(Sorry in advance for the long review.)

My wife & I had not been on any significant cruises in the past decade because the trend to larger ships goes against most of what I want in a cruise. Things that are important to me are: lack of crowds, not feeling like each activity or announcement was a grab for more money, food properly prepared (does not need to be uber-high end, but it shouldn't taste like cafeteria/buffet food), opportunities for learning, flexibility of choices, happy crew that were allowed to show their personality, and pretty but not ostentatious decor. I don't care a lot about stage shows and performers.

As I had heard about, embarkation and disembarkation were effortless and fast. The ship was beautiful and seemed to call out for relaxation. In virtually every area at all times, there were open places to sit or lounge. Not surprisingly on this cold-weather cruise, there was almost never anyone in either pool and rarely someone in the hot tubs. Read more