AndyMichelle

The girl DJ kept asking why nobody was dancing, but carried on playing rap type music, just didn't make sense. Andy

Our Hyacinth always expects to be disappointed, it's her way, pushing boundaries, but even she was very well looked after. Our assistant waiter cottoned on to this quite quickly and preempted most of her requests, which made her very happy. Andy

Back home after a fantastic cruise, just coming out of a 'food coma' 😊 Although not perfection, the good definitely outweighed the couple of little niggles we encountered. The ship was in great condition after the refurb, right down to the new table tennis equipment. Our balcony cabin was spotlessly clean and kept that way by our very efficient and helpful steward. We barely saw him but, as expected, our Hyacinth had him run ragged😂 Our waiters at dinner in the Oriental restaurant were fantastically helpful and efficient, as were the ones in the Peninsula where we had breakfast and lunch most days. Most of the food was good, 1 or 2 disappointments but mostly good. Our GF vegetarian was very well looked after and enjoyed the food and choice. Quite often her options looked better than the meat options. MDR food was usually a fish dish, a couple of meat dishes, then 2 or 3 veg options, as well as the 5oz steak and chicken, plus the chefs recommendation. I suppose we could do with a few different options, but all 7 of us always found something we liked. As mentioned before, I gave up on the desserts and stuck to ice cream, but some were enjoyed by the rest of our party, especially Hyacinth who had to try them all, every night... Drinks service was good and quick, with some very friendly waiters all around the ship. Embarkation was OK, just be prepared to wait if you arrive early. Disembarkatiin was good and organised too. Parking at West Quay was a breeze, £6 per day and felt safe enough, you take the ticket and pay on exit. Even though we are fairly local, it was still much cheaper than taxis. The only real niggles was with the entertainment, or lack of it... Far too many quizzes and game shows in the evenings in the main venues. The Headliners only performed twice on a 7 night cruise, Pulse only did 3 shows max, it might have even been 2? One evening, there was a quiz on in the Live Lounge, Crystal Rooms and Brodies, all at the same time. Add this to the many daytime quizzes, it was just an overload to the extent that many of the questions were repeated. The other gripe was with the young 'DJ' in the Live Lounge playing music that she liked to an audience mainly over 50, and wondered why nobody was dancing. We did try to request some more suitable songs which she played the odd one, quickly reverting back to modern music that we just didn't know how to dance to. With the lack of Pulse many evenings, this left no opportunity to have a boogie. We did try the buffet a couple of times, but it was carnage, so steered clear wherever possible. Overall though, we could hardly find any problems and the 5 new cruisers with us are all converted and can't wait to go again. Andy

We had a 9.35 disembakation time and were off the ship by 8.30. We came out of breakfast looking for somewhere to plonk ourselves and were just guided off the ship. It all seemed to be going smoothly, but apparently the lifts were a nightmare, but I suppose they always are on embarkation day. Andy

So, we had a scare concerning this as Horizon for what was supposed to be our last black tie night on Wednesday, said it was evening casual. We queried this at reception and they insisted for a while that black tie night was now the last sea day and formal photos would be taken then. I asked the photographers as Michelles Dad wanted a photo of him and his children and they insisted that there was no way they could take the photos on the last sea day and have them ready before disembarkation... But, saying that, I don't believe the photographers are back on all the ships, so that wouldn't matter anyway. Ours turned out to be a 'miscommunication'... Andy

It seems you have your wish... Express disembarkation is from 7am 'at a time that suits you'... Absolutely no mention of a time slot, just as long as you can carry your cases. I will try to report back how it works in theory later. Andy

We have had Barbie, Openheimer, the newer Indiana Jones, Wonka and a few others that I can't remember, so nothing brand new but not too old. We didn't get to the Cinema, most of the timings clashed with something else. Andy

Just wanted to revisit this thread to highlight how opinions can differentiate. We are currently on Britannia, having a fantastic time. Michelle is on a forum for this cruise on the dark side and so many people say they are having terrible holidays? Complaints include rude staff, almost everyone we have encountered have either been really lovely or very efficient. Dirty rooms, our 4 cabins were spotless. Cold/poor food, ours have been served hot, (except the toast of course) and mostly very nice. Slow drinks service, not waited more than a few minutes in any bar. It's not perfection, but we paid about the same price for the same cabin etc in 2018, so not surprised there are a few minor cutbacks. It just goes to show how different we all are. Andy

We have been very lucky with the weather and have managed to use the pools. I don't think they are particularly cold for outside pools, you soon get used to it. Yesterday the lido deck pool was absolutely packed, but went up to the serenity pool and I was the only person in it for a while and a completely different vibe. The hot tubs have been busy every time I have looked. Didn't expect to be sipping a pina colada by the pool the day after sliding down a snow covered mountain on my backside😂 Andy

It was offered almost right up to sailing on our personaliser, but I didn't see if it was offered on board. The queue at Brodies on the first day to sign up for it was huge, so might be worth booking before. Just a note on the drinks package, I don't think any of the 7 of us who have travelled would have got any value from it, and we seem to be drinking loads. Most beers around a fiver and most cocktails £7.50, a bottle of the wine we like is £25, so buying as you go has given us the flexibility we like. Andy

Damian has kindly answered this, you will need to be served the drinks and it's very limited. Andy

Yes, seems to be. You definitely can when first boarding. I think if you buy it in port, they 'can' hold it for you until the end of the cruise, but that doesn't seem to be being enforced. Andy

Our loo seat definitely isn't yellow, (yet) 😊 To me the ship feels brand new, 95% of carpets and furnishings have been updated, lots of new varnish and paint. They are still touching up cabin doors and painting around the lifeboats. While I am typing this, I am looking at a mark on my cabin ceiling that I hadn't noticed before, so thanks for that😂 All in all, she is in great condition. Andy

That's definitely the prices we have been paying. Just spoke to a beverage manager, he said he is unaware of any upcoming price rises, but described himself as a ' mushroom', so wouldn't be told anyway😂🍄. Andy

So drink prices are creeping up, but definitely not jumping up. A pint that I think was £5.10 last year is now £5.30, so not enough to break the bank. I can still get a pina colada for £7.50, cheaper than many land based outlets. Andy