We did a back to back cruise which covered South America and the Panama Canal. We spent 3 days in BA before boarding, of which one was spent in Tigre with a family there. What a wonderful way to spend a day. They run a small tour operation called Delta Unplugged. Well worth the effort. Boarding was a bit drawn out as you have to book in at the Travel Center then go up and down stairs to get to a bus which then takes you out to the ship, docked in the middle of the cargo area. Once on board everything went very smoothly. Due to a virus outbreak on the previous cruise you could not get into your cabin straight away but after a welcome drink we were guided to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. She might be an old ship, but everything was in very good condition. On arrival at our cabin we found our bags waiting for us at the door. Getting quickly into routine was easy. As my wife had a dietary restriction we found the Maitre 'D quite easily and he check his laptop and found all the details and ensured us that everything was in hand. Apart from running out of Soy milk between two Ports everything worked very smoothly, including dining at specialty restaurants. The cabin (inside) on Deck 3 was very comfortable and the cabin staff were exceptional. They ensured little things like dairy free dark chocolate was on the pillow each night. They went out of their way to greet you each morning, even when working in another cabin. Dining was good. The food was of a very good quality and the meals were not too big, just right. Service was attentive and smooth. Only one problem when the table waiter dripped dressing down my shoulder on one 'elegant casual' night. Quickly clean me up and a dry cleaning voucher to cover all clothes was quickly produced.
The entertainment was for the most part excellent. The ship's dancers and singers put on high quality entertainment and most of the imported entertainers were good.
As is the case with cruise ships shore excursions were expensive but the quality was good. Movement on and off the ship was pretty good even when tendering. Waiting times were not overly long. This ship had the happiest crew i have come across. They enjoyed their work, they mingled well with passengers and provided a consistently good standard of service. From the Captain (Capt Nikolaos Frantzis) and Hotel Manager (Niina Hautaniemi) down everybody made sure you enjoyed your cruise. The Capt even offered to buy me a coffee one day. The guest speakers were interesting. Overall this was a great two cruises and we would certainly do it again, just to do some of the other excursions we heard about on board.
The cabin has plenty of room and storage, although it was a bit of a squeeze getting one of the suitcases under the bed. The bed was reasonably comfortable. Bathroom facilities were good, but it would be nice to have shower gel supplied as is the case with some other cruise lines.