MARSEILLE, France — We loved this first-ever Mediterranean seaport the last time we were here. Then we remembered why.
We'd been travelling the roads of France with two teenagers and a pre-teen, squishing five people in hotel rooms built for four (or less), and when we arrived in Marseille, the people at the Novotel gave us an extra room for the kids, at no charge.
That was then, this is now, and now means there is much to love about Marseille, first stop on the Oceania Riviera's cruise en route to its christening in Barcelona.
It starts with easy access, at least with Oceania ships. There's a shuttle bus that takes you 
from cruise ships arriving in the new harbor to the Old Harbor. The new one is 70 kilometers of ports, and the old one is in the heart of this city that's growing aggressively towards a million people. The one-way bus ride can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic.
The "Vieux Port" is busier than ever. The cargo ships from its earliest days have been replaced by tour boats waiting to take visitors on a myriad of sea adventures. Just by the lines, business is brisk. If you're coming this year, however, a large chunk of the Old Harbour is under construction so that when it's completed in 2013 there will be 50% less vehicular traffic, more room for tourists and speed limits of 30 kilometers per hour. In France, that's like standing still.
The first thing we noticed about the downtown area is no shortage of places to eat. Sidewalk cafes with upscale menus and, naturally, many of them featuring fish. The gastronomic aromas of seafood fill the streets, especially on a sunny day with the windows open.
There are 16 museums (from motorcycles to Roman docks) and enough shops to fill any and every suitcase. A hop-on, hop-off bus is always a good idea with the traffic congestion in European cities, and cruise-line shore excursions can take you deep into the area around Marseille. A ferry boat crosses the Old Harbor in what is billed as the shortest commercial boat ride in Europe.
If so inclined you can even visit the neighborhood where arguably Marseille's most famous native son, retired soccer star Zinedene Zidane, was raised. It's called La Castellane but the great player was born into poverty so there's not much worth seeing…don't mistake it for Place Castellane, a roundabout with an impressive fountain and sculpture, cafes and cinemas.
There are magnificent churches, none more impressive than Notre Dame de la Garde, where fishermen used to take their boats to be blessed, and you can find them with a good map from the tourist office at Vieux Port, or many tours of the tours offered on or off the ship.
Or you can just go to the Novotel and see if they still have free rooms for kids.
Island Princess
7 nights
July 4, 2012
Vancouver, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Anchorage
Inside: $599
Cost per day: $85
www.princess.com