We lowered our expectations of this cruise compared to the likes of HAL and RCI but in many aspects we felt it was even better. Boarding was easy at Tilbury after taking the train from London then the free connecting bus. On board we were escorted to our cabin where our luggage was already there. Most outside cabins have twin beds, unfortunately due to fitted furniture these cannot be made up into a double and one of them is also a sofa by day so less comfy. We viewed the inside suites and they were fabulous, about twice the size. Plenty of wardrobe space in the cabin and a decent sized bathroom with shower. Bathrobes were provided which was a nice touch.

Dining was great, a non standard menu meant we were able to dine on different produce from the ports of call. A lovely tropical buffet out of Mexico and suckling baby pigs after Nuka Hiva. On a Gluten free diet the chefs went out of their way to be helpful and even cooked a couple of cakes to my own recipe. Many special functions were held out on deck which was lovely.

On board most amenities are on deck 5 making it very easy to get around the ship. The showroom lacked a tiered system and views were often obstructed if you sat at the side. However the show team were fabulous and soon got to know people by name. A few had strong accents which made it difficult to understand during things like quizzes. Cruise Director Toby could, in our opinion and many others, have improved things by adjusting the times of certain activities. On long cruise people are less keen to be up late at night partying and having a disco that started at 11pm mean most people did not attend. Morning exercise classes were good, well attended but sporadic. Read more