My 21st cruise with a three day pre-cruise jaunt in London, I will be writing more details my London visit in a separate blog, this is a ship review and I will try and focus exclusively on the ship vice other areas such as excursions and ports. More information is written separately in my blog @cruisinbob.com

Embarkation: Prior to the cruise through cruise critic I had made contact with three other couples, I had arranged for private transportation from London to Harwich and we(4 couples) would split the cost of the transportation (it was a whopping 50% less than riding the train, door to door service and more then enough luggage room), I contacted numerous transportation vendors but settled on "Darrin" (Adelphia Executive transportation) all I can say is that he exceeded my exceptions, he responded promptly to all my emails, he was on time, very professional and kept us entertained as we drove through the countryside. I also used his services from Harwich to Heathrow (also 50% savings of what ship transportation would cost). At the Harwich pier, check-in is lightning fast I had had completed the online registration prior to me showing up at the port, with my one printed piece of paper and I was ready for check-in( all these unnecessary cruises documents are a thing of the past). Your luggage is collected prior to terminal entrance, once inside the terminal your passports are checked, you are asked to sign the Credit Card voucher the piece of paper your printed from online registration collected and presto you are headed for the ship, less than 10 minutes.

Cabins: I had an Inside Cabin on deck #7 mid ship (got a great price and saved a ton of money that I spent in port). My cabin was standard for Radiance class ships, it had a small fridge; a separate his/her's closet and an easy to use room safe and TV. In the shower you are supplied a shampoo dispenser. TV had limited programming and the same program is shown in different languages. In addition, you are able to view your on board account, make excursion reservations and view the daily dinning menu. I have no complaints except for the noisy and inconsiderate neighbors on the same deck that seemed to love bagging and slamming cabin doors. There were very few announcements piped into your cabin. Read more