We have toyed with the idea of cruising for several years after reports by friends told us how they enjoyed it.We were offered a "Cruise and Stay"package by our local Thomson office and decided to try it at last.A bad decision on almost every level.Travel from Exeter to Tenerife was fine,the transfer and registration to the port of Santa Cruz was very efficient.We stepped on board with great expectations,and found the crew vey friendly and helpful.The cabin was very small and claustrophobic,but we assumed that to be the norm.Dining was a very mixed experience,from a very disappointing self service on deck 10 to the 4 seasons which was terrific with wonderful staff.

The entertainment was very mixed with a really good guest comedian,and a band which played each night which were very enjoyable.The rest of the offering was mediocre to say the least.Being our first cruise,we were not prepared for being badgered at every turn and corner by waiters expecting you to always have a drink in hand.It seemed an exercise in extracting the most money from a captive audience rather than providing an enjoyable holiday experience.

We had visited all of the destinations before on regular holidays,except Morocco,so it was particularly annoying to go down with what we believe to be Norovirus as we sailed from Funchal to Agadir.This involved being confined to our cabin for more than 24 hours,and then being banned from the public toilets and the self service restaurants for the balance of the cruise. Read more