We LOVE the old Rennaisance ships and had sailed on four (of the eight) [R2 Oceania Regatta; R5 Oceania Nautica; R6 Azamara Journey (which is our favourite overall cruise ship); and R7 Azamara Quest]. We thought it could be nice to sail, one way or another on all the other 'R' ships and to this end took the Christmas/New Year 16-day cruise on P&O's Adonia which was R8. What a disappointment.

It started well enough - an excellent rail journey to Southampton and onboard within 20 minutes of arriving at the Departure Lounge. Approaching the ship via the walkways however, I noticed a certain shabbiness, especially of the lifeboats. We boarded and were invited to take lunch in the buffet (The Conservatory) and to tour the ship's public rooms until our staterooms were ready for us at approximately 14:00. We found The Conservatory lacking in atmosphere with an unimpressive array of food (looking like school dinners or a works canteen on a bad day). Only one side of the servers was open, and the waiting staff were there solely to clear tables - there was no relationship with passengers whatsoever.

An announcement at 14:00 advised us that our rooms were ready and we made our way to our cabin. Much the same layout that we are used to but a few minor alterations. The minibar (which contained two complimentary small bottles of water and an ice bucket) is located in the writing desk adjacent to the window, and the wardrobe contained mostly wire coat hangers. Tea/coffee making facilities are provided in the room. No stationary is provided (though there was a cheap Bic (P&O branded) biro. The standard bathroom layout was unchanged but the towels were well used and the face cloths were the meanest - they were like the finger cloths you are given in Chinese restaurants. One good aspect of the bathroom - the soap, shower gel, conditioner, etc were provided by The White Company. Read more