First time cruisers very wary about what to expect. Transfers fast and straightforward made easier by color coding suitcases. Warm welcome onboard ship and taken instantly to our cabin. Very happy with cabin. We found the beds seriously comfy and even tho we had single beds we slept undisturbed every night. Ali our steward was brill, kept cabin spotless and we loved the beds being turned down in evenings and a small choccie on pillow. We simply left notes on what we used in mini bar and he restocked it each day. Small gripes..not enough plugs so we shall simply take small extension next time and we had to leave note first day asking for milk to be left not creamer as well tea with cream just nasty...we only seemed to be allowed 4 so we hid what we didn't use so Ali would restock 4 again. We shall also take mugs next time as small cups useless, we acquired mug from canteen in end and hid it each day so Ali wouldn't remove it.

The food was endless and delicious. Something for everyone. We usually ate in the lido tho did opt for 2 paid for meals which were superb, especially Mistrals,the food was dreamy and staff wonderful, which we found throughout the ship regardless of their job, couldn't fault them. The bar staff in the lido were lovely, we adopted Manuel and Ricky for the week and by 2nd day they knew our drinks and virtually had them ready when they saw us, even learning my partner liked 'breakfast tea' all day and not just in the morning.

The entertainment was very good, the dream team not only did the evening shows in the Broadway but also did various things throughout the day, quizzes, dance classes etc. We had a wonderful massage in the spa which left us relaxed for our sea day. We paid for internet access so we could log in daily to check our teenaged children hadn't burned house down and it was nice sitting in library and relaxing or slotting a few pieces into a puzzle which were left for people to all add too as they passed by. We didn't attend captains gala evening but it was lovely seeing ppl dressed in their finery. The stops were all great and getting on and off ship easy and fast...scan card as get off...scan again as get back on... Our only niggle would be the lifts, they seemed to take forever to arrive so most of the time we gave up waiting and dragged ourselves up the stairs,which could be a problem if you were disabled. All in all a wonderful holiday and we are currently looking into next year cruise as a result of this experience.