A changing experience

If we start with the premise that some things have had to change then our overall experience was good but could have been better. Let’s get the bad out of the way first. On arrival at the cruise terminal at our located time slot it took 50 minutes to check in the car for parking. The pre check in procedures were long winded and I ended up juggling my self labelled documents on the floor. The cabin is now only attended once a day and that is in the morning. The only complimentary toiletries are containers of shampoo and shower gel on the shower wall. The Welcome and Peninsular Club parties have been substituted with a complimentary voucher for a part glass of dubious fizz. Bottles of wine purchased at dinner are no longer kept for consumption but need to be drunk at the time or taken away by you to be brought back by yourself ie guests walking around at dinner with part bottles of wine! Meals in the main restaurants are very much portion controlled and we are back to plated cheese and biscuits which was identical each time that I had it.
Now for the good bits. As soon as we were on board the cabins were available. The muster station gathering has been replaced by a quick visit to your actual muster station and then return to the cabin to watch a safety video. The loyalty lunch was an actual three course lunch rather than the usual buffet. The staff are all so friendly and keen to please. The meals in The Beach House and The Glass House were superb. The breakfast menu has been tweaked for the better. Although not a place we frequent very often but the Horizon buffet is back to self service. Overall an excellent cruise.