We had sailed on this ship when she was RCI's "Splendour of the Seas", and it was perfect. We booked a week in the Med on Discovery, knowing that it was only the second week of operation in her new colours, and with fingers firmly crossed. The paint job is very impressive, as is the amount of work that went into a 6 week re-fit. Our balcony cabin had been re-carpeted but was otherwise as we remembered it. Most of the public areas had also been re-carpeted and given a face-lift.

The main dining room is on 2 levels, the upper level previously reserved for RCL "My Time" passengers who had paid gratuities in advance. This is now an Italian restaurant, with no surcharge but with only 1 menu change per week. As a result, the main room on deck 4 had very long queues, and much use was made of the pagers, which involved wandering about in the vicinity for half an hour or so (more about lack of seating later). Food was generally very good, and waiting staff were friendly and efficient. The Maitre d' days have gone though, and several layers of suited management did not eradicate mistakes and misunderstandings. There is no dress code on this ship- an announcement was made on the first day. The ladies always make a huge effort, regardless of the ship, but while I stood waiting for dinner and feeling like a spare part in my DJ, the man behind me was in sandals, shorts and T shirt. He was thrilled at not being confined to the buffet restaurant on the "formal" night, and being a pioneer in the dumbing down process.

The beautiful Schooner lounge has gone, and the casino has been all but removed, replaced by the Live Room, which had music every evening, some of which was excellent, but which is truly horrible- freezing cold, terrible seating and awful layout. When an amplified band was playing, the sound carried through to the theatre, which is next door, and was very distracting. There was never enough seating in the Atrium Bar, but decks 5 and 6 had comfortable armchairs around the Atrium well. These have been replaced by umpteen huge monitors, on which you can view and purchase the many photos taken during the cruise. Your image is recorded during embarkation, and face recognition does the rest. It's clever, with none of the appalling waste created by unsold pictures being shredded, but comes a big cost in terms of comfort. The only place where you can have a bit of peace and quiet on this ship is now in your cabin. Read more