ok i suppose

we booked through bolsover cruise club who were efficient but rushed which left us not quit understanding the savers ticket.

we sailed from southampton for a 5 night break to hamburg and zeebrugge for the new year celebrations. southampton is very easy to board the ship and it was all very well organised. our cases were in our cabin before we got there. the ship was really nice with plenty of things going on if we wanted it. the cabin steward Jovan was lovely and helpful. for anyone booking a winter destination cruise at christmas and new year please understand that most fellow cruisers will be below decks as it can be cold on deck. this leads to overcrowding of the bars, theatres and restaurants.we struggled every day of the break to find seats in the theatre and bars and on the most important night of the cruise NEW YEARS EVE (our 42nd wedding anniversary) we were allocated early seating in the dinning room(5.45) pm which is far too early to be dressed up and waiting for 12 . we couldn’t change it even after queing to speak to the restaurant manager and reception, they didn’t have enough room. this was due to the saver ticket we bought which had not been really explained to me at time of booking due to being rushed. we ended up in the glass house restaurant all on our own and it was very cold and we had to pay for the food. all in all it was a bit chaotic on all decks with nowhere to sit. another thing was the ship run out of trips ashore and we had to do our own thing which would be nice in the caribbean but not in belgium and germany. the towns/cities are just too far to make the most of the day. bruges is a loverly destination but hamberg is too big. all in all it spoilt our special occasion and no one on the ship was bothered. the reception staff were abrupt and so was the explorer desk, they didn’t offer any advice on trips as they were all sold out. the manager of the cinnamon restaurant was also very abrupt and the service in the cinnamon was not good. we do still love a cruise and are seasoned cruisers but it will be to a warmer destination next time