I was on the Paul Gaugin while it was owned by Regent 10 years ago, and was very much looking forward to this cruise through wine country of Portugal, Spain and France.

While the ship was beautiful, there was always something off with the staff. They had procedures they had to follow. Their procedures were more important than ensuring that customers were put first.

An example was one of the breakfasts in the buffet. I usually eat breakfast at the buffet on most cruises (I have been on over 30), as it is faster, the selection is vast and it starts earlier. To order anything not pre-made, the procedure is you must first select a table, then go on line and give your table number to those custom making food (like omelets) and they eventually bring it to you. I tried this twice, both times disaster. My omelet showed up 45 minutes after it was ordered, cold and my wife's never showed up. Read more