So, was the high profile anticipation of Celebrity's new baby, Celebrity Eclipse, with its Dunkirkesque rescue of the Brits from Santander better than the finished article? No, it certainly was not. From dropping the luggage at Southampton to collecting it again two weeks later, the whole operation ran like clockwork. The luggage drop off at Southampton was amazing with pleasant and efficient staff smoothly executing the process without creating luggage mountains and, of course, with nobody demanding a tip! We made it to our cabin two minutes before the luggage arrived!

Our cabin - well we had paid for 5* accommodation and that is exactly what we got. The furnishings, layout and cleanliness were perfect. We requested that our minibar be emptied so that we could stow our own wine and milk - yes, we took our own (plus tea and coffee) for the first few days rather than use the small milk units provided. When our milk ran out, it was easy to source milk from the breakfast buffet. The provision of a kettle was very welcome and, speaking to non-UK guests, they also could not understand why this is not available on other cruise ships. Our cabin stewards were delightful, always at hand but never intrusive.

We are not great at joining in, mainly because my husband is registered deaf, so we just get on with our own holiday. We enjoyed our balcony from early morning watching the next port come into view, to enjoying a cuppa and quiet time by ourselves in the evening before retiring. We never closed our curtains at night fearful of missing anything! Read more