After years of friends saying, ‘You travel so much. Why haven’t you taken a cruise?’, I slapped a motion sickness patch behind one ear and took the plunge. Here’s what I thought about the service, food, stateroom, and more, and whether I’d take another cruise or stick with land-based travel.

Paris is at the top of many travel wish lists. Between iconic sites like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and newly renovated Notre-Dame (wow!), and the fantastic food at every corner, there’s a lot to experience.

Here’s how we made the most of our time while there.