We picked up the ship in Yokohama after a two night stay in Tokyo. This was a very special trip for us both as we had recently celebrated our Golden Wedding and it was also my 70th birthday the day after we returned to the UK. We had booked the cruise through Iglu Cruises some 18 months before and had decided to push the boat out literally! We booked Concierge Class with a cabin and balcony at the back of the ship. Boarding was a bit like a cattle run with everyone having to make two photocopies of their passport. We could have been informed about this prior to our departure date, which would have saved a huge amount of time.

Our cabin was located on deck 8 and we were pleased with it's size and also the 40 square foot accompanying balcony. However, the cabin and it's fixtures and fittings were dated and tired and in need of an upgrade. The ship has very specific places for smokers, however we found a cigarette butt screwed into one of the slats on our table on the balcony. The balcony floor was also dirty and even had wet hair from the previous occupants stuck to the floor. Not a good start but our very helpful cabin staff cleaned this up for us.

We had opted for dinner at 8.30pm in the main dining room. Our table was in a pleasant location and our waiter and his assistant were most helpful throughout the cruise. Particularly when it came to what to recommend to eat each evening. Steak was definitely not to be eaten as we discovered for ourselves. It was tough, chewy and tasteless and I think there were many complaints. We met many other people who were not happy with the food. The ship seemed to lack sparkle and colour and again was looking tired and in need of an facelift. Read more