My husband and I are long time cruisers (25+ since 1996). We are not loyal to any particular cruise line having been on Airtours , Thompson , Celebrity, Princess, Star cruises, P.O. , Royal Caribbean , NCL. Cunard , Carnival etc. As we have got older our main criteria for a good holiday is good food, good entertainment , a comfortable room with a balcony and,of course, good price. Ports of call are unimportant as now, we tend to stay on board due to walking problems. Although we have 2 R.C. Cruises already booked for this year, I was unable to resist a deal I saw on Travelzoo -10 night transatlantic on the new NCL Getaway (balcony cabin)+ 2 nights in New York + flight to LHR for £729pp and add an 8 night Carnival Splendor cruise to the Bahamas for £249pp. Bargain!

The first part of our holiday went without a hitch, although it was freezing and snowy in New York, as anticipated. It was - 10 when we boarded the Splendor! Embarkation was okay but as soon as we went onto the ship the cold just hit us. It seemed colder on than off the ship. Up on deck 9 the chlorine fumes from the closed in pool was dreadful. All the staff were wearing hats, coats and gloves. When we went to our room on deck 8 it was reasonably warm, but venture out of the room and you would freeze. The compulsory muster and life drill was a joke. As I use a walking stick we were ushered to the library where people were playing cards and chatting. No one scanned our room cards and little notice was taken of the guy who was demonstrating the donning of the life jacket. We were allowed to leave whilst the drill was still taking place. appalling!

We needed to wear our outdoor clothes in the dining room and theatre. It was impossible to get any information about why the temperature was so low inside. I have never experienced anything like it before. It was as if the staff had been instructed not to comment on the cold. Visiting reception the following morning, after much probing I was informed that there was a problem with the heating due to the abnormally low temperatures but this was all I could find out. Even when the Captain gave his 12.00 report, there was no information or apologies about the cold . I felt this was appalling! We deserved an explanation . When Read more