I believe I have covered all of my comments adequately in the comments above.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Service in the main dining room was excellent, but the quality of the food and options - especially for plant-based diners is underwhelming.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Stage shows were of average+ quality. The magician was outstanding, as were the hand shadow puppeteers. Resident band was very good.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Excellent service in the main dining room was excellent. Service in the buffet was not as good as on prior cruises. Staffing levels per guess was not as high.
Our cabin steward was efficient and professional. Because of the increased number of cabins he was assigned, we had little direct interaction with him. We have no complaints about his level of service.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
We prefer a smaller ship and are not expecting lots of extras. The overall cleanliness was very good.
We were disappointed that we were able to find only one area without music (apart from our small stateroom). That was on the promenade deck, deck 5, outside on the deck. This seems to be the only place to find "silence, like a poultice...to heal the blows of sound." (Emerson)
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
First of all, the cabin is quite small. With the beds together, getting around the end on either side was difficult.
The bed was comfortable and there were sufficient drawers for our limited possessions with which we travel. One of the drawers was loose on its track. There were fewer hangers in the closet than one would usually expect, and their distribution was not very good.
The light switch to the bathroom was finicky.
Ship tip
The closest thing to a quiet interior public space was the Viking Crown Lounge. If the centrum doesn't have any ship-sponsored activity, or if is to your taste, there are a number of nice seating areas there. Also, if there is not any similar activities the Spotlight Lounge on Deck 6 aft provides nice views to the stern.
Because of rough seas we were not able to take one of the excursions. Our second was to Pompeii. There was a young family in our group and the guide avoided taking us to some of the places visited by other groups.
We visited Messina on All Saints Day and much of the town was closed. We opted to go to Taormina and had a delightful time. More touristy, but with good reason.
I appreciate your detailed review and your fondness for the smaller ships. I hope the cruise lines remember us small ship cruisers as they build their mega-ships!
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