The itinerary was great. Palma de Mallorca - which wasn't included above - was a 5 star port as well. The ship was about what we expected- older and smaller- but in good condition. The service was extremely substandard. They were even hesitant to provide a roll of toilet paper.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Much different feel to embarkation when you only have a portion of the ship turning over daily.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food and service in main restaurant was subpar. The meat and pasta offerings in the buffet varied daily - and the quality was better than average. The desserts were also very good.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We only had on sea day on this itinerary. We made use of the thermal area in the spa, which we found to be on par with that on the Carnival Breeze. Smaller, but the water was slight warmer.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The singers did a good job considering they sang in as many as four languages. I thought the dancers and production quality were below average.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Not nearly the standard we are accustomed to on stateside cruises.
We planned a simple DIY walking tour. Within an easy walk of the terminal is an old fort that is remade into a unique mall and archeological museum - complete with a dig. The site also provides a scenic overlook of the beach. We walked the extra half mile or so to the beach, which was extremely nice and not very busy.
Another day, another DIY. We found our way to the train terminal and purchased the Cinque Terre day pass. This pass includes transportation by train to and from La Spezia as well as throughout the park. For those with a weaker bladder, it also provides free access to the toilets - other costing a euro per visit.
This region was the highlight of our cruise. Five cliffside villages overlooking the Mediterranean. Plenty of trails for the hiking enthusiast, restaurants and shops for the less adventurous.
Rome in a day is tough. We booked a private excursion through Shore Bee. They waited an hour for us as our ship docked late. The delay cost us the ability to get inside the Basillica. Our tour guide, Neal, was absolutely awesome.... a real history but that brought the historic side of the city to life.
Non-European passengers were herded into a room to await instruction on receiving passports. One of the crew came in and made an announcement in very fast Spanish - and only very fast Spanish. After about fifteen minutes we found out from other English speaking passengers that we were in the wrong room.
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