My wife and I have just completed this cruise. Overall it was enjoyable and must be related to the cost. However, with the exception of the nightly theatre entertainment I am afraid that I must review the total experience in a more negative light. The food generally left much to be desired. The quality of many of the items was poor and the standard of the service quite appalling. It would seem that in comparison with our previous cruises with P & O savage cost cuttings have been implemented in more recent times. In the main Meridian restaurant the number of waiters was completely inadequate and it was not unusual to wait 25 - 30 mins. between courses. There seemed to be no Maître D (at least I never saw him) and the Head Waiter visited our table once during the entire cruise and that following my complaint to the Waiter regarding the poor service and inferior quality of certain items on the menu. These delays incurred problems of reaching and securing a reasonable seat at the 8.30 pm. theatre show situate at the opposite end of the ship. Meals taken in the Belvedere buffet restaurant were also invariably of indifferent standard and quality.

The staff throughout the ship without exception were all extremely friendly, courteous and helpful, carrying out their duties in the most demanding of circumstances. There is far too much emphasis in the desire to extract as much money as possible from their clients.

Most of the onboard activities incorporate some form of sales initiative and one is inundated with art picture sales and photography. How do they manage to sell these pictures at such ridiculously inflated prices? Would we cruise with P&O again? If if offered a choice probably not. There were too many areas of discontent on this cruise for us to try and avoid making such a decision