This was the first cruise of a pair of b2b cruises from Lisbon to Barcelona. We did our own air, pre-cruise hotel stay in Lisbon, and transfers. Booked transfer from Pedro at Lisbon Taxis. We have used him on other trips. As usual, our ride was waiting for us. In Lisbon we stayed at the Bessahotel. It was fantastic. Great central location, gorgeous rooms, nice breakfast, free wifi, and great staff. They let us checkin early. They had their limo take us to the ship. The Bessahotel was excellent.

Our embarkation was quick. Our cabin was ready. Cabin was a large suite with lots of good storage space. I booked this cruise for the ports. The ports were interesting. What I liked best about the ports was being able to dock close to where we wanted to be. Seville was fantastic. Unlike other ships, we were able to sail up the river into Seville. Walked off the ship and walked to the Alcazar in 10 minutes. In Malaga, we were very close to the old city. It was an easy walk into town. In some ports, there were shuttles. Some were free. In Gibralter, we paid for a shuttle. the Discovery event was in Palma at the Juan March Palace. The Palace was a beautiful house which is now a museum. The art was interesting. I especially liked the Dali prints. Local group performed dances. Wine and cheese was served. It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

The annoying part of the cruise was the large group of 80 sailing as part of a Tauck tour. The group seemed to take over spaces. They liked to eat in big groups, drank too much, and were quite loud. If I had known that Tauck tours had booked a large group, I would have picked another date. In spite of it, we still had a good time. Happily, we were staying on for the next cruise. The following cruise had no big groups. Second cruise was more enjoyable. Next time that I book a Windstar cruise, I will ask if there are any large groups booked.