Having been on the Azura to Norway was hoping that this ship and crew would exceed the shortcomings I found on the Azura. Having arrived an hour late because of a massive traffic jam on the A3 outside Guildford, the embarkation was a fast doddle. Within a short time we had the emergency drill which turned out to be the worst ever. A massive amount of people were cramped into a small space with inadequate seating and we waited and waited and waited for the announcements to start. About half an hour later the event began, whilst the air conditioning failed in its duties and was getting hotter by the minute. A really bad start.

Got to the cabin and found that the wardrobe was cramped and the safe was right on the floor. The taps in the bathroom refused to give cold water, only hot and warm, and this persisted over the whole cruise, besides reporting it on several occasions. The excuse given was that it was an old ship!

Found that the Freedom dining option in the Peninsular restaurant worked well; really nice room with tables well spaced out. Food in there was adequate but service was rushed and a meal that could have been enjoyed over an hour and three quarters was over sometimes in just over an hour. Meat portions were sometimes enough to feed a mouse and vegetables were sometimes barely to be found on the plate. The bread provided looked unappetising and was. Sometimes food had to be sent back because it was undercooked. Had game one day and almost broke my tooth on lead shot. when I complained about this they asked for my cabin number but I never heard from them. Read more