The ship looked the part when we joined it at Corfu, painted and shiney. Bags reached our rooms before us and common areas seemed good and clean. Staff were excellent throughout. Arriving with 20 kilos x 2 bags of clothes for 7 nights of dining we found the absence of a self -service laundry or an iron in the cabin disappointing. No fridge either. A bag of clothes pressed & folded for initial nights only would set you back £16! The room was pokey. The absence of an iron or any self service laundry facilities was a bad start as we had been led to believe there was. You could pay £15 for a bag of clothes to be "press & folded" .

We paid for al All Inclusive drinks package and made sure to use it but be aware of the exclusions and rules. Bottled water, certain cocktails and many branded drinks are excluded or require an extra charge. Check the bar menu and always make it clear to the waiter before you order. The funny rule relates to wine where you can order a glass of house wine for free but if you order a bottle they will charge you the bottles price, say £16 less £2 discount. Don't use your free account to buy others drink as those drinks will be charged at full price to you. All the drinks in your cabin are an extra charge. We just hid them behind the curtain until we left. By the way, you will be constantly asked if you want to order a drink as long as you are on the ship.

The cruise itself was smooth and relaxing and at each stop we avoided the excursions and did our own thing. All ports were within walking distance of the town centre and its only Venice where I feel with hindsight we should have booked a tour as we didn't get inside St Marks and I believe some tours can bypass the 2/3 hour queue that was outside the church. Venice is fun to walk around but its easy to get lost. The highlight for us was Split as it had a Roman Palace and a fab sandy beach. both within 10 minutes of the ship. Read more