Having been cruising for over 30 years thought we would take a New Year cruise rather than our usual hotel break. We booked on Thomson Majesty which we were told was their sweet ship joining the fleet in 2012. Checked on Wikipedia and found this ship had an interesting history, she is the only cruise ship that has an ice breaking rating, has been cut in half and had major extensions , ran aground on a reef off the USA and suffered fatilities when a freak wake smashed the windows in the saloon!!

On. Larding the ship we were very underwhelmed by the tired old decor and tatty fittings. The Isle of Wight ferry is brighter and more pleasant to sail in. Our cupboard, sorry cabin, was tiny with misted windows, single beds and half a wardrobe. Bathroom small but functional and we hadno problems with blocked drains as other did apparently. Food was acceptable although nothing like what we normally expect on a cruise. The Baked Alaska evening very amusing as the. Hers/waiters paraded what looked like small polystyrene replicas and then we got served something like a Birds Eye Artic Roll. Long queues for table, an hour and a half on New Years Eve. Entertainment ok but cramped and uncomfortable and no theatre.

Overall extremely disappointed by the ship which shooed be retired and will never sail with Thomson again who clearly are not a cruise line and do not understand the ethos.