Norwegian Fjords aboard Sky Princess 11th – 25th June, 2022

Ship too large to offer best service. For example, having a coffee or pre-dinner drink was difficult because there were too few available seats. Our room attendant was very good and restaurant service did well though under pressure. Entertainment was average with an emphasis on playing music as loudly as possible to make conversation difficult. The Captain and his crew were not visible and announcements were difficult to hear and understand. The disembarkation was delayed by over four hours because of a Yacht Race around the Isle of Wight. It is inconceivable that this was not known before docking arrangements were put in place. To make matters worse, a Fire Alarm was activated in the main arrivals Hall with only feeble attempts to evacuate the area. For a major port as Southampton, this is not acceptable. Had the Fire Alarm not been a false one, thousands could have died. No members of the Fire Service attended the chaotic scene. THIS IS NOT A PASSING COMMENT – THERE HAS TO BE ADEQUATE EVACUATION PROCEDURES IN PLACE ESPECIALLY WHEN NEW ARRIVALS ARE QUEUED BACK TO WINCHESTER! MANY OVERSEAS PASSENGERS MISSED THEIR FLIGHTS FROM LHR & LGW. Remember, this first arose because of the 4-hour delay which passengers were only told about on the last evening. As an annual event in the yacthing calendar, surely other arrangements should have been made. Finally, we gained the impression that the Cruise Line is adopting a policy of packing as many people into one ship with a minimum number of staff to serve them in order to squeeze as much profit from the venture for its Shareholders. Thank goodness the scenery and people of Norway were fantastic.