Whilst most things on the cruise were exceptionally good – the organisation of embarkation and disembarkation, the service from all staff, the food, the cabin quality and the shows, there were elements that did not meet our expectations.
Deck 15 around the two pools and bar area was a no-go area for us as a mature couple and I likened it to Benidorm as it was loud with music, had lots of children and families who clearly did not go for the sightseeing, just the burgers, chips and booze.
The buffet restaurant on the same level was incredibly busy on the two occasions we were unfortunate to have to use it for breakfast.
This seemed to us to be like a two star hotel with plastic topped tables and queues for everything.
However, as it was so busy, it catered for the people who wanted that level of service.
We wanted a more sophisticated service with better quality of food which we found in the two Freedom Dining restaurants.
We did have to wait for a table for two on most occasions which can only mean there are insufficient tables of this type.
We did share a bigger table on two occasions which we found less relaxing having to make small talk with strangers.
We did use the Epicurean and Sindhu restaurants which charge extra and both were lovely experiences apart from the cost which we found excessive having paid so much already for the cruise.
Another improvement would be to allow mixed use of the sauna and steam room.
No-one told us it was single sex use in separate rooms which was a problem as I had arranged to meet my wife in the steam room after changing.
We then had to guess when each of us would finish.
This was our first experience of cruising and we have learned that if you want a more relaxed experience to avoid the school holidays and never use the buffet restaurant.
Also, we discovered that literally none of the daytime activities was appealing to us – talks, bingo, knitting club, etc.
so not quite what we were expecting.
