M S Prinsendam from Pireaus

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If you're looking for nightlife and partying, this is not the ship for you. For that very reason, it was perfect for me. I traveled solo this trip, and after a few things were worked out with staff, it was the most pleasurable cruise I've ever been on.

A 30 minute ride to Pireaus, and within 20 minuted of arrival I was onboard unpacking in my Deluxe Verandah Suite. Almost 400 square feet, it was almost too much for little old me. On the verandah, there were two straw chairs and a table/foot stool, two additional chairs and a small cocktail table. I invited guests for a drink and sunset each night, until we discovered Pub Trivia in the Crow's Nest a few days into the cruise.

After unpacking, I wandered around and realized, this ship is easy to navigate, not so big you need extra time to get from point A to point B. From my mid-ship vantage point on deck 10, it was one flight up to the lido buffet & pool, 2 flights down to the bars, shopping and front desk. One more down from there to the dining room. When we were in port next to the other RCCL and Oceania mega ships, we felt like yachtsmen going back to our perfect-sized ship.

We had an impressive itinerary of 13 ports in 16 days. The first 6 days (Egypt, Israel & jet lag) were grueling, but compelling. I will cover the ports in the ports review section, but each day was a new adventure.

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