True - we had a terrific deal through our agents Cruise Nation, paying only £699 for a 10 night cruise (including flights and a 2nt stop in Istanbul). I'm glad we booked via an agent, as any queries I had prior to boarding went unanswered by RCI. (On land customer service = 0)

Check in at Istanbul was "organised chaos" and took almost 2 hours (with some passengers claiming a 4 hour wait). In fairness to RCI - this was largely due to the Turkish immigration staff. That said - by the time we boarded, our stateroom was ready and our luggage had arrived.

Odi, our stateroom attendant, soon introduced himself and remained discrete and helpful throughout our stay. The room, whilst small, was well equipped and spotlessly clean. We did notice the absence of a fridge and kettle though. The dressing table area was laden with sweets, chocolates, crisps, drinks and large bottles of water (at an extra charge of course!) Despite asking guest services for these to be removed, they remained there for the duration of our cruise.... Read more