This was our first cruise (as passengers...myself and my husband used to work onboard 15 years ago and it's where we met, so what better place to go to celebrate his 40th) we were a party of 16 altogether and it really was a fantastic experience.

Check-in was fairly swift, we have four children so booked 2 adjoining cabins and were checked in cabin by cabin as opposed to altogether but this wasn't a problem. Boarding was quick and easy with the option to look at drinks packages offered on the way through. We did lots of research beforehand which really paid off...one tip was to keep childrens (and grown ups if you like) swimwear in your carry on bags so if the weather is suitable you can take advantage of the pools and hot tubs straight away. It was and we did :)

Cabins were available at around 1pm and I was pleasantly surprised. Had read some reviews saying it was looking 'tired and shabby' so maybe I wasn't expecting too much. There was a flat screen T.V in one cabin and a CRT in the other, a hairdryer (which I'll tell you more about later) and a kettle, cups and tea, sugar and sweeteners. The bathroom was immaculate and overall the cabin had a very clean feel to it. Curtains and carpets maybe slightly dated(and the reason for the refit) but the level of cleanliness was of a very high standard. There was so much to do onboard we didn't spend an awful lot of time in the cabin. Read more