Firstly, the ship's interior was far too cold. Cruising the south Pacific, the ambient temperature was around 28-30 C most days, but the air conditioning in the public rooms and cabins was set at around 17 C. Everyone was complaining about it, but Guest Services told us that no-one else had complained. There was a danger of thermal shock when you came in from outside. Most people were wearing pullovers and cardigans to keep warm.

Food was terrible. We ate in the formal dining room on the 1st 2 nights and the food was inedible. We complained to our waiter who explained that the company policy was that if guests complained about the food they should be offered an alternative meal! The buffet was OK for breakfast, but for other meals the food was very poor, no more than lukewarm and the choice of drinks to go with the food was very limited (water and lemon squash only) if you wanted soft drinks or juice you had to go to the bar and pay. The service in the buffet was dreadful. None of the staff seemed at all interested in their jobs and looked as though they were trying to make themselves look busy. Tables were wiped with grubby cloths using a bleach solution.

Entertainment was patchy. There were a couple of good shows by the resident dance/singers. 3 magic shows all of which were embarrassingly awful and a very funny circus/juggling act on the last night of the cruise. Comedy shows were always packed which made it uncomfortable, with guests standing/sitting in the aisles and crowded around the bars. Trivia quizzes with Martin were good, but the coffee shop venue was totally wrong as there wasn't enough seating and the constant flow of people through to the theatre and noise from the band in the pub next door made it difficult to hear. Read more