We are a group of friends, two couples in their 40's and two in their 60's. This was our first cruise, previously we have done two Transatlantics on the QM2. We booked our BF-category cabins almost a year in advance so had a lot of time to imagine how the experience would be. Some expectations were fulfilled, some not.

Smiths for Airports transported us from Heathrow to Ibis Southampton Centre the day before embarkation. As usual their service was excellent. Next day after breakfast we walked to the WestQuay Shopping Centre to buy some boarding champagne. We arrived at the Mayflower Terminal around 12.30pm and were in our cabins in less than half an hour. Excellent! Cabin was as expected with lots of storage space, nice light colours, big balcony and a full bottle of sparkling wine greeting us. Before the drill we went to the Lido buffet for lunch. It took us some time to find the main serving area, the staff was not very active in helping us to find anything. But the food was good.

First impression on embarkation was the much smaller scale of the ship's interior in comparison to the QM2. The ceilings are lower, stairways steeper and corridors narrower, she looks much bigger in pictures. Some spaces are impressive, like the midships atrium, the central well in the Britannia restaurant, the Verandah restaurant and the Royal Court theatre. But the decor in the Commodore Club, the Lido and Garden Lounge is a bit tired and dated. It is quite evident that the ship is lacking at least one public room. The Cafe Carinthia serves the role of the non-existing Chart Room, my second favourite space on the QM2 and the Midsips Bar is a crowded combination of champagne bar and a place for aperitifs. I'm not sure if there really is the need for all that space for a card room, internet room and the shops of the Royal Arcade. The Queen's Room is an impressive two deck high ballroom used for various activities during the day and dancing in the evening, but to some extent it suffers from being divided by the main corridor on deck 2. The Golden Lion pub is big and seemed to be very popular. The Commodore Club is a vast space with wonderful views over the ship's bow. In the evening there is a pianist playing, which perfects the mood for a cocktail bar but if you are seated next to the piano forget about conversation. The adjacent Yact Club night club serves it's purpose and the library is beautiful with a good stock of books and magazines. Read more