We arrived at the port at 10:30 but it took at least 2 and a half hours to get on board. Having never embarked from Southampton before, we were surprised by the terrible queues at security. And the ship was only two thirds full!

Our cabin was lovely with a new comfy bed and a sofa. The shower seemed bigger but the main bathroom smaller - don't ever drop anything! There was a really large TV on the wall with a good selection of movies/tv shows on demand - we managed to watch one movie and it had a good definition. Storage and wardrobe space were almost the same, the desk/fridge area had less drawers in this configuration. Also new was a slot for your cruise card to control lighting and tv power - took a bit of getting used to. The balcony was a lot smaller than a standard Princess balcony with very uncomfortable chairs- however we hardly made use of it in the end.

The public areas were amazing. We liked the enlarged sparkling Atrium, the extended Crooners bar and the Horizon Court. This had a lot more food options, a Bistro section and a separate Pastry Shop. Although it was a bit of a trek to go looking for a dessert that you rarely bothered! The Pastry Shop didn't seem to have many extra items other the usual desserts - didn't see any fondue when we went. Service was generally good although we had to wait a bit for our sparkling water to arrive. Oh they advertised San Pelligrino but we never got it once! Read more