We had sailed almost 3600 nautical miles (over 4100 statute miles) since embarking in Venice. Other than a brief rain shower in Athens, the hailstorm in Volterra, and the fierce winds our last day at sea, we had excellent weather for a 12-day cruise.
The Emerald Princess is big and beautiful, and this Mediterranean itinerary has a good mixture of ports of call in five countries. It was a great cruise, and the Emerald Princess disembarkation process was as smooth and efficient as the embarkation and shore excursion routines had been.
Although many of the passengers were staying on in Barcelona on their own or with a Princess cruise extension, we had to head home. It's always sad to say goodbye to new friends and new destinations, but the memories will stay with us for a long time to come.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary cruise accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
