This review has been so long in coming because I have waited the best part of 6 weeks to receive a reply to my correspondence to Cunard. I will not bore you with details of the ship (very nice) or the cabin (mouldy smell immediately the door was opened) however I will tell you about the food and the itinerary, both of which were extraordinary.

First the itinerary: this was a 5 night cruise with just two stops. One in Hamburg - great, never been there before and looking forward to it and one in Le Havre (supposedly for Paris which is 3 and a half hours away). We had been informed before sailing that there was going to be a marathon going on in Hamburg. OK, no problem. Reality was what we hadn't been told and that was Germany on a Sunday is rather like Britain used to be like some years ago. Shut. Yes, closed for business. No cafes, no restaurants, no buses, no transport, no museums, biggest shopping mall in Europe - all shut.

Next, Le Havre where we had decided to take public transport to Honfleur after deciding sitting in a coach for 7 hours wasn't our thing. Arrive - France is shut! Yes folks, we arrive on Labour Day where the whole of France is closed. No buses, trains, few taxis. No cafes, no restaurants, no people. Devoid of people. Forced to pay 125 euros to get to Honfleur to be able to actually enjoy the day. Read more