An avid history buff, cruiser, and romantic I booked this cruise based on itinerary and price. $1500 per person for a 21 day transatlantic AND full Med cruise was just too good to pass up. We took the Cruise Connection bus from Orlando to the port (as we have several times) and as usual we arrived refreshed, relaxed and ready to go. Embarkation was effortless (unusual for Ft. Lauderdale but a welcome surprise)

We loved our cabin (regular inside) which was in the rear of Deck 8, one down from Lido. Can't say enough great things about the crew. Service was the best on any ship. Opted for one of the 40 spa packages that included hydrotherapy pool access and got my money's worth every night. Transatlantic was uneventful. We passed the day at the Microsoft classes and cooking demonstrations and happily crashed every evening after dinner (we liked late seating big table best) The shows we did see we liked. We also enjoyed the free movies.

Once we got to the island of Funchal the fun really began. The day we arrived the weather was perfect with high temperatures in the 70's. Everywhere we went on the cruise the locals told us that the day before it was in the 40's and rainy, we were literally bringing spring from Florida to Europe. Read more