Have to be honest, I had resisted my wife's 'suggestions' to cruise for over 20 years. As I originate from England and my holiday experiences consisted of 'Butlin's' at Southport and Blackpool as a child, I dreaded the thought of being stuck in a constricted space with people who I might have little in common with and an expectation to dance and make a fool of myself, but expected to share my valuable vacation with. So here's what I found. Our Deluxe Balcony Suite on L8 to the aft was fine. The two single beds were pushed together, so really it was not a Queen (I think they may have claimed King). The crevasse in the beds made it difficult to be intimate, so we rolled to our respective individual confines at the end of the day. The bathroom is 'European' in size and character. The mini fridge is hopeless,with a set temperature that is barely less than room temperature. There are no glasses other than the tumblers in the bathroom. More space than I thought, however our neighbours had three suitcases on the balcony the whole trip.
What's Good? Difficult to say. Everything seems to come at an extra expense. Want a decent wine ....."that's an extra $US 5" on top of the Delux beverage package. Want a decent cocktail "that's an extra $US 5" on top of the Delux beverage package. To many US wines with no distinction - whilst in France, Italy, Montenegro can't we have local wines and some local influence on food?
Food - I am apologising before I start (sad English trait). Lots of it but little substance,quality or taste. We booked three speciality Restaurants and not one of them were worth the extra money. Can I ask why on any given night there were so many no shows at dinner. I suggest because the smorgasbord was more appealing. Far to much salt in many dishes, the French Onion Soup was saltier than the Dead Sea. Unedible (met the soup chef on a behind the sciences tour and he seems loveley).
Clean, comfortable and quiet. Bar fridge hopeless. No glasses. No tissues. Nice towel sculptures!