Great ship and fantastic service. All ports visited were beautiful and interesting. Highly recommended.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We drove to Southampton and simply parked car and within about 20 mins were enjoying a welcome drink on board. Couldn’t have been any easier!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was excellent. Superb food and service every time we went there. We had breakfast at the buffet and a couple of our evening meals simply because the weather was good and it was nice to eat on deck. Also impressed with the choice and quality of food at the buffet. At “peak” times it does get crowded but we always found a seat. We had any time dining in the restaurant and rarely had to wait for a table. When we did we were simply given a buzzer to take to the bar with us until the table was ready. Which moves me neatly on to the bars on board! Great service and atmosphere at each bar we went to. Particularly liked the Ensemble Lounge before dinner. We only went to a specialist restaurant one night and would say it really isn’t worth paying the extra as the food in the main restaurant is so good.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We used the gym which is excellent.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We only went to 2 shows. Barricade Boys on night one were superb. The final night “Euphoria” was like a Vegas show. Silent Disco nights were great fun. The musicians in various bars were of very high quality
Children's Programs
Didn’t travel with children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service throughout. Our waiter Suteja, his super cheerful assistant Jose and sommelier Dusko were all superb.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Apparently the ship is due a refit soon but, this being my first experience of cruising, I certainly couldn’t find any fault with the layout etc of the ship
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was more spacious than I was expecting. Plenty of wardrobe space with additional storage over the bed. Also plenty of storage in the bathroom. Comfortable bed and decent sized balcony.
Ship tip
Don’t waste money on the speciality restaurants. Grand Cuvee is excellent.
As we have been to Bruges several times we chose to take the coastal tram instead. As you walk out of the terminal simply turn left and follow the tram line to the stop by the courts about 10 mins walk. An all day ticket on the tram costs around 10 euros and allows you to get on an off wherever you like. We visited Blankenberge which is an attractive seaside town and you can walk back along the sand dunes if the weather is good.
Another easy walk into town. We walked alongside the water to the Little Mermaid statue which takes about 15 mins and then probably another 20 mins or so into town. Very easy route. We did a walking tour with Copenhagen Free Walking Tours which took about 3 hours and was excellent.
Weather wasnt great when we were in Stockholm but luckily it brightened as we sailed out - dont miss the sail away through the archipelago - really beautiful.
We walked from the terminal into town which took about 30 mins. Then got a ticket for use on public transport which includes the water taxis. Vasa Museum and ABBA Museum both well worth a visit and are very close together.
An absolutely beautiful place. Lovely walk into town and did a free walking tour with Aiden. Recommended. On the way back to the ship came across a lovely tea room/charity shop/art venue which is run by volunteers as a community project. On the left as reach final steps back to ship. Worth a visit!
The main reason for picking this cruise was to see St Petersburg and we were not disappointed. What a stunning place! We did a 2 day deluxe highlights tour with SPB Tours and also an evening “out like a local” tour with the same company. Cannot praise this company highly enough. Everything about them was fantastic. Brilliant guides and driver and the whole booking process was extremely easy. They organise the visa you need to travel around St Petersburg and got us back to the ship in plenty of time for departure. The evening tour was an absolute highlight of the holiday. Very luckily for us the other 6 people who had booked it then cancelled so it turned into a private tour ending with the 2 of us, our guide Alex and a bottle of vodka on our own boat as night fell. Views were phenomenal. Use SPB is my advice!
Very pleasantly surprised particularly as there was a regatta on when we visited. Consequently the town was full of food and drink stalls and live music. A really pretty town with a gorgeous sandy beach. About a 10 minute walk from the ship into town.
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