Our first cruise in 33 months was chosen for the ports (five of them new to us), the relative ease of round-tripping for 14 days from our home town and the avoidance of anything at all to do with flying. We were happy with the rules (masks recommended, vaccinations and negative Covid test required) and felt safe throughout the trip.

The cruise was interesting and met our primary need to escape the same-old same old of life at home. Our veranda cabin was comfortable, with those very cushy HAL beds. Service was outstanding, exceeding this line’s stellar reputation. Even the front desk people, often stubbornly bureaucratic on past cruises, seemed to have graduated from charm school. The Step One dance company was, without doubt, the best we’ve seen on a cruise ship.

But we found the experience wanting in several ways. The cruise fare was significantly higher than we expected to pay, never reduced even though the ship sailed with 30 per cent empty cabins. Prices had been jacked up: the cheapest bottle of wine sold for US$41 and shore excursions were even more expensive than usual, though two ports featured school buses and drivers doubled as guides in all of them. Read more