What a fabulous way to see the Mediterranean! Unpack once. No hassles with passport stamping or customs and you get a taste of 5 different countries.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Superb - escargot, filet mignon, prime rib, lobster, fabulous shrimp and seafood dishes all in the main dining room. The food in the buffet is good as well and you are served most of it.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Culinary Arts Center and Microsoft Digital Workshops were nice additions on this ship.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
There was a variety but nothing spectacular.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Very friendly, helpful staff. They made you feel like family.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Older ship but very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
Cabin 10026 is very noisy with a cabana area above it and ping pong tables below. We were moved to a mini - suite 6096 - great location, no noise and spacious room.
Ship tip
In Barcelona, book a Delta flight and use their transport to the airport. It makes disembarkation very easy!
We stayed at a small hotel - Hotel Antiche Figure in a quieter (Santa Croce) section of Venice. The hotel location and staff were superb! Buffet breakfast outside on their waterfront terrace was so scenic. Water taxis drop off/pick up right at the door and gondolas are right outside the hotel doors as well. We recommend an evening gondola ride when the canals are peaceful.
Magna Grecia farm visit was excellent. You get a little bored of the normal site seeing on a long trip so visiting a working olive oil farm and eating local foods was fun.
Another beautiful Greek town. As you face the town from the ship there is an absolutely stunning walkway along the water to your far right that leads you to a free beach. It takes about 30 minutes to get there.
The ruins in Ephesus have only been 10% excavated and the area is huge. Go to a carpet making demonstration. It is so interesting to see what the local women produce by hand, and they do take no for an answer when you don't want to buy.
This island is a dream. It looks even better than the pictures you see. Take a tour. There is so much more to see than just the whitewashed house in Oia.
We organized a private car through rome-airport.net. 125 Euros each way. Driver picked us up right under the ship to go to the Colosseum. Rome is a must do!
Palermo Street For tour - find it online though Viator was great. 15 minute walk form the pier to the Massimo Theater meeting place and then a delicious guided walk tasting food in the market and form street vendors in Palermo.
This is a long day if you go into Florence. Pisa was a tourist trap area with tons of vendors. If it wasn't part of the Holland America tour I would say to skip the Leaning Tower...
Embarkation with Holland America with a Delta flight was fast and easy. We got our boarding passes and turned in our luggage right at the cruise terminal.
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