My husband & I have been on quite a few cruises but this the 1st one for my girls (ages 7 & 9). They gave it two thumbs up. Some favorite things on the ship - rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, broadway shows, swimming/water park, dream works parade and the self serve ice cream machine. I'm not a big fan of cruise ship food but this was the best to date :) Our 1st stop was Provence, France - we decided to take a tour to Cassis, an ancient fishing port. The harbor was pretty & the shops quaint. We stopped & had a croissant at an outside cafe - super yummy! We walked down to the beach - it was rocky but beautiful. As we sat there a 3 men rose out of the sea, dressed in full wet suits, spear guns in hand, fish & a giant squid hanging from their belts. They came out of the water & walked down to the fish market to drop off the days catch - very James Bond, very cool! The 2nd stop was Ville Franche a very small medieval village - with quaint colorful buildings & a picturesque marina. From there we took a 20 minute train ride to Monte Carlo. I loved Monte Carlo - everything is carved in the side of the mountain. We got to see some of the Grand Prix course. The cars outside the casino, the yachts in the marina - everything said money, lots & lots of money. Our 3rd stop was Livorno - basically a pit, so we only drove thru on our way to Pisa. The Tower of Pisa is in the middle of no where but definitely worth the drive. Then we continued on to Florence - we saw lots of statues (a naked David, Perseus holding Medusa's severed head). A few cathedrals, the doors of paradise, The Baptistery of John the Baptist, from the 11th century. We ate lunch by the Ponte Veccio (1345 bridge). If you like red wine - I recommend you try Brunello, it was exquisite (and I don't even like red wine). Our 4th stop was Rome, our agenda was the Coliseum, the Vatican & St Peter's Basilica. The Pope was in town & giving a blessing in the square so what should of been a 1 hour trip into town took 3. We did get to see everything but it was so crowded you couldn't walk, you had to shuffle. Our 5th stop was Naples - we were supposed to take a boat tour to Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii but due weather they cancelled it. We decided to spend a relaxing day on the boat. Our final stop was Barcelona, we walked up & down the streets - we found catherdrals, fun parks, buildings by Gaudi & great street performers. It as the perfect ending to a great trip.
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