We had several interior cabins and these were well maintained and a reasonable size. Our room steward was efficient, welcoming and the rooms were well maintained. the main areas of the ship were pretty well maintained and the facilities where good overall. entertainment was varied and to a good standard keeping 3 generations going through the sea days. Drinks will be perceived as slightly more expensive for those outside the m25 (London) but for anyone living inside London (or any other major city) they will seem good value. Well done P&O for not overcharging or adding massive percentages for service when drinks are ordered.

Now for the other side of the coin. For those in a hurry, too much of the food offer is just plain poor when compared to many other cruise ships i have been on. I am not expecting perfection but i am not expecting university cafeteria either!! I will almost certainly not travel with P&O because of this, if it has been changed to economise then they have made a serious miscalculation.

We chose freedom dining as this would allow us to make the decisions on when to eat. Personally i would not again, as a mid size party of 7 we invariably had a 30 minute wait from booking in. It is my perception that you lose all character of service when you freedom dine as the rapport between the guest and waiters does not grow (it may be that P&O ships don't have this anyway????) however the biggest criticism i have is the food offering, Breakfast was in fairness good whether self serving or in the restaurant however Lunch was day on day VERY POOR. The selections available whilst catering to many tastes did not excite in any way, 3 out of the 7 days the availability was just awful. Pool side food was better on most days. also in the self service restaurants i have never seen such chaotic service. the restaurant at the back on one day was worse than many motorway cafes i have been in!! In the evening the food was generally better but again the service was really lacklustre and on 2 nights the food was appalling (A Chinese sweet and sour chicken that looked like an Iceland ready meal badly microwaved) yes they offered to swap it but by that time the desire to eat had passes. The second occasion my steak has so much gristle that i complained and the waiter told me that i should have the steak cooked more, i politely said not thanks i like it cooked to that level but surprise surprise it arrived back overcooked. With my will lost i retired to the bar.