Booked this 14-day transatlantic repositioning cruise at a great price -- our balcony stateroom had an obstructed view but we still had a view and it was just fine. Knew there would be many more at-sea days that port days, which was okay with us.
Embarkation in Ft Lauderdale: Stayed at Four Points by Sheraton Fort Lauderdale and took advantage of their port transfer kiosk in the lobby. We also liked their on-site bar and restaurant. On our sailing day, we chose to ignore our assigned boarding time (1:30) and went to the port a couple hours early. Practically walked right on to the ship!
The ship is absolutely beautiful! The décor, the art, and the music theme all played well together. The Lido pool area (with the retractable roof) was very thoughtfully done with different seating and lounging options. Stateroom 4070 was fine and the storage was more than adequate. At night you could hear the music from the venues below but we were not bothered by it. We had the twin bed configuration but I don't think the beds are regulation twin sized -- narrower. The bathroom had a walk-in shower, which was great but the toilet was placed at an odd angle and it never really "felt" right. Storage in the bathroom is lacking -- only one bank of shelves instead of the customary two. That meant using the shelf under the sink for what you could and storing other toiletries elsewhere in the cabin which wasn't really very convenient.
Guaranteed balcony room with obstructed view - not a blocked out view though. We still saw plenty of land and water. Cabin was on the cusp of forward and midship. Though we were two decks up from the music walk area, you could hear the bands playing. Didn't bother us but if you retire early and are a light sleeper this might be a problem. Storage in cabin is fine (don't forget the foot of the bed drawers!) Bathroom is kind of small. Walk in shower only -- no tub. Not enough storage in bathroom and the lighting could be better.
Has an independent Shore Trips excursion planned but the weather was rainy and foggy so we passed on it. We walked around the city a bit but the weather drove us back to the ship,
My rating is for the town of Cherbourg which was very nice, but a little bit of a hike from the ship. We took a HAL excursion to Val de Saire in the afternoon. Biggest waste of money ever! Not enough time at our two fishing village stops to really see or do anything. Spend most of the excursion time riding on the bus.
Arranged a transfer from the port to Bruges on with Viator. They were not very organized and the entire process took much to much time (cheap price though). Bruges is a magical town and though it was cold, we enjoyed our visit thoroughly. Negotiated a cab ride from the Market Suqare back to the ship. Best decision of the day.