My new husband and I took our mums away in order for them to get to know one another better. As this was advertised as a "Strictly Come Dancing" theme cruise we were hoping/expecting that there would be some evening dancing exhibitions or behind the scenes discussions related this topic. It really didn't transpire. There was an amateur dance class but no different from any other cruise and there were some dresses on display from the show which were nice (and small!) but other than the company that makes these dresses trying to sell key chains and shoes and a few over priced trinkets (a £300 purse) the only event of any significance was on the final evening of the cruise when Ola and James Jordan did 5 dances of about 90 seconds each. In the 43 minute show, we "were privileged to see the winners of the amateur event" which took up at least 15 minutes of that time. I felt sorry for them as it was so bad but applauded their bravery. I did not pay a supplement in order to see bad amateurs. I could have seen that any night in the atrium. It was a very disappointing show.

It was my first P&O cruise so was excited to compare it to my other 64 cruises on essentially American based companies. The average age was 65 but felt like 105. I was waiting for the announcement of "wheelchair races on deck 5." This could have been the effect of the themed cruise. I am looking forward to another cruise on P&O to compare as you cannot generalise based on one experience. However, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and others have MANY more activities, entertainment and things to do both during the day and in the evening.

The food was OK. I don't think the Brits know what a salad is. I was screaming for a salad bar. There was lettuce and cucumber and two watery dressings as an after thought. But they do a mean fish and chips. The absolute worse part of the cruise was the bed. If you are used to a quality, memory foam mattress you may end up like the four of us who all thought we would need to be in traction by the end of the cruise. I literally was calling reception in tears begging to move us. The ship was full so that wasn't an option. They did cover the mattress with duvets with some relief but it was horrible.