Cruising from Southampton is a pleasure for us because we only live just under 2 hours from the port. We booked early and therefore benefitted from free car parking. From the moment we entered the port we were virtually on holiday. Embarkation, although busy, was handled efficiently and we were soon enjoying our first lunch in the Windjammer Cafe.
We had a balcony cabin for three. There was room to pack everything away with plenty of room under the bed for storage of suitcases. The bathroom, although small, was adequate. Our son decided he didn't want to sleep in the upper berth so we asked for a rollaway bed which was kindly delivered to our room. My only minor complaint about the cabin was the balcony chairs, they were not adjustable and just slatted chairs - not comfortable, for such a lovely balcony it would have been nice to have recliners to sit on.
The stateroom attendent kept the cabin spotless. We had cabin 8244 located by the elevators. We were very happy with this choice and would choose it again. We wondered if we would get noise from the elevators - there was none!
8244 - Convenient location near lifts and 3 floors below the gym. Blacony a good size but unfortunately th balcony cahirs were rather uncomfortable. Bathroom quite small but adequate. Near the fromt of the ship so you did have quite a wlak to the dining room at the back of the ship.