I had been critical of the potential of a cruise, so to be fair I decided, with my wife, to prove my point that a cruise was just an opportunity to do what you do at home (eat, drink, read), except pay for the privilege. We were fortunate to find a special for 8 nights, so took it up, as it visited 2 places we had wanted to go - Lisbon and Casablanca.

As an overall rating I would say the cruise was average. The food was average and certainly not the gourmet delights we had been led to believe we would enjoy - in fact some of it was downright bland. Again, I was glad I had taken up a somewhat pricey 24 hour drinks package, as all drinks (even water) had to be paid for at inflated prices. We got our money's worth, even if the Italian wine on offer was very ordinary, we made up for it in cocktails. The cabin was quite comfortable and cosy, but more about that later.

We looked forward to our ports of call. However, the time generally available in each is limited, and the tour packages, although quite well organised and informative, do not allow enough time for your own explorations. It's really - do your own thing or the package. We visited the theatre one night for a show, which was particularly amateurish, off key singing and jugglers who dropped skittles. The waiting staff in the restaurant at dinner was very friendly and mostly Indonesian. The lunch staff was quite slow, and the administration and reception staff very aloof. The breakfast buffet was a bit of a circus and the food there was of a wide variety but very plain. Read more