The cruise began badly with the news that there was a vomiting virus on the boat and it was undergoing a deep clean. Having experienced this before on a Celebrity cruise where many of the passengers were sick and some of my own family were affected despite constant cleaning, it was not a cheerful start. However on this voyage the crew did manage to get on top of the problem and by the end of the cruise there was no one sick on board. Well done to the crew for a huge amount of work and long hours spent cleaning!The rest of the cruise depended on one's expectations. It was not a luxurious cruise. The food was adequate but not exciting. The Lido restaurant was pretty basic and the passengers very elderly. At times it felt like an old folks outing on a car ferry. There was a great deal of queuing particularly in the Lido and much of it could have been avoided by better organisation. For example why queue in one place for toast and then queue in another for jam to put on it?The crew felt overworked and could be quite short with passengers at times. Nobody told us it was a pleasure to serve us (as they do on some American lines) and they did not pretend it was a pleasure either.

On the positive side the entertainment was excellent and Richard, the cruise director did a very good job. The cabins were clean and comfortable if a bit small in the lower grades. The ports of call were good.It is not the most expensive cruise and you get good value for what you pay. However I would not be rushing back. Like many other contributors I would prefer to pay a bit more and have a more pleasurable experience on another line.