We had seen round the ship in Southampton prior to her Maiden Voyage and at first thought her too large for our taste and sporting a mish-mash of decorative styles. However we took advantage of a last minute, competitively priced, seven day cruise in January and we were pleasantly surprised.

The first thing to note is that it is definitely a two grade ship, as is the QE2. Your restaurant reflects the grade of cabin booked. You'll see the various cruising guides give two ratings for the ship. It depends what you want to do, if you want to save your money to spend on other things, then the lower grade cabins are excellent as they are spacious and beautifully finished, but you have to eat (two sittings) in a very large two-tier restaurant, which although an incredibly beautiful room, has too many people at one time. According to the passengers we talked to, many diners had slow service and sometimes lukewarm food. However if you like to remain in casual wear, there is a huge buffet style cafeteria for breakfast and lunch which converts to small themed eating areas in the evening. All the beautiful public rooms, entertainment areas and decks are available to you.

There is an exception -- the more expensive (Grill class) cabins have an efficient, no queue check-in, superior furnishings, their own bar, sun deck and exclusive restaurant. There are two of these intimate, one-sitting rooms, which are allocated according to grade of cabin. The food and service here is outstanding, as good if not better than most high class venues on land. You can divert from the menu but the daily menu choices are so good that you are spoiled for choice. We travelled at the P2 grade and had one of the largest and most tasteful cabins that we have had during our 20 or more cruises. If your perfect holiday is to relax in beautiful surroundings, lying on your spacious private balcony with a book and glass of champagne on the table beside you; if you like dressing up and being thoroughly pampered at mealtimes; if you don't like set times to eat or see a show, then splash out and try the Grill class. Its an experience to remember.