So looked forward to our Far East cruise and booked with a PREMIUM!! cruise line added to our expectations. Oh my word what a big let down. The ship although now 14yrs old was attractive and comfortable. Our cabin an inside on deck 8 was very good, plenty of space and storage space and well looked after. On all my cruises have always had a chocolate on my pillow after evening turn down. No chocolates but on the captains gala night we did find an ORIO BISCUIT on the pillow, couldn't believe my eyes.

Now to my main gripe THE FOOD just one word DREADFUL!!!!!. I don't quite know where to start, ok, the Ocean view self serve buffet. All hot dishes were no more than lukewarm ever, unable to get a hot plate to put lukewarm food on unless you picked up a hot plate from the cold dessert counter, and no this is not fantasy salad and dessert plates always red hot, plates for hot food stone cold. The food itself was the worst I have ever had on a cruise, cheap and nasty is my opinion. There were gastro problems on the ship we were constantly reminded of hand hygiene but the Very Rare!! cooked joints of meat and poultry kept barely warm for hours didn't help, I stopped having it after two days. Now this is a very large counter that goes in a huge circle and whoever planned the layout of the food must be a comedian who thinks walking half a mile round the counter to get a plate of food that goes together is fun. By the time you actually got your food to a table it was stone cold. I like my vegetables al dente but these were nearly raw. the same selection for 14 days carrots and broccoli or carrots and cauliflower. The glass protecting the food from being breathed all over was so low you had to bend double to reach the back line and then had difficulty getting food onto your plate. The bread available was always the same brown and white sliced or a small very hard baguette.

Breakfast was a complete farce, trying to find two things that went together in the same area of the counter was impossible. Get your bacon walk halfway round counter to find cooked tomato walk again to egg counter for omelette of fried egg. I waited in line one morning asked for a poached egg and was told to go right round to other side for that, by this time my other food was stone cold. The toast which is done for you was only ever toasted on one side of bread, asking for both sides to be done was always met with tuts and angry stares. The tea and coffee stations well that was hilarious, people bumping into each other trying to find spoons at one end milk at another sugar etc. in another. Read more