This was my wife and I first cruise. My wife not having a good record on sailing, she can feel queasy crossing the channel, had been reluctant to cruise. She need not have worried, even on a particularly windy night, the ship did no more than a very gentle roll. In the past we had both enjoyed the sort of holiday on which we would explore beautiful Italian towns and ancient sites. Time is catching up with both of us and decided that type of holiday was behind us. Our daughter, a frequent cruiser, had told us many a time that cruising was for us. She was so right.

The ship although old has charm, it is not immense. We particularly did not want to go cruising in one of these vast floating cities. The crew are all wonderful, could not find fault with any of them. We tended to have dinner in the Compass Rose restaurant where the varied menu never let us down, the food was excellent. Breakfast and lunch we took in the buffet but that was our choice. You could dine by any combination of these you chose. There again the buffet food was all that you could want, a great selection. Afternoon tea could be taken there with all that you might expect to find. There are a selection of bars on board, all with their own character. In the evening the bars have a variety of musical entertainment, so you can choose according to both the style/ambience of the bar and your taste in music. The theatre puts on a great variety of acts, comedians, musicals. Something I would suggest that all can find their preferences met.

Our cabin was fine and the stewards did a great job in keeping it just as you would wish, even little touches like towels folded to represent bunnies and the like, chocolates on the pillow when you returned to your cabin at night, the covers folded back. All little things in themselves but just added to the overall experience. So much so we are off on another Thomson cruise next year.