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“Brilliant staff from start to finish ”

Written on: 28/01/2008 by chris60 (1 review written)

Good Points
Great value floating hotel, equiv. 3+ stars. Brilliant staff. Good atmosphere. Mainly well-organised

Bad Points
Over-promoted extras, got bored with the word "fantastic".
Over-priced excursions.

General Comments
Brilliant staff from start to finish



Well-oiled hassle-free transfers (but hellfire, I couldve done with a smoke-break between Gatwick & dockside).



Clean & comfortable well-kitted cabin, not cramped for two- but might be with kids. Generally good amenities on clean & well-maintained ship.



Good food with plenty of choice in the two excellent self-serve restaurants, didnt try extra-cost Bistro or La Luna cos they were over-promoted, but fellow-passengers rated them worth the extra



Mixed quality of entertainment - get a seat in Connexions bar early for comedian nights, use the balcony in Marquee theatre in case you wanna sneak out.



Get yourself a good spot on deck before 9am on the two days at sea. Day 1 ideal to settle in & explore ship, day 7 a welcome "day off"



Sensible smoking policy on board, ok in Players Bar, well-selected deck areas & in cabin (no complaints from non-smokers about being allocated smelly cabin). In fact no complaints from smokers or non-smokers.



Wines, beers, cocktails at pub prices - but since you'll be dining out then off to the pub every night it'll get expensive. Bulk deals on wine, 2 for 1 cocktails most days at the pool 3.30 to 5pm



Shore trips thro the ship are overpriced, same itinerary for less than half the cost if you take a taxi or shared minibus at quayside, or even hire

Margarita. Port in middle of nowhere, but good beach adjacent ship. We shared a battered old yankee taxi .Touring +stops at beaches & town shopping for $15 ( '£7.50) each. Or '£32 thro the ship !

Grenada. $25 for shared minibus inland to the important bits, dropped us at excellent Grand Ainse beach, $3 watertaxi back to ship.

St Lucia. Shared minibus to Marigot Bay, Pitons, volcano etc - really good trip for about $30 plus admission charges (pennies)

Martinique. Hired a car for € 59, € 8 petrol. St Pierre disappointing, hills, rainforests, etc great.

St Vincent. Awful. So take a boat trip to Mustique or beautiful Bequila.

Barbados. We hired a moke ($90 + petrol) & explored wild atlantic coast. An occasional signpost wouldve been useful, but great fun

Tortola. Brilliant. We took the ship's catamaran trip to Virgin Gordo '£32 - thats much more than ferry/taxi, but ferry timings dodgy

St Maartin. The best stop. Shared a taxi tour incl the french end, about $20 each, then good hassle-free shopping (cheapest duty-frees on this itinerary), & good beach adjacent.

St Kitts. Limited. But an interesting minibus tour about $20 each.

Train only bookable thro ship, passengers rated it a waste of time & money

Antigua. Minibus to English Harbour etc - good trip, same itinerary as ship's tour at a quarter of the cost

Dominica. Truly awful. So book an activity thro the ship. We did river-tubing at '£38. Marginal value, but great fun