For a special birthday pressie,my daughter asked for a holiday, but where do you take a club loving, lively young woman who is easily bored, with the biggest criteria not to be bored yourself or more importantly an embarressment to her. A cruise seemed the best option and so it proved to be. the cabin was bigger that some hotel rooms that she had stayed in and the ship was impressive in its public areas, full of gilt and chandaliers. first impressions count. the food was plentiful and of a high standard catering for even my daughters often bland taste. the fact that she could reorder in the restaurant or go to the buffet and eat something else led her to be quite adventruous and try something new everyday. The windjammer buffet restaurant was always busy and this could lead to problems in getting somewhere to sit. on one occassion my breakfast was cold by the time i could sit somewhere. We went my time dining which meant we were not tied to specific mealtimes but again this meant yu either had to reserve a table the day before hand or queue while waiting for a table to be free. however this was never longer than 20 minutes. the staff weere always friendly and reasonable attentive. being my time meant we never saw the same table waiting staff, so as you prepay the tips, i felt no obligation to add xtra.

the entertainment on the ship was wide and varied. two swimming and sunbathing areas (one for over 16s only) and we had no problems getting sunbeds. bars for all moods, shows games sports tournaments and quizzes. we paid extra for the murder mystery night which was great fun. this involved a small amount of audience participation but was very successful in meeting other passengers on the ship and making friendships. you also get to eat in one of the upgraded restaurants that normally charge you extra ($20 a person) but the food is really good and the wine flowed. (a major bonus given the price of alcohol on the ship) the mystery itself is rather silly but done with great gusto and fun and large amounts of ham acting. (by the way we did guess the correct murderer - always follow the money!!!) I have a feeling that the enjoyment of the evening was greatly enhanced by the really lovely people on our table.

late night entertainment also included a large casino with craps, roulette poker, blackjack and slot machines which ranged in price from 5 cents upwards. we made great use of the nightclub - The Dungeon- which played all sorts of music, though my daughter assured me she was the only one dancing to Dizzy Rascal as the americans don't yet know him. Read more