Where to begin...

The ship is beautiful, the staff is friendly and efficient (I've never seen people work so hard, and always with a smile), the food was gourmet - fresh, delicious, cultural selections, the sailing was smooth and scenic, the tours were well planned and informative (wonderful tour guides), and we wanted for NOTHING! Although I was worried that I would be anxious about the time away from home (tacked a few days on before/after) and that I'd be bored after 14 days, that was not the case. Each day was different, each port offered something else, and the longer we were all together the friendlier the group became. Loved that there were only 130 passengers - felt like home. All non-suite cabins are the same size, and I found ours more than comfortable. There is plenty of storage, and it was very convenient that our suitcases fit beneath our bed, so once we unpacked that was it for the cruise. We were in the lowest area of the ship, and I enjoyed being more or less at water level. We didn't spend much time in the room anyway, absent sleeping on the ultra-comfy beds, so I was fine with not having paid extra for a full-window view.

There was a convenient laundry area (complimentary), a library/game area, and the common areas of bar/dining/lobby. In addition to the visits ashore at each beautiful port, there was also onboard entertainment - regional demonstrations and even an oompah band while cruising through Germany. An optional excursion in Vienna (paid for with ship credit) was to a concert in a beautiful monastery - I was overwhelmed with emotion at making that memory. Read more