Fab cruise!

Arrived earlier than expected, but plenty of room in the waiting lounge to have a drink while we waited.

The staff, as always, were brilliant. Those guys work so hard and always seem to smile! Freedom dining is our preferred style, and we never really had to wait long for a table - even when we did, it is never a problem. Take a buzzer and wander off to the bar or Java for a bit of people watching. We had great table companions on the occasions we shared a table for dinner, although I wish they wouldn't put four on a table meant for eight or nine as it makes things feel a bit awkward. The Beach House is always good but isn't it time for a menu update in the specialty restaurants? Like another reviewer I found the lack of vegetarian options a bit disappointing here. What I had was lovely, but it would be nice to have a choice. The one downside of the The Beach House is the fact that it is below the kids club and our evening was spoilt a little by the constant and thunderous noise of whatever game was being played above us, despite one of the crew going upstairs to try and calm things down at least three times. Other diners who were seated outside said the same thing about the pool area below them, it's tricky having a relaxing meal when all you can hear is screeching. I can understand that this is a very difficult thing to overcome - everyone is there to enjoy themselves after all. Sindhu is my absolute favourite speciality restaurant on board P and O ships. Again, not much in the way of vegetarian options - one starter and two mains - but I totally don't care because the food is just gorgeous! There is always so much of it too, can't fault it! We ate in the Glass House for the first time this cruise, it became our favourite hangout bar this cruise so we decided to give the food a go. Husband was happy with his mini burgers, and I was happy with my vegetarian selection - the cheese polenta chips are especially good. I discovered a fantastic wine there too, but can't seem to get it at home without an extortionate price tag sadly. Might have to book another cruise...

Not for me or him really, we prefer to do our own thing. I am not a fan of organised anything to be honest, but each to their own.

The Elton John tribute act was good, the comedian that followed in Manhattan was, sadly, not. I'm afraid we joined the many who walked out. Magic shows and impressionists are not my thing either, so it is rare we find something we both want to see on board. As for the resident bands, maybe I'm missing something..? Nice to see the Sky Screen has been fixed, but the volume button seems to have got stuck on 11 - it was ridiculously loud!

Brilliant service all round. The only problem we found was that now gratuities are no longer included, it is very difficult to show appreciation for good service without going broke!

It is tired, and some areas are a bit whiffy - mainly by Malabar - but it is clean and well maintained, although the balcony side panels could do with a bit of clean. I have no sense of direction whatsoever, so I will never learn where anything is board - I'm sure it is perfectly logical to everyone else though! I managed to find find coffee all on my own, so that's ok with me.

No problem with the cabin size, we booked it especially for the large balcony which is great to have. There is plenty of space for two inside, the beds are huge too. The shower is a little on the small size but that is to be expected. Plenty of room for toiletries (even if my husband did steal ALL the shelves!) and a massive mirror to see how fat you've got over the two weeks... Loads of hanging space for clothes (again, husband stole most of the hangers!) and enough shelving in the cupboard. Glad there is still a kettle etc. in the cabins too.

We were delayed due to a medical emergency on board resulting in a detour to Vigo, so we were slightly later into Southampton than we should have been. However, this was managed extremely well and we actually ended up back in Kent earlier than we had anticipated originally.