We have begun a cruise around Indonesia from Singapore. Many of the passengers on board began the cruise in Europe so have been here for several weeks already. Quite a few Dutch passengers as you might expect as well as British who joined in Southampton, but fewer North Americans. Ship's announcements are in English and Dutch.

We occupy one of the suites on deck seven and have access to the small comfortable Neptune lounge. The ship is one rung down from the service of super-class ships such as Silversea so access to the lounge helps make up for the slightly less attentive overall performance. We have had use of a similar lounge on Brilliance of the Sea and it was an evening event to gather there for drinks with fellow passengers. It was not the free drinks but the sociability that was so agreeable. We made our way to the Neptune Lounge on our first night at sea. Some canapés were laid out but no one was there and there was no drink service.

Event timing is an oddity for passengers used to Cunard Queens Class, Silversea and so on. Our first day out from Singapore was a sea day and at 1:10 pm we went to the main restaurant for lunch, only to be turned away because lunch was served from 12-1pm sharp. We should have been more attentive to the ship's programme. We retreated to the self-service restaurant on deck 8 only to find it heaving with people standing with plates of food waiting for a table to be vacated. A further retreat, this time to the Neptune lounge, where some small savouries and a cup of tea were quite sufficient. Read more