Let me start by writing the best bits of our cruise: spacious cabin, good size balcony (we were on the 7th Floor), very good waiting staff, good housekeeping service, excellent Japanese restaurant Izumi, fabulous Italian restaurant, Giovannis, good food in the dinning room, great ports of call, large well equiped gym, fun mini golf and a brilliant guitarist.

Now for the worst bits of the cruise, ship was packed, cabins were dated and tired, the Windjammer cafe had sticky floors, the games equipment needed maintenance (pool table- baize needed replacement as did side cushions, table tennis tables unstable and so popular that there were often queue, draughts-cheap plastic pieces), the cruise services desk was always busy and the staff were not always helpful, the port information and maps were poor (we thought this was to encourage cruise guests to go on the cruise's organized tours, the solarium was the poorest public place on the ship, full of cheap and tacky plastic plants, the drinks were eye wateringly expensive, the balcony furniture was very basic and when you sat on a seat your eyeline was in line with the handrail, there were no cleaning cloths available to wipe off sweat from the gym equipment, poor quality of food in the windjammer cafe, free seating would be preferable in the dining room, a very disappointing 3 min Jack and the Beanstalk show which we waited 30 mins to see and no library to read travel books, play games and get away from the crowds,

Top Tips : book from a US address it was much cheaper doing this than booking through the UK agent for the exact same room for the exact same dates of travel. Unfortunately we couldn't and the ruise cost us more than it would be a US/Canadian citizen Read more