This was our first adventure with P &O cruises having previously sailed with Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line. We liked the idea of sailing from Southampton and also not having to convert all our shipboard spend from Dollars to GBP so that was a major factor in the initial decision.

Embarkation was awful; queues everywhere and it didn't matter what time you were listed to board, you just joined the massive queue and waited. The ship was due to sail at 4.30pm and it took until 4pm before we were all aboard. The two hours we spent waiting could have been improved with the offer of a glass of water as there really wasn't anything worthwhile on offer in the terminal. We later heard that the utter chaos had been caused by a computer failure earlier in the day and and assured by fellow passengers that it isn't normally that bad.

The ship herself is absolutely stunning with plenty of indoor chill out space and lots of outdoor small terraces to sit and have a drink or enjoy the view. We chose an indoor cabin on deck 9, towards the aft of the ship on the starboard side. The room we had, D711, was very spacious with lots of lighting and mirrors which made the room feel warm and welcoming. We were pleasantly surprised with the ample wardrobe space with plenty of storage. The shower room was small but had everything you need including complementary toiletries. We especially liked the tea/coffee making facilities and the interactive services on the television where for example, you could choose a free film, find out what food theme was available that night in the Waterside buffet restaurants and most importantly, find out our itemised onboard spend. Read more