except for the one on Corfu which was all day and had us spending far too much time on the bus. We have already booked our next cruise on Silver Shadow next August.