Not having cruised before,we looked for a smaller ship for our first taste.Having read some fine reports about this ship we booked this trip to the Caribbean.After a long,tiring flight of some 8+hours we finally arrived in Barbados,there we were met by reps.from Saga and taken in small buses to the ship.We were welcomed aboard by senior staff and offered a welcome non alcoholic drink,then one of the staff escorted us to our cabin.The cabin was small but comfortable, Our luggage arrived not too long after. The first evening was spent familiarizing ourselves with the ship as information for "newbees"was scarce. The ship sailed from Barbados at around 11pm.
The service on board and the food was second to none,there was also wine supplied at both lunch and dinner,always in ample supply.Tea,coffee,apple juice,orange juice and water was "on tap"all day long. The Philippine staff were so helpful and eager to please that,at times it was almost embarrassing.We called at six destinations,one each day,with a choice of excursions too,it was very good value,our only criticism was the lack of information regarding itinerary of the excursions and the one extra that we paid for,"secrets of the Sea"in Martinique was a huge disappointment,it was on a glass bottom boat to visit a reef but all the coral was dead and the variety of fish was also poor.The complaints we have from this trip,are probably very small to some but we felt that they did have a baring on the cruise:- The aircon.in the cabins have no controls,the toilets did not always work properly,information to "beginners"was not up to scratch,one felt as if it was expected that everyone knew the ropes.The icecream machine broke down half way through the week and no one fixed it.Saga,we also feel made a big mistake by offering some late comers to the cruise a free week in Barbados,this caused annoyance to many passengers.However despite our criticism this cruise and the ship was well worth the money as so much is included and we would sail with her again.
