IGNORE ALL the negative reviews if you have never been before. First cruise for our family of 5. I have never had any interest in cruising as I like to walk around and enjoy the ambience of my destination and exploring streets and places to eat etc. I was also worried about getting seasick (We took Travacalm and were all fine).

Where to start? Getting on and off the ship was a breeze. The Spirit is impressive in size and quite beautiful - the decor is a little gawdy in places but I think that can a part of her charm. The rooms were fantastic in size and had enough room to store everything plus some. The cleanliness was second to none and the surprise towel animals on the bed each night were enough to always bring an extra smile.

Service for the most part is above average and the crew work VERY hard to make you feel welcome. Considering the number of passengers they have to feed, the food overall was good. The selection was always varied and you will truly never go hungry. Seriously, if you can't find something you fancy eating, I suspect you're very hard to please and should sail the QE2 instead. The Empire Dining room has a lovely ambience and the food is great for breakfast and dinner. The bars were great and I ended up with a couple of favourite spots to go. The cocktails are worth a mention for their value for money and sometimes potency. Hygiene on the ship seems to be taken seriously and hand sanitisers are almost everywhere. Read more