This was our first time cruising, and we had a wonderful time. Our balcony cabin on A deck was lovely, plenty of room and spotlessly clean (thanks to our friendly cabin steward Remy) so great to be able to open the patio doors each morning and take in the amazing views, and to sit on the balcony at end of the day and just listen to the sound of the waves as we sailed along. The ship is amazing, so big and so much to do, I don't think we really explored all of it on our weeks holiday! We chose to take breakfast in the buffet Waterside restaurant each morning. Plenty of choice; cooked breakfast, cereals, croissants, ham & cheeses plus fruit & pastries & much more. It was busy but we always found a table, sometimes sharing with fellow passengers and chatting about our plans for the day. In the evening we ate in the Saffron restaurant. We had chosen freedom dining and it suited us perfectly, being able to wander down when we wanted. We were happy to share a table and we met some lovely people, the menu gave a good choice and was always delicious. We could not fault the service and our waiters were always very friendly and efficient, we had some good laughs with them! We enjoyed the formal nights, so lovely to be able to get dressed up & we even got to meet the Captain!

We had booked two excursions through P & O, visiting Florence & Pisa, plus Sorrento & the Amalfi coast. The organisation was brilliant as were our tour guides who were all local people with good knowledge of the areas we were visiting. Visiting these amazing places was our main reason for choosing this cruise, the scenery and architecture was stunning. We chose to wander around Dubrovnik on our own; the views along the walled city were fantastic. Sailing into Venice was a real highlight! Fantastic views from the top of the ship as we sailed in, with people in boats waving, it is a sight I will never forget. As we had visited Venice before, we again chose to wander at our leisure, such a beautiful place to visit.

Yes, it was busy on sea days but you only had to wander around the ship to find a sunbed. The choice of evening entertainment was great, something for everyone & The Headliners show was brilliant .All too soon our week was at an end, as first timers we were not too sure of what to expect, but we loved every minute! We really wished we could have done the return journey for the second week. Read more