I enjoyed all the ports, but didn't really like the ship. Many events were held at the same time and since food is served slowly in the dining rooms, eating dinner takes a long time which causes you to miss or be late for evening shows. All the planning at home for dinner and show reservations takes away from the idea of Freestyle cruising, but if you don't pre-plan and reserve them you will miss them.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I enjoyed really Taste, Teppanyaki and Cagney's. I didn't like Manhattan dining room or the food at the Cirque show. The food at the buffet was mediocre and often cold.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Since most of the time is in port, the only day to enjoy the pool is the day at sea and it was very crowded that day. People only standing as there was no room for actual swimming. I played Bingo and Deal or No Deal, which were fun. Most of the time the games and other events were all within the same time frame (meal times). Since most of the time dining took about 2 hours, it was difficult to get into anything else.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The musicians and DJs were good. I enjoyed the comedian. didn't get to see the main shows. We missed the show we had scheduled from home due to dining and were not able to get into another show as they were previously booked.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The service was good. Our room steward was friendly and ready to help. The waiters and dining staff were also good. Other staff only greeted you or smiled at you if you smiled at them.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was clean and well kept. The overall size of the ship is overwhelming. I thought the Epic show room was too small and there weren't enough seats to accommodate the many passengers interested in seeing the main shows.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The room was good size but very dark. There wasn't enough light to put on make up or read comfortably. I didn't like the see thru shower and toilet doors. There is no reason to have this. My cabin was always clean and well kept.
Ship tip
Try to make as many reservations for shows and dining in advance as the shows and specialty dining reservations are mostly sold out by the time you get on board.
I didn't do any ship excursions as they are all overpriced and you can find a similar or better excursion on your own. Travel books from Rick Steves give great information on all the ports of Italy. Spent a day in Rome after the cruise to see the Vatican and other sites.
This was an easy day for us. We went to the beach and walked around the neighborhood by the ship. We wanted to take the train which stopped right by the port, but didn't have time.
Love Barcelona. I definitely want to return here. We took a taxi tour which was prearranged the day before by a relative of our driver who lived in Mallorca.
We did a tour which we booked from Can't be Missed tours. We also booked through them in Florence. Excellent tour guide. We saw Pompeii and took a drive up the coast.
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