We found this itinerary appealing as Iceland and Ireland (and Norway the following cruise) were countries we had never visited and they would be cooler than our hot desert summer. It was our first E class ship and after reading opinions on this ship it was exciting to see for ourselves. Neither the ship nor ports disappointed!

Love Amsterdam as the embarkation port - easy to fly to, train into town from the airport and a two block walk to our hotel, Doubletree Centraal Station. As always in Amsterdam we spent our time wandering, trying food in small cafes, adding another canal cruise but this time in a small open top boat with Those Dam Boat Guys.

Easiest embarkation ever - we walked the short distance to the port in about 15", right along the waterfront seeing the ship the entire time. Walked in with 11:00 boarding at 10:30 and were in our cabin in less than ten minutes. We had chosen 11181 Deluxe Interior cabin and it worked out very well. Plenty of space for everything we brought with storage cubbies in the wall by the closet as well as 3 drawer dresser. I did bring magnet hooks for raincoats in case they were damp and that worked well. Bathroom is lovely and large sink made rinsing items easy. Shower is generous and water pressure fine. With two shelves on each side of the sink and large drawer under with hair dryer it was easy to keep tidy. Not sure why but we had amazing sleep the entire trip. Read more