Let me begin by saying the ship is absolutely beautiful and we have no complaints whatsoever with respect to the ship - great food, great entertainment, good crew. That being said a few suggestions on how to improve your cruise experience:

- We spent a couple of nights in Rome prior to the cruise so we took the train from Rome (easy and affordable). When you arrive at the Civitavecchia train station take a taxi to the ship (maybe 15 Euros). It is long walk with luggage to the free shuttle and the wait and disorganization at the shuffle is not worth it.

- We booked every shore excursion on the Internet before we left home. Lots of choice. Every trip worked out well and we saved a lot of money over the ship's excursions and in most cases ended up with a much smaller more enjoyable tour. Read more