We just returned from the British Isles cruise. It was our first time with a balcony and we loved our location! We enjoyed every moment of this cruise. The only downsides were the Lido breakfast buffet was less variety than we have had previously on other cruises and we had to miss the ports of Holyhead, Wales, and Kirkwall, Scotland due to inclement weather and them being tender ports. We heard many complaints about this but personally felt safety was more important and the fact remains you take it easier on sea days than port days. We felt the food was excellent - we ate in both of the specialty restaurants and thought both were worth the extra money - esp. Sabatini's - they gave samples of almost everything on the menu! The Desert Rose had wonderful steak and live music. We had anytime dining and it worked out great - if we knew what time we wanted to eat, we called in reservations that morning - never had to wait at all. The entertainment was great - we had Irish step dancers, bagpipers, English humor all in one cruise - how do you beat that? A highlight was hearing 'Danny Boy' a favorite song since my husband is Dan!

The only tour we booked was in Belfast - a crafts tour we really enjoyed - just would have liked more shopping time on it. Otherwise we went on our own and had no problems - using either taxis or buses. Just a note - Dublin uses Euros, and all the other ports used English pounds.

We felt the ship was clean, service was excellent, food was great, and we really enjoyed all of the port stops as well as the relaxation on sea days. (I personally have Irish, English, Scottish, and Welsch ancestors) This was an early 50th birthday gift and one that will always be remembered.