Embarkation at Southampton took about 40 minutes. I think we arrived at peak time about noon, so could have avoided queues if slightly earlier or later. It was generally stress-free and we were on the ship fairly quickly - then: the first surprise. There was a huge line to get into the Windjammer for lunch, followed by crowds of people inside searching for tables. Not a relaxing start to our vacation!

Thankfully our cabins were ready by 2 pm so we went to drop of our bags and explore the ship. The cabin was in fairly good condition considering they are due for a refit soon, and was nice and clean, although I noticed there were none of those special freebies you usually get - cutbacks I suppose.

Our room steward did her job very well and sometimes chatted with our four year old, but was not perky. This was another thing I noticed about many of the staff (mainly waiters and stateroom attendants) - a general feeling of depression. Maybe all these UK guests are refusing to pay their gratuities? Whatever the case, many of the staff did not seem particularly happy, but worked very, very hard. Read more