As we live in Southampton, getting to the port is very quick and easy. And as Mother in Law is Platinum Cunard member, we were all whisked to the front of embarkation line with her - very pleasant surprise! We arrived just after 11 and were on board around 12.00 - it was lovely to be able to explore the ship when it was so quiet. Also had lunch in the Lido buffet - very nice food, much better layout than the QM2 buffet, and much better standard of food - something that was continued throughout all food venues on board.

The ship was full to capacity, and it showed on sea days, particularly as the weather was not so great for the first and last couple of days, making it a bit of a bun fight for a seat.

The entertainment was a real mixture, with 1 night being the resident Queens Room lounge singer as the headline act,and another night the Theatre Orchestra headlined with Dixie Jazz themed night. It did seem like Cunard were penny pinching - I expected more headline acts. Having said that, the Dixieland Jazz night was great, and the flautist and west end singer were exceptional. Unfortunately, they also had a dated British comedian, David Copperfield, who seemed to think it was ok to make fun of gay people and told some rather off colour jokes. A lot of people found him very funny, I didn't. Read more