This was our first cruise on a ship. It was a local promotion which was really great value for money. My review is split between good and bad things:

Good things: what a fantastic way to enjoy the ocean. 3 nights was a good trial and for us it was definitely a winner and we loved it. We enjoyed the Turkish baths and the relaxation spa area was a great breakaway from the crowds on deck 11. Food galore - so you defintely won't starve but if you are watching your weight - be warned - temptation is everywhere. The pizza is basic magherita and the other choice was vegetarion - but oh so super delicious. We loved the Buddha Bar - chilled music and some really great artists.

Bad things: Stricter rules on use of the Turkish baths should be implemented. Persons under the age of 18 should not be allowed. There were noisy children running in and out of the showers and the baths which was very disruptive. We had an ocean view cabin on deck 8 - the bed linen really needs an upgrade badly - horrible pillows - you can feel the knobly sponge. The blanket was very worn out and tired and the beds were hard and uncomfortable. My husband and I are not "big" people, yet we found the shower area to be cramped. I don't know how the bigger sized people shower. We never got to enjoy the jaccuzi in the pool area - again - overun by children and certain guests just totally hogged the jacuzzi. The embarkment procedure at Cape Town harbour was totally disorganised and a long wait of 2.5 hours was not pleasant. There needs to be better signage and queue management. Several very confused passengers were trying to fathom out where to go. I did my booking on-line and thought I was specific about my request for restaurant seating but it seems this request was not actioned and then it was frustrating to get this changed once on board. Only the maitre d could change the seating arrangments and it was difficut to get hold of him. Read more