Check In at Southampton was speedy and efficient - there was no queue and within minutes we were on the ship. Very efficient.

The Ship. First impressions were very impressive. The public areas had been dressed for the holiday season. The embarkation gangway takes you straight into the crystal atrium which is a colorful area, though the oversize lcd screen seems pointless and detracts from the ambiance of this room. Bliss - the bowling ultra lounge is rather unique and its taste may appeal to some and not to others. We found that very often during the day people were choosing to sleep on the day beds rather than be in the cabin. Believe me, this takes the "ultra" out of this lounge! At night it was underused, but this may be the demographics of a Trans Atlantic. I'm not a clubber, so it didn't worry me. Bar City isn't great on this ship - its basically one lounge and a corridor. Maltings is separate but the champagne and martini bars are very dull and disappointing. To be honest there seemed like a complete lack of variety in quality public areas for a cruise of 10 days. Most nights Bar City was reminiscent of a car ferry across the English Channel! No joke! (Pamala excepted - see below)

The Cabin Great cabin at the very back of the ship. Very quiet, spacious enough for a cruise of this duration and plenty of wardrobe space though drawer space was limited. Nicely furnished but only the standard coffee machine which was a bit of a disappointment (big TV on the wall and DVD player great). Read more