Embarkation was quick and efficient in Hamburg, but once you got on the ship, you had to run a college hazing type gauntlet through 15 people trying to sell you drink packages before you even got your cabin card. If I had known that literally everything was a la carte on the line, I would have been much better prepared. Water and coffee with dinner had to be purchased. It would've been nice also, if more of the employees smiled once in a while. Most of them just looked bored. The ship was beautiful and very clean, and our cabin was kept spotless by our cabin steward. Entertainment was just okay. I'm certain that has a lot to do with trying to accommodate so many different ethnic backgrounds and languages, but even the dancers looked disjointed and bored. We had a good laugh that the "normal" 30 minute trivia took about an hour after 4 or 5 language translations for each question. Still, it was fun. The buffet was a chaotic nightmare. Limited stations open during peak times created a Hunger Games quality to what should have been a leisurely buffet meal. The pushing and shoving that occurred on a regular basis was rude, no matter what country you're from or what language you speak. I'm a patient and tolerant traveller realizing not everyone has the same social customs, but the insanity that was the buffet, was completely out of hand. Dinner in the dining room was quite good and our waiter, assistant and maitre d were very friendly and attentive. Very good service. Still, water and coffee, only for a fee at dinner, was still a bit much. Our excursions were wonderful in each port. We enjoyed them very much. Each city was very beautiful, and very different and we'll carry beautiful memories from each one. Self disembarkation was VERY early, but very easy. All in all, a decent cruise, but from a service aspect, not at the top of my list.