We chose this cruise because of the itinerary...our eighth cruise with NCL, but our first in Europe. We weren't sure we were going to get to visit the ports, after seeing all the unrest in the countries we were supposed to visit. My fellow cruise critic members jokingly nicknamed the cruise the "Disgruntled Countries Cruise." However, we were able to visit all the ports, and we felt very safe during our cruise. Another cruise review mentioned the armed guards in Egypt...however, by Egyptian law, they are required.

We spent three days in Rome prior to our cruise, and had a wonderful time! We arrived at the port on embarkation day at 11:30 AM. Because we were booked in a suite, we headed to the VIP area for a speedy check-in. By noon we were eating lunch in Cagney's (another great suite perk!). We splurged on this cruise and booked a Haven 2 bedroom suite. There were 5 adults in the room, and we never felt crowded. My parents were in the large bedroom, my husband and I were in the smaller bedroom, and my cousin slept on the couch (which made into a bed). The room was wonderful, and our butler Jose was the best! He really spoiled us. Our concierge Carlos was great too- and even arranged a bridge tour for us! The Haven (courtyard) was amazing! I was surprised that most of the time, we had it to ourselves! Because we paid more for the Haven, we spent a lot of time there, and so we didn't really explore all of the ship. We had breakfast and dinner brought to the Haven a couple of times. If you ever get a chance for the "Suite Life"...go for it!

The ship: we found it to be clean and well maintained. We used the laundry special (all you can fit in the bag for $24.95) twice, and had no problems. Read more