Something totally different from a standard ocean cruise -- Christmas markets throughout Europe in the winter! Excellent cruise overall, with great food, friendly service and a clean, new ship in perfect shape -- even in the face of rainy weather in the 40s. Got to meet a lot of interesting people from around the world. The ports were fascinating, beautiful and the excursions uniformly first-rate, interesting and understandable. One of the highlights was the cruise director, who gave nightly summaries of upcoming ports and kept us informed about things to expect in the day(s) ahead. She was a natural comedienne as well -- intelligent, articulate, very funny, very friendly and great one-on-one as well as in front of the entire passenger contingent. Clearly professionalism across the board is valued among the crew, and the cruise director stood out as being far superior to any counterpart on the 30 or so ocean cruises that we have taken. Even the captain was accessible and willing to engage guests throughout the week. Oh, and the food and wine were superb! I would recommend this cruise line without hesitation!
New ship -- spotless and beautiful. Cabin large, very comfortable, and with lots of glass to watch passing scenery.