We chose the cruise as we were celebrating our birthday. The embarkation process went seamlessly; we were shepherded from airport to ship with no problems. There was some waiting for our rooms to become available once on the ship, however, we were roomed before the advertised at 2 pm. Suitcases also arrived in good time.
We were kept well-informed re. activities and entertainment onboard through daily newsletters. Many of these, was not to our liking, but that didn't take away from the efforts being made to keep a diverse group of people entertained. I was impressed by the entertainment team's energy throughout the cruise. They made a real effort to put a smile on people's faces.
There was a choice of dining style, formal and informal. Must say that I was disappointed to find passengers disregarding the dress code. There were people in hoodies and casual shorts when the night called for more formal attire; this I felt was worn out of a sense of arrogance for the dress code and those who had "made the effort". Hats off to the staff in the formal dining area, they kept their composure in the face of some cringe-worthy attitudes from dinners; e.g complaining about the quality of wine/food. it's my guess that this was just posturing meant to impress onlookers as to their sophistication and expensive taste - it had the opposite effect.
We did request an upgrade when we first arrived, unfortunately, this was not available to us.
Our cabin experience of the ship was made top-notch by Merta, he attended to our room, turning down the bed twice a day. We felt confident and safe with him. We did not feel the need to lock our valuables away in the safe provided. Merta in a real way was the embodiment of the cruise experience