Though our flight was on time, Norwegian's schedule got us to the Sun after check in had closed and not long before sailing. We were taken to guest services to sign medical forms and be given room cards, then left: no advice on finding our cabin, where there might still be food served, or anything else. The harassed young guest services lady moved on to the next arrival. We noticed then that there were 5 excursion vendors standing waiting for custom and future cruise deposit takers also had nothing to do. Norwegian's priorities seem to put taking extra revenue ahead of getting the basics right. In the following 2 weeks, guest services often had long lines waiting for help whilst vendors were ever ready.

Our big bed was comfortable and the cabin had all the necessities. Use of the balcony was minimal because opening and locking the door required strength and patience. The hair dryer hose was old and kept falling off but this was replaced when we mentioned it. Our steward stayed quietly cheerful and very reliable. Food was consistently reasonable to good. Of the two restaurants, Four Seasons seemed to have warmer food and better service than Seven Seas, but that could just have been our experience. We often ate in the café, where we could choose our own blend of items on the plate, though this was often busy so involved waits for tables. We used just 1 of 3 complementary visits to additional charge restaurants. That speaks for itself.

The Canary Islands have their charm, not least being 10-20 degrees warmer than the UK. Even wet days are better when warm. Docking close to the main towns was valuable. Even smaller towns such as Santa Cruz de La Palma have charm, history and friendly people. Lisbon and Malaga had a lot to offer too. We arranged better and cheaper activities for ourselves, having previously found Norwegian excursions expensive and sometimes disappointing. Read more