As first time cruisers my wife and I had many reservations about this type of holiday. We knew we would be highly intolerant of crowds and/or line-ups, we are used to "fine dining" and doubted it would be possible on a large ship with thousands of passengers. We are child-free and like it that way, tolerating children would be another issue, particularly at dinner or in other shipboard confined spaces.

After much research we came across Seabourn, it appeared overpriced but it did seem to offer relative freedom from the concerns we had about larger cruise ships. A few quick calculations convinced me that the Seabourn premium shrinks dramatically when you compare suite type/size and the "all inclusive" prices.

The only new concern for us moderate income earners was the possibility of having to endure the presence of lots of arrogant, boastful passengers displaying an exaggerated sense of their own importance. This fear was dispelled within hours of boarding. Yes there were plenty of "high net worth" types on board but the overwhelming majority were warm, friendly and not the least bit pretentious. A very small number of self-conscious, name-dropping phonies were there but they were easy to identify and equally easy to avoid. Overall the atmosphere was how I imagine it to be for guests on a large private yacht where you have the opportunity to meet some wonderful new friends and acquaintances - which we did. Read more