Since this was my very first cruise, and also my very first trip to Europe, everything was uniquely new and, in some sense, like drinking from a fire hose. Here are a some of the things that stood out for me throughout cruise.

---- CRUISING EXPERIENCE ----

Good to excellent food (and lots of it).

Very comfortable bed.

Tendered ports (as opposed to docked) are a pain.

(Unfortunately) There were difficulties between the guests in the stateroom between us and we had to call the desk about them on more than one occasion.

Lots of nooks and crannies to explore on these big cruise liners.

Anything that isn't included in the "all-inclusive" part is super expensive. Want to use their Internet? 75 cents a minute!

Don't go to see the medical staff if you don' absolutely need to. Just to walk into the medical clinic was $119 (I know, I went in for an ear issue and walked out $230 lighter in the wallet. Fortunately, I won $240 in my only stint in the ship's casino :-).

The wait staff were extremely nice and accommodating.

Time flies when you're visiting a new city every day or so.

---- CITIES ----

The most unique - Venice.

The most naturally scenic - Kotor.

The most artistic (to date) - Florence.

The most mind boggling (to date) - Pompeii.

Most favorite (to date) - Venice. A city built on water. The sweeping landscape of Venice was captivating on arrival. Loved the mazes of canals, bridges, streets, and squares (and no autos). Gorgeous at night.