My husband and I have just returned from an 11-day cruise to the Mediterranean, our first cruise with Holland America. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, it covered pretty much all the places we wanted to see (except Venice). We are not big drinkers or late night activity seekers, and we are easy to please with food. We are all about sightseeing. We spent 4 days in Rome first (on our own). We were very pleased. I had some concern with the entertainment based on other reviews however we were very pleased with what we saw. The ship was very clean and the staff was, we thought, happier than other cruises we have been to. Embarkation and disembarkation were very organized and quick. I saw many advantages of it being a newer ship. The bathroom had a real shower which we greatly appreciated, very roomy, for a nice shower after a sweaty day of sightseeing. The angle of the toilet was really not a problem. There are electrical outlets and USB ports all around the cabin. The balcony was roomy and the glass door was immaculately clean. There is ample storage. We purchased the unlimited laundry service and it was so worth it. Our stewards Christina and Agu were wonderful. We did not go to any of the specialty restaurants and had most of our dinners in the dining room. The quality of the food was a bit inconsistent, and presentation was generally better than flavor/texture. The Lido buffet was very varied and I liked the fact that most of the time you need to be served, which contributes to hygiene and illness prevention. They have these awesome hand washing stations. We would have liked to see food available at all times. One day we wanted to have a late lunch and all the stations were closed (we went to the grill instead, no big deal). There were no lines for the big theater as I had read. In the dining room, we did have a wait (approx 20 minutes) on both formal nights. We loved the Planet Earth show with the string quartet and the dueling pianos shows. The Knights (3 guys) were fabulous, so talented. We did not have any complaints about the service in general. This is a large operation and everyone seemed focused on service. Every time I cruise I think about these people, away from their families for months... We did all our excursions with Shore Excursions instead of the cruise line's, to save money. Now that I know that in Santorini the the passengers who bought the excursion with them are given priority into the tenders, I would have purchased that one with HAL. We ended up losing about an hour on land. Santorini is absolutely beautiful. We liked everything we saw (again, easy to please). I guess Athens was my least favorite one although the Acropolis was memorable. We saw a lot of decay and graffiti. Lastly, HAL offers Catholic masses and this was so wonderful (and convenient).